| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US09665379B2 |
System and method for booting a computer system using preboot data
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein relate to a method of booting a computer system using preboot data. A method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises transmitting a boot request and receiving, in response to the boot request, a boot loader that is adapted to read preboot data. The exemplary method may additionally comprise transmitting a request for boot data corresponding to the preboot data, receiving boot data corresponding to the preboot data, and booting the computer system using the boot data. |
| US09665377B2 |
Processing apparatus and method of synchronizing a first processing unit and a second processing unit
A processing apparatus, comprising at least a first processing unit and a second processing unit, is proposed. The first processing unit comprises a set of first stateful elements, the second processing unit comprises a set of second stateful elements. A set of synchronization data lines may connect the first stateful elements to the second stateful elements in a pairwise manner. A control unit may control the first processing unit, the second processing unit and the synchronization data lines so as to copy the states of the first stateful elements in parallel via the synchronization data lines to the second stateful elements in response to a synchronization request. A method of synchronizing the processing units is also proposed. |
| US09665373B2 |
Protecting confidential data with transactional processing in execute-only memory
Generally, this disclosure provides systems, devices, methods and computer readable media for protecting confidential data with transactional processing in execute-only memory. The system may include a memory module configured to store an execute-only code page. The system may also include a transaction processor configured to enforce a transaction region associated with at least a portion of the code page. The system may further include a processor configured to execute a load instruction fetched from the code page, the load instruction configured to load at least a portion of the confidential data from an immediate operand of the load instruction if a transaction mode of the transaction region is enabled. |
| US09665372B2 |
Parallel slice processor with dynamic instruction stream mapping
A processor core having multiple parallel instruction execution slices and coupled to multiple dispatch queues by a dispatch routing network provides flexible and efficient use of internal resources. The dispatch routing network is controlled to dynamically vary the relationship between the slices and instruction streams according to execution requirements for the instruction streams and the availability of resources in the instruction execution slices. The instruction execution slices may be dynamically reconfigured as between single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) instruction execution and ordinary instruction execution on a per-instruction basis, permitting the mixture of those instruction types. Instructions having an operand width greater than the width of a single instruction execution slice may be processed by multiple instruction execution slices configured to act in concert for the particular instructions. When an instruction execution slice is busy processing a current instruction for one of the streams, another slice can be selected to proceed with execution. |
| US09665368B2 |
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for performing conflict detection and broadcasting contents of a register to data element positions of another register
Systems, apparatuses, and methods of performing in a computer processor broadcasting data in response to a single vector packed broadcasting instruction that includes a source writemask register operand, a destination vector register operand, and an opcode. In some embodiments, the data of the source writemask register is zero extended prior to broadcasting. |
| US09665367B2 |
Uniform references
Embodiments of the present invention provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for uniform references to artifacts in a software configuration management tool. In one embodiment, a data processing system configured to resolve artifact references can include a software configuration management tool and uniform reference resolution logic coupled to the tool. In this regard, the uniform reference logic can be programmed to resolve a path name to a referenced artifact by processing a uniform reference specifying the referenced artifact. |
| US09665362B2 |
Remote management of electronic products
A remote server may receive a data log with information regarding the status and/or a setting of an electronic product. The remote server may store information in the data log in a database. The remote server may process information in the database to determine whether a newer version of firmware is available for the electronic product. |
| US09665354B2 |
Apparatus and method for translating multithread program code
A method and apparatus for translating a multithread program code are provided. The method includes: dividing a multithread program code into a plurality of statements according to a synchronization point; generating at least one loop group by combining one or more adjacent statements based on a number of instructions included in the plurality of statements; expanding or renaming variables in each of the plurality of statements so that each statement included in the at least one loop group is executed with respect to a work item of a different work group; and enclosing each of the generated at least one loop group respectively with a work item coalescing loop. |
| US09665351B2 |
Generating in-memory database application
Various embodiments of systems and methods for generating a light weight in-memory database application are described herein. Application modules included in an application modules repository may be displayed on a user interface of the IDE tool. The application modules includes an in-memory database specific application module operable to communicate with the in-memory database and operation specific application modules operable to execute operations related to the in-memory database. A user may select application modules from the displayed application modules. A build operation may be executed on the selected application modules to generate the light weight in-memory database application. The in-memory database application may include the in-memory database specific application module and at least one of the operation specific application modules. |
| US09665347B2 |
Apparatus and method for performing conversion operation
An apparatus comprises processing circuitry to perform a conversion operation to convert a vector comprising a plurality of data elements representing respective bit significance portions of a binary value to a scalar value comprising an alternative representation of said binary value. |
| US09665345B2 |
Flight deck multifunction control display unit with voice commands
Systems and methods for controlling a flight deck multifunction control display unit are disclosed. In various embodiments, the systems may comprise a flight management system or other MCDU driven devices, a command database that stores a plurality of voice commands and a plurality of multifunction control display unit commands. In various embodiments, each voice command is associated with one of the plurality of multifunction control display unit commands. The systems may further comprise a pilot voice interface configured to receive a voice command from a pilot and transmit the voice command to the multifunction control display unit. The multifunction control display unit can receive the voice command from the pilot voice interface and, in response, access the command database to identify a multifunction control display unit command in the command database that is associated with the voice command. |
| US09665342B2 |
Radio client terminal and radio system
Provided is a radio client terminal such that a license for music distribution in a radio system is not required and such that music matching the preferences of the user can be played back at the appropriate times while audio content from a radio broadcast is being received and played back. The radio client terminal is configured so that music stored in advance in the storage unit of the radio client terminal according to the preferences of the user is played back after introductory audio from introductory audio content is output during the interval between playback of audio content and audio content. |
| US09665340B2 |
Systems and methods for temporarily sharing audio over a network
Systems and methods presented herein may allow a sending user to stream audio to recipients without providing a permanent audio file, facilitating sharing of audio while retaining control over the audio file and reducing the chances of users copying the file. The sending user may specify number of plays, duration of time audio will be available for streaming, and the number of times the audio can be re-shared in one embodiment. The sending user and recipients may all execute a common client software on their computing devices that causes the computing devices to delete the audio when the streaming is complete and detect attempts to copy the audio at the device. |
| US09665338B2 |
Display apparatus, video system, display method and projector
A display method is applicable for a display apparatus. The display method includes transmitting preview data outputted by a client terminal to a host terminal such that the host terminal displays a preview image corresponding to the preview data. After the host terminal displays the preview image, if the host terminal outputs a first display permission signal, the display apparatus is utilized to display an image corresponding to an image signal outputted by the client terminal. A display apparatus, a video system and a projector are disclosed herein as well. |
| US09665337B2 |
Feedback mechanism for screen updates
A feedback application may be executing on a data processing system to transmit a screen update to at least two computers. The feedback application receives an indication of completion from a first computer, in response to transmitting the screen update. The feedback application updates a completion gauge to indicate a partial completion among participants, in response to receiving the indication of completion from the first computer. The feedback application receives a second indication of completion from a second computer, in response to transmitting the screen update. The feedback application updates the completion gauge to indicate a completion among participants, in response to receiving the indication of completion from the second computer. |
| US09665333B2 |
Unified desktop docking behavior for visible-to-visible extension
Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface or “desktop” across two devices are provided. More particularly, a unified desktop is presented across a device and a computer system that comprise a unified system. The unified desktop acts as a single user interface that presents data and receives user interaction in a seamless environment that emulates a personal computing environment. To function within the personal computing environment, the unified desktop includes a process for docking and undocking the device with the computer system. The unified desktop presents desktops or windows based on a set of pre-determined rules. |
| US09665326B2 |
Image display control device for displaying a print preview for borderless printing
An image display control device includes a display unit that displays a print result of an image to be printed on a paper by a printing device as a pre-display image before the printing is performed and a PC that controls the pre-display image displayed on the display unit. The PC causes the display unit to display the pre-display image, which is displayed when the printing device prints the image on an area to be printed on the paper without margins, by dividing the pre-display image into a print area which is set so as to correspond to the area to be printed, a protrusion area which is outside the print area and where a printing operation of the image is performed by the printing device, and a cutoff area which is outside the protrusion area and where the printing operation of the image is not performed. |
| US09665324B2 |
Simulation of preprinted forms
In one embodiment, a method for the simulation of preprinted forms is disclosed. The method includes receiving a first image as a back drop of a form, the image including a plurality of printable features corresponding to positions of the image. A second image is received as data to be filled in to the form, the second image including a second plurality of printable features corresponding to positions of the image, wherein the second plurality of printable features each have an assigned ink transparency. A feature of the first image is blended with a corresponding feature of the second image based on the assigned ink transparencies to form a blended feature. The blended features are combined to form a blended image that blends the first and the second images and is suitable for printing. |
| US09665322B2 |
Image forming apparatus for executing print job and method for controlling the same
An image forming apparatus includes an obtaining unit configured to obtain attribute information of a print job that has been input to the image forming apparatus, a registration unit configured to register user identification information in which user information indicating a user who has input the print job and group information indicating a group where the user belongs are associated with each other, the user information and the group information being included in the obtained attribute information, a generation unit configured to generate on an operation screen an operation object for receiving an operation request for executing a print job, based on the registered user identification information, and a display control unit configured to display, in response to receiving selection of the generated operation object, a list screen with a list of print jobs input by a user identified from the user identification information corresponding to the selected operation object. |
| US09665317B2 |
Image forming system for exchanging location and processing information of a job using short-range communication
A user touches an information processing apparatus with a contactless IC card, thereby storing information required for handing over a process in the card, and then touches, with the card, an information processing apparatus to which the process is to be handed over. |
| US09665316B2 |
Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and non-transitory computer readable medium
An information processing apparatus includes a first accepting unit, a second accepting unit, a process performing unit, a memory, and a display controller. The first accepting unit accepts specified document data. The second accepting unit accepts a specified processing function to be executed on the document data. The process performing unit performs, on the document data, a process corresponding to the accepted processing function. The memory stores information about processing function groups each constituted by plural processing functions indicating processes to be performed on document data, and stores, in association with each other, the accepted document data and a processing function group to which the accepted processing function belongs. The display controller performs control to display, in a case where the first accepting unit accepts again the specified document data, the processing function group that is stored in the memory in association with the specified document data. |
| US09665313B2 |
Production printing system with document management interface
A production printing system includes a generic interface to communicate with a plurality of document management systems. |
| US09665312B2 |
Managing printing devices by displaying model groups based on model types
Example systems and methods are disclosed for organizing and displaying printing devices based on model types. An example method may include determining, from a data source, accessible printing devices and their corresponding identifiers, model types, and display names. The method may also include determining, from a different data source, model group identifiers for the model types of the accessible printing devices. The method may further include grouping the accessible printing devices based on their model types into model groups having unique model group identifiers. The method may even further include generating, for display, the display names of the accessible printing devices organized by the model groups. The method may also include generating configuration parameters for one or more of the accessible printing devices based on a selected model group. |
| US09665311B2 |
Process and apparatus to reduce declared capacity of a storage device by making specific logical addresses unavailable
Systems, methods and/or devices are used to reduce declared capacity of non-volatile memory of a storage device in a storage system. In one aspect, the method includes, detecting an amelioration trigger for reducing declared capacity of non-volatile memory of a storage device of the storage system, and in accordance with the detected amelioration trigger, performing an amelioration process to reduce declared capacity of the non-volatile memory of the storage device, the performing including making specific logical addresses of a logical address space unavailable to a host. In some embodiments, the storage device includes one or more flash memory devices. In some embodiments, the detecting, the performing, or both are performed by the storage device, or by one or more subsystems of the storage system distinct from the storage device, or by the host. |
| US09665309B2 |
Extending existing storage devices in virtualized environments
A method, system and computer program product for providing a guest with access to a virtual storage on a physical storage using a peripheral component interface hub. In one embodiment, the method comprises the guest sending to the peripheral component interface hub a request to access the physical storage, the request including physical addresses of the physical storage, and the peripheral component interface hub sending specified information about the request to a hypervisor. This method further comprises the hypervisor determining whether to grant or to reject the request; and when the hypervisor grants the request, the hypervisor sending a configuration command to the peripheral component interface hub. This command includes a mapping of addresses from the physical storage to addresses from the virtual storage. In an embodiment, the peripheral component interface hub uses this mapping to replace the addresses in the request with translated virtual addresses. |
| US09665308B2 |
Optimization of the copying of change recorded data by using spare flash capacity
A command is received to copy a first extent in a source volume to a second extent in a target volume, wherein the source volume and the target volume are in a copy relationship. In response to determining that it takes longer to copy all changed data of the first extent to the second extent than to copy all of the changed data of the first extent to a third extent and to copy all other data from the second extent to the third extent, operations are performed to copy all of the changed data of from the first extent to the third extent and to copy all of the other data from the second extent to the third extent. Operations are also performed to assign the third extent to replace the second extent in the target volume. |
| US09665297B1 |
Injection of at least a partial cache line in a private multilevel cache hierarchy
A processor core is supported by an upper level cache and a lower level cache that receives, from an interconnect fabric, a write injection request requesting injection of a partial cache line of data into a target cache line identified by a target real address. In response to receipt of the write injection request, a determination is made that the upper level cache is a highest point of coherency for the target real address. In response to the determination, the upper level cache and lower level cache collaborate to transfer the target cache line from the upper level cache to the lower level cache. The lower level cache updates the target cache line by merging the partial cache of data into the target cache line and storing the updated target cache line in the lower level cache. |
| US09665286B2 |
Storage device
A storage device comprises plural memory units and a storage controller that controls the memory units as a RAID group. Each memory unit is provided with a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (e.g. flash memory) chip and a memory controller that compresses data and stores the compressed data into the nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips. The memory controller makes a logical memory area available to the storage controller. The storage controller divides the logical memory area into plural entries each of which is a logical memory area of a prescribed size, acquires from respective memory unit capacity information on the data capacity stored into the nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and exchanges data of entries between the semiconductor memory units on the basis of the capacity information. |
| US09665285B2 |
Disk device and method for storing data and associated headers
According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a memory including a first storage area and a second storage area different from the first storage area, and a controller configured to generate a compressed data compressing input data, generate a header data related to a compressed data group including a plurality of compressed data, generate a packet data including the compressed data group and the header data, store the packet data in the first storage area, and store the header data in the second storage area. |
| US09665283B2 |
System and method of creating layered resources
A method of creating a new layer for an information handling system is disclosed. A layering client mounts a new layer at a layer storage medium accessible to the information handling system. A layering file system filter driver redirects a request to create a new file at a target file path to the layer storage medium and updates the file metadata to associate the target file path with the path to file created on the layer storage medium. |
| US09665282B2 |
Facilitation of simultaneous storage initialization and data destage
Various embodiments for storage initialization and data destage in a computing storage environment are provided. At least a portion of data on a storage device is initialized using a background process, while one of simultaneously and subsequently destaging the at least the portion of the data to the storage device using a foreground process is performed. A persistent metadata bitmap, adapted to indicate whether the at least the portion of the data has been initialized, is staged to cache, the cache operable in the computing storage environment. The background process maintains a volatile bitmap indicating a status of the initialization of the at least the portion of the data in direct correspondence to the metadata bitmap. As the background process initializes the at least the portion of the data, an applicable bit on the persistent metadata bitmap is cleared and a corresponding bit is set on the volatile bitmap. |
| US09665278B2 |
Assisting input from a keyboard
Assisting input from a keyboard is described. In an embodiment, a processor receives a plurality of key-presses from the keyboard comprising alphanumeric data for input to application software executed at the processor. The processor analyzes the plurality of key-presses to detect at least one predefined typing pattern, and, in response, controls a display device to display a representation of at least a portion of the keyboard in association with a user interface of the application software. In another embodiment, a computer device has a keyboard and at least one sensor arranged to monitor at least a subset of keys on the keyboard, and detect an object within a predefined distance of a selected key prior to activation of the selected key. The processor then controls the display device to display a representation of a portion of the keyboard comprising the selected key. |
| US09665276B2 |
Character deletion during keyboard gesture
Techniques are described for character deletion on a computing device that utilizes a gesture-based keyboard. The computing device includes a processor and at least one module operable by the processor to output, for display at a presence-sensitive display, a graphical keyboard comprising a plurality of keys and a text editor field. In response to receiving an indication of a gesture that comprises a first path, the module outputs a first character, based at least in part on the first path, associated with a first key and a second character associated with a second key. In response to determining that the gesture further comprises a second path that retraces at least a portion of the first path, the module removes the second character from the text editor field of the presence-sensitive display. |
| US09665272B2 |
Touch gesture for connection of streams in a flowsheet simulator
A system for iteratively connecting flowsheet model components. Software instructions stored on a memory device and executable by a processor provide for the connection of flowsheet model components by, in response to a received connection indication from a user, suggesting potential connections in response to the connection indication. After further receiving a response from the user confirming the suggested potential connection, an output is rendered on the flowsheet workspace. |
| US09665269B2 |
Touch input apparatus and vehicle having the same
A touch input apparatus installed on a mounting surface includes an outer surface that rises from the mounting surface; an edge part provided at a top of the outer surface; and an inner surface that declines from the edge part, wherein the edge part is provided to receive a touch signal of a user. |
| US09665265B2 |
Application programming interfaces for gesture operations
At least certain embodiments of the present disclosure include an environment with user interface software interacting with a software application to provide gesture operations for a display of a device. A method for operating through an application programming interface (API) in this environment includes transferring a scaling transform call. The gesture operations include performing a scaling transform such as a zoom in or zoom out in response to a user input having two or more input points. The gesture operations also include performing a rotation transform to rotate an image or view in response to a user input having two or more input points. |
| US09665257B2 |
Interactive modification of spacing constraints of genealogical charts with live feedback
Methods, devices and systems are described for implementing interactive modification of spacing constraints of genealogical charts. The method includes displaying, on a display device of a computer system, a user interface for displaying one or more genealogical charts including one or more nodes. The user interface includes a horizontal slider and a vertical slider for manipulating the one or more geological charts' size. The one or more geological charts include page breaks representing a number of pages. The method further includes receiving, from an input device of the computer system, manipulation input for one or more of the vertical slider or the horizontal slider. Then, in response to receiving the manipulation input, providing real-time graphical feedback representing the manipulation in the display of the one or more genealogical charts. The real-time graphical feedback includes expanding and/or contracting the one or more genealogical charts such that the number of page for the one or more geological charts is automatically increased or decreased to accommodate the size of the one or more geological charts. |
| US09665255B2 |
Deterministic visual indication of user data context
A VCI (visual context indicator) color is assigned deterministically and proactively at runtime to user data contexts, and is not stored in the database, spreadsheet, or other context. VCI colors can be high contrast friendly colors. The same color is assigned to a given context each time the application runs unless the context's identifying property has changed. Color assignments are not made by users or by the application's designer, but are done instead by hashing from a context's identifying property into a VCI color palette containing, e.g., eight to sixteen colors. Unlike text-selection coloring, VCI coloring is based on the user data context's identifying property. The color assignment visually indicates context by displaying the context's name in the VCI color, or by displaying a graphical element in the VCI color near the context name. VCI color assignment also shows the occurrence and result of changes in user data context. |
| US09665251B2 |
Presenting content items and performing actions with respect to content items
Mechanisms for presenting content items and performing actions with respect to content items are disclosed. A content sharing platform receives a first content item from a first user of a user device and identifies a set of actions performed by the first user on the first user device. Each action from the set of actions is associated with a corresponding additional content item from set of additional content items and each additional content item from the set of additional content items is associated with a corresponding portion of the first content item. The content sharing platform provides data indicative of the set of content items to a second user device of a second user. The content sharing platform causes one or more actions from the set of actions to be performed in a GUI on the second user device. |
| US09665250B2 |
Portable electronic device and method of controlling same
A method of selecting text when an indicator is in a text field includes: receiving a scrolling input at a navigation device; and selecting the text field when the scrolling input moves beyond a boundary of the text field at a location where a tab function is unavailable. |
| US09665245B2 |
Book combining physical and digital media
A book which simultaneously displays physical content and related digital media. The content and coordination of the digital and physical media will be established by the end user of the book. The book may display specific digital media via an electronic device in response to the selection of specific physical page. |
| US09665241B2 |
Media content search systems and methods
An exemplary method includes a media content search system providing a media content search creation tool in a graphical user interface, detecting a user-submission of one or more user-selectable graphical objects representing one or more media programs to the media content search creation tool in the graphical user interface, and generating a set of media content search parameters based on the one or more media programs represented by the one or more user-selectable graphical objects submitted to the media content search creation tool. Corresponding systems and methods are also described. |
| US09665236B2 |
User customizable views of multiple information services
A user configurable interface view can be generated for a media device or other information handling system that is independent of any interface views defined by media content providers. Generating the user configurable interface view includes identifying content data streams that are included in user interface views defined by the media content providers and then selecting a desired subset of the data content streams. The selected data content streams are then aggregated and the user configurable interface view is generated. The resulting user interface view will be independent of any interface views defined by the media content providers. |
| US09665234B2 |
Community enhanced tutorials: improving tutorials with multiple demonstrations
Techniques are disclosed for presenting an online tutorial. A method for presenting an online tutorial may generally include providing an interactive tutorial to a user. The interactive tutorial may include both tutorial content specifying steps to perform a task with an application and an application interface associated with the application used to perform the task. This method may also include recording the user interacting with the application interface to perform the task according to the steps specified by the interactive tutorial and augmenting the tutorial content with the recorded user interaction. |
| US09665226B2 |
Touch display substrate
A touch display substrate, including: a substrate including a display region and a non-display region; a plurality of common electrode blocks spaced apart from each other; a plurality of wirings; a vertical shift circuit including a plurality of cascaded vertical shift circuit units, and each of the plurality of vertical shift circuit units is connected with wirings corresponding to a column of common electrode blocks, and is configured to sequentially output touch driving signals to the column of common electrode blocks; and a controlling IC configured to output a touch driving signal to the vertical shift circuit; wherein, the plurality of common electrode blocks are divided into n groups of common electrode blocks by columns, and the controlling IC is configured to apply scan pulse signals with different frequencies to the groups of common electrode blocks in different touch scanning time periods. |
| US09665225B2 |
Touch display device
A touch display device comprises a display module, a polarizer, a first patterned electrode layer and a first transparent adhesive layer. The first patterned electrode layer is disposed between the polarizer and the display module and includes a patterned portion and a non-patterned portion. The first transparent adhesive layer is disposed on the first patterned electrode layer. The refractive index of the first transparent adhesive layer is greater than or equal to 1.65 and less than or equal to 1.72, wherein reflectivity of the patterned portion is substantially the same as reflectivity of the non-patterned portion. |
| US09665223B2 |
Capacitive dongle for visualization devices including a capacitive touch-sensitive surface
The general field of the invention is that of capacitive dongles used with visualization devices including a capacitive touch-sensitive surface comprising a matrix of conductive rows and columns, the dongle being arranged on said touch-sensitive surface in operational use, the dongle operating in send mode and in receive mode, The dongle according to the invention includes: means for sending periodic analogue signals sent at a specific frequency known as the dangle frequency; a ring-shaped flat conductive metal part connected to said sending means, said part intended to be placed on said touch-sensitive surface; means for receiving the received signals output by said conductive metal part; means for analyzing said digitized received signals; means for storing the sent and analyzed signals; a digital communication interface. |
| US09665221B2 |
Touch sensing system
A touch sensing system includes a touch screen including touch sensors and sensing lines, the touch sensors and the sensing lines being divided into first and second sensing areas, a first touch sensing integrated circuit (IC) sensing a touch input of the first sensing area using a signal received through receiving channels, a second touch sensing IC sensing a touch input of the second sensing area using a signal received through receiving channels separated from the receiving channels of the first touch sensing IC, differential amplifiers between the sensing lines and the receiving channels of the first and second touch sensing ICs, and a switch connecting a sensing line, which is closest to the first sensing area among the sensing lines of the second sensing area, to an Nth differential amplifier connected to a last receiving channel of the first touch sensing IC. |
| US09665219B2 |
Single layer solution touch panel
A single layer solution touch panel includes a substrate, sensing patterns, conductive circuit patterns and a controller. The substrate includes a touch area and a peripheral area. The sensing patterns are disposed on the touch area. The conductive circuit patterns are disposed at the touch area and the peripheral area, in which the sensing patterns and the conductive circuit patterns are arranged alternately. At least a part of material of the sensing patterns is different from at least a part of material of the conductive circuit patterns. The controller is electrically connected to the sensing patterns via the conductive circuit patterns respectively. |
| US09665215B2 |
Method and circuit for parasitic capacitance cancellation for self capacitance sensing
Apparatus and methods to measure capacitance changes for a touch-sensitive capacitive matrix are described. Charge-removal circuits and measurement techniques may be employed to cancel deleterious effects of parasitic capacitances in the touch-sensitive capacitive matrix. Capacitively switching a supply during timed charge removal may be used to cancel unwanted effects due to clock jitter. The apparatus and methods can improve signal-to-noise characteristics, sensitivity, and/or dynamic range for capacitive measurements relating to touch-sensitive capacitive devices. |
| US09665214B2 |
System and methods for determining object information using selectively floated electrodes
The embodiments described herein provide devices and methods that facilitate improved sensor devices. In one embodiment, a capacitive input device is provided that includes a processing system, a plurality of sensing electrodes configured to sense objects in a sensing region, a conductor, and a shield layer comprising at least one shield electrode, where the at least one shield electrode is disposed between the plurality of sensing electrodes and the conductor. The processing system is configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode. When operating in the first mode the processing system is configured to determine position information for objects in the sensing region using the plurality of sensing electrodes. When operating in a second mode the processing system is configured to electrically float the at least one shield electrode and to determine force information for objects in the sensing region using the plurality of sensing electrodes. |
| US09665209B2 |
Pointing device for interacting with touch-sensitive devices and method thereof
The present application is directed to a pointing device and a method for interacting with touch-sensitive devices. The pointing device includes a supporting member, first and second contact points fixed on the supporting member and adapted to be in contact with a touch-sensitive layer in a default state, and at least one movable contact point mounted on the supporting member and movable from the default state to a fully depressed state adjacent to the second contact point to form a combined touch area on the touch-sensitive layer having an offset center that is offset from a center of the second contact point so that the second touch point is shifted to an offset position in alignment with the offset center. |
| US09665205B1 |
Programmable touch emulating device
A touch emulator includes a transparent surface portion conformable to a touch screen of a device, the surface portion providing signals to the touch screen to emulate an input signal to the touch screen and includes a programmable controller that causes the surface portion to automatically provide specific signals at particular times to the touch screen to emulate user interaction with the device. The device may be a mobile device, such as a tablet with a touch enabled screen. The surface portion may provide signals that disrupt the capacitive electrical field of the touch screen. The programmable controller may be detachable from the surface portion. No signals may be provided from the programmable controller to the surface portion when the programmable controller is detached from the surface portion. The surface portion may provide screen protection for the touch screen. The touch emulator may receive touch input from a user. |
| US09665191B2 |
Architecture for variable pressure mouse
User input devices with variable pressure buttons are configured. A user may specify a range of pressure to be associated with a pressure level. In some embodiments, a user may also associate a command or other instruction to an application with an identity of a variable pressure button and a pressure level of the button. In some embodiments, the associations may be represented in a configuration profile. In further embodiments, a microcontroller for a mouse may translate signals from variable pressure buttons into pressure levels based upon the configuration file. In many embodiments, a user may associate a reporting rate with a variable pressure button. A legacy application may receive reports of the state of the variable pressure button at the associated reporting rate. |
| US09665190B2 |
Position indicator and manufacturing method thereof
A position indicator includes: a chassis; a substrate disposed inside the chassis; a coil; capacitors disposed on the substrate; interconnects disposed on the substrate such that each at least partially connects a respective one of the capacitors to the coil in parallel; and pairs of land patterns. Each pair of land patterns includes a first land pattern and a second land pattern. Each of the interconnects has a first end connected to a first end of the coil and a second end connected to a second end of the coil, and is connected to one of the capacitors. The pairs of land patterns are disposed such that each of the interconnects is at least partially interposed between the first land pattern and the second land pattern of one of the pairs of land patterns. |
| US09665187B2 |
Color input device and its application kit
A color input device includes a stylus, a color input unit installed in the stylus. The color input unit includes a circuit board, an MCU, a color sensor, a color display device, a Bluetooth module, a memory, a control interface and a power supply device respectively connected to the MCU. Through the control interface, the color sensor can be activated to capture nature colors and to store intake colors in the memory, and the colors stored in the memory can be displayed on the full color LED display and selected and transmitted to a computing device via the Bluetooth module, enabling the APP of the computing device to temporarily store the inputted colors and synchronously display them on the display device of the computing device. Furthermore, the color input device can receive colors or patterns from the computing device for establishing a diversified color database. |
| US09665175B2 |
Input device having haptic feedback
An input device, especially for a motor vehicle, has a display for the visual representation of information, a touch screen arranged above the display for the input of commands by touching an operating surface of the touch screen, and a layer having adjustable transparency arranged between the display and the touchscreen. |
| US09665174B2 |
Magnetic tracking of glove fingertips with peripheral devices
A method is provided, including: activating a plurality of glove emitters positioned on a glove interface object; using a plurality of proximity sensors positioned at fingertip portions of the glove interface object to determine a proximity of the fingertip portions to the glove emitters; in response to determining a location of the glove interface object within a predefined distance of a peripheral device, activating a plurality of peripheral emitters positioned at the peripheral device, and transitioning, from using the proximity sensors to determine the proximity of the fingertip portions to the glove emitters, to using the proximity sensors to determine a proximity of the fingertip portions to the peripheral emitters. |
| US09665167B2 |
Imaging display apparatus and method
An imaging display apparatus, includes: display means for image display; first image signal generation means for generating a display image signal based on a captured image signal captured by an imaging section with a field of view direction of a user being a direction of an object; second image signal generation means for generating a display image signal of an image different from an image of the display image signal generated by the first image signal generation means; and control means for allowing, simultaneously on the display means, display of the image of the display image signal generated by the first image signal generation means and display of the image of the display image signal generated by the second image signal generation means. |
| US09665165B2 |
System and methods for preventing interruptions due to battery drain during streaming media sessions between devices
A cloud server intermediates in a streaming media session from a source to a receiving device for a media content. Upon determining that time remaining to complete the streaming media session for the media content is greater than time of remaining battery power for the source, the cloud server redirects the streaming media session to the receiving device. The cloud server may detect that the remaining source battery power is below a threshold and obtain a compressed data file, compressing at least a remaining portion of the media content in response to determining that time remaining to complete the streaming media session is greater than time of remaining battery power for the source. The cloud server may send or receive a pointer along with the compressed data file that indicates a position within the media content at which to resume the streaming media session. |
| US09665163B2 |
Distributed power management with partial suspend mode for distributed storage systems
An example method is provided to perform distributed power management for a distributed storage system accessible by a cluster in a virtualized computing environment. The method may comprise a first host from the cluster determining to initiate entry into a partial suspend mode and sending a request message to the cluster to take control of a storage controller of the first host. The method may comprise the first host receiving a response message from a second host from the cluster indicating availability to take control of the storage controller, and transferring control of the storage controller to allow the second host to control the storage controller via a network controller of the first host. The method may further comprise the first host entering into the partial suspend mode to suspend operations of one or more components while the storage controller remains controllable by the second host via the network controller. |
| US09665161B2 |
Method and computer-readable medium for dynamically managing power of multi-core processor
A method and a computer-readable medium for dynamically managing power of a multi-core processor of a computing system are provided. The multi-core processor generates a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) table, determines a first index by alternatively selecting either a power budget or a required performance thereof, determines a current thread level parallelism (TLP) of the computing system, selects one of entries according to the current TLP and the first index, and configure first cores and second cores thereof according to a first settings and a second settings of the selected entry. |
| US09665157B2 |
System and method for deferring power consumption by post-processing sensor data
Systems and methods for determining a battery-level of an electronic device and conserving the battery charge of the electronic device are disclosed. The battery consumption of an electronic device may be reduced when the user or the device learns via user input or determines via prediction that the battery will be depleted before the next possible charge cycle. Reducing battery consumption could be accomplished by accessing an application requiring less power consumption and/or delaying post-processing of sensor data related to that application, for example a camera application. Prediction of battery life could include determining the time to the next expected battery charge and delaying the processing of sensor data until the electronic device is plugged in and charging or has reached a predetermined charge level. |
| US09665153B2 |
Selecting a low power state based on cache flush latency determination
In an embodiment, a processor includes a plurality of cores to independently execute instructions, a shared cache coupled to the cores and including a plurality of lines to store data, and a power controller including a low power control logic to calculate a flush latency to flush the shared cache based on a state of the plurality of lines. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US09665148B2 |
PoE power distribution system for PoE-powered port extender having multiple data and power inputs
A port extender includes a chassis with uplink ports that are operable to receive power and data from a power sourcing device, and user device ports that are operable to connect to user devices. A power management processor is coupled to each of the uplink ports and the user device ports. The power management processor is operable to determine a power budget using power received by the uplink ports. The power management processor is also operable to detect a port configuration event such as the removal of a connection of a user device to a user device port, the inactivity of a user device port, or the addition of a connection of a user device to a user device port, and in response, selectively provide power to one or more of the plurality of user device ports based on the power budget and the port configuration event. |
| US09665147B1 |
Devices and methods for minimizing input capacitance in computer design
In some implementations, a computing device may include a plurality of voltage regulators including a first voltage regulator and a second voltage regulator, and a multi-phase oscillator, connected to the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulator, configured to synchronize the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulator. |
| US09665140B2 |
Electrical device having thermal isolation function
An electrical device having thermal isolation function includes a housing, a heat-generating source, a heat-conductive member, and a thermal isolation plate. The housing includes an accommodation space therein, an inner surface and an outer surface which is opposite to the inner surface. The heat-generating source is disposed in the accommodation space. The heat-conductive member is disposed in the accommodation space, and is in contact with the heat-generating source. The thermal isolation plate is disposed between the heat-conductive member and the inner surface of the housing, and the thermal isolation plate is formed with a vacuum chamber therein. |
| US09665138B2 |
Micro-hole vents for device ventilation systems
Micro-hole vents for device ventilation systems are described herein that may be formed as a plurality of micro-holes that are invisible to unaided human eyes. The micro-holes are configured to blend into the housing for a computing device such that the holes are substantially concealed from users of the computing device. A micro-hole vent may be aligned with a blower for a ventilation system to enable air intake through the corresponding micro-holes for cooling of components within the housing. In addition or alternatively, one or more exhaust vents for the ventilation system may also be configured as micro-hole vents. Each micro-hole vent may have many, very small holes for sufficient air flow. For example, micro-holes having diameters of about fifty to two hundred microns may be arranged in a pattern with a coverage in a range of about twelve thousand to fifty thousand holes per square inch. |
| US09665136B2 |
Cover for electronic device and method for manufacturing the same
A cover for an electronic device includes a transparent portion and a non-transparent portion beside the transparent portion. The transparent portion defines a display area of the electronic device. The non-transparent portion defines a non-display area of the electronic device beside the display area. The non-transparent portion includes a transparent substrate integrated with the transparent portion. A plurality of through holes are defined on the transparent substrate. |
| US09665135B2 |
Device storage cabinet
In one example, a cabinet is described for storing at least one electronic device. The cabinet includes a frame, a power supply system for charging the at least one device, and a shelving assembly. The shelving assembly can include a stationary member engaged to the frame, and a pivoting member engaged to the stationary member. The pivoting member can be adapted to hold the at least one device. |
| US09665130B2 |
Hinge module and electronic device using the same
A hinge module including a first part, a pushing element, a second part and an elastic element is provided. The first part has a containing slot, and the pushing part is located in the containing slot and being able to move along a direction. The second part has a hinge shaft, which rotatably passes through the containing slot along an axis, so as to make the first part and the second part rotate about the axis. The elastic element is disposed in the containing slot and pushes the pushing element, and the elastic element always drives the pushing part to move along the direction, so as to make the hinge shaft to rotatably abut between the pushing part and the first part. The direction is perpendicular to the axis. An electronic device is also provided. |
| US09665124B2 |
Wearable device and method of controlling the same
Disclosed are a wearable device and method of controlling the same, which output more suitable image information on the basis of a state in which the wearable device is covered. The wearable device includes a wearable device body, a display unit provided in the wearable device body, a sensing unit included in the wearable device body, and configured to sense a region, in which the display unit is covered by an object, and a region in which the display unit is not covered, and a control unit configured to display first image information in a predetermined first region when the region in which the display unit is not covered corresponds to the predetermined first region, and display second image information in a predetermined second region when the region in which the display unit is not covered corresponds to the predetermined second region, as a result in which a portion of the display unit is covered by the object. |
| US09665113B2 |
High-speed multiphase precision clamping circuit
The circuit of the present disclosure is a high-speed precision clamp (voltage limiter) for overvoltage or undervoltage protection. One aspect of the circuit includes using a peak detector in the feedback path of a clamp having a super-diode architecture. The resulting circuit performs well for high-speed applications. The peak detector can be replicated (at least in part) to accommodate a multiplicity of phase-shifted input voltages by using only one common peak detection capacitor and ensuring area savings in integrated-circuit implementations. |
| US09665111B2 |
Low dropout voltage regulator and method
In accordance with an embodiment, a low dropout voltage regulator includes an error amplifier connected to an output driver. The error amplifier has an output connected to an input of the output driver and an input connected to an input of the output driver. The output driver has an input coupled for receiving an input signal. In accordance with another embodiment, a method for regulating a voltage is provided that includes operating a voltage regulator under control of an output voltage regulation loop in response to the voltage regulator not being in a low dropout region. The voltage regulator is operated under control of a quiescent current regulation loop in response to the voltage regulator being in a low dropout region. |
| US09665110B2 |
Parallel current-sharing device and control method without current-sharing bus
The present invention provides a parallel current-sharing device and control method without a current-sharing bus, for implementing parallel current sharing of direct-current outputs of a plurality of power conversion submodules. The parallel current-sharing device comprises a voltage control module and a plurality of power conversion submodules. The voltage control module and the plurality of power conversion submodules having parallel outputs form an outer voltage loop. The power conversion submodules comprise respective inner current loops and sample respective current feedback signals to generate inner current loop control signals, and the inner current loop control signals are superposed with an outer voltage loop control signal to control output of the power conversion submodules. An independent current bus is not required, and only one unidirectional outer control voltage loop is required. Functions the same as those of a conventional device are realized; the design, production and debugging of circuits of the parallel current-sharing device are simpler; a rapid multi-parallel dynamic response is realized; a ground wire loop current is eliminated, improving the anti-interference capability of the device; and multi-module parallel current sharing of a switching power supply or a linear power supply under analog control or digital control is realized very easily. |
| US09665109B2 |
Soliciting user input for thermostat control
A device or arrangement may be configured to receive a temperature limit such as an acceptable maximum temperature as well as a tolerance measure such as a number of acceptable events, the events causing the temperature to be outside of the temperature limit. An air comfort device may be operated based on the received temperature limit and the tolerance measure. A potential cost value may be provided based on a temperature limit and tolerance measure. A temperature limit and tolerance measure may be calculated based on a target cost value such that the arrangement may modify a temperature limit and/or tolerance measure to achieve the target cost value. |
| US09665104B2 |
Store separation autopilot
A method and apparatus are presented for guiding a store, represented by a dynamic system having transitory nonlinear characteristics, between release from a platform and an activation of a mission autopilot along an optimal path. A nominal reference trajectory is determined that optimizes a desired performance index for the dynamic system using optimal control theory. A feedback control system is implemented that optimizes an original performance index to second order in a presence of disturbances along the optimal path using neighboring optimal control. The feedback control system converges to a linear time invariant regulator approaching the desired operating condition along the optimal path. Finally, control of the store is transitioned to the mission autopilot. |
| US09665103B1 |
Efficient aerostat navigation by moving between atmospheric layers
An example computer-implemented method involves determining that an aerostat is located within a first atmospheric layer. A first wind-velocity measure is indicative of wind velocity in the first atmospheric layer. The method also involves determining an altitude of an atmospheric layer boundary between the first atmospheric layer and a second atmospheric layer. A second wind-velocity measure is indicative of wind velocity in the second atmospheric layer, and the second wind-velocity measure differs from the first wind-velocity measure by at least a threshold amount. The method further involves determining a desired location for the aerostat, and during at least a portion of a flight towards the desired location, causing the aerostat to traverse back and forth across the atmospheric layer boundary while remaining within a predetermined vertical distance from the atmospheric layer boundary in order to achieve a desired horizontal trajectory. |
| US09665102B2 |
Systems and methods for semi-autonomous vehicular convoys
The present invention relates to systems and methods for vehicles to safely closely follow one another through partial automation. Following closely behind another vehicle has significant fuel savings benefits, but is unsafe when done manually by the driver. On the opposite end of the spectrum, fully autonomous solutions require inordinate amounts of technology, and a level of robustness that is currently not cost effective. |
| US09665101B1 |
Methods and systems for transportation to destinations by a self-driving vehicle
A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous mode is provided. The vehicle is configured to obtain an indication of a final destination, and, if the final destination is not on a pre-approved road for travel by the vehicle, the vehicle is configured to determine a route from the vehicle's current location to an intermediary destination. The vehicle is further configured to determine a means for the vehicle user to reach the final destination from the intermediate destination. |
| US09665100B2 |
Sparse map for autonomous vehicle navigation
A non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes a sparse map for autonomous vehicle navigation along a road segment. The sparse map includes a polynomial representation of a target trajectory for the autonomous vehicle along the road segment, and a plurality of predetermined landmarks associated with the road segment. The plurality of predetermined landmarks are spaced apart by at least 50 meters, and the sparse map has a data density of no more than 1 megabyte per kilometer. |
| US09665098B1 |
Systems and methods for determining preferences for flight control settings of an unmanned aerial vehicle
Consumption information associated with a user consuming video segments may be obtained. The consumption information may define user engagement during a video segment and/or user response to the video segment. Sets of flight control settings associated with capture of the video segments may be obtained. The flight control settings may define aspects of a flight control subsystem for the unmanned aerial vehicle and/or a sensor control subsystem for the unmanned aerial vehicle. The preferences for the flight control settings of the unmanned aerial vehicle may be determined based upon the first set and the second set of flight control settings. Instructions may be transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle. The instructions may include the determined preferences for the flight control settings and being configured to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to adjust the flight control settings to the determined preferences. |
| US09665096B2 |
Mobile robot and method of operating thereof
A method of operating a mobile robot includes driving the robot according to a drive command issued by a remote operator control unit in communication with the robot, determining a driven path from an origin, and after experiencing a loss of communications with the operator control unit, determining an orientation of the robot. The method further includes executing a self-righting maneuver when the robot is oriented upside down. The self-righting maneuver includes rotating an appendage of the robot from a stowed position alongside a main body of the robot downward and away from the main body, raising and supporting the main body on the appendage, and then further rotating the appendage to drive the upright main body past a vertical position, causing the robot to fall over and thereby invert the main body. |
| US09665094B1 |
Automatically deployed UAVs for disaster response
Embodiments relate to a container that can be installed at a remote location, detect a disaster event, and automatically deploy a UAV. In response to detection of the disaster event, such a container may be configured to: (i) determine whether or not one or more weather conditions affecting operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are conducive to deployment of the UAV to fly to the first geographic area, (ii) if the one or more conditions are conducive to deployment of the UAV, then deploy the UAV to fly to the first geographic area, and (iii) if the one or more conditions are not conducive to deployment of the UAV, then monitor the second data until it is determined that the one or more conditions are conducive to deployment of the UAV, and then deploy the UAV to fly to the first geographic area. |
| US09665088B2 |
Managing big data in process control systems
A big data network or system for a process control system or plant includes a data storage device configured to receive process control data from control system devices and store the process control data. The big data network or system identifies various parameters or attributes from the process control data, and creates and uses rowkeys to store the parameters according to various combinations, such as combinations using timestamps. The big data network or system may also store certain aggregate data analyses associated with time periods specified by the timestamps. Accordingly, the big data network or system efficiently stores real-time data having measurements within a database schema, and users or administrators can leverage the aggregate data to analyze certain data associated with certain time periods. |
| US09665085B2 |
Cutting condition and tool life display device for a numerical controller
A numerical controller controls a spindle and/or a movable axis of a finishing machine based on a machining program. A cutting condition display device configured to display a cutting condition for the numerical controller calculates cutting conditions including a cutting speed, a feed per spindle revolution per cutting edge of a tool, and a depth of cut for each fixed time during an operation of the finishing machine, based on any or a combination of data on the spindle, the movable axis, a cutting tool, and an object to be cut, which are held by the numerical controller. The calculated cutting condition is stored for each tool and displayed in a graph. |
| US09665083B2 |
Counter operation in a state machine lattice
Disclosed are methods and devices, among which is a device that includes a finite state machine lattice. The lattice may include a counter suitable for counting a number of times a programmable element in the lattice detects a condition. The counter may be configured to output in response to counting the condition was detected a certain number of times. For example, the counter may be configured to output in response to determining a condition was detected at least (or no more than) the certain number of times, determining the condition was detected exactly the certain number of times, or determining the condition was detected within a certain range of times. The counter may be coupled to other counters in the device for determining high-count operations and/or certain quantifiers. |
| US09665082B2 |
Method for configuring a home automation installation and tool for implementing same
Method of configuring equipment in a home automation installation, each item of equipment being identified thanks to an identifier recorded in memory and duplicated on an accessible medium so as to be visible, the configuring method using a configuring tool comprising an inputting means, a signal transmission means and at least a first memory and a second memory, the method comprising several iterations of the following steps: the step of generating, in the configuring tool, a message comprising the content of the first memory intended for receiving, after an input, the identifier of an item of equipment and the content of the second memory intended for receiving, after an input, information of a first type; the step of transmitting, by the radio signal transmission means, the message in the form of an electromagnetic signal; and the step of carrying out, in the item of equipment, an action at least partially determined by the information of the first type. |
| US09665080B2 |
Method for communicating data between a control system of a power tool and a computing device
Arrangement and methods for communicating data between a control system (100) of a power tool (10) and a computing device (20). The arrangement (1) comprises a control system (100) with a plurality of electronic control units, ECUs (110, 120), a computing device (20), and a connecting unit (30) comprising a data connection (32). The plurality of ECUs (110, 120) are connected to a common bus of the control system (100). Each of the plurality of ECUs (110, 120) has a passive service mode (201) and an active service mode (202). The computing device is operable of transmitting a wake-up communication signal to the plurality of ECUs (110, 120), which wake-up communication signal comprises an ID of a selected ECU (110, 120) out of the plurality of ECUs (110, 120). The selected ECU (110, 120) is operable to switch from the passive service mode (201) to the active service mode (202) as a response to detecting its ID in the wake-up communication signal, so as to allow communication of data between the selected ECU (110, 120) and the computing device (20) via the data connection. |
| US09665072B2 |
Method for determining a safety step and safety manager
For determining a safety step in an automation network with subscribers the data and process-specific links between the subscribers in the automation network are automatically determined by means of a configuration-detecting module. Further the subscriber-specific safety parameters are determined. The safety step in the automation network is calculated by means of an algorithm which connects the determined data and process-specific links of the subscribers in the automation network and the determined subscriber-specific safety parameters. |
| US09665066B2 |
Complex spatial light modulator and method of fabricating the same
Provided are a spatial light modulator (SLM) and a method of fabricating the same. The complex spatial light modulator includes a thin film transistor (TFT) layer provided on a substrate, an amplitude type SLM and a phase type SLM electrically connected to the TFT layer, and a first polarizer provided on the phase type SLM, wherein the TFT layer includes transistors electrically connected to the amplitude type SLM and the phase type SLM, respectively, and the amplitude type SLM and the phase type SLM are commonly and electrically connected to the TFT layer and driven. |
| US09665065B2 |
Infrared laser holographic projector
Systems and methods for infrared laser holographic projection. In one example, an optical apparatus includes a first laser source configured to generate a first laser beam having a first wavelength in an infrared spectral range and a holographic medium optically coupled to the laser source and having a transmittance range including the first wavelength. A diffraction pattern formed in the holographic medium encodes an input image and is configured to diffract the first laser beam responsive to being illuminated by the laser beam so as to construct an image in the infrared spectrum, the image being a reconstruction of the input image. The diffraction pattern may further be configured to diffract a second laser beam having a second wavelength in a visible spectral range to construct an image including a first portion in the infrared spectral range and a second portion in the visible spectral range. |
| US09665064B1 |
Output apparatus with an external toner supplying device
Disclosed is an output apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine, etc. equipped with an external toner supplying device, and the apparatus comprises a toner storage unit which does not require replacement inside an output main unit and a toner supply unit outside the output main unit in such a way that the output apparatus can continuously output by toner supplied from the external toner supply unit in case of using toner for the output of the main output apparatus. |
| US09665063B2 |
Image forming apparatus
To provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing an increase in the cost of a process cartridge and capable of reducing image defects caused by replacement of the process cartridge.A process cartridge including a charging roller and a developing unit is attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus. A development temperature sensor is disposed in the developing unit. An in-device temperature sensor is disposed outside the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. In the case where a temperature detected by the development temperature sensor is lower than a temperature detected by the in-device temperature-humidity sensor, a peak-to-peak voltage of an alternating-current voltage applied to the charging roller is set based on the result of detection by the development temperature sensor. |
| US09665060B2 |
Power supply apparatus, image forming apparatus, and noise filter
The noise filter includes a first capacitor that is mounted on a substrate, and includes one end connected to a live side of an AC line of an AC voltage supplied from an AC power supply, a second capacitor including one end connected to a neutral side of the AC line, a first ground pattern to which another end of the first capacitor is connected, and a second ground pattern to which another end of the second capacitor is connected. The first ground pattern and the second ground pattern are not connected electrically on the substrate. |
| US09665059B2 |
Crum unit mountable and dismountable in consumable unit of image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus using the same
A CRUM unit which is mountable/dismountable on an image forming apparatus is disclosed. The CRUM unit includes a power extracting circuit configured to, when a clock signal is received from an image forming apparatus, extract power from a high value of the clock signal and store in a capacitive element and a controller configured to operate using the extracted power, wherein the clock signal has a first pulse width in a data section where a data signal is received and transmitted, and has a second pulse width which is different from the first pulse width in an pause section where a data signal is not received. |
| US09665053B2 |
Image forming apparatus with an extension for a manual feed tray
An image forming apparatus includes an opening and closing unit attached to an image forming apparatus body. The opening and closing unit includes: an exterior member pivotably attached to the image forming apparatus body via a first shaft; a base member provided inside the exterior member and pivotably attached to the image forming apparatus body via a second shaft so as to be able to move with the exterior member; and an extension member attached to the base member in a manner capable of being pulled out and retracted. |
| US09665051B2 |
Image forming apparatus with detachable fixing device, control method therefor, and storage medium storing control program therefor
An image forming apparatus with a detachable fixing device capable of managing a plurality of detachable fixing devices appropriately according to usages etc. A receiving unit receives a character string input through an operation screen. A storage unit stores the input character string in association with identification information about a fixing device. An obtaining unit obtains the identification information about the fixing device attached to the image forming apparatus. A display control unit displays the character string that is stored by the storage unit in association with the identification information obtained by the obtaining unit on a display unit. |
| US09665048B2 |
Image forming apparatus having a temperature setting portion to control a target temperature
An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image, formed on a recording material, on the recording material, wherein the fixing portion includes a heater for generating heat by electric power supplied from a commercial power source; a power source portion for supplying the electric power to a load except the heater, wherein the power source and the heater are connected with the commercial power source in parallel; a suppliable electric power calculating portion for calculating suppliable electric power suppliable to the heater; and a temperature setting portion for setting, depending on the suppliable electric power calculated by the calculating portion, a control target temperature of the fixing portion in an operation in a stand-by mode in which the image forming apparatus awaits a print instruction. |
| US09665044B2 |
Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and transfer voltage control program
An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image bearing body on which a latent image is formed; a lubricant supplying unit configured to supply lubricant to the latent image bearing body; a developing unit configured to develop the latent image as a toner image by supplying the lubricant taken in from the latent image bearing body to the latent image bearing body together with charged toner; a transfer unit configured to transfer the toner image to an image bearing body at a transfer position by applying a transfer voltage to the toner image; and a control unit configured to control application of the transfer voltage, wherein the lubricant is charged to a polarity opposite to a charging polarity of the toner, and based on an area ratio of a transferred image and the number of transferred sheets, the control unit controls the transfer voltage to be applied. |
| US09665040B2 |
Developer accommodating unit, process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus
A developer accommodating unit for accommodating a developer for image formation includes a flexible container provided with an opening 35a for permitting discharge of the developer, a frame for accommodating the flexible container and for accommodating the developer to be discharged from the flexible container, and an urging member 21 for urging a developer accommodating bag toward the frame for accommodating the developer accommodating bag 16. By this, it is possible to satisfactorily effect discharge of the developer from the flexible developer accommodating bag 16. |
| US09665037B2 |
Developing device and image forming apparatus including same
A developing device includes a developing roller, a toner supplying roller, a regulation blade, a casing, a toner receiver support member, a toner receiver member, and a vibration generator. The toner receiver member is disposed along a longitudinal direction of the toner receiver support member facing the developing roller, and has a toner receiving surface inclined downward from the image-carrier side toward the toner-supplying-roller side. The toner receiving surface is disposed to be inclined so as to rise from the toner-supplying-roller side toward the image-carrier side. The toner receiving surface has a plurality of grooves formed therein to be inclined to approach a center part of the toner receiving surface from each end side of the toner receiving surface in its longitudinal direction, from an edge of the toner receiving surface on the image-carrier side toward an edge of the toner receiving surface on the toner-supplying-roller side. |
| US09665036B2 |
Regulating member and developing device
A regulating member for regulating a layer thickness of a developer includes a base portion, a regulating portion extending along a longitudinal direction of the base portion and projecting from a first surface of the base portion to regulate a layer thickness of a developer, and a rib formed along the longitudinal direction and configured to project from a second surface opposite from the first surface of the base portion. In addition, a through hole structure is provided at each end of the base portion with respect to the longitudinal direction, and configured with a through hole that passes through the base portion. The rib is provided adjacently to each through hole with respect to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the rib stands along each through hole in a cross-section which crosses the through hole and is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the base portion. |
| US09665025B2 |
Toner, method for producing the same, toner cartridge, and image forming apparatus
An object to be achieved by embodiments is to provide a toner having excellent color reproducibility, light resistance, coloring power, low-temperature fixability, storage stability, and long life property, a method for producing the same, a toner cartridge, and an image forming apparatus. A toner according to an embodiment includes toner particles containing a coloring agent, a binder resin, and a specific ester wax. The coloring agent contains at least one pigment (X) selected from C.I. Pigment Red 48, C.I. Pigment Red 48:1, C.I. Pigment Red 48:2, C.I. Pigment Red 48:3, C.I. Pigment Red 48:4, and C.I. Pigment Red 48:5, and C.I. Pigment Red 122 (Y), and the mass ratio of the component (X) to the component (Y) is from 30:70 to 60:40. |
| US09665024B2 |
Toner, method for producing the same, toner cartridge, and image forming apparatus
According to embodiments, there are provided a toner having excellent color reproducibility, light resistance, coloring power, low-temperature fixability, storage stability, and long life property, a method for producing the same, a toner cartridge, and an image forming apparatus. A toner according to an embodiment includes toner particles containing a coloring agent, a binder resin, and a specific ester wax. The coloring agent contains at least one pigment (X) selected from C.I. Pigment Red 48, C.I. Pigment Red 48:1, C.I. Pigment Red 48:2, C.I. Pigment Red 48:3, C.I. Pigment Red 48:4, and C.I. Pigment Red 48:5, and C.I. Pigment Red 122 (Y), and the mass ratio of the component (X) to the component (Y) is as follows: X:Y=30:70 to 60:40. |
| US09665021B2 |
Heat treating apparatus for powder particles and method of producing toner
A heat treating apparatus for powder particles including a cylindrical treating chamber; a powder particle-supplying unit; a hot air-supplying unit that supplies hot air for heat-treating powder particles; a cold air-supplying unit that supplies cold air for cooling the heat-treated powder particles; a regulating unit for regulating a flow of the supplied powder particles; and a recovering unit that recovers the heat-treated powder particles. The regulating unit is a substantially circular columnar member, the hot air-supplying unit has an outlet opposite to the upper end portion of the columnar member, and the regulating unit is equipped with a substantially conic distributing member for distributing the supplied hot air in a circumferential direction and a rotating member for rotating the distributed hot air in a spiral manner, on the center of the upper end portion. |
| US09665019B2 |
Electrophotographic photoconductor, production method thereof, and electrophotographic apparatus
An electrophotographic photoconductor includes a conductive support; a charge generation layer provided on the conductive support; and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material, a binder resin, and a highly branched polymer having a long-chain alkyl group or an alicyclic group, provided on the charge generation layer as an outermost layer. The electrophotographic photoconductor has excellent contamination resistance against sebum or the like, stable electrical characteristics even upon repeated use, as well as superior transfer resistance and gas resistance. A method for producing the electrophotographic photoconductor is disclosed, as well as an electrophotographic apparatus including the electrophotographic photoconductor. |
| US09665015B2 |
Original holding apparatus, exposure apparatus, method of manufacturing article and original holding method
The present invention provides an original holding apparatus which holds an original, comprising a first holding unit configured to hold the original, a second holding unit configured to hold the original, a fixing unit configured to fix the second holding unit, and an adjustment unit configured to perform adjustment of an holding force of at least one of the first holding unit and the second holding unit, wherein the adjustment unit performs the adjustment such that the holding force of the second holding unit before fixing the second holding unit is smaller than the holding force of the first holding unit before fixing the second holding unit, and performs the adjustment such that the holding force of the second holding unit after fixing the second holding unit is larger than that before fixing the second holding unit. |
| US09665014B2 |
Charged particle lithography system with alignment sensor and beam measurement sensor
A multi-beamlet charged particle beamlet lithography system for transferring a pattern to a surface of a substrate. The system comprises a projection system (311) for projecting a plurality of charged particle beamlets (7) onto the surface of the substrate; a chuck (313) moveable with respect to the projection system; a beamlet measurement sensor (i.a. 505, 511) for determining one or more characteristics of one or more of the charged particle beamlets, the beamlet measurement sensor having a surface (501) for receiving one or more of the charged particle beamlets; and a position mark measurement system for measuring a position of a position mark (610, 620, 635), the position mark measurement system comprising an alignment sensor (361, 362). The chuck comprises a substrate support portion for supporting the substrate, a beamlet measurement sensor portion (460) for accommodating the surface of the beamlet measurement sensor, and a position mark portion (470) for accommodating the position mark. |
| US09665013B2 |
Lithography system, method of clamping and wafer table
The invention relates to a lithography system, for example for projecting an image or an image pattern on to a target (1) such as a wafer, said target being included in said system by means of a target table (2), clamping means being present for clamping said target on said table. Said clamping means comprises a layer of stationary liquid (3), included at such thickness between target and target table that, provided the material of the liquid (C) and of the respective contacting faces (A, B) of the target (1) and target table (2), a pressure drop (PCap) arises. |
| US09665010B2 |
Method for operating a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus
In a method for operating a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, a facet mirror is illuminated with projection light having a center wavelength of between 5 nm and 30 nm. The facet mirror has a plurality of adjustable mirror facets, wherein groups of adjacent mirror facets form regions which are imaged by an optical unit onto an object plane of a projection objective of the projection exposure apparatus. There the images of the regions are superimposed in an object field. An illumination field, which is identical to the object field or a part thereof, is illuminated with the projection light. A mask containing structures to be imaged is moved in the object plane of the projection objective in such a way that the illumination field scans over the mask. According to the invention, during step c) the size of the illumination field is varied by adjusting at least one mirror facet. |
| US09665004B2 |
Photosensitive material and method of lithography
Photosensitive materials and method of forming a pattern that include providing a composition of a component of a photosensitive material that is operable to float to a top region of a layer formed from the photosensitive material. In an example, a photosensitive layer includes a first component having a fluorine atom (e.g., alkyl fluoride group). After forming the photosensitive layer, the first component floats to a top surface of the photosensitive layer. Thereafter, the photosensitive layer is patterned. |
| US09665000B1 |
Method and system for EUV mask cleaning with non-thermal solution
The present disclosure provides a method of repairing a mask. The method includes inspecting a mask to identify a defect on the mask; performing a cleaning process to the mask using a non-thermal chemical solution to the mask; and repairing the mask to remove the defect from the mask. The non-thermal chemical solution is cooled by a cooling module to a working temperature below room temperature. |
| US09664999B2 |
Method of making an extreme ultraviolet pellicle
The present disclosure relates to an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pellicle having a pellicle film connected to a pellicle frame. In some embodiments, the EUV pellicle has a substrate, and an adhesive material disposed onto the substrate. A pellicle frame is connected to the substrate by way of the adhesive material. The pellicle frame is configured to mount the substrate to an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticle. |
| US09664998B2 |
Photomask blanks, photomasks fabricated using the same, and methods of fabricating photomask using the same
Photomask blanks are provided. One of the photomask blanks includes a light transmission substrate, a light blocking layer disposed on a top surface of the light transmission substrate, and a heat radiation layer disposed on sidewalls and a bottom surface of the light transmission substrate. Related photomasks and fabrication methods of the photomasks are also provided. |
| US09664996B2 |
Photomasks for reducing thermal stress generated by heat
A photomask includes a light transmission substrate having a transfer region and a frame region, a light-transmitting region exposing a portion of the light transmission substrate in the transfer region corresponding to a transfer pattern, and a light-blocking region disposed in the transfer region and surrounding the light-transmitting region, wherein the light-blocking region includes a first light-blocking region surrounding the light-transmitting region, and a second light-blocking region that surrounds the first light-blocking region, and wherein a first light-blocking pattern is disposed on the light transmission substrate in the first light-blocking region, and a plurality of second light-blocking patterns are disposed on the light transmission substrate in the second light-blocking region. |
| US09664995B2 |
Method of manufacturing an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask and the mask manufactured therefrom
Any defects in the reflective coating or absorber layer of an EUV mask are problematic in transferring a pattern of the EUV mask to a wafer since they produce errors in integrated circuit patterns on the wafer. In this regard, a method of manufacturing an EUV mask is provided according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. According to the method of the present disclosure, the defects in the EUV mask can be detected and repaired with an defect-free multilayer body. A substantially defect-free EUV mask can be made in a cost benefit way accordingly, so as to overcome disadvantages mentioned above. |
| US09664990B2 |
Illumination apparatus and projection-type image display apparatus having the same
An illumination apparatus is provided, including a light source unit which includes at least one laser diode emitting light of a single color; a diffuser plate which disperses the light emitted from the light source unit; a fly-eye lens array which transmits light dispersed by the diffuser plate; and a fluorescent unit on which light transmitted by the fly-eye lens array is incident and which emits white light. |
| US09664989B2 |
Multi-spatial light modulator image display projector architectures using solid state light sources
A solid state illumination system is provided for image projection. Red, green and blue light is generated using a blue laser light source and phosphor emissions. The red, green and blue light is passed by TIR or TRIR elements of red, green and blue light channels of an X-cube prism structure for separate modulation by different spatial light modulators. The modulated red, green and blue light is passed by the TIR or TRIR elements into the X-cube and combined into a combined modulated RGB image forming light stream for image formation via projection optics onto a target imaging surface. |
| US09664986B2 |
Projection-type image display device with single fan
A projection-type image display device includes a light source unit, an image generating unit configured to generate image light according to an image input signal, an illuminating unit configured to guide the light from the light source unit to the image generating unit, a projecting unit configured to project the image light generated by the image generating unit, a housing that houses the light source unit, the image generating unit, the illuminating unit, and the projecting unit, a first radiator plate thermally connected to the light source unit, a second radiator plate thermally connected to the image generating unit, and a single fan disposed at an end of the housing, for taking in external air to the interior of the housing to send the air to the first and the second radiator plates. |
| US09664982B2 |
Optical system driving device, lens barrel, and optical device
An optical system driving device includes a movable body that is movable in at least three degrees of freedom, and a light transmissive unit integrally mounted to the movable body. The optical system driving device also includes a driving unit that moves the movable body in at least three degrees of freedom, and a detection unit that detects a position of the movable body in each of at least three degrees of freedom. The detection unit includes a light-emitting unit that emits light toward the light transmissive unit, and an optical detector that receives light emitted from the light-emitting unit and passing through the light transmissive unit and outputs a light-receiving signal based on the received light. The detection unit also detects a position of the movable body in each of at least three degrees of freedom based on the light-receiving signal from the optical detector. |
| US09664980B2 |
Optical device and image display device
An optical device includes an optical section, a moving section, a shaft section, and an actuator. The optical section includes a light-incident surface on which light is incident. The moving section supports the optical section and the shaft section swingably supports the moving section. The actuator swings the moving section based on a drive signal having a trapezoidal waveform. A swing waveform representative of a trajectory of the moving section as the moving section is swung has a trapezoidal waveform. A maintenance time of a flat portion of the trapezoidal waveform of the drive signal is shorter than a maintenance time of a flat portion of the trapezoidal waveform of the swing waveform of the moving section. |
| US09664973B2 |
Array substrate and manufacturing method thereof, and display device
The present invention discloses an array substrate and a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device, and relates to the field of display technology, in order to reduce the leakage current of the TFT, improve the stability of the TFT, and enhance the display effect of the display device. The array substrate comprises: a transparent substrate, a TFT on the transparent substrate, a first passivation layer covering the TFT, a first transparent electrode on a surface of the first passivation layer, and a light blocking structure for preventing light transmission provided at a position, corresponding to a channel of the TFT, on a side of the TFT away from the transparent substrate. |
| US09664969B2 |
TFT-LCD display panel based on HSD structure and manufacturing method
The present disclosure discloses a TFT-LCD display panel based on an HSD structure, including: a sub-pixel unit array; a plurality of pairs of gate lines, with each pair being arranged between two adjacent rows of the sub-pixel units, wherein each gate line includes subsections arranged repeatedly and the subsection is consist of subsection portions with different widths, on the wider subsection portion of which a TFT element connected with a pixel electrode of the sub-pixel unit is placed; a plurality of data lines perpendicular to the gate lines, wherein two or more columns of sub-pixel units are arranged between two adjacent data lines. TFT elements of the present disclosure are placed on the gate lines other than the pixel region, which increases the open rate of the pixel region, and thus improves the penetration rate of the pixels. |
| US09664965B2 |
Liquid crystal display device with a shielding electrode
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a liquid crystal display (LCD) device including: a first insulation substrate; gate and data lines positioned on the first insulation substrate and electrically insulated to cross each other; a thin film transistor coupled to the gate line and the data line; a first light blocking member positioned on the data line; a shielding electrode positioned on the first light blocking member; a pixel electrode coupled to the thin film transistor; a second insulation substrate positioned to face the first insulation substrate; a common electrode positioned on the second insulation substrate; and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode. |
| US09664964B2 |
Chip on film package and display apparatus having the same
A chip on film package includes a base substrate, an input line, an integrated circuit (IC) chip and an output line. The input line is disposed on the base substrate. The IC Chip is electrically connected to the input line. The output line includes a main output and a sub output line. The main output line is electrically connected to the IC chip and extends in a first direction from the IC chip. The sub output line is electrically connected to the IC chip. The sub output line includes at least six bending parts, and is extended in the first direction. |
| US09664960B2 |
Display device with reduced manufacturing cost and method of manufacturing the same
A display device includes a gate line and a data line on a first substrate. A first passivation layer disposed thereon has a first contact hole. A second passivation layer on the first passivation layer has a second contact hole. A common electrode is disposed on the second passivation layer and a residual pattern is disposed on a drain electrode. A third passivation layer, having a third contact hole, is disposed on the common electrode. A pixel electrode, connected to the drain electrode, is disposed on the third passivation layer. A groove is defined between the first and second passivation layers. The common electrode has a open circuit from the residual pattern thereof. |
| US09664955B2 |
Method to design the integrated full coverage LCD module cover glass
The described embodiments relate generally to liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and more particularly to methods for extending a glass portion of a display to an edge of a display housing. In one embodiment, a thin cover glass layer is provided between a color filter glass layer and an upper polarizer. The thin cover glass layer is supported along an edge of the display by a filler material that can include a foam dam and a glass spacer or adhesive filler. The filler material allows the cover glass layer to be supported without damaging any drivers or circuits located on an underlying thin film transistor glass layer. In another embodiment, a glass spacer circuit with integrated drivers and circuitry on its lower surface can support the cover glass along the edge of the display. |
| US09664949B2 |
Display device
A display device includes a display panel, a rear face housing, a substrate, at least one light source, a reflective sheet, and a fixing member. The display panel is configured to display an image. The rear face housing is disposed rearward with respect to a rear face of the display panel. The substrate is disposed between the display panel and the rear face housing. The at least one light source is mounted on the substrate and configured to emit light toward the rear face of the display panel. The reflective sheet is partially sandwiched between the substrate and the rear face housing. The reflective sheet has an opening at a location where the substrate is disposed. The fixing member fixedly attaches the substrate to the rear face housing through the opening. |
| US09664947B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display device includes: a transparent electrode substrate including a transparent substrate and a transparent electrode, the transparent electrode being formed on one surface of the transparent substrate; a liquid crystal layer; and a pixel electrode substrate including a first layer and a second layer in this order, the first layer including a plurality of pixel electrodes that are located in a region opposed to the transparent electrode with the liquid crystal layer in between, and a first conductive film that is located in a region other than the region opposed to the transparent electrode with the liquid crystal layer in between, the second layer including a second conducive film that is located in a region overlapping the first conductive film. The first conductive film or the second conducive film or both are electrically isolated. |
| US09664943B2 |
Display device and driving method of the same
The present invention provides a display device including a first block including a first primary color pixel and a second primary color pixel having substantially a same area, a second block alternatingly disposed with the first block along the first direction, the second block including a third primary color pixel, a fourth primary color pixel and a white pixel. The first block and the second block have substantially a same area and the third primary color pixel has an area wider than the fourth primary color pixel and the white color pixel. |
| US09664941B2 |
Color filter substrate and curved liquid crystal display panel comprising same
The present invention provides a CF substrate and a curved liquid crystal display panel including the CF substrate. A black matrix is provided on the CF substrate and includes a plurality of expanded sections respectively corresponding to a plurality of main photo spacers. The expanded sections that are located in an edge area of the CF substrate have an area that is greater than an area of the expanded sections that are located in a central area of the CF substrate in order to ensure the distance of the main photo spacers located in the edge area from the pixel open area is increased to effectively prevent the main photo spacers located in the edge area from being twisted with the panel and shifted into the pixel open area during a curving process of a curved liquid crystal display panel to induce undesired situations of light leakage and poor displaying of the display device. In addition, the light-shielding strips of the black matrix that are located in the edge area is arranged to have a width that is less than that of the light-shielding strips of the black matrix located in the central area in order to provide pixel zones of the edge area and the central area of the CF substrate with the same area, making the aperture ratios of the central area and the edge area of a curved liquid crystal display panel identical to thereby improving the displaying quality of the liquid crystal display panel. |
| US09664940B2 |
Display panel comprising a color filter having a depression that is planarized by a black matrix deposited within the depression
A display panel includes a base substrate, a driving circuit, and a roof layer defining a cavity. A color filter is disposed on the base substrate to at least partially cover the driving circuit. The color filter is disposed at least on a pixel area and includes a depression positioned at least partially within a circuit area. A black matrix is disposed upon the depression of the color filter. The black matrix being upon the depression allows an inlet portion of the cavity to remain greater than a certain cross-sectional area. |
| US09664938B2 |
Display device
A display device of this disclosure: a display element; a first frame holding the display element; a second frame having an opening and engaged with the first frame to arrange therein the display element, and a transparent member arranged on a front surface of the display element with an adhesive material being interposed therebetween. The transparent member is accommodated in an opening without overlapping with the opening of the second frame. |
| US09664936B2 |
Display panel motherboard, display panel, manufacturing method thereof and display device
A display panel motherboard, a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device are provided. The display panel motherboard includes an array substrate provided with a metal lead layer and an protection layer and an opposing substrate provided with a black matrix layer; alignment rulers are respectively disposed in portions of the metal lead layer and the black matrix layer, corresponding to a sealant region; a protrusion is formed in a portion of the protection layer corresponding to the alignment ruler in the metal lead layer, in a thickness direction; and/or the opposing substrate further comprises a spacer layer, and a protrusion is formed in a portion of the spacer layer corresponding to the alignment ruler in the black matrix layer in the thickness direction. |
| US09664925B2 |
Ophthalmic device molds formed from highly amorphous vinyl alcohol polymer, ophthalmic devices molded therein, and related methods
Ophthalmic device molds made from at least one highly amorphous vinyl alcohol polymer, ophthalmic devices such as ocular inserts and contact lenses and including silicone hydrogel devices formed using these molds, and related methods are described. The methods of manufacturing ophthalmic devices can use dry or wet demolding processes, or dry or wet delensing processes. |
| US09664924B2 |
Method for processing an unfinished optical lens member for manufacture of an optical lens
A method of processing an unfinished optical lens member having a finished surface with a center reference point, and first and second surfaces, includes providing contour data defining the contour of the first surface in a finished cut state, the maximum distance between two points of the contour defined by Cmax; determining, an optical reference point of the first surface with respect to the contour, the optical reference point corresponding to a user's line of sight in the finished cut state, the maximum distance between the optical reference point and the contour defined by Mmax, providing a first surface dataset defining the second surface with respect to the optical reference point; and providing an unfinished optical lens member having a minimum distance RSF between the center reference point and the boundary of the unfinished lens member such that 2 RSF≧Cmax and RSF |
| US09664920B2 |
Optical element
An optical element includes a waveguide and a deflector. The waveguide propagates light incident at a predetermined angle while reflecting the light between the first plane and the second plane. The deflector is formed as a plate having a third plane being opposed to the first plane in the deflector, the first plane and the third plane are spaced apart from each other at a distance smaller than a propagation distance capable of propagating an evanescent wave of first light. The deflector has a plurality of reflecting surfaces arranged on the rear side of the third plane. The reflecting surfaces reflect the first light that has been incident on the first plane to be propagated as an evanescent wave, into a direction substantially perpendicular to the first plane. A medium interposed between the first plane and the third plane has a refractive index lower than that of the waveguide. |
| US09664915B2 |
Display device
A display device is provided. The display device includes a display panel generating an image, a phase retarder disposed on the display panel, a first polarizer disposed on the phase retarder, a liquid crystal lens disposed on the first polarizer, and a second polarizer disposed on the liquid crystal lens. The phase retarder has a first optical axis and the first polarizer has a second optical axis crossing the first optical axis. The second polarizer has a third optical axis substantially in parallel to the second optical axis. |
| US09664914B2 |
Liquid crystal grating substrate, liquid crystal grating and stereoscopic display device
The present invention provides a liquid crystal grating substrate, a liquid crystal grating and a stereoscopic display device The liquid crystal grating substrate, the liquid crystal grating and the stereoscopic display device provided in the present invention can control the voltages of the electrode strips respectively, thereby not only improving the control precision of the liquid crystal grating, but also ensuring diversified control forms to meet various adjustment requirements for the width of the light transmissive area or non-light transmissive area of the liquid crystal grating; meanwhile, the liquid crystal grating is easy to drive and the sizes of the light transmissive areas can be controlled, thus the circuit design difficulty and the production cost are reduced, and the 3D crosstalk problem can be solved. |
| US09664912B2 |
Image display and liquid crystal lens therefor
A three-dimensional (“3D”) image display device includes a display panel, and a liquid crystal lens part disposed on the display panel and which selectively provides a two-dimensional (“2D”) image and a 3D stereoscopic image, where the liquid crystal lens part includes: a lower substrate including a plurality of linear electrodes which are disposed in different layers; an upper substrate including a plate electrode; and a lens liquid crystal layer disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate, where the linear electrodes in the different layers are alternately arranged in a unit zone of the liquid crystal lens part, and where two adjacent linear electrodes of the linear electrodes are spaced apart from each other when viewed from a top view. |
| US09664911B2 |
Parallax barrier, manufacturing method thereof and display system
A parallax barrier, a manufacturing method thereof and a display system are provided, the parallax barrier including: a first substrate and a second substrate cell-assembled; a peripheral cavity wall, used to form a closed cavity; a transparent hydrophilic fluid and an opaque hydrophobic fluid, filled in the closed cavity; a first electrode and a second electrode; a hydrophobic-hydrophilic switching layer, on the second electrode; and barrier walls, disposed on the hydrophobic-hydrophilic switching layer parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other, wherein at least a part of each barrier wall is transparent, and when not being powered on, a thickness of the hydrophobic fluid is not larger than a height of the barrier wall, and when being powered on, a highest place of each accumulation region of the hydrophobic fluid is not higher than a highest place of the corresponding barrier wall. |
| US09664897B1 |
Apparatus with a rotatable MEMS device
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward an apparatus with a rotatable MEMS device. The apparatus may include a magnetic circuit with two magnets disposed opposite each other to produce a magnetic field between the magnets. The MEMS device may be placed in a frame disposed between the magnets. The MEMS device may include a driving coil disposed around the device, and may be rotatable around a first axis of the frame, in response to application of electromagnetic force produced by interaction of electric current to pass through the driving coil, with the magnetic field. The frame may include another driving coil, and may be rotatable around a second axis orthogonal to first axis, in response to application of electromagnetic force produced by interaction of electric current to pass through the second driving coil, with the magnetic field. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed. |
| US09664895B2 |
Light-shielding structure and method for manufacturing the structure, display device and method for displaying with display device
The present invention provides a light-shielding structure, a method for manufacturing the structure, a display device and a method for displaying with the display device. Said light-shielding structure comprises a plurality of micro light-shielding boxes, each of the micro light-shielding boxes comprises a sealed cavity provided with a transparent solvent, a first electrode and a second electrode disposed oppositely, and at least one rotator disposed between said first electrode and said second electrode. Said rotator comprises a light-shielding portion and a transparent portion, and said light-shielding portion has an electrical property different with that of said transparent portion. The light-shielding structure in the embodiments of the present invention comprises at least one rotator, which is controlled to rotate by means of the electrodes at two sides thereof. When the light leakage region in the color film substrate needs light shielding, at least one rotator is controlled to form a light-shielding band to shield the light leakage region of the color film substrate; when it does not need light shielding, the at least one rotator is controlled to rotate such that the formed transparent band is aligned with the light leakage region. This improves the transmittance of the display panel, thereby solving the problem of light leakage at pixel edge without sacrificing the transmittance of the panel. |
| US09664894B2 |
Micro optical switch device, image display apparatus including the same, and method of manufacturing the micro optical switch device
A micro optical switch device, an image display apparatus including the same, and a method of manufacturing the micro optical switch device are provided. The micro optical switch device includes a substrate; a first electrode disposed on the substrate and having a plurality of openings; a second electrode disposed above and spaced apart from the first electrode, and having a plurality of openings; and support units disposed on the substrate and configured to support the second electrode, wherein the support units include deformation preventing portions protruding beyond a top surface of the second electrode. |
| US09664890B2 |
Variable wavelength interference filter, optical module, and optical analyzer
A variable wavelength interference filter includes: a first reflective film disposed on a face of a first substrate facing a second substrate; a second reflective film disposed on a face of the second substrate facing the first substrate and the first reflective film; a first electrode disposed on the face of the first substrate; and a second electrode disposed on the face of the second substrate. The second substrate includes a movable portion on which the second reflective film is disposed and a connection maintaining portion maintaining the movable portion to be movable in a substrate thickness direction, the connection maintaining portion circumscribes the movable portion and is thinner than the movable portion, and the second electrode is disposed on a portion of the second substrate that is thicker than the connection maintaining portion. |
| US09664881B2 |
Imaging optical system
An imaging optical system includes a positive first lens element having a convex surface on the object side, a negative second lens element having a concave surface on the image side, a third lens element, a positive fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, and a negative sixth lens element provided with at least one aspherical surface that has inflection points other than at an optical axis thereof. The following conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied: 0.86 |
| US09664878B2 |
Optical imaging lens
Present embodiments provide for an optical imaging lens. The optical imaging lens may comprise four lens elements positioned sequentially from an object side to an image side. By controlling the convex or concave shape of the surfaces of the lens elements and designing parameters to satisfy at least three inequalities, the length of the optical imaging lens may be shortened while maintaining improved optical characteristics. |
| US09664875B2 |
Lens barrel
The lens barrel includes a first planar portion, a barrier front cover, a vane portion, and a lens group frame. The first planar portion is configured to be substantially perpendicular to an optical axis and includes a first opening portion. The barrier front cover includes a second opening portion. The vane portion is configured to move between a first position and a second position. The vane portion is configured to cover the first opening portion and the second opening portion at the first position, and allow the first opening portion and the second opening portion to open at the second position. The lens group frame is configured to support rotatably the vane portion and includes at least one lens. The first planar portion is disposed closer to a subject than the barrier front cover. The first opening portion is formed smaller than the second opening portion. |
| US09664874B2 |
Substrate for mounting imaging element, and imaging device
A substrate for mounting an imaging element is a substrate for mounting an imaging element that includes a base. The base has: a through-hole having an opening in a top surface of the base; a cover mounting region provided on the top surface, in a rim of the opening of the through-hole; a lens-housing mounting region 8 provided on the top surface, on an outer side of the cover mounting region; an intermediate region provided on the top surface, between the cover mounting region and the lens-housing mounting region; a connecting section that enables the intermediate region to communicate with an inside wall of the through-hole; and an imaging element mounting section provided on a bottom surface of the base. |
| US09664871B1 |
Fiber optic drawer tray having rotatable spool for deployment of fiber optic cable, and related components, systems, and methods
A fiber optic drawer tray for fiber optic equipment having a rotatable spool for deployment of fiber optic cable comprises a horizontal base and a pair of housing engagement features on opposite sides of the horizontal base, for movably engaging with at least one tray engagement feature of a drawer housing. The fiber optic drawer tray also comprises a rotatable spool disposed on the base, and a fiber optic adapter sub-assembly configured to receive and retain a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted to the rotatable spool. The spool is further configured to store a length of fiber optic cable wound around the spool. The fiber optic cable can be terminated by a plurality of connectors and can be connected to the plurality of adapters. The spool is continuously rotatable to spool or unspool the fiber optic cable without disconnecting the plurality of connectors. |
| US09664869B2 |
Method and apparatus for implementing a rectangular-core laser beam-delivery fiber that provides two orthogonal transverse bending degrees of freedom
In various embodiments, an optical fiber module including an optical fiber having a first end, a second end, and a twisted portion between the first and second ends to enable the optical fiber to provide two orthogonal transverse bending degrees of freedom. The twisted portion induces an optical distortion. The module further includes a distortion compensation arrangement that is configured to at least partially compensate for the optical distortion and a housing that is configured to house at least a portion of the optical fiber including the twisted portion. |
| US09664861B2 |
Optical fiber interconnect assembly
An optical fiber interconnect assembly includes a first housing component with deflectable locking arms having a locking section and an engagement section. The locking arms are movable between a first locked position and a second unlocked position. A second housing component is operatively slidable relative to the first housing component between a locking position and an unlocking position. An engagement section moves the locking arm to its second unlocked position upon movement of the second housing component to its second unlocking position. A ferrule is movably mounted between the first housing component and the second housing component. At least one biasing member biases the ferrule for movement. |
| US09664858B2 |
Optical photonic circuit coupling
Systems and methods may couple on-chip optical circuits to external fibers. An SOI waveguide structure may include mirror structures and tapered waveguides to optically couple optical circuits to fibers in a vertically oriented external connector. The mirror structure(s) may be angularly disposed at the ends of the silicon waveguide structure. An oxide layer may cover a buried oxide layer and the silicon waveguide structure. The tapered waveguide(s) may have a narrow end and a wide end. The narrow end of the tapered waveguide(s) may be disposed above the mirror structures. The tapered waveguide(s) may extend through the oxide layer from the narrow end in a direction perpendicular to the silicon waveguide structure. An external connector may fit over the tapered waveguide(s) and uses a fiber array traveling through a connector body to optically couple to the external fiber. |
| US09664854B2 |
Silicon photonics device and communication system therefor
A silicon photonics device and system therefor. The silicon photonics device can include a 300 nm SOI (silicon-on-insulator with 300 nm top Si) overlying a substrate member. A waveguide structure can be configured from a portion of the SOI layer and disposed overlying the substrate member. This waveguide structure can include an AWG (Arrayed Waveguide Gratings) structure with 300 nm×300 nm symmetric grating waveguides or an Echelle grating structure characterized by a top silicon thickness of 300 nm. The waveguide structure can also include an index compensator material configured to provide at least two material index ratings in the waveguide structure. |
| US09664853B2 |
Low-loss waveguide transition
A waveguide device that includes a first waveguide, a second waveguide and a transition region. The first waveguide has a first height and the second waveguide has a second height different from the first height. The transition region is between the first waveguide and the second waveguide and includes an asymmetrical taper of the first waveguide. |
| US09664852B1 |
Optical waveguide having several dielectric layers and at least one metal cladding layer
A waveguide including a substrate, a plurality of cladding layers, a first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer, and a third dielectric layer. The cladding layers are present on the substrate and define at least one tunnel therein, in which at least one of the cladding layers is made of metal. The first dielectric layer is disposed in the tunnel and has a first refractive index N1. The second dielectric layer is disposed in the tunnel and has a second refractive index N2. The third dielectric layer is disposed in the tunnel and has a third refractive index N3, and N2>N1 and N2>N3, in which the second dielectric layer is present between the first and third dielectric layers. |
| US09664847B2 |
Lighting device for a motor vehicle headlight
The invention relates to a lighting device (100) for a motor vehicle headlight, comprising a number of light sources (1), at least one attachment optical unit (2), having a light entrance surface (2a) and a light exit surface (2b), wherein the at least one attachment optical unit (2) comprises a plurality of light-guiding bodies (3), and wherein each light-guiding body (3) has a light entrance surface (3a), into which in each case at least one light source (1) feeds light, and wherein the light-guiding bodies (3) lead into the common light exit surface (2b). According to the invention, at least one, preferably exactly one, position holder (4) is provided, by means of which the light entrance surfaces (3a) of the light-guiding bodies (3) of the at least one attachment optical unit (2) are held in position in relation to the light sources (1). Alternatively or additionally, provision can be made for the light exit surface (2b) of the at least one attachment optical unit (2) to be provided with a transparent light plate (5) for the dimensional stabilization of the at least one attachment optical unit (2). |
| US09664841B2 |
Display device
Disclosed is a display device. The display device includes a light source; a wavelength conversion member converting a wavelength of light output from the light source; a display panel to which the light is incident; a heat transfer part adjacent to the light source and the wavelength conversion member; and a heat dissipation part connected to the heat transfer part. |
| US09664840B2 |
Light emitting module and display device
A light emitting module is provided. A light emitting unit includes a light emitting surface including a middle light emitting area and a peripheral light emitting area. The peripheral light emitting area is disposed on the opposite sides of the middle light emitting area. The light emitting unit emits light from the light emitting surface. A light guide plate includes a light incident surface adjacent to the middle light emitting area. The width of the light incident surface in a direction is smaller than the width of the light emitting surface in the direction, and the light incident surface is configured to receive part of the light that is emitted from the middle light emitting area, and another part of the light that is emitted from the peripheral light emitting area deviates from the light incident surface. A display device is also provided. |
| US09664833B2 |
Optically anisotropic sheet for transfer
The present invention relates to an optically anisotropic sheet for transfer, comprising a substrate, and a liquid crystal cured layer laminated together, wherein the liquid crystal cured layer is to be transferred from the substrate to a receiver via an active energy ray-curable adhesive, and when the transmittance of the optically anisotropic sheet for transfer at a wavelength of 800 nm is taken as 100%, the transmittance or the optically anisotropic sheet for transfer at wavelength of 390 nm is more than 35% and less than 45%, the transmittance at a wavelength of 400 nm is more than 75% and less than 85%, and the transmittance at a wavelength of 550 nm is more than 95% and less than 100%. |
| US09664829B2 |
Color filter
A color filter including a substrate and a red filter pattern is provided. The red filter pattern is disposed on the substrate, wherein the red filter pattern includes a red dye and a fluorescence quencher. |
| US09664823B2 |
Reflective target for surveying instruments
Reflective target for surveying instruments having a plurality of planar reflective sections arranged to form a shape having a target axis. Each reflective section includes a plurality of prisms, each prism constituted by a corner cube having three surfaces oriented perpendicular to one another and forming a base for receiving incident light, and each of the prisms is oriented such that a common edge formed by two of the three surfaces of the prism is oriented such that the common edge and the target axis or a line parallel to the target axis lie in a common plane. |
| US09664819B2 |
Optical element, and antireflective structure and process for production thereof
An antireflective structure having a higher antireflective effect compared with those of conventional antireflective structures is produced by a simple process. The antireflective structure (10) includes a plurality of concavities (2a) each having a plurality of convexities (1a) thereon, and a pitch between the plurality of convexities (1a) and a pitch between the plurality of concavities (2a) are smaller than a wavelength of light incident to the antireflective structure (10). |
| US09664817B1 |
Flexible metamaterials of visible wavelengths
A contact lens or visual prosthesis that includes at least one array or distribution of optical elements on a flexible substrate, the optical elements in the array or distribution being separated by or having a periodicity of less than 1 micron and each element having a dimension of 1 micron or less. |
| US09664816B2 |
Fracture detection and characterization using resistivity images
An example method for fracture identification and characterization may include positioning a magnetic dipole transmitter and a magnetic dipole receiver within a borehole in a subterranean formation. At least one of the magnetic dipole transmitter and the magnetic dipole receiver may be tiled with respect to an axis of the borehole. The magnetic dipole transmitter may generate a time-varying electromagnetic (EM) signal. The magnetic dipole receiver may measure a response of the formation to the time-varying EM signal; the response may include at least two depths of a formation and at least two azimuthal orientations of the formation with respect to the axis of the borehole. An image of the formation may be generated based, at least in part, on the response, and at least one fracture characteristic may be determined based, at least in part, on the first image and a synthetic fracture image. |
| US09664814B2 |
Wireless sensor
Systems and methods for wirelessly detecting area changes are provided. Predetermined thresholds may be stored in memory. Each predetermined threshold is associated with a time of day, calendar day, and/or activity. The sensor may detect a change in the in the targeted area. The detected change is evaluated to determine an applicable threshold. Then it may be determined whether the detected change meets a predetermined threshold. If so, information regarding the change is wirelessly transmitted to an associated controller that controls light in the targeted area. The operation of the light may be controlled based on the wirelessly transmitted information. |
| US09664810B2 |
Method of locating the position of linear objects
A method of locating a position of a linear object, including arranging a first and a second reactor around a measuring point, the first reactor generating an induced voltage corresponding to an X-direction component of a magnetic field, the X direction perpendicular to a running direction of the object, and the second reactor generating an induced voltage corresponding to a Y-direction component of the field, the Y direction perpendicular to the X-direction and the running direction; obtaining a first reactor induced voltage and a second reactor induced voltage; setting an X-distance as a first distance from the point to the object center, and setting the Y-distance as a second distance; and estimating a direction in which the linear object is located as viewed from the point, by regarding an X-distance to Y-distance ratio as equal to a ratio of the first voltage to the second voltage multiplied by a coefficient. |
| US09664807B2 |
Seismic sensor
A seismic sensor cable system is provided. The seismic sensor cable system may include a cable, a first sensor configured to measure motion of the cable, wherein measurement of motion by the first sensor substantially excludes particle motion associated with seismic waves, and a second sensor configured to measure particle motion associated with the seismic waves. |
| US09664806B2 |
Method to improve spatial sampling of vertical motion of seismic wavefields on the water bottom by utilizing horizontal rotational motion and vertical motion sensors
A method for spatial sampling of a seismic wavefield at the bottom of a water layer at an effective spatial sampling denser than the physical layout of the sensors. The sensors comprise a sensing element for vertical particle motion and a sensing element for rotational motion around a horizontal axis. Stress and wavefield conditions allow the rotational sensing element to yield the transverse horizontal gradient of the vertical particle motion wavefield, used in ordinate and slope sampling to yield improved transverse spatial sampling of the vertical particle motion wavefield. |
| US09664805B2 |
Seismic cable handling system and method
A system and method for handling seismic cable having sensor stations thereon is provided. The seismic cable is positionable about the seismic field for measuring seismic parameters of a subsurface structure. The system includes a mobile unit, a reel and a winch assembly. The mobile unit is positionable about the seismic field, and has a platform. The reel is supportable on the platform with the seismic cable disposable about the reel. The winch assembly is carried by the mobile unit and includes a plurality of cable guides. At least one of the cable guides has a passageway with an adjustable dimension for aligning and guiding the seismic cable and the sensor stations passing therethrough. |
| US09664803B2 |
Method for calibrating a counting digital X-ray detector, X-ray system for performing such a method and method for acquiring an X-ray image
A method for calibrating a counting digital X-ray detector includes performing a threshold value scan in at least one defined X-ray spectrum for irradiating the X-ray detector, which includes a matrix composed of pixel elements, storing count rates of the pixel elements as a function of respective applied threshold values, and from results of a measurement of count rates of the pixel elements, determining or calculating individual correction threshold values for the individual pixel elements. The individual correction threshold values correct a threshold value that is to be applied to the pixel elements for the defined X-ray spectrum such that threshold value noise is reduced. |
| US09664796B2 |
Method of detecting and outputting radiation dose rate information
A method includes detecting on an ongoing basis the currently existing dose rates while a worker is performing a maintenance or other operation within the RCA, and visually outputting information that pertains to the ionizing radiation to which the worker is being exposed during the operation. The information that is visually output can include information such as the current dose rate and the overall dose to which the worker has been subjected, but can additionally include information such as the time remaining before which the worker will have been exposed to the maximum allowable dose. Furthermore, it is possible for the visual display to output visual indicia that represent a comparison the exposure to ionizing radiation that had been planned as a function of time prior to the operation being commenced with the actual exposure to ionizing radiation as the operation is performed. |
| US09664791B2 |
Person-detecting sensor and automatic water faucet
A person-detecting sensor includes: a range-finding unit that decides whether distance to a detection object falls within a predetermined detection distance range; and a specular reflection decision unit that decides whether reflected light is specularly-reflected light. The specular reflection decision unit performs a threshold determination regarding the count of pixels or the proportion of pixels exhibiting a received-light quantity of a predetermined proportion or greater with respect to the maximum received-light quantity among received-light quantities from the reflected light and decides that the reflected light is specularly-reflected light when the count of the pixels or the proportion of the pixels is a predetermined threshold or less. |
| US09664789B2 |
Navigation based on radar-cued visual imaging
A navigation system for a vehicle may include at least one image capture device configured to acquire a plurality of images of an environment of a vehicle and a radar sensor to detect an object in the environment of the vehicle and to provide and output including range information indicative of at least one of a range or range rate between the vehicle and the object. The system may also include at least one processing device programmed to: receive the plurality of images from the at least one image capture device; receive the output from the radar sensor; determine, for each of a plurality of image segments in a first image, from among the plurality of images, and corresponding image segments in a second image, from among the plurality of images, an indicator of optical flow; use range information determined based on the output of the radar sensor together with the indicators of optical flow determined for each of the plurality of image segments in the first image and the corresponding image segments in the second image to calculate for each of a plurality of imaged regions at least one value indicative of a focus of expansion; identify a target object region, including at least a subset of the plurality of imaged regions that share a substantially similar focus of expansion; and cause a system response based on the identified target object region. |
| US09664787B2 |
Lane estimation apparatus and method
Disclosed herein are a lane estimation apparatus and method. The lane estimation apparatus includes a camera unit which captures an image in front of a vehicle, a radar unit which senses a plurality of stationary objects in front of the vehicle, and a lane estimation unit which detects a lane through the image captured by the camera unit, generates an imaginary lane joining a plurality of stationary objects next to a road among the stationary objects sensed by the radar unit, determines whether the generated imaginary lane is valid based on a distance between the detected lane and the generated imaginary lane, generates, when the imaginary lane is valid according to the determined result, a final lane based on the detected lane and the imaginary lane, and recognizes the generated final lane as a driving lane of the vehicle. |
| US09664786B2 |
Method and apparatus for distance measuring equipment (DME/normal) using alternative pulse shapes
A method for measuring distance includes transmitting a first pair of RF pulses from an airborne interrogator, where the first pair of RF pulses are temporally separated from each other by a first time interval and each of the RF pulses in the first pair of RF pulses has a first pulse waveform. The method also includes receiving a second pair of RF pulses transmitted by a ground transponder. The RF pulses in the second pair of RF pulses have a second pulse waveform characterized by a filtered asymmetric Gaussian function or a smoothed trapezoidal function. The method further includes determining an elapsed time between transmitting the first pair of RF pulses and receiving the second pair of RF pulses and determining a distance between the airborne interrogator and the ground transponder based on at least the elapsed time. |
| US09664785B2 |
Method and apparatus for distance measuring equipment (DME/normal) using a smoothed concave polygonal pulse shape
A method for measuring distance includes transmitting a first pair of RF pulses from an airborne interrogator, where the first pair of RF pulses are temporally separated from each other by a first time interval and each of the RF pulses in the first pair of RF pulses has a first pulse waveform. The method also includes receiving a second pair of RF pulses transmitted by a ground transponder. The RF pulses in the second pair of RF pulses have a second pulse waveform characterized by a smoothed concave polygonal function and/or a smoothed concave hexagonal function. The method further includes determining an elapsed time between transmitting the first pair of RF pulses and receiving the second pair of RF pulses and determining a distance between the airborne interrogator and the ground transponder based on at least the elapsed time. |
| US09664781B2 |
Time-gated image reconstruction using phase conjugation
A method and system are described for illuminating a target with a laser source with a wide-area illuminating beam. A conjugator can receive a reflected, imprinted wavefront from the target that is imprinted with effects from beam distortions and obstructions between the laser source and the target. The conjugator can then generate a hologram. A directed laser beam can then be generated to the target by reading the generated hologram with a second reference beam creating a time-reversed wavefront that can be generated with high gain. The time-reversed wavefront can retrace the path that originated from the laser source to the target, and can reverse the effects of beam distortions and obstructions. Finally, an enhanced return can be received from the target with a receiver, and a time-gating switch can be utilized that selectively selects a particular range of return wavefronts that include wavefronts that reached the target. |
| US09664780B2 |
Distance sensor and distance image sensor
A distance sensor includes: a light receiving area including a first longer side and a second longer side; a photo gate electrode arranged on the light receiving area; a plurality of signal charge collection regions along the first longer side; a plurality of signal charge collection regions along the second longer side; a plurality of transfer electrodes along the first longer side provided with charge transfer signals having mutually-differing phases; a plurality of transfer electrodes along the second longer side provided with the charge transfer signals having mutually-differing phases; and a potential adjusting means positioned between the first and second longer sides and raises potential of an area extending in a direction in which the first and second longer sides extend to be higher than potential of side areas of the first and second longer sides. |
| US09664779B2 |
Object classification for vehicle radar systems
Methods and systems are provided for object classification for a radar system of a vehicle. The radar system includes a transmitter that transmits radar signals and a receiver that receives return radar signals after the transmitted radar signals are deflected from an object proximate the vehicle. A processor is coupled the receiver, and is configured to: obtain spectrogram data from a plurality of spectrograms pertaining to the object based on the received radar signals; aggregate the spectrogram data from each of the plurality of spectrograms into a computer vision model; and classify the object based on the aggregation of the spectrogram data from each of the plurality of spectrograms into the computer vision model. |
| US09664777B2 |
Radar device
Under control of a first transmission code controlling section, a first radar transmitting section periodically transmits a first radar transmission signal with a first transmission period based on a first transmission trigger signal produced after elapse of a first delay time period from reception of a predetermined synchronization establishment signal by a first transmission trigger signal producing section. Under control of a second transmission code controlling section, a second radar transmitting section periodically transmits a second radar transmission signal with a second transmission period similarly. In accordance with the first delay time period and the second delay time period, arrival times of interference signals from the first radar transmitting section and the second radar transmitting section are within transmission zones of the second radar transmission signal and the first radar transmission signal. |
| US09664771B2 |
Electromagnetic vector sensors (EMVS) apparatus method and system
An electromagnetic vector sensor (EMVS) system, having a plurality of EMVS devices consisting of a plurality of loop antenna elements spatiatally orthogonally integrated with and electrically isolated from a plurality of dipole antenna elements, mounted on a rotatably adjustable platform having a true north orientation, including active circuitry residing in antenna housings, and external executing software programs causing the active circuitry in cooperation with the EMVS device and receivers to determine angle of arrival and resolution of incoming wave vectors and polarization of incoming signals and to perform accurate high frequency geolocation signal processing; the programs which perform calibration and antenna element placement determination operations, also cause the system to collect data of known transmitted high frequency skywave signals, and estimate direction of arrival of unknown signals by detecting, resolving and measuring components of an electric field and a magnetic field at a single point. |
| US09664770B2 |
Method and system for simultaneous receiver calibration and object localisation for multilateration
An apparatus for multilateration of a plurality of P objects, each having a transmitter device, and each transmitter device transmitting a signal, the apparatus including N sensors, a processing unit, each sensor receiving the transmitted signals and determining receive times of each signal. The processing unit performing steps: A. combining receive times for signals into a chronologically ordered series of message sets, wherein each message sets comprises the receive times of one of the transmitted signals, B. collecting all valid message sets that occur within a predetermined time interval, wherein k denotes a time step, and wherein each valid message set contains receive times from at least N sensors, C. estimating a time offset vector Ok comprising time offsets Oki of the receive times of the N sensors at step k and i=1 to N by processing message sets, and D. outputting a position of the objects. |
| US09664766B2 |
Recording of calibration data for a magnetic resonance system
A local coil with a plurality of magnetic resonance antenna elements and a plurality of test signal coupling units assigned individually or in groups to the plurality of magnetic resonance antenna elements is provided. In order to transmit a test signal, each test signal coupling unit of the plurality of test signal coupling units is connected via a star connection unit to a joint test signal connector and/or to a transmission cable of a transmit and/or receive chain of an assigned magnetic resonance antenna element of the plurality of magnetic resonance antenna elements. |
| US09664762B2 |
System and method for reduced field of view magnetic resonance imaging
A method for reduced field of view magnetic resonance (MR) imaging includes applying a pulse sequence using a plurality of gradient coils and at least one RF coil of a magnetic resonance imaging system. The pulse sequence includes a two dimensional (2D) echo-planar RF excitation pulse with a plurality of side lobes along a slice select axis and a multiband RF refocusing pulse. MR data is acquired in response to the application of the pulse sequence and at least one MR image is reconstructed based on the MR data. The at least one MR image may then be displayed. |
| US09664759B2 |
Method for assessing structural spatial frequencies using hybrid sampling with non-zero gradient for enhancement of selective sampling
The disclosed embodiments provide a method for acquiring MR data at resolutions down to tens of microns for application in in-vivo diagnosis and monitoring of pathology for which changes in fine tissue textures can be used as markers of disease onset and progression. Bone diseases, tumors, neurologic diseases, and diseases involving fibrotic growth and/or destruction are all target pathologies. Further the technique can be used in any biologic or physical system for which very high-resolution characterization of fine scale morphology is needed. The method provides rapid acquisition of selected values in k-space, with multiple successive acquisitions of individual k-values taken on a time scale on the order of microseconds, within a defined tissue volume, and subsequent combination of the multiple measurements in such a way as to maximize SNR. The reduced acquisition volume, and acquisition of only select values in k-space along selected directions, enables much higher in-vivo resolution than is obtainable with current MRI techniques. |
| US09664758B2 |
Method and magnetic resonance system to generate multiple magnetic resonance images
In a method and magnetic resonance system to determine multiple magnetic resonance images for respective different echo points in time, k-space is scanned on a segment-by-segment basis with at least two rectangular k-space segments, these being scanned line by line with respective k-space lines oriented parallel to one another. A short side of the rectangular k-space segments is oriented parallel to the k-space lines. First and second gradient echoes are respectively produced by a radio-frequency pulse radiated for each k-space line. |
| US09664753B2 |
Hall-effect-based magnetic field sensor having an improved output bandwidth
A magnetic field sensor formed by a Hall cell having a first, second, third and fourth conduction nodes electrically coupled together by resistive paths. Flowing between the first and second conduction nodes is a control current. In the presence of a magnetic field, a difference of potential due to the Hall effect is generated between the third and fourth conduction nodes. An operational amplifier has an inverting input terminal coupled to the fourth conduction node, a non-inverting input terminal biased at the voltage at the third conduction node, and an output terminal coupled in feedback mode to the inverting input by a feedback resistor. The current generated in feedback through the feedback resistor generates a voltage indicating unbalancing, due to the Hall effect, between the third and fourth conductive nodes, and consequently indicates the intensity of the magnetic field that acts upon the Hall cell. |
| US09664745B1 |
Computer implemented system and method and computer program product for using battery information to automatically charge a battery
A computer implemented system and method and a computer program product for automatically determining a battery charging profile. Historical battery information about a battery from a battery data recorder associated with the battery and battery charging information about the battery from a battery charger associated with the battery may be used to select one of a plurality of battery charging profiles or to create a battery charging profile. Information about the selected or created battery charging profile may be outputted or transmitted to a battery charger via an application programming interface. Battery application information and battery environment information also may be used to select or create a battery charging profile for charging a battery. |
| US09664744B2 |
Cell module
A cell module includes a unit cell, a sensor, a calculation device, a storage device, an assessment device and a controller. The sensor is connected to the unit cell. The calculation device is for calculating a value indicating the state of the unit cell on the basis of a value measured by the sensor. The storage device is for recording calculated values calculated by the calculation device. The assessment device is for assessing illegitimate usage of the cell module. The controller is for controlling the calculation device, the storage device, and the assessment device, the control device deleting calculated values recorded in the storage device and prohibiting recording of calculated values to the storage device when the assessment device assesses that illegitimate usage has occurred. |
| US09664738B2 |
Method and apparatus for improving efficiency of testing integrated circuits
A circuit, such as an integrated circuit or a die, has a first input pad configured to receive a multiplexed signal including scan data and a clock signal, a scan chain having a scan data input and a clock input and circuitry coupled between said first input pad and said scan chain. The circuitry is configured to extract the scan data and the clock signal from the received multiplexed signal, provide the extracted scan data to the scan data input of the scan chain, and provide the extracted clock signal to the clock input of the scan chain. |
| US09664733B2 |
Probe device for testing electrical characteristics of semiconductor element
A probe device of the present invention measures a position of every chip in a wafer to be inspected to acquire the position as actual measurement data. Then, the probe device calculates a variation amount of an actual measurement position of each chip or a variation amount of a position at which a probe is brought into contact with the each chip of the wafer on the basis of the actual measurement data, and allows a monitor to display a range-of-variation display image that visually displays the variation amount. In the image, a quadrangular area corresponding to the each chip is displayed, and a dot is displayed in each the quadrangular area at a position shifted from a center position thereof in accordance with the variation amount. |
| US09664730B2 |
System for measuring soft starter current and method of making same
A system for measuring soft starter current includes a current monitoring system having a controller and a current transfer device that includes a first solid state switching device. A first current sensor is coupled to the first solid state switching device and the controller to sense off-state current of the first solid state switching device. The controller is configured to determine an operational status of the first solid state switching device. |
| US09664728B2 |
Detection of defective electrical connections
An embodiment relates to an integrated circuit comprising at least two electrical connections and at least one coil arranged adjacent to at least one of the electrical connection, wherein the at least one coil each comprises at least one winding and wherein the at least one coil is arranged on or in the integrated circuit. |
| US09664727B2 |
Electric current application method and electric current applying device
An electric current application method for applying electric current to a power semiconductor 100 having a first signal pin contact region 102 that conducts a first electric current, and a contacting body contact region 101 that electrically connects with the first signal pin contact region 102 and conducts a second electric current, includes a Step S1 of contacting a first signal pin 32 of a probe device 1 to the first signal pin contact region 102 so as to eliminate residual electricity remaining in the first signal pin contact region 102 and contacting body contact region 101; and Steps S3 and S4 of contacting a contacting part 21 of the contacting body 2 of the probe device 1 to the contacting body contact region 101, and conducting the first electric current and second electric current, after Step S1. |
| US09664724B2 |
Device and method for monitoring and switching a load circuit
In a device for monitoring and switching a load circuit, having an input part and an output part, having switching inputs to connect a controller to the input part, having switching outputs to connect at least one load circuit with at least one load to be switched to the output part, having at least one load switch to switch, in particular to switch on and off, the at least one load, having a first fault detection circuit, connected in parallel with the load circuit, to detect faults in the load circuit, and having a second fault detection circuit, connected in series with the load circuit, to detect faults in the load circuit, the input part has an input circuit which converts switching commands of the controller incoming via the switching inputs into switching processes of the load switches. The first and the second fault detection circuit respectively generate intermediate fault signals which are logically linked in a logic circuit to form an overall fault signal. The overall fault signal is transmitted from the output part to the input part and made available via the switching inputs for evaluation. |
| US09664723B2 |
Systems and methods for arc detection
An arc fault detection system includes a first current sensor, a second current sensor, a band-pass filter, and a comparator module. The first current sensor, the second current sensor, and the comparator module are each connected to the comparator module by direct leads for biasing a current differential between the first current sensor and the second current sensor using a bias calculated from a frequency component indicative of arc events received from the frequency selector. |
| US09664722B2 |
System for performing electrical tests to electrical wiring harnesses
A system to perform tests quickly and accurately to wiring harnesses. The system comprises a workstation equipped with an electrical test machine with test terminals disposed on the end of extendable hoses, a connection interface between harness connectors and terminals tests, a working board to perform on it the tests to a wiring harness, one or more projection devices arranged to project images onto the working board and a computer system to supply such projection devices with images to assist the operators performing the tests. The connection interface is formed by adapter modules connectable by one side to the wiring harness connectors and by the other to the test terminals. Test terminals and adapter modules comprise electronic circuits and external identification labels holding identification information. |
| US09664721B1 |
Solid-state electric-field sensor
An electric-field sensor is provided that includes a voltage-controlled capacitor and generator circuitry. The voltage-controlled capacitor is influenceable by an electric field created by a target located a distance from the solid-state electric-field sensor. The generator circuitry is configured to generate a modulated voltage for driving the voltage-controlled capacitor to produce a modulated capacitance as the voltage-controlled capacitor is influenced by the electric field to enable measurement of the electric field. In this regard, the voltage-controlled capacitor and generator circuitry are configured such that, in operation, an electric field of the target causes a change in the modulated capacitance and a current flow through the voltage-controlled capacitor. An electric potential of the target, then, is measurable as a function of the change in magnitude of the current flow through the voltage-controlled capacitor. |
| US09664720B2 |
Device for the contactless determination of an electrical potential of an object, current probe, and method
A device for the contactless determination of an electrical potential of an object, has an electrode and a potential controller which is electrically connected to the electrode. The potential controller changes a reference potential applied to the electrode to a final value in such a way that an electric field between the object and the electrode disappears at the final value if the electrode is located at a distance from the object. The electrical potential is determined from the final value. |
| US09664719B2 |
Capacitance detection circuit
A capacitance detection circuit has at least a carrier signal generating circuit that supplies a carrier signal to one of a movable or a fixed electrode of a sensor, an operational amplifier with one of the movable or fixed electrode as an input and ground as another input, and a printed circuit board on which the physical quantity sensor, the carrier signal generating circuit, and the operational amplifier are mounted. An insulation-secured area on the printed circuit board is configured as a moisture absorption reduction area, including at least an electrode connection part of the physical quantity sensor, an input-side connection part of the operational amplifier, and a connection part connected to the input side of the operational amplifier out of connection parts of input-side circuit components connected between the electrode connection part and the input-side connection part. |
| US09664716B1 |
Automatic insulation resistance testers
The present invention relates to improvements to automatic permanently installed insulation resistance test equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvements to insulation test equipment for testing low voltage, medium voltage, and high voltage electrical equipment on the order of the rated voltage level while limiting the maximum output current to a safe level. The preferred test output voltage of the insulation test equipment would have a maximum test output of 5000 VDC, due to design considerations, but the AIRT test output could be made to be higher, up to a maximum of 15,000 VDC. After installation of the insulation test equipment in the control cabinet of the electrical equipment there will be no requirement to open the control cabinet to operate the insulation test equipment. The improvements will also allow personnel to perform an insulation test on electrical equipment without having to manually isolate the electrical equipment from the power source to perform the testing. |
| US09664711B2 |
Current sensing devices and methods
A low-cost and high-precision current sensing device and methods for use and manufacturing. In one embodiment, the current sensing apparatus comprises a Rogowski-type coil which is manufactured in segments so as to facilitate the manufacturing process. In an exemplary embodiment, the current sensing apparatus segments comprise a number of bobbin elements that are wound and subsequently formed into complex geometric shapes such as torus-like shapes. In an alternative embodiment, bonded windings are utilized which allow the segments to be formed without a bobbin or former. In yet another alternative embodiment, the aforementioned current sensing devices are stacked in groups of two or more. Methods of manufacturing and using the aforementioned current sensing apparatus are also disclosed. |
| US09664704B2 |
Drive and compensation circuit for capacitive MEMs structures
A circuit for activating a capacitive MEMS structure is provided, with the capacitive MEMS structure having an oscillator element and an electrostatic excitation unit with a first input connection and a second input connection. The circuit includes a high voltage generator, a first pump capacitor, a second pump capacitor, a control unit, and a low voltage operation amplifier. The high voltage generator generates a high voltage and connects to the first input connection and the second input connection. The first pump capacitor is connected to the high voltage generator and includes a first connection connected to the first input connection. The second pump capacitor connects to the high voltage generator and includes a first connection connected to the second input connection. The control unit connects to a second connection of the first pump capacitor and a second connection of the second pump capacitor. The low voltage operation amplifier connects to the control unit. |
| US09664701B2 |
System for handling slides having two coverslipper modules
The present invention relates to a system (10) for handling slides, including a first and at least a second module-receiving area (24 through 28) for receiving at least one module (30, 34) for handling slides each. The first module-receiving area (24) accommodates a coverslipper module (30, 32) for coverslipping thin sections on slides with a mounting medium and a cover slip (48). |
| US09664697B2 |
Green-to-red photo-convertible fluorescent calcium indicator
Provided are methods of selectively labeling cells by introduction of circularly permutated GCaMP molecules which exhibit photoconversion from green to red fluorescence when exposed to blue light. The intensity red fluorescence can also be used as a calcium indicator. |
| US09664695B2 |
Method for diagnosing or monitoring kidney function or diagnosing kidney dysfunction
A method for (a) diagnosing or monitoring kidney function in subject or (b) diagnosing kidney dysfunction in a subject or (c) predicting or monitoring the risk of an adverse events in a diseased subject or (d) predicting or monitoring the success of a therapy or intervention comprising determining the level of Pro-Enkephalin (PENK) or fragments thereof of at least 5 amino acids in a bodily fluid obtained from said subject; and correlating said level of Pro-Enkephalin or fragments thereof with (a) kidney function in a subject or (b) kidney dysfunction in said subject or (c) enhanced risk of adverse events or (d) success of a therapy or intervention in a diseased subject. |
| US09664694B2 |
Neural proteins as biomarkers for nervous system injury and other neural disorders
The present invention identities biomarkers that are diagnostic of nerve cell injury and/or neuronal disorders. Detection of different biomarkers of the invention are also diagnostic of the degree of severity of nerve injury, the cell(s) involved in the injury, and the subcellular localization of the injury. |
| US09664688B2 |
Method of identifying risk for thyroid disorder
A method for identifying a patient that is at risk for developing a thyroid disorder that occurs subsequent to treatment with a regimen that depletes lymphocytes, comprising determining whether antibodies directed against thyroid peroxidase or thyroid microsomes are present in the patient, wherein if the antibodies are present in the patient then the patient is at increased risk for developing a thyroid disorder. A particular embodiment is a method for identifying a patient with multiple sclerosis that is at risk for developing a thyroid disorder that occurs subsequent to treatment with a regimen that depletes CD52-positive cells, comprising determining whether antibodies directed against thyroid peroxidase or thyroid microsomes are present in the patient, wherein if the antibodies are present in the patient then the patient is at risk for developing the thyroid disorder. |
| US09664687B2 |
Diagnostic autoantibody profiles for the detection and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases
The present invention provides methods, compositions, and kits for the detection of neurodegenerative disease specific autoantibodies for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases and risk for developing neurodegenerative diseases, and for the generation of patient-specific neurodegenerative disease diagnostic autoantibody profiles. |
| US09664684B2 |
Methods of treating cancer using chemovirotherapy
Described is a diagnostic method for predicting the response of a patient to chemovirotherapy or radiovirotherapy, comprising exposing primary tumor cells from a patient, e.g., tumor cells obtained from a brain tumor or pancreatic cancer, to (i) a parvovirus and/or (ii) a chemotherapeutic agent or radiotherapy, and determining the reduction of the expression or concentration of ISG15. |
| US09664683B2 |
Profiling of signal pathway proteins to determine therapeutic efficacy
The present invention provides methods for detecting, measuring and quantitating the activation states of components of the PI3K signaling pathway in cells such as tumor cells. In particular embodiments, the present invention enable the determination of tumor adaptation to anticancer therapy. Accordingly, the present invention provides methods for improved cancer therapy selection/adjustment and disease monitoring. |
| US09664682B2 |
Assay to measure midkine or pleiotrophin level for diagnosing a growth
The invention provides methods and kits for diagnosing a growth in a subject by providing a sample of a growth taken from a subject, determining the level of midkine or pleiotrophin in the sample by an immunoassay, and comparing the level of midkine or pleiotrophin determined from the sample with a control. An increased level of midkine or pleiotrophin in the sample as compared to the control is diagnostic of a malignant growth, whereas an equivalent or decreased level of midkine or pleiotrophin in the sample as compared to the control is diagnostic of a benign growth. Growth refers to, for example, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). |
| US09664677B2 |
Polymer-nanostructure composition for selective molecular recognition
A composition can include a complex, where the complex includes a photoluminescent nanostructure and a polymer free from selective binding to an analyte, the polymer adsorbed on the photoluminescent nanostructure, and a selective binding site associated with the complex. |
| US09664660B2 |
Air sensor with air flow control
A system and method for providing and/or controlling air flow to an air sensor. As a non-limiting example, an air sensor system may include mechanical and/or electromechanical features (e.g., MEMS features) to control air flow to an air sensor. Various aspects of the disclosure may, for example, be implemented in a personal electronic device. |
| US09664657B2 |
Pulsed admission of analyte to detection apparatus
A detecting method using an IMS apparatus with a preconcentrator outside its inlet aperture. Analyte vapor is adsorbed during a first phase when substantially no gas is admitted to the reaction region. The preconcentrator is then energized to desorb the analyte molecules and create a volume of desorbed molecules outside the IMS housing. Next, a pressure pulser is energized momentarily to drop pressure in the housing and draw in a small sip of the analyte molecules from the desorbed volume through the aperture. This is repeated until the concentration of analyte molecules in the desorbed volume is too low for accurate analysis, following which the apparatus enters another adsorption phase. |
| US09664652B2 |
Non-destructive ultrasonic inspection apparatus, systems, and methods
As described herein, a system for inspecting a component includes an ultrasonic inspection probe with a component surface interface, and a robotic device with an end effector coupled to the ultrasonic inspection probe. The robotic device is automatably controllable to move the ultrasonic inspection probe across a surface of the component. Additionally, the system includes an angle sensor subsystem coupled between the ultrasonic inspection probe and the end effector. The angle sensor subsystem is configured to operably detect an actual orientation of the end effector relative to a presently inspected portion of the surface of the component. The system includes a controller configured to receive orientation data from the angle sensor subsystem, the orientation data comprising the actual orientation of the end effector, compare the actual orientation to a desired orientation, and control the robotic device to adjust an orientation of the end effector to be in the desired orientation. |
| US09664649B2 |
Structural health monitoring system employing electromechanical impedance technology
A method to acquire the structural health state of an aircraft mechanical component performs measurements at each frequency point of interest by using a network of transducers and working each one simultaneously as actuator and sensor. Each transducer is individually excited by a sinusoidal, constant frequency and arbitrary amplitude, voltage waveform for each arbitrary frequency point used to interrogate the structure. A dedicated hardware executes an analogical (analog) quantization to measure electrical current and average electrical power consumed by each transducer. With these two variables, the electromechanical signature of the structure is obtained at different areas of the monitored structure. |
| US09664646B2 |
Polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels with protection against oxygen exposure
The detrimental effect of oxygen exposure on the formation of polyacrylamide electrophoresis gels in oxygen-permeable plastic cassettes is reduced or eliminated either by the use of an oxygen barrier material over the surfaces of the plastic walls of the cassette through which oxygen would otherwise pass into the cassette cavity, or by the incorporation of an oxygen scavenger in the plastic from which the cassette walls are made, or both. |
| US09664645B2 |
Method of detecting and quantifying perchlorate contamination
A method of detecting and quantifying perchlorate contamination in samples, especially samples with complex background matrices such as food and produce with trace levels of perchlorate. A simple microwave assisted-electromembrane extraction provides simultaneous reduced extraction time, sample clean-up, high recovery and enrichment of perchlorate ions for detection and quantification by ion chromatography. Three parallel EME experiments connected to a single DC power supply improves the precision of the analyses. It also couples well with the multiple microwave digested samples and this reduces the sample preparation time and is hence suitable for routine environmental applications. |
| US09664640B2 |
Gas sensor control apparatus
An O2 sensor has a sensor element, which includes a solid electrolyte layer and a pair of electrodes. The solid electrolyte layer is held between the electrodes, which includes an atmosphere side electrode and an exhaust side electrode. A constant current circuit is installed in an electric path, which connects between the atmosphere side electrode and a ground, to induce a flow of a predetermined constant electric current between the electrodes through the solid electrolyte layer. When the sensor element generates an electromotive force, the constant current circuit conducts an electric current, which is generated while using the electromotive force of the sensor element as an electric power source, to induce the flow of the predetermined constant electric current between the electrodes in an electromotive force range, which is equal to or larger than an electromotive force of the sensor element generated at a stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio. |
| US09664639B2 |
Method for measuring temperature of biological sample, measuring device, and biosensor system
The concentration measurement method includes: introducing a predetermined amount of the biological sample into the capillary; measuring a temperature of the biological sample by applying a first voltage to the electrode unit when the temperature of the biological sample is measured, the first voltage allowing the temperature measurement to be less affected by increase and reduction in an amount of the analyte contained in the biological sample; measuring the concentration of the analyte contained in the biological sample by applying a second voltage to the electrode unit; measuring an environmental temperature in a surrounding of the biological sample; and correcting the concentration of the measured analyte based on the measured temperature of the biological sample and the measured environmental temperature. |
| US09664634B2 |
Nanostructured sensor architecture and method for enhanced chemical detection
Apparatus for detecting and identifying a chemical species in an environment, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged to form a network, the network comprising a plurality of inter-carbon nanotube junctions; a plurality of electrical contacts, each of the plurality of electrical contacts being connected to the network such that the anisotropic electrical characteristics of the network can be measured dynamically while the network is exposed to the environment; wherein the network possesses electrical anisotrophy such that the ratio of the number of inter-carbon nanotube junctions which must be traversed by current per length of the plurality of carbon nanotubes differs for different directions within the network along the path from one of the plurality of electrical contacts to another of the plurality of electrical contacts, and further wherein the electrical anisotrophy of the network changes when a chemical species is present in the environment. |
| US09664633B2 |
Resistive hydrogen sensor
A resistive hydrogen sensor has at least two electrical connections and at least one resistance layer containing at least one suitable material for incorporating hydrogen, via which the electrical connections are connected to each other. The resistance layer adjoins at least one interface on a contact layer, which contains at least one chemical element from the fourth subgroup of the periodic table and/or carbon. The contact layer connected in series between the electrical connections to the resistance layer. |
| US09664632B2 |
Cell-impedance sensors
Systems, apparatus and methods for designing and operating a cell-electrode impedance sensor to detect chemical and biological samples, including biological cells. In one implementation, a method of designing a cell-electrode impedance sensor includes determining a cell free cell-electrode impedance and a cell covered cell-electrode impedance based on a design model for the cell-electrode impedance sensor, wherein the design model is based on one or more factors, the factors including properties and elements of a cell-electrode impedance measurement system, using the cell free cell-electrode impedance and the cell covered cell-electrode impedance to obtain a sensor sensitivity of the cell-electrode impedance measurement system, and choosing one or more design parameters of the cell-electrode impedance sensor in the cell-electrode impedance measurement system to maximize the sensor sensitivity. |
| US09664629B2 |
Industrial machine and method for measuring amount of expansion/contraction of industrial machine
An industrial machine includes a moving mechanism moving one of a probe and a tool relative to a work piece, using three displacement axes parallel to each of three orthogonal axis directions; a low thermal expansion member formed with a material having a smaller thermal expansion coefficient than a material forming a structural element of the moving mechanism; and an expansion/contraction measurer measuring, using the low thermal expansion member as a reference, an amount of expansion/contraction of the structural element in one of the three orthogonal axis directions, the expansion/contraction occurring due to a change in temperature. |
| US09664624B2 |
Device for testing application state of fiber reinforced plastic tape
A device for testing an application state of a plurality of strips of fiber reinforced plastic tape affixed in rows on a surface of a structure, the device includes an illumination component emits observation-use illuminating light beams toward a test region of the fiber reinforced plastic tape, an observation component observes reflected light from the test region, and a testing component tests the application state of the fiber reinforced plastic tape based on an image observed by the observation component. The illumination component includes a plurality of irradiation units that light simultaneously and are disposed such that a pair of the observation-use illuminating light beams are emitted from directions that are mutually symmetrical with respect to a normal line of the test region, and an illumination direction change component that changes the directions of the pair of observation-use illuminating light beams emitted from the illumination component about the normal line. |
| US09664622B2 |
Spark sensing device with optical element
The invention relates to the detection of sparks in a channel where material flows. A spark sensing device is positioned in connection with channel where material flows in a flowing direction. The spark sensing device comprises a sensor element and an optical element that transfers a radiation of a spark to the sensor element. The optical element is made of optically transparent material. The optical element is such that it shapes the collection beam of the sensor element to be asymmetrical whereby the viewing angle of the sensor element is wider in a direction transverse to the flowing direction than in the flowing direction. |
| US09664621B2 |
Polarization selective surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Polarization selective surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) includes a plurality of nanofingers arranged as a SERS multimer to exhibit a polarization-dependent plasmonic mode and one or both of a stimulus source and a Raman detector. The stimulus source is to illuminate the SERS multimer with a stimulus signal and the Raman detector is to detect a Raman scattering signal emitted by an analyte in a vicinity of the SERS multimer. One or both of the Raman scattering signal has a polarization state dictated by or associated with the polarization-dependent plasmonic mode and the stimulus signal has a polarization state corresponding to the polarization-dependent plasmonic mode. |
| US09664616B2 |
Methods and systems for non-destructive testing via hybrid spectral sensors
Provided are methods and systems for non-destructive testing of parts while these parts are being fabricated and/or operated. A part has hybrid spectral sensors embedded within and bonded to one or more other components of the part. A hybrid spectral sensor may include two different structures. A first structure of the sensor provides a first spectral response when exposed to an excitation radiation. A second structure forms a Faraday cage around the first structure and blocks the excitation radiation to the first structure and/or blocks the first spectral response emitted by the first structure if the first structures gets exposed to the excitation radiation. The second structure may be bonded to one or more components of the part, such as a matrix resin, and may change its coverage of the first structure during fabrication and/or operation of the part thereby altering its blocking characteristics. |
| US09664615B2 |
Imaging system and related techniques
A method and apparatus for imaging using a double-clad fiber is described. |
| US09664613B2 |
Assay plates, reader systems and methods for luminescence test measurements
Luminescence test measurements are conducted using an assay module having integrated electrodes with a reader apparatus adapted to receive assay modules, induce luminescence, preferably electrode induced luminescence, in the wells or assay regions of the assay modules and measure the induced luminescence. |
| US09664612B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating three-dimensional image information
A method and apparatus for generating three-dimensional image information is disclosed. The apparatus includes a lens having a single imaging path operable to direct light captured within a field of view of the lens to an aperture plane of the lens. The apparatus also includes a polarizer located proximate the aperture plane, the polarizer including a first portion disposed to transmit light having a first polarization state through a first portion of the single imaging path and a second portion disposed to transmit light having a second polarization state through a second portion of the single imaging path, the first and second portions of the single imaging path providing respective first and second perspective viewpoints within the field of view of the lens. The apparatus further includes a modulator disposed in the single imaging path, the modulator being operable to selectively change a polarization state of light passing through the modulator to alternate between forming a first image through the first portion of the single imaging path and forming a second image through the second portion of the single imaging path, the first image representing objects within the field of view from the first perspective viewpoint and the second image representing the objects from the second perspective viewpoint, the first and second images together being operable to represent three dimensional spatial attributes of the objects. |
| US09664603B2 |
Method and apparatus for determining the edge strength of plate-shaped elements made of brittle-fracture material
An improved measurement method and a corresponding measurement device are provided that measure the edge strength of plate-shaped elements made of brittle-fracture material. For this purpose, a long sample is drawn apart at the short edges, wherein the force transmission points lie next to the center of gravity of the base surface of the sample. |
| US09664602B2 |
Filtering device
A single use filtering device comprises a filter body formed at least in part of a filter medium configured to hold a sample during filtration and a fastening element configured for releasably mounting the filtering device to a holder. The fastening element being adapted to undergo an irreversible structural alteration during the mounting or removal of the filtering device from the holder to prevent remounting of the filtering device to the holder. |
| US09664601B1 |
Pre-treatment method for determination of volatile thio-ether compounds in offensive odorous sediment
Method for determining volatile thio-ether compounds in offensive odorous sediment including: pre-treating a sediment sample, extracting volatile thio-ether compounds, separating and purifying the extraction supernatant in a solid phase extraction column, eluting with ethyl acetate, and finally collecting the eluent, which is then concentrated and used for determination by gas chromatography. |
| US09664599B2 |
Laser microdissection method and laser microdissection device
Methods and apparatuses for laser microdissection are provided. For example, by a user at least one first system parameter is adjusted, for example varied, and at least one second system parameter of the laser microdissection system is adjusted automatically by the laser microdissection system such that a cut line has a desired cut line parameter. |
| US09664594B2 |
Ambient humidity detection transmission shifts
Various method for operating an engine responsive to transmission shifts under non-fueling conditions are provided. In one example, a method of operating an internal combustion engine comprises deactivating at least one engine cylinder, performing a diagnostic while the at least one engine cylinder is deactivated and while the engine is operating under high load, predicting a transmission shift, and responsive to the predicted transmission shift, reducing engine load below the high load and terminating the diagnostic. |
| US09664591B2 |
Eyeglass lens evaluation method, eyeglass lens design method, eyeglass lens manufacturing method, eyeglass lens manufacturing system, and eyeglass lens
With respect to the evaluation of custom-made eyeglass lenses using a binocular visual acuity function, a measurement value including essentially at least one of or both of a positive relative convergence or a negative relative convergence of the positive relative convergence, the negative relative convergence, a positive relative accommodation, a negative relative accommodation and a vertical fusional vergence is provided as a factor. |
| US09664590B2 |
Process and device for the tightness check of a container
A container has a tube-like or tubular shell, which is sealed against the surrounding atmosphere and has a weld seam at at least one end. For checking the tightness of the container the internal pressure in an interior space of the container is increased by means of external action and the thereby ensuing deformation of the weld seam is detected. Provisions are made in this connection for the weld seam to be clamped between clamping elements before increasing the internal pressure only in a partial area of its surface, which has a distance from the end of the weld seam facing the interior space. |
| US09664589B2 |
Fluid flow detection and analysis device and system
A fluid monitoring system has a plurality of sensors, the sensors being acoustically coupled to a pipe system containing interconnected fluid-transporting pipes. The sensors collect sensor data that is analyzed by an analysis system to provide leak identification on the pipe system. Each sensor in the plurality of sensors is configured to be programmed adaptively by the analysis system to improve system performance parameters. A method for analyzing fluid flow is also described in which data from a plurality of acoustic sensing devices is analyzed using learning algorithms. |
| US09664588B2 |
Gripper for test and isolation plugs
A gripper for a test or isolation plug is provided. The gripper includes at least one gripper segment having a pipe or tube confronting surface with a plurality of separate rows of gripper teeth longitudinally-spaced apart on the surface. Each of the separate rows of gripper teeth comprising an alternating array of individual tips and gaps such that each row is serrated along its length. |
| US09664587B2 |
Method and device for balancing CT gantry
A method and a device for balancing a CT gantry device are provided. The method includes: obtaining a fluctuation chain of pulses generated in one revolution of the CT gantry and obtained when the CT gantry collects data; obtaining an eccentric angle of a center of mass according to the fluctuation chain, and calculating a magnitude of imbalance; and adjusting weight at a weight counterbalancing position according to the eccentric angle and the magnitude of imbalance, to locate the center of mass at the rotation center. The device includes a data collection unit for collecting a fluctuation chain, and a processor for obtaining an eccentric angle of a center of mass, and calculating a magnitude of imbalance; and the processor adjusts weight at the weight counterbalancing position according to the eccentric angle and the magnitude of imbalance, to locate the center of mass at the rotation center. |
| US09664582B2 |
Device and method for calibrating and balancing a measuring device of a tablet press
Device for calibrating and balancing a measuring device of a tablet press, in particular a rotary tablet press, comprising at least one reference measuring device and at least one control device, wherein interfaces of the control device are connected with interfaces of the measuring device and the reference measuring device, wherein the control device is designed to generate a plurality of reference measurement results and to record the associated measurement values of the measuring device and the reference measuring device, wherein the control device further comprises a comparing device, with which the recorded measurement values of the measuring device and the reference measuring device can be compared with each other, and wherein the control device is designed to balance the measuring device if an impermissible deviation is present between the compared measurement values. The invention also relates to a corresponding method. |
| US09664576B2 |
Load detector and electronic unit using the same
A load detector and an electronic unit using load detectors include a load sensor having a projective pressure receiving part, a case in which the load sensor is placed with the pressure receiving part facing toward the upper surface of the case, and an elastic body placed on the same side as the upper surface of the load sensor, the elastic body configured to receive a load and press the load sensor in its height direction. |
| US09664573B2 |
Thermal imaging sensors
A sensor device comprises an array of spaced apart sensor elements disposed in a pattern on a substrate. Each sensor element is connected electrically so that a physical variable measured by each sensor element independently can be recorded and/or displayed by an external instrument. The sensing device may be a temperature sensing device, in which case the sensor elements are temperature sensing elements such as negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors. Alternatively the sensing device may be a strain or pressure sensing device, or an optical imaging device, in which case the sensor elements include piezoresistors or photoresistors. The sensor elements may be connected in a common source or write all-read one configuration, in a common output or write one-read all configuration, or in an array comprising X rows and Y columns, in a write X-read Y configuration. |
| US09664572B2 |
Thin films having large temperature coefficient of resistance and methods of fabricating same
An apparatus comprises a head transducer and a resistive temperature sensor provided on the head transducer. The resistive temperature sensor comprises a first layer comprising a conductive material and having a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and a second layer comprising at least one of a specular layer and a seed layer. A method is disclosed to fabricate such sensor with a laminated thin film structure to achieve a large TCR. The thicknesses of various layers in the laminated thin film are in the range of few to a few tens of nanometers. The combinations of the deliberately optimized multilayer thin film structures and the fabrication of such films at the elevated temperatures are disclosed to obtain the large TCR. |
| US09664571B2 |
Digital temperature sensor with integrated timer and burst mode
An integrated temperature sensor device has a temperature sensor providing an analog signal corresponding to an ambient temperature, an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensor conditioning circuit and receiving the analog temperature signal, and a timer and control circuit which is operable to be configured to control the temperature sensor device to perform a sequence of temperature measurements and shut-down time periods, wherein multiple temperature measurements are taken during the measurement period, wherein the timer and control circuit is further operable to be programmed to set the number of temperature measurements and the length of the shut-down period. |
| US09664569B2 |
Circuit board configurations facilitating operation of heat sensitive sensor components
A multilayered circuit board having a metal-free region vertically extending through at least a portion of a conductive layer, which lies generally parallel to a horizontal plane, vertically spaced from an outer surface. Heat-emitting and heat-sensitive components are mounted on the outer surface. The heat-emitting component is vertically and laterally spaced from the metal-free region, whereas the heat-sensitive component is vertically spaced and laterally aligned within the metal-free region such that the metal-free region is a thermal barrier that shields heat-sensitive component from radial heat flowing from the heat-emitting component. |
| US09664566B2 |
Photon entanglement router
A photon entanglement router comprises a modified birefringent spectral filter followed by a polarization beam splitter (PBS). Frequency degenerate or non-degenerate entangled photons, generated by a collinear laser source and incident on one input port of the photon entanglement router, are comprised of congruent photons and/or incongruent photons. The invention adds a plurality of additional filter stacks at each output port such that they invert the action of the first birefringent stack at the input port. Intermediate output photons from the invention is input to two ports of an additional PBS where they are spatially projected according to their frequencies and polarizations. Two congruent photons of an entangled photon pair exit as an entangled pair in one direction, while two incongruent photons exit as an entangled pair in the orthogonal direction. If one photon is congruent and the other photon incongruent, the photons remain entangled but are spectrally divided into orthogonal directions. The invention's birefringent spectral filter accepts specific input frequencies from the ITU optical C-band grid for proper operation. |
| US09664563B2 |
Fabry-perot fourier transform spectrometer
A spatial Fourier transform spectrometer is disclosed. The Fourier transform spectrometer includes a Fabry-Perot interferometer with first and second optical surfaces. The gap between the first and second optical surfaces spatially varies in a direction that is orthogonal to the optical axis of the Fourier transform spectrometer. The Fabry-Perot interferometer creates an interference pattern from input light. An image of the interference pattern is captured by a detector, which is communicatively coupled to a processor. The processor is configured to process the interference pattern image to determine information about the spectral content of the input light. |
| US09664559B2 |
Image capture device and electronic apparatus
There is provided an image capture device including a narrow-band optical irradiation system including a light source, a solid-state imaging element including an array of pixels and sensitive to a predetermined range of wavelengths, and a metal thin-film filter provided in an optical path between the optical irradiation system and the solid-state imaging element, and having a periodic microstructural pattern having a period shorter than a wavelength detected by the solid-state imaging element. |
| US09664557B2 |
Method and semiconductor component for identifying ambient light fluctuations
Fluctuation frequency (F) of an ambient light (S) is identified by: A) specifying first frequency (F1) and second frequency (F2), higher than said first frequency; B) measuring an optical power of the ambient light with a signal receiver (2) over a measuring time interval (Ti) during a total measuring time (T), which is shorter than or equal to a first cycle duration (P1) belonging to the first frequency; C) detecting the optical power of the ambient light in a time series over the total measuring time; D) determining at least one detection feature for identifying the fluctuation frequency by evaluating the time series; and E) identifying the fluctuation frequency of the ambient light as the first frequency or as the second frequency using the at least one detection feature. |
| US09664554B2 |
Vibration detecting apparatus and vibration detecting method
Provided are a vibration detector and a vibration detecting method, which are power saving, can detect vibration even if the vibration is very weak, and can perform both start-up of the apparatus and collection of data of vibration information by the use of only one sensor. The apparatus includes a vibration detector, a semiconductor switch, a controller and a power supply. The semiconductor switch and the controller are connected to the power supply. The vibration detector detects vibration and consequently generates a vibration voltage. The semiconductor switch includes a voltage divider for generating a bias voltage inside. The semiconductor switch detects a voltage produced by superposing the bias voltage onto the vibration voltage outputted from the vibration detector, and conducts current when the detected voltage is equal to or larger than a certain value. The controller wakes up with the current conducted by the semiconductor switch as a trigger signal. |
| US09664549B2 |
Fluid meter device
A gas meter device of the present invention includes an inlet into which a fluid flows, and an outlet from which the fluid flows out, and is configured to derive a flow value of the fluid flowing from the inlet to the outlet. The gas meter device comprises plural measurement fluid passages provided in parallel between the inlet and the outlet; flow value measuring units provided in the plural measurement fluid passages, respectively, and configured to independently measure flow values of fluids flowing through the measurement fluid passages, respectively; an average flow value calculation unit configured to derive an average flow value of the flow values measured by the flow value measuring units, respectively; and a flow value comparison unit configured to obtain index values indicating a relation between the average flow value derived by the average flow value calculation unit and the flow values measured by the flow value measuring units, and determine whether or not each of the index values is equal to or larger than a predetermined value. Thereby, the present invention can determine whether or not there is an erroneous measurement flow value from only the separate flow values independently measured in the measurement fluid passages, respectively. |
| US09664546B2 |
Thermal airflow sensor
An object of the present invention is to improve the reliability of a product in which a semiconductor device is partially exposed when sealed with resin. In achieving the above object and according to this invention, there is provided a thermal airflow sensor including: a semiconductor substrate having a thin-wall portion, a heating resistor provided over the thin-wall portion, and resistance temperature detectors installed upstream and downstream of the heating resistor; a protective film provided over the semiconductor substrate; and a resin that seals the semiconductor substrate, the resin further including an exposure portion for partially exposing an area including the thin-wall portion. The protective film is provided in a manner seamlessly enclosing the heating resistor, the protective film having an outer peripheral edge located outside the thin-wall portion and over the exposure portion. |
| US09664542B2 |
Systems and methods for additive manufacturing for air data probes
Systems and methods for additive manufacturing for air data probes are provided. In at least one embodiment a probe comprises a support structure comprising one or more ports for receiving one or more fluids, the support structure comprising an endoskeleton mandrel having an opening for receiving a fluid; and a heating cable encircling an external surface of the endoskeleton mandrel. The probe also comprises an additive coating fused to the external surface of the endoskeleton mandrel and an external surface of the heating cable; and an internal assembly inside the support structure for carrying pressures from the one or more ports to one or more instruments that respond to the one or more fluids to provide a measurement. |
| US09664536B2 |
Calibration mechanism for proximity switch
A calibration system having an actuator with a rotatable shaft and a switch box housing a proximity switch and a calibration mechanism. The calibration mechanism is coupled to the shaft and includes a base, a target carrier, a driver, and an actuating button having a cam. The base includes a locating magnet, and the target carrier includes a primary magnet and a bias magnet polarized in the same direction as the locating magnet. The driver is shiftable between a first position in which the driver engages the target carrier and a second position disengaged from the target carrier. The cam engages the driver and shifts the driver between the first and second positions. Upon rotation of the shaft, the bias magnet automatically moves to a position aligned with the locating magnet when the driver is in the second position. |
| US09664535B2 |
Rotation number detector
A rotation number detector according to an embodiment is a rotation number detector that detects the number of rotations of a magnet attached to a rotating body by using a power generation unit. The power generation unit includes N (N is a natural number equal to or larger than 1) power generation elements, each including a magnetic wire in which magnetization reversal occurs due to a large Barkhausen effect and a pickup coil that is wound around the magnetic wire. The magnetic wire is longer than a wound portion of the pickup coil in an extension direction of the magnetic wire of the power generation elements. The magnetic wire is set above a rotation center of the magnet. |
| US09664533B2 |
Magnetic sensor device
A magnetic field generator disposed on one surface side of a sheet-shaped object-to-be-detected contains a magnetic component. The magnetic field generator includes a first magnetic pole part that forms a first magnetic pole, and a second magnetic pole part that forms a second magnetic pole with reverse polarity of the first magnetic pole. The magnetic field generator generates a cross magnetic field that crosses the object-to-be-detected. An MR element is disposed between the first magnetic pole part and the object-to-be-detected. The resistance value of the MR element changes according to a change in a component of the cross magnetic field in a conveying direction. The position of the MR element in the conveying direction is position shifted along the conveying direction from the center position of the first magnetic pole part in the conveying direction, and located between both ends of the first magnetic pole part in the conveying direction. |
| US09664532B2 |
Advanced tactical line replaceable unit alignment system
A system and method for mounting a device to a piece of equipment is presented, and may include a handheld inertial measurement unit (IMU), a computer logic and a mounting interface. The piece of equipment may have a line replaceable unit (LRU) mount that allows a new LRU to be mounted thereon. The mounting interface may be mounted to a LRU mount. The handheld IMU may determine position data with respect to the LRU mount and the piece of equipment. The computer logic may be configured to calculate a positional error value based on the position data to indicate to a user whether corrections need to be made regarding how the new LRU is mounted to the LRU mount before the new LRU is mounted to the LRU mount or whether the new LRU can be mounted to the LRU mount without any corrections. |
| US09664531B2 |
Utility meter for metering a utility consumption and optimizing upstream communications and method for managing these communications
A utility meter and method for metering consumption of at least one utility including: a metering unit, a communication unit for sending/receiving messages to/from a management center, a memory to store a unique identifier pertaining to the utility meter and a first key, an encryption unit for encrypting the utility consumption as a first cryptogram, a message generator for generating a utility message containing the first cryptogram, a key generator for generating a payload key to be used by the encryption unit for encrypting the utility consumption, a second cryptogram generated by the encryption unit by encrypting the payload key with the first key, the second cryptogram being intended to be included, by the message generator, at least once into the utility message to be sent to the remote management center. |
| US09664529B2 |
Determining installation locations for meters
A system and method for determining installation locations for meters are disclosed herein. The method includes generating, via a computing device, a resource map for a site, wherein the resource map includes inflow locations and corresponding outflow locations for a resource. The method also includes identifying a number of tiers within the resource map based on the inflow locations and the corresponding outflow locations for the resource. The method further includes determining a number of recommended installation locations for meters based on the tiers. |
| US09664527B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing route information in image media
An approach is provided for recognizing objects in media content. The capture manager determines to detect, at a device, one or more objects in a content stream. Next, the capture manager determines to capture one or more representations of the one or more objects in the content stream. Then, the capture manager associates the one or more representations with one or more instances of the content stream. |
| US09664520B2 |
Apparatus and method for generating assistance data with vertical access areas and predicted vertical movement models
Assistance data for indoor positioning is generated with vertical access areas, such as stairs, elevators, and escalators, identified along with predicted vertical movement models for the vertical access area. The predicted vertical movement models provide probabilities of movement to different floors by the vertical access areas. The assistance data may be generated by acquiring a floor plan data for a structure having multiple floors and analyzing the floor plan data to detect vertical access areas. The predicted vertical movement model for the vertical access area may then be generated and included in the assistance data along with the vertical access area. Mobile devices using the assistance data may provide vertical access area feedback information that may be used to modify the assistance data. For example, the probability of movement to different floors by a vertical access area may be modified, or additional vertical access areas identified. |
| US09664516B2 |
Inertial sensing device
Improved sensing devices are provided for determining the spatial disposition of a movable object. In one aspect, an apparatus for determining a spatial disposition of a movable object comprises: a support base configured to be carried by a movable object; one or more accelerometers coupled to the support base via a first damping element configured to damp motion of the one or more accelerometers; and one or more gyroscopes coupled to the support base via a second damping element configured to damp motion of the one or more gyroscopes, wherein an amount of motion damping provided by the first damping element is greater than an amount of motion damping provided by the second damping element. |
| US09664515B2 |
MEMS sensors and methods for detecting rotation rates
Micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) sensors and methods for detecting rates of rotation thereof. The MEMS sensor has at least one driving mass that oscillates along the x-axis, and at least one sensing mass coupled to the driving mass so that the sensing and driving masses move relative to each other in the x direction and are coupled for rotation together about the y and/or z axes. At least one anchor spring couples the driving or sensing mass to an anchor secured to a substrate. Rotation of the MEMS sensor is sensed by sensing relative movement between the substrate and sensing mass. During its oscillation, the driving mass generates an imbalance of the driving and sensing masses with respect to the anchor, and Coriolis forces cause the sensing and driving masses to rotate together about the y or z axis when the MEMS sensor rotates about the y or z axis. |
| US09664512B2 |
Orientation indication device
An orientation indicating device, the device comprises an enclosure, a plurality of rods fixed together at their one end forming a rod structure. The rod structure is rotatably mounted inside the enclosure. At least one roller provisioned in-between an inner surface of the enclosure and a free end of each of the plurality of rods. Further, at least one rod of the plurality of rods is configured to be heavier than the other rods, and said heavier rod is adapted to point towards gravity. |
| US09664509B2 |
Signal sectioning for profiling printed-circuit-bord vias with vertical scanning interferometry
The rough bottom surface of a recessed feature partially obscured by an overlying structure is profiled interferometrically with acceptable precision using an objective with sufficiently large numerical aperture to illuminate the bottom under the obscuring structure. The light scattering produced by the roughness of the surface causes diffused light to return to the objective and yield reliable data fringes. Under such appropriate numerical-aperture and surface roughness conditions, the bottom surface of such recessed features can be profiled correctly simply by segmenting the correlograms produced by the scan and processing all fringes that correspond to the bottom surface elevation. |
| US09664501B2 |
Automated re-focusing of interferometric reference mirror
A reference surface is used to develop an empirical plot between a parameter of interest, such as roughness or modulation, and the position of the reference mirror in an interferometer by repeating measurements of the reference surface at different positions of the reference mirror so as to identify the in-focus position of the reference mirror. Serial quality-control measurements of samples of interest are carried out with the reference mirror in such in-focus position until a predetermined quality-control event triggers an automated system re-calibration by re-measuring the reference surface and, if the result does not correspond to the in-focus position of the reference mirror according to the plot, by finding a new in-focus position for the reference mirror using the same plot or, alternatively, a new similarly produced plot. Sample measurements are then resumed with the mirror placed at that new position. |
| US09664497B2 |
Magnetic field sensor and method for sensing relative location of the magnetic field sensor and a target object along a movement line
A magnetic field sensor with a magnet is disposed proximate to a ferromagnetic target object having at least one ferromagnetic surface. The magnetic field sensor is operable to sense a relative location between the magnetic field sensor and the ferromagnetic target object along a movement line. In some embodiments, the target object is also spinning about a rotation axis parallel to the movement line. A corresponding method is described. |
| US09664494B2 |
Magnetic field sensor with immunity to external magnetic influences
A magnetic field sensor with enhanced immunity to external magnetic interference is presented. Included is a magnetic field signal generator and a demodulator. The magnetic field signal generator produces a magnetic field signal having a modulated signal portion in a first frequency band based on a sensed modulated AC bias magnetic field. The modulated AC bias magnetic field is produced by movement of ferromagnetic target relative to a bias coil when an AC signal is applied to the bias coil. When the magnetic field signal also includes an unwanted signal portion in a second frequency band based on external magnetic interference, demodulation performed by the demodulator results in the modulated signal portion being shifted from the first frequency band to a third frequency band and the unwanted signal portion being shifted to the first frequency band. The bias coil may be provided as part of the magnetic field sensor. |
| US09664493B2 |
Bending press having an angle-measuring device and method for determining the bending angle
The invention relates to a production plant (1), in particular for folding workpieces (2) to be produced from sheet metal, comprising a bending press (3), in particular a press brake, having a press beam (13, 16), at least one bending tool (4), such as a bending punch (5) and bending die (6), which is connected to the press beam (13, 16), and at least one angle-measuring device (46) for determining an angular position of at least one limb (35, 36) of the workpiece (2) formed by a bending operation relative to a reference plane (41, 42). The angle-measuring device (46) comprises at least one inclination sensor (39) having a reference surface (40) and the inclination sensor (39) is mounted by the angle-measuring device (46) so that it can be placed with the reference surface (40) lying in contact with a surface portion of at least one of the limbs (35, 36) of the workpiece (2). |
| US09664485B1 |
Aircraft, missile, projectile, or underwater vehicle with improved control system and method of using
An aircraft, missile, projectile, or underwater vehicle with an improved control system, an improved control system, or a method of maneuvering an aircraft, missile, projectile, or underwater vehicle uses control surfaces that are movable along a track. The control system on a track (or “tracked control surface”) advantageously enables the aircraft, missile, projectile, or underwater vehicle to have an unlimited number of configurations, each configuration being tailored to the specific stability or maneuverability requirements during a specific portion of the flight by adjusting the center of pressure of the aircraft, missile, projectile, or underwater vehicle relative to its center of gravity. |
| US09664484B2 |
Broadhead
Various embodiments of the present disclosure include a mechanical broadhead for use with an archery bow and arrow. In certain arrangements, a broadhead is provided that maintains the cutting blades in a retracted or closed position during flight of the arrow. Upon target contact, the blades expand outwardly from the closed position. |
| US09664481B2 |
Hexagonal attachment system
An attachment system can include a plurality of apertures or openings in an attachment platform. The openings can be arranged in a pattern corresponding to a hexagon so that an attachment member for a MOLLE-compatible accessory may be passed through one or more of the openings so as to attach the accessory in a variety of different directions. |
| US09664478B2 |
Adjustable firearm stock
A stock for a firearm includes an attachment member shaped to attach the stock to a firearm, a stock member pivotally attached to the attachment member so that the stock member is pivotable between an aligned position and a folded position, and a stock body. One of the stock member and stock body includes a plurality of stock attachment locations so that the stock member and stock body are connected together at one of the plurality of stock attachment locations. |
| US09664477B1 |
Handgun brace
A handgun brace for stabilizing a handgun on a user's forearm includes a body adapted to detachably engage a support structure such as a receiver extension extending rearwardly out of the rear end of a handgun, a first arm extending generally downwardly from the body, and a second arm pivotally connected to the first arm. The second arm is selectively moveable between a stowed position wherein and end of the second arm is received against a side of the body, and a deployed position wherein the first arm and the second arm form a downwardly rigid forearm support structure under the body. The forearm support structure includes a continuous support surface upon which a user's forearm is removably receivable to stabilize the handgun when the body is engaged with the support structure of the handgun. |
| US09664469B2 |
Shotgun shell magazine
A shotgun shell magazine to be received within a mil-spec magazine of an M16/AR-15 mil-spec firearm is disclosed. The magazine has an open top end defining a cavity configured to receive one or more shotgun shells. The magazine body includes a feed lip which partially occludes the open top end and a rim edge including a vertical edge strip which defines a gap in communication with the cavity. A follower having a ramped upper surface resides within the cavity. The follower is biased to direct the shotgun shells toward the open top end until the primer end of a top most shotgun shell engages the feed lip. The top most shotgun shell is angled with respect to the open top end and at least a portion of the closed end of the top most shotgun shell lies above a plane created by the open top end. |
| US09664468B1 |
Control of ejected firearm shells
Shell deflectors or redirectors according to embodiments of the invention block a shell ejected from a firearm after firing, absorb some of its kinetic energy to cause the shell to slow down, and reflect or redirect the shell to a convenient area near the shooter, thus simplifying cleanup and brass-collection after operating the firearm. |
| US09664463B2 |
Coil cleaning system
A cleaning apparatus comprising a first fluid delivery system configured to eject a first fluid through a first nozzle toward a surface to be cleaned; a second fluid delivery system configures to eject a second fluid through a second nozzle toward the surface to be cleaned, wherein the second fluid comprises a compressed gas at a pressure greater than 345 kilopascals (50 pounds per square inch); a housing configured to partially surround and mount the first and second nozzles; a connector configured to couple the first fluid delivery system to a first fluid source; and a connector configured to couple the second fluid delivery system to a second fluid source. |
| US09664461B2 |
Multi-poise condensate drain pan
A condensate drain pan including an inner front wall, an inner back wall and opposed inner side walls defining an inner perimeter, at least two outer front walls, an outer back wall and opposed outer side walls defining an outer perimeter. The condensate drain pan further includes at least one drain pan panel extending between the inner perimeter and the outer perimeter, and at least one drain opening disposed in the outer front wall. |
| US09664459B2 |
Heat exchanger with a porous metal structure having manifolds and tubes
A heat exchanger includes at least two manifolds which are fluidly connected to one another by multiple tubes, and a porous metal structure which at least partially surrounds the tubes. The heat exchanger has a plate-like form with a front side and a rear side. The metal structure is formed by a multiplicity of sheets which are held in each case between two adjacent tubes and, on at least one of the front and rear sides of the heat exchanger, extend across at least one adjacent tube. |
| US09664458B2 |
Supporting structure for vapor chamber
A supporting structure for vapor chamber includes a first and a second plate member, a supporting member, and a working fluid. The first and the second plate member together define a chamber between them. The supporting member is located in the chamber, and has at least one base portion and a plurality of supporting portions, such that a plurality of passages is formed on the supporting member. The working fluid is filled in the chamber to flow through the passages. With these arrangements, the supporting structure for vapor chamber can overcome the problems of deformation caused by thermal expansion or pressure and uncontrollable bottom flatness as found in the prior art and can be manufactured at reduced labor and time cost while provides upgraded heat transfer efficiency. |
| US09664457B2 |
Total heat exchange element and manufacturing method thereof
The present invention is a total heat exchange element in which a spacing member is provided on both sides of a sheet-like partition member to form a flow path and which performs heat exchange between an airflow that flows in a flow path formed on one side of the partition member and an airflow that flows in a flow path formed on another side of the partition member via the partition member, wherein the spacing member is molded integrally with the partition member by using a resin, and the partition member is configured to include a functional layer that has heat conductivity, moisture permeability, and gas shielding property and a heat shrink layer that shrinks at a predetermined temperature or higher. |
| US09664456B2 |
Air conditioner
To increase a heat exchange capacity of an indoor heat exchanger without increasing a pressure loss inside tubes of an outdoor heat exchanger. A heat exchanger is constituted by an indoor machine equipped with an indoor heat exchanger 10 constituted by a plurality of heat transfer tubes 12A, which have a spiral grooves 13A formed with a predetermined lead angle Ra on inner faces of the tubes and are made to pierce a plurality of fins 11, and an outdoor machine equipped with an outdoor heat exchanger 20 constituted by a plurality of heat transfer tubes 22A which have a lead angle Rb of spiral grooves 23A smaller than that of a heat transfer tubes 10A used for the indoor heat exchanger 10 and are made to pierce a plurality of fins 11. |
| US09664451B2 |
Co-fired absorption system generator
A co-fired generator for use in a continuous-cycle absorption heating and cooling system may provide heat to the interior of an annulus chamber from a first heat exchanger, such as a firetube heat exchanger, supplemented by heat to the exterior of the annulus chamber from a second heat exchanger containing fluid heated by an external source. Some embodiments may circulate fluid heated in a solar-heated collector through the second heat exchanger. Other embodiments may route exhaust gas from a combustion engine through the second heat exchanger. The second heat exchanger may be provided with a plurality of fins to increase the surface area available for thermal transfer between the heated fluid and the annulus chamber. |
| US09664450B2 |
Fin support structures for charge air coolers
A heat exchanger has a core comprising flat tubes with corrugated fins provided in spaces between tubes. An end mounting arrangement includes a mounting bracket for attachment to a housing. A fin support structure comprises a plurality of support walls and a plurality of axial walls, wherein each of the support walls is integrally joined to at least one of the axial walls, each of the support walls is in contact with the endmost corrugation of one of the fins, and each of the axial walls is in contact with one of the plate pairs. The fin support structure may have a corrugated structure, and is mounted at the end of the core at which the mounting bracket is provided, so as to support and minimize damage to the corrugated fins caused by bypass air flowing between the mounting bracket and the core. |
| US09664449B2 |
System with heat exchanger with side entry fitting
A heat exchanger system containing a heat exchanger coupled to a fitting. The fitting contains a tube having a heat exchanger attachment end and an opposing end. The fitting further having a sleeve, having a sleeve body connecting a first end of the sleeve to an overlapping end. The first end of the sleeve being coupled to an outer surface of the tube and the sleeve body and the second end of the sleeve being spaced from the outer surface of the tube defining a space for receiving a conduit and adapted for coupling the fitting to the conduit. Also described is a fitting that can be attached to a conduit. |
| US09664446B2 |
Method for producing aggregate and calcium carbonate from concrete composite materials, and a device for carrying out said method
The invention relates to a method for producing aggregate and calcium carbonate from concrete aggregate, and a device for carrying out said method. |
| US09664443B2 |
Oven for manufacturing a mineral wool product
An oven for baking a thermally curable binder in a mat of mineral fibers, including plural compartments through which the mat of fibers passes successively, the mat being compressed and transported through the compartments by gas-permeable upper conveyors and lower conveyors, each compartment having a length along a direction of movement of the mat and including a mechanism introducing a hot air flow, located either below or above the fiber mat, and a mechanism extracting the air after having passed through the mat, respectively arranged either above or below the opposite face of the mat, so that the binder is progressively brought to a temperature higher than its curing temperature. In one compartment the mechanism introducing hot air includes air inlets that open partly on openings formed on a first lateral side of the compartment and partly on openings formed on the opposite lateral side of the compartment. |
| US09664439B2 |
Adjustable shelf for a cooling device
A cooling device (1) having a multipurpose shelf (5), used in the door (3) or the body (2), allowing the user to easily enlarge the usable area of the body shelf (4) in line with utilization requirements is described. The shelf can be mounted on the body or the door. |
| US09664437B2 |
Refillable consumable beverage flavoring cartridge
A refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, a freezer compartment, a fresh food compartment, a door providing access to the refrigerator, and a beverage dispensing system. The beverage dispensing system includes a beverage cartridge. The beverage cartridge includes a filter, a pump, and a beverage medium, wherein the beverage medium is combined with water to produce a flavored beverage. The beverage medium may be a powder or a syrup, which when mixed with water, produces a desired flavored beverage. The beverage cartridge is combined and connected with the beverage dispensing unit to filter and pump water in to pass through and mix with the flavor medium to produce a flavored beverage which may be passed through the refrigerator to an output where a user can fill a container with the flavored beverage. |
| US09664436B1 |
Multiple linked appliance with auxiliary outlet
A combination microwave and refrigerator system is provided. The microwave oven is connected to a source of power and has a control circuit for controlling the operation of the microwave oven. A first power supply outlet is provided on the microwave oven. A refrigerator is connected to the source of power by connection to the first power supply outlet. The control circuit is configured to disable the cooking operation of the refrigerator, when the microwave oven demands cooking power, and enable the cooling operation of the refrigerator when the microwave oven is not drawing cooking power. A safety sensor is provided in the microwave oven, and is configured to cause cooking power to the microwave oven to be turned off upon the safety sensor sensing a dangerous condition. |
| US09664434B2 |
Evaporative condensate dissipation system
An evaporative condensate dissipation system includes a receptacle configured to receive and accumulate a liquid condensate from a cooling element of a refrigeration system, a rotating element (e.g., an array of plates, a rotating drum, etc.) disposed at least partially within the receptacle such that a portion of the rotating element is submerged in the liquid condensate, and a motor configured to cause the rotating element to rotate such that a portion of the rotating element is periodically submerged in the liquid condensate and emerged from the liquid condensate. A fan may be used to provide an airflow across a surface of the rotating element to increase expedite evaporative dissipation. The fan and/or motor may be operably controlled by a switch or sensor responsive to a level of the liquid condensate accumulated in the receptacle. |
| US09664419B2 |
Heat pump device for vehicle
A heat pump device for a vehicle capable of effectively utilizing the heat of structural members. This heat pump device for a vehicle comprises: an electric compressor for compressing and discharging refrigerant and a high-temperature water-refrigerant heat exchanger for conducting heat exchange between the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged by the electric compressor and a first cooling liquid which is antifreeze, the high-temperature water-refrigerant heat exchanger surrounding and being in contact with the electric compressor so as to be capable of heat exchange with the electric compressor. |
| US09664416B2 |
Method for manufacturing mirror structure, mirror structure, light collection device having same, heat collection facility, and solar thermal power generation facility
A mirror (31) that reflects solar light, a rear plate (35) that supports a rear surface of the mirror (31), and a support frame (36) that is disposed on a rear surface of the rear plate (35) are prepared. Next, the rear plate (35) and the support frame (36) are joined to each other. Moreover, an adhesive agent is disposed between the mirror (31) and the rear plate (35), the mirror (31), the rear plate (35), and the support frame (36) are elastically deformed so that a reflecting surface of the mirror (31) forms a target three-dimensional curved surface, using a lower mold (51) and an upper mold (52), and the elastically deformed state is maintained until the adhesive agent is cured. |
| US09664414B2 |
Dynamic flow heater
A fluid heater of the continuous flow type, comprising a fluid channel having a first fluid channel section (35), at least one substantially cylindrical metal pipe (2), a heating device (6) preferably having two tubular heating elements (6a, 6b) spaced apart from each other over equidistant circumferential sections of the metal pipe, and heat conducting means for providing a heat-conducting connection to the metal pipe (2), wherein a fluid guiding core (30) made of plastic is disposed in the metal pipe (2) and forms the first fluid channel section (35) between the metal pipe and the fluid guiding core (30), wherein the first fluid channel section (35) runs substantially helically in the form of a groove in an outer surface of the fluid guiding core, and wherein the fluid channel has a first fluid connector for fluid supply means and a second fluid connector for fluid discharge means, wherein the fluid guiding core (30) further comprises a substantially coaxial second fluid channel section (34) disposed therein, which is connected in series to the first fluid channel section (35). In the region of a first end of the metal pipe (2), a fluid connector assembly may be provided which includes both the first fluid connector (24a) and the second fluid connector (24b), such that fluid is supplied and discharged in the region of the same end faces of the metal pipe (2). A sealing plug (50) is provided in the region of the second end of the metal pipe (2). |
| US09664411B2 |
Water heater appliance with an angled anode
A water heater appliance includes a tank with a sidewall. A boss is mounted to the sidewall of the tank, and an anode is mounted to the boss. The anode extends through the tank into an interior volume of the tank at an angle such that the anode avoids internal tank components of the water heater appliance. A related heat pump water heater appliance is also provided. |
| US09664409B2 |
HVAC damper system
An illustrative damper system includes a damper blade that is configured to be positioned within a duct, such as a bypass duct of an HVAC system. A shaft is in communication with the damper blade, and an actuator or force adjustment mechanism is in communication with the shaft. The actuator or force adjustment mechanism may include a housing and a spring therein, where the spring is in communication with the shaft. The shaft, the damper blade, and the spring may be configured such that the shaft may affect movement of the damper blade about a rotation axis offset from a diametrical axis of the damper blade. |
| US09664404B2 |
Recuperative climate conditioning system
Device for thermal energy exchange between a first medium flow and a second medium flow, including a heat exchanger that facilitates alternating of the direction of the media flows therethrough, a first supply duct for conducting the first medium flow connecting to the heat exchanger, a first exhaust duct for conducting the first medium flow connecting to the first exhaust duct, a second supply duct for conducting a second medium flow connecting to the heat exchanger, and a second exhaust duct for conducting the second medium flow connecting to the heat exchanger. The device also includes a first heat exchanger element placed in one of the ducts and a second heat exchanger element placed in one of the ducts, wherein the heat exchanger elements are both included in a Carnot circuit having an expansion device and a compressor. The heat exchanger exchanges both thermal energy and phase transition energy. |
| US09664402B2 |
Air-conditioning system
A controller (2a) sets a target setting temperature for an air-conditioning space 10, compares a value obtained by subtracting an outdoor temperature detected by an outdoor temperature sensor 9 from the target setting temperature, with a first threshold related to the value, compares a value obtained by subtracting the outdoor temperature from an indoor temperature detected by an indoor temperature sensor 8, with a second threshold related to the value, compares a value obtained by subtracting a heat load in the air-conditioning space 10 from a cooling capacity, with a third threshold related to the value, and controls operation of a heat pump type air-conditioning device 2 and a ventilating device 3 on the basis of these comparison results. The first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold are set in accordance with the number of people detected by a human detection sensor 5. |
| US09664401B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling air conditioner, and air conditioner
A method and an apparatus for controlling an air conditioner are provided. The method includes sensing, by an air conditioner control apparatus, a user action requesting a temperature control, checking whether one of a common control mode in which a setting temperature is controlled at a first temperature control interval and a minute control mode in which the setting temperature is controlled at a second temperature control interval, which is less than the first temperature control interval, is selected in response to the sensed user action, calculating the setting temperature based on the user action and a result of the checking, and transmitting the calculated setting temperature to the air conditioner. |
| US09664400B2 |
Automated technique of measuring room air change rates in HVAC system
An HVAC system employs a technique built around a system identification/modeling method that determines critical building loads and airflows experimentally without relying on design plans or statistical modeling approaches. Operation includes observing the dynamic response of individual room temperature, in response to a change of inlet air flow conditions (either air flow rate and/or supply air temperature). This empirically-based model enables development of an optimized control approach that minimizes conditioned airflow while meeting required ventilation, thermal, and humidification performance objectives. Building-wide performance is achieved by aggregating empirically determined room-level loads, thus ensuring that the coupled performance objectives can be achieved while minimizing energy use for every space within a building. |
| US09664397B2 |
Air-conditioning apparatus with reversible heat medium circuit
An air-conditioning apparatus includes a heat medium circuit with a heat medium flow reversing device that can switch the flow direction of a heat medium in the heat medium side passage of the heat exchanger related to heat medium. |
| US09664396B2 |
Building envelope and method for adjusting the temperature in a building
A building envelope, in particular a wall, a floor, or a roof of a building with at least two shells spaced some distance apart from one another, which encloses an intermediate space, said space being essentially empty with the exception of weight-bearing and/or construction-engineering elements or being filled at least in sections with porous, open-celled material and sealed from the interior and exterior of the building, wherein controllable sealing means are provided for sealing the intermediate space from the interior and exterior and optionally separated building envelope sections from one other. |
| US09664395B2 |
Low profile exhaust hood
An exhaust hood includes a top wall extending in a horizontal direction, a convexly curved front wall extending in a vertical direction from the top wall. The hood also includes a filter support plate that holds a grease filter under the top wall and horizontally spaced from the front wall. The support plate is angled such that a bottom edge of the plate is farther in the horizontal direction from the front wall than a top edge of the plate proximal to the top wall. Surfaces of the top wall, the front wall, the filter support panel, and of a baffle under the support plate bound a chamber through which fumes flow to the grease filter. A free end of the front wall can be closer to the top wall than a portion of the front wall between the first end and the free end of the front wall. |
| US09664393B2 |
Burner of gas turbine with fuel nozzles to inject fuel
A burner of a gas turbine extending along an axis is provided having in axial order: a swirler section, mixing section, outlet section, and main combustion zone. The swirler section has swirler vanes to swirl a stream of fuel and oxygen containing gas entering therein in a circumferential direction. The mixing section conducts the premix of fuel and oxygen containing gas to the outlet section. The outlet section discharges the premix into the combustion zone expanding the flow of premix from a smaller axial cross section of the mixing section to a larger cross section of the combustion zone which streamlines the flow to diverge radially. A surface of the outlet section facing the flow of the premix is provided with first fuel nozzles injecting fuel into the premix into a radial inwardly inclined direction before the flow of the premix enters the outlet section into the combustion zone. |
| US09664388B2 |
Glow plug and method for manufacturing glow plug
A glow plug including a metal sheath tube having a closed front end; a heating element accommodated within the sheath tube; insulating powder filling the interior of the sheath tube so as to surround the heating element; a rod-shaped metal lead connected to the heating element and inserted into the sheath tube from the rear end thereof; and a seal member located in a seal portion at the rear end of the sheath tube to hermetically seal the gap between the sheath tube and the lead. The glow plug is characterized in that the sheath tube is formed to have a substantially uniform outer diameter over an axial range including and extending beyond a range where the seal portion is formed, and the sheath tube has an engagement projection formed at the seal portion and deformed so as to protrude radially inwardly. |
| US09664387B2 |
Work apparatus for setting fastening elements
The invention relates to a work apparatus for setting fastening elements in a substrate, with a fuel container and with a dosing device, through which the fuel is fed from the fuel container into a combustion chamber in which a flammable mixture is ignited, for setting a fastening element, and with a temperature sensor. In order to prevent undesired malfunctioning in the operation of the work apparatus or to reduce the incidence of such malfunctioning, the work apparatus comprises a container temperature sensor and a dosing temperature sensor. |
| US09664383B2 |
Denitrification apparatus
There is provided a denitrification apparatus capable of reducing NOx from a combustion facility and preventing evaporation of a reducing liquid in a lance and an injection nozzle in the combustion facility in operation at a low load by adjusting concentration of a reducing agent, thereby achieving complete evaporation of the reducing liquid in an exhaust gas duct. The denitrification apparatus of the present invention includes: a nozzle for spraying a reducing liquid containing a reducing agent for reducing nitrogen oxides in exhaust gas discharged from a combustion facility into the exhaust gas by using a flow of gas; a gas supply unit for supplying the gas to the nozzle; a reducing liquid supply unit for supplying the reducing liquid to the nozzle; and a concentration control unit for adjusting concentration of the reducing agent on the basis of a temperature of the exhaust gas and a supply amount of the reducing liquid by supplying a diluting liquid to the reducing liquid so that the reducing agent is not vaporized in the reducing liquid supply unit. |
| US09664381B2 |
Staged oxy-fuel burners and methods for using the same
A burner including a central oxidant nozzle defining a central axis of the burner, and a plurality of flame holders each having an axis spaced apart from the axis of the burner, each flame holder including a high shape factor nozzle including a nozzle opening having a shape factor from about 10 to about 75, the shape factor being defined as the square of the nozzle perimeter divided by twice the nozzle cross-sectional area, and an annular nozzle surrounding the high shape factor nozzle, wherein the high shape factor nozzle is configured to be supplied with one of a fuel gas and an oxidizer gas, and the annular nozzle is configured to be supplied with the other of a fuel gas and an oxidizer gas. |
| US09664378B2 |
Energy efficient pressure less steam generator
An energy efficient electrically operated steam generator is capable of producing pressure less high temperature as well as superheated steam. It comprise of main body (14) defined by side wall, roof (2) and open bottom, securely fixed to the rim of water holding tray (7). Said roof is provided with steam outlet nozzles (16) to allow the steam to emerge out of the steam generator. A porous ceramic honeycomb (3) with plurality of parallel channels (4), and grooves (5) or holes (23) are created therein for inserting heating element (6). One end of all the channels (4) is always submerged in water (11) in tray (7), and the other end of most of the channels is open to the roof and both ends of the heating element are connected to the power source for heating the water to generate steam. |
| US09664373B2 |
Inflatable display with dynamic lighting effect
An inflatable display with dynamic lighting effect has an inflatable body, an air pump inflating the inflatable body, and a lighting assembly mounted inside the inflatable body for providing dynamic lighting variations. The lighting assembly has a light housing, a power supply, a lighting module, and a refracting module mounted in the light housing. The lighting module and the refracting module rotate relative to each other. As light beams emitted from the lighting module pass through the refracting module, the light beams are mixed and refracted. With relative rotation of the lighting module and the refracting module, the light beams can project outwards to further penetrate through the inflatable body at different angles covering a large area to form the dynamic lighting variations and to exhibit the dynamic lighting effect. |
| US09664369B2 |
LED lamp
A LED lamp has a base and an at least partially optically transmissive enclosure connected to the base. A heat sink is partially disposed in the enclosure and supports a plurality of LEDs. The heat sink comprising a mounting portion positioned in the enclosure for supporting the LEDs and a heat dissipating portion exposed to the ambient environment where the interior of the enclosure is exposed to the ambient environment. The heat sink have a plurality of separate heat sink structures that are mounted to the lamp independently of one another. Each heat sink structure may have a thickness of approximately 1-5 mm. Each heat sink structure may in some embodiments weigh approximately 3.8 to 7.7 grams and in other embodiments weigh approximately 27 grams. |
| US09664364B2 |
Lamp tube module structure
A lamp tube module structure is configured with at least one DC light-emitting element and a power conversion apparatus in a lamp tube, where the power conversion apparatus comprises a first fluorescent lamp simulation module and second fluorescent lamp simulation module, the first fluorescent lamp simulation module and second fluorescent lamp simulation module respectively have two power input connection ends, and respectively in electric connection with a bridge rectifier in electric connection with said DC light-emitting element. One of the power input connection ends of the first fluorescent lamp simulation module and/or second fluorescent lamp simulation module is configured to electrically connect a capacitor adapted to reduce and isolate the interaction influence of an electric ballast or other kinds of input power sources on a DC component of said lamp tube module. |
| US09664357B2 |
Device for generating multiple collimated light beams
A device for generating multiple collimated light beams includes a carrier and at least two light generation units mounted on the carrier. The light generation units are configured to emit, each from an aperture, light beams at respectively different wavelengths and being arranged, with respect to axes of the light beams, substantially parallel and substantially in a common plane. A first lens is mounted on the carrier intersectingly to the axes of the light beams and has a principal plane. The light generation units have their apertures aligned along an alignment line substantially perpendicular to the axes of the light beams and the principal plane of the first lens is non-perpendicular to the axes of the light beams and is non-parallel to the alignment line. |
| US09664356B2 |
Illumination lens for short-throw lighting
An illumination lens includes a light incident surface that defines a cavity and has a flat top surface and lateral flanks, the light incident surface configured to receive light from an underlying light emitting element, a light exiting surface having a central indentation and surrounding toroid, and a bottom surface connecting the light incident surface and the light exiting surface. The lateral flank includes a first region extending from the top surface and a second region extended from the first region, the second region is a curved surface, of which the center of the curvature thereof lies on the illumination lens, an intersection of the second region and a horizontal optical axis forms a first point, and the first point is disposed lower than a second point where the bottom surface and the light exiting surface intersect. |
| US09664354B1 |
Illumination assembly
An illumination assembly for a vehicle is provided herein. The illumination assembly includes one or more decorative elements each having a substrate and a film attached thereto. A light source is configured to emit an excitation light. The light source is disposed within a tail-light assembly and the excitation light exits the tail-light assembly through a light transmissive portion towards the decorative element. A first photoluminescent structure is disposed within the decorative element and is configured to convert the excitation light emitted from the light source into a converted light of a different wavelength. |
| US09664349B1 |
Artificial candle with flame simulator
A flameless candle includes: a candle body; a projection screen; a supporting portion; a moving portion; an LED; and a magnetic-field-inducing circuit. The projection screen extends upwardly from an upper surface of the candle body, has a flame shape, and has a fixed position with respect to the upper surface of the candle body. The moving portion is supported by the supporting portion and includes: a transparent lens oriented diagonally; an arm extending downwardly; and a magnet on the arm. The LED is oriented to project light upwardly and diagonally such that the projected light travels through the lens, through an aperture of the upper surface of the candle body, and onto an outer surface of the projection screen. The magnetic-field-inducing circuit includes a coil that successively attracts and repels the magnet. |
| US09664344B2 |
Induction rechargeable electronic candle system
A large plurality of artificial, battery-operated, electronic candles are arranged to be simultaneously recharged upon placement on a series of interconnected charging trays that include a transformer primary winding at defined locations thereon. The primary windings are driven by an AC signal whose duty cycle is controlled by a pulse width modulator IC to induce a voltage across secondary windings contained within the candle housing. This induced signal is rectified to produce the battery charging current and the delivery of the charging current to the rechargeable batteries is controlled by a microprocessor IC. |
| US09664342B2 |
Optoelectronic component device, method of producing an optoelectronic component device, and method of operating an optoelectronic component device, method of operating an optoelectronic device having improved emission characteristics
An optoelectronic component device includes a plurality of optoelectronic components that provide and/or absorb electromagnetic radiation; a reflector arranged in a beam path of the electromagnetic radiation of the plurality of optoelectronic components and which has a surface that is at least partly reflective with respect to the provided electromagnetic radiation; wherein the plurality of optoelectronic components at least partly surround the reflector or are at least partly surrounded by the reflector; and the reflector reflects a provided electromagnetic radiation such that a predefined field distribution of the reflected electromagnetic radiation is formed in the image plane of the optoelectronic component device. |
| US09664340B2 |
Light emitting device
This disclosure discloses a light-emitting device. The light-emitting device comprises: a first electrode part; a second electrode part; a third electrode part, spaced apart from the first electrode part and the second electrode part; and a light-emitting unit partially covering the first electrode part and the second electrode part and fully covering the second electrode part, the light-emitting unit having a conductive structure contacting the second electrode part. |
| US09664339B2 |
Semiconductor incandescent lamp retrofit lamp
A semiconductor incandescent lamp retrofit lamp may include: at least one semiconductor light source, at least one light scattering body, and at least one optical waveguide, into which light of the at least one semiconductor light source can be coupled, wherein the at least one light scattering body is configured and arranged for the purpose of diffusely emitting light supplied thereto from the at least one semiconductor light source by way of the at least one optical waveguide. |
| US09664338B2 |
Method for constructing low-temperature tank and low-temperature tank
When manufacturing a low-temperature tank (1), a plurality of unit tanks (10) that are able to be connected together by mutually different objects, and that are each capable of storing low-temperature liquefied gas are manufactured in a factory that is distant from a construction site. The unit tanks (10) are then transported to the construction site, and an inner tank (2) is then assembled at the construction site by connecting together the plurality of unit tanks (10). An outer tank (3) is then formed around the inner tank (2). |
| US09664335B2 |
Article support device and method for placing two types of articles on support device
A support device on which two types of articles that differ in size are positioned and placed is provided. A first article and a second article having a larger bottom portion than that of the first article are to be placed on a placing surface of a support device. A first positioning member protruding from the placing surface for positioning the bottom portion of the first article and a second positioning member protruding from the placing surface for positioning the second article are provided. The first positioning member is arranged at a position where interference with the second article is prevented when the second article is positioned on the placing surface by the second positioning member, and the second positioning member is arranged at a position where interference with the first article is prevented when the first article is positioned on the placing surface by the first positioning member. |
| US09664332B2 |
Sheet metal bracket with reinforcing core rod
The present disclosure relates to a securing element for securing objects, such as vehicle seats, or for clamping loads, such as luggage, to a bodywork component and a securing system having a securing element. In order to confer increased strength on the securing element and furthermore to be able to secure it to the bodywork component in an inexpensive manner with a connection of high strength being produced, it is proposed that it has a composition comprising a sheet metal component and an elongate reinforcement element, the reinforcement element being surrounded with respect to the longitudinal direction thereof at least in a region at least in a partially peripheral manner by the sheet metal component so as to be able to transmit force. |
| US09664331B1 |
Extendable window prop
An extendable window prop for supporting double-hung windows includes a pole that is of adjustable length. A crossbar is coupled to and extends perpendicularly from an upper end of the pole. A first rod is coupled proximate to the upper end of the pole and extends substantially perpendicularly from the pole. The first rod is substantially perpendicular to the crossbar. A second rod is coupled to and extends substantially perpendicularly from the first rod distal from the pole. The second rod is transverse to the pole. The crossbar is positioned on the pole such that the crossbar is configured to position a first window. The first window is supported by the pole. The second rod is positioned on the first rod such that the second rod is positioned to abut a frame of the first window that is positioned on the crossbar. |
| US09664327B2 |
Device for rehabilitating pipelines
The invention relates to a device for rehabilitating pipelines, having a support structure (10) to which functional units of the device can be fastened, wherein the support structure (10) has at least two support structure elements (12, 16, 19) which reconnected to one another via at least one buckling mechanism (20). By means of the buckling mechanism (20), at least one support structure element (12, 16, 19) can be placed into a buckled position. Furthermore, an actuating device (30) is provided which is designed such that the buckling mechanism (20) can be placed into a buckling enable position and a buckling blocking position by means of the actuating device (30). |
| US09664319B2 |
Coupling part for a quick-release coupling for high-pressure hydraulic lines
A coupling part, particularly a coupling cuff, for a quick-release coupling for high-pressure hydraulic lines, has a coupling housing having a through-flow channel and a valve device disposed within the through-flow channel, this device having a tappet-like closing valve for closing off the through-flow channel in the uncoupled state of the coupling part. The coupling housing has a conical valve seat surface, and the closing valve has a longitudinal valve axis as well as a valve head having a conical surface and a valve sealing ring for sealing contact with the valve seat surface. The valve sealing ring has a circular-cylindrical ring circumference surface that projects beyond the conical surface in the radial direction and has a valve seal diameter DVD. The flow-through channel has a ring-shaped cross-sectional widened region having a maximal expansion diameter DEW, wherein the cross-sectional expansion region lies radially opposite the ring circumference surface in the maximally open position of the closing valve, with regard to the longitudinal valve axis. |
| US09664318B2 |
Fitting adapter with integrated mounting assembly and device
An integrated fitting arrangement includes a mounting plate having a base portion and a stem portion, along with a sleeve member adapted to slidingly engage the stem portion of the mounting plate. By having sliding and/or telescoping capability, the sleeve can adapt its length to couple a piping element with a fitting element in a variety of applications. A release pusher element is provided as part of the sleeve member to facilitate the release of tubing, piping and other cylindrical objects inserted into a fitting. |
| US09664317B2 |
Arrangement for connecting a pipe to a LNG tank
A connection having at least one double-walled pipe of stainless steel connected to an LNG tank is disclosed, the LNG tank having an inner shell of stainless steel and an outer shell spaced at a distance from the inner shell, the inner and outer shells defining an isolation space therebetween. The at least one double-walled pipe includes a common outer wall and at least one inner pipe. The outer wall of the pipe is connected to the inner shell of the tank in such a way that the outer wall and/or a pipe fitting of cold resistant material between the inner shell and the outer wall is arranged to compensate for changes in the length of the outer wall of the pipe and/or of the pipe fitting due to temperature differences between the outer wall of the pipe and the inner shell of the tank. |
| US09664316B1 |
Press fitting device, components and method
A press fitting device, components and method provide one or more indicators to provide a visual indication that the fitting has been properly pressed around a tube and that the correct amount of pressure has been provided to create a permanent seal. In embodiments, the present invention includes a fitting having a main body component with a packing arrangement including a sealing ring, a lock ring support member, a lock ring and a malleable and expandable indicator ring. |
| US09664314B2 |
Valve connector for a valve of an inflating device and adapter having the same
A valve connector has a tubular body, a connection head, and an annular seal. The tubular body has at least one air inlet, an air outlet, and a first threaded hole. The first threaded hole is defined in the tubular body, communicates with the air outlet, and has a first thread specification and an inner diameter. The connection head is mounted detachably on the tubular body and has a second threaded hole and a recess. The second threaded hole has a second thread specification and an inner diameter larger than that of the first threaded hole. The recess is axially defined in the connection head and has an inner diameter larger than that of the second threaded hole. The annular seal is mounted in the recess in the connection head and is clamped between the tubular body and the connection head. |
| US09664311B2 |
Flexible submarine pipe comprising a layer comprising a polymer resin comprising aluminosilicate or magnesium silicate nanotubes
The present disclosure relates to a flexible submarine pipe comprising a plurality of layers, at least one layer of which comprises a polymer resin comprising at least one alumino-silicate or magnesium silicate nanotube chemically bonded to the polymer by a covalent bond, the method for preparing same and the use thereof for the transport of fluids, especially hydrocarbons. |
| US09664309B2 |
Integral pump mount and hose attachment for a vehicle
An apparatus is provided that mounts both a pump and either an inlet hose or an outlet hose for the pump to vehicle support structure. The pump has a pump housing with a pump inlet and a pump outlet. An inlet hose is attached to the pump inlet, and an outlet hose is attached to the pump outlet. The apparatus includes a compliant pump hose mount that has a hose attachment portion with a hose opening sized so that one of the inlet hose and the outlet hose is supportable by the pump hose mount at the hose opening. The pump hose mount also has a mount portion mountable to the vehicle support structure. The pump is thereby mounted to the vehicle support structure by the pump hose mount so that noise and vibration of the pump are mitigated by the pump hose mount. |
| US09664304B2 |
Normally closed valve for microfluidic components of a polymeric layer system and method
A normally closed valve for microfluidic components includes a polymer substrate and a polymer membrane film arranged on the polymer substrate. The polymer substrate has a first chamber, a second chamber, and a fluidic barrier element configured to separate the first chamber from the second chamber. The first chamber is fluidically coupled to the second chamber by the polymer membrane film, and, in an initial configuration, a connection of the polymer membrane film to the fluidic barrier element prevents a fluidic communication of the first chamber to the second chamber. The first chamber is at least partially filled with a substance in the initial configuration, and a transfer of the substance from the first chamber into the second chamber takes place by applying a pressure to the substance. The pressure is chosen to be great enough to disconnect the connection of the polymer membrane film to the fluidic barrier element. |
| US09664298B2 |
Flow control valve
A flow control valve includes a resin housing body, a valve member, a retainer plate, a drive unit, and a protective wall. The resin housing body is substantially cylindrical. The valve member axially moves back and forth in the housing body to regulate a flow rate of a liquid. The retainer plate is fastened to the housing body at a position axially outward from the bearing to retain the bearing in the housing body. The drive unit drives the valve stem at a position outward from the bearing to move the valve member back and forth. The protective wall surrounds an outer circumferential surface of the housing body at a position radially outward from a portion of the housing body that receives the bearing to form an air layer portion between the protective wall and the outer circumferential surface of the housing body. |
| US09664296B2 |
Check valve
A check valve includes an internal liquid trap that prevents the backflow of gas and debris from degrading the valve. The internal liquid trap can be formed by internal passages within a valve housing. One embodiment includes three internal passages, an inlet passage, an intermediate passage, and an outlet passage, with connecting passages between each of the inlet passage and outlet package, and the intermediate package. In some embodiments, an internal trap is provided between the intermediate passage and the inlet passage. |
| US09664294B2 |
Flow control valve for a hand held bidet shower
The control valve (R) comprises a body (10) having: an outlet nozzle (12) connected to a flexible conduct (20) whose outlet end (22) is connected to a pistol (30); a sealing seat (S); and a movable sealing means (V) to be displaced between closing and opening positions of the seat (S). A rod (90) has an inner end (91) coupled to the movable sealing means (V), an outer end (92), and a median region (93) mounted in the body (10). The rod (90) may be displaced, in a vertical plane and around a median transversal axis, so as to have its outer end (92) conducted to lowered and raised positions, in which the movable sealing means (V) is conducted to the closing and opening positions of the seat (S). A support (100) is provided in the outer end (92) of the rod (90), in order to receive and retain the pistol (30) when in an inoperative condition, producing the closing of the control valve (R). |
| US09664293B2 |
Vacuum valve
A vacuum valve includes a valve housing with a valve opening, a closure member, a valve rod on which the closure member is mounted and which is axially adjustable for adjusting the closure member between open and closed positions, an elastic seal arranged on a front side of the closure member or on the valve seat of the housing, a sealing surface arranged on the other of these, and against which the seal abuts in the closed position, and at least one support part arranged on a rear side of the closure member remote from the valve seat. The abutment between the support surface of the support part and the valve housing is effected in an abutment plane which is inclined in relation to the displacement direction about an axis which is at right angles to both the displacement direction and the longitudinal axis. The support part is pivotable in relation to the closure member about a pivot axis, which is at right angles to both the displacement direction and the longitudinal axis of the valve opening. |
| US09664291B2 |
Valve, in particular pilot-operated proportional directional poppet valve
A valve, in particular a pilot-operated proportional directional poppet valve, has a valve housing (7) with a fluid inlet (21) and a fluid outlet (23). The fluid stream between the fluid inlet (21) and the fluid outlet (23) is adjustable by a main piston (27). A pilot valve chamber (37) on a rear face (29) of the main piston (27) has a pilot valve closing member (33) movable by an actuating device (69) to adjust the fluid stream between the pilot valve chamber (37) and the fluid outlet (23). A supply aperture (3) is between the fluid inlet (21) and the pilot valve chamber (37). The opening cross-section of the supply aperture (3) can be reduced by a control element (49). |
| US09664290B2 |
Anti-rotation assemblies for use with fluid valves
An example apparatus includes a valve body defining a fluid flow passageway between an inlet and an outlet, a cage disposed in the fluid flow passageway, a plug disposed in the cage, a retainer collar coupled at an end of the plug, where an exterior surface of the retainer collar includes a first engagement surface having a first non-circular cross-section, and an anti-rotation collar coupled at an end of the cage, where the anti-rotation collar has a second engagement surface defining an aperture to receive the retainer collar, where the aperture has a second non-circular cross-section, where the engagement surfaces interact to inhibit rotation of the retainer collar and the plug. |
| US09664289B2 |
Pump sealing device
Described is a device (1) for sealing a power station pump. The device (1) includes a pump housing (10) with first and second ducts (15, 16) for passage of a fluid, and a shaft (20) including a first passage (51) for the fluid, a mechanical packing (70) mounted between the shaft (20) and the pump housing (10) and friction elements for rubbing-together a rotating part (71) and a stationary part (72). |
| US09664287B2 |
Shaft seal device, seal member and hydroelectric power generation device
Provided is a shaft seal device provided with a seal member which possesses excellent liquid tightness, small friction resistance and high wear resistance. In a shaft seal device which is arranged around the periphery of a shaft which is supported in a rotatable manner or in a reciprocating manner, and is provided with a seal member for securing liquid tightness around the shaft, the seal member is formed of a porous body formed by using a hydrophilic polymer resin in which chains are cross-linked. The shaft seal device is also characterized in that: the shaft is a shaft which extends between a liquid phase region and a gas phase region; the seal member is a seal member which suppresses a leakage of a liquid to the gas phase region from the liquid phase region; and an aqueous lubricant which is prepared by adding a water soluble thickening agent is impregnated into the seal member. |
| US09664283B2 |
Captivated seal assembly
A captivated seal assembly is disclosed. The seal assembly may include a metal seat shield, an annular elastomeric seal and a metal bonding ring. The metal bonding ring is preferably bonded to and fully encapsulated within the annular elastomeric seal. The composite metal bonding ring and elastomeric seal is contained in an annular recess formed in the metal seat shield. The metal bonding ring is secured to the metal seat shield, thereby retaining the elastomeric seal within the annular recess of the metal seat shield. The metal bonding ring may include a plurality of support pads for engagement with an annular back wall of the metal seat shield. |
| US09664282B2 |
Polyurethane elastomeric seal for hydraulic pumps
A method for forming a piston seal of a hydraulic pump includes forming a reaction mixture that includes a prepolymer component, a polyol additive, a diol component, and a curative component, forming a sealing element with the reaction mixture and a mold, and curing the sealing element to form a piston seal of a hydraulic pump. The prepolymer component includes a polycarbonate-isocyanate prepolymer that is a reaction product of at least an isocyanate component and a polycarbonate polyol component. |
| US09664281B2 |
Piston ring sprayed coating, piston ring, and method for producing piston ring sprayed coating
A thermal spray coating for piston ring having excellent abrasion resistance, and capable of suppressing abrasion of the opposite member is provided. The thermal spray coating for piston ring according to the invention is a thermal spray coating for piston ring obtained by thermally spraying a powder composition on the outer peripheral sliding surface of a piston ring base material, and the powder composition contains molybdenum particles, nickel chromium alloy particles and chromium carbide particles, and the median diameter of the chromium carbide particles is 5 to 25 μm. |
| US09664271B2 |
Limited slip differential using face gears and a pinion housing
A differential includes a differential case; a side gear; a pinion configured for meshing engagement with the side gear; and a pinion housing configured to support the pinion. The pinion housing includes a first face; a second face opposing the first face; a first projection located on the first face; and a second projection located on the second face. The pinion housing also includes an aperture or hole extending radially inwardly from an outer radial surface of the generally annular ring; and a channel extending from the first face to the second face, wherein the channel is substantially radially aligned with the aperture or hole. In embodiments, the pinion housing includes one or more transfer formations configured to transfer torque from the differential case, and the pinion housing is configured to permit movement in an axial direction between a pair of side gears. |
| US09664268B2 |
Ball screw device
A ball screw device includes a ball circulation part having a ball circulation path. The ball circulation part is formed by combining a first split body and a second split body. The first split body has a fixing section fixed to an outer surface of a nut member. The second split body has a pair of leg sections configured to scoop up balls moving along a ball load rolling path and return the balls to the ball load rolling path, a connecting section configured to connect the pair of leg sections and disposed between the first split body and the nut member, and a pair of shoulder sections facing side surfaces of the first split body in two directions so as to sandwich the first split body between the pair of shoulder sections. |
| US09664266B2 |
Cam follower roller device
A cam follower roller device, in particular for a fuel injection pump of an internal combustion engine, includes a tappet with a sleeve having an opening for partially accommodating a roller, a roller mounted rotatably in the sleeve and having a portion which protrudes axially from the opening of the sleeve provided to cooperate with a cam, and a roller support body housed in the sleeve. The roller includes a cylindrical spindle and a cylindrical body, the ends of the spindle projecting from the lateral faces of the body. The support body includes supports open towards the opening of the sleeve and supporting the ends of the spindle. |
| US09664263B2 |
Movement device comprising a combined individual movement and block movement drive for a plurality of jointly guided movement units
A linear movement device comprising at least two linear movement units which are guided in a movable manner along a shared linear movement axis, wherein the linear movement device comprises a first linear drive and a second linear drive, in such a way that each linear movement unit can be driven in movement along the linear movement axis merely by the first linear drive, merely by the second linear drive, and also by both linear drives together. The first and the second linear drive are coupled to the linear movement units so as to transmit drive force, in such a way that when only one of the first linear drive and the second linear drive is activated, the linear movement units can be driven in movement in a shared direction along the linear movement axis at different speeds. |
| US09664254B2 |
Split ring carrier with eccentric pin with spring compliance and speed dependence
A split ring planetary drive of an electric phaser includes at least one planet gear adjuster and at least one load generator. The load generator biases the planet gear adjuster, such that at a low rotational speed, the planet gear adjuster applies a force on the planet gear to take up the backlash between the planet gear and the ring gears. As the rotational speed increases, the inertia of a mass of the planet gear adjuster generates an increasing force opposing the force of the load generator, causing the planet gear adjuster to move at least one planet gear to a position where the at least one planet gear no longer takes up the backlash. In some embodiments, the planet gear adjuster includes an eccentric pin and an extension arm. In other embodiments, the planet gear adjuster includes a pivot support for a pair of inner and outer planet gears. |
| US09664252B2 |
Drive belt
A power transmission belt is used by being wound around a flat pulley so that an outer peripheral surface thereof contacts with the flat pulley. A portion forming the outer peripheral surface is made of a rubber composition including an ethylene-α-olefin elastomer as a rubber component thereof. The dynamic viscoelasticity properties of the rubber composition in a belt length direction satisfy ((a loss tangent tan δ at a temperature of 25° C. and a dynamic strain of 3.0%)/(a storage elastic modulus E′ at a temperature of 25° C. and a dynamic strain 3.0%))×1000≦3.0 MPa−1, and (a storage elastic modulus E′ at a temperature of 25° C. and a dynamic strain of 1.0%)/(a storage elastic modulus E′ at a temperature of 25° C. and a dynamic strain of 3.0%)≦1.30. |
| US09664250B2 |
Variable frequency damper for drive shaft of vehicle
A variable frequency damper for a drive shaft of a vehicle may include a mass body made of a metallic material and having mass, a damper body disposed on the drive shaft and to which the mass body is coupled, a banding member which fixes the damper body to the drive shaft, and a rigidity tuning member which is disposed on the banding member to press the damper body, and changes rigidity of the damper body depending on a degree to which the damper body is pressed. |
| US09664247B2 |
Shock absorber
A damping force is generated by controlling a flow of oil caused by a sliding displacement of a piston in a cylinder with the aid of a disk valve, against extension and compression of a piston rod. An elastic seal member, fixedly attached to a back surface side of the disk valve, is fitted in a recessed portion of a pilot body, by which a pilot chamber is formed and valve opening of the disk valve is controlled by inner pressure in the pilot chamber. The elastic seal member is in abutment with a bottom portion of the recessed portion, and the disk valve is urged toward inner and other seat portions by elasticity of the elastic seal member. This configuration ensures that the disk valve can be closed without a set load provided from deflection of the disk valve, thereby generating a stable low damping force. |
| US09664243B2 |
Gripper mechanism and movement mechanism
A gripper mechanism and a movement mechanism which utilize an electromagnetic actuator which can secure a sufficient thrust force at least at a certain level over a wide range of displacement. The movement mechanism includes a pair of electromagnetic actuators disposed inside a pair of rails and an intermediate actuator provided between the electromagnetic actuators. The electromagnetic actuators function as a gripper mechanism to be gripped by the rails. The electromagnetic actuators each include a displacement amplification mechanism including a magnetic body, and coils provided in the displacement amplification mechanism. A magnetic flux is generated in the magnetic body by passing an electric current through the coils so as to displace the displacement amplification points of the displacement amplification mechanism. |
| US09664240B2 |
Motor vehicle drive train arrangement
In a motor vehicle drive train arrangement with at least one main drive train for driving a main drive axle, and at least one auxiliary drive train which is driven via the main drive train and connected to a secondary drive axle which can be driven via the auxiliary drive train, the secondary drive axle is linked to the auxiliary drive train without an axle differential and the secondary drive axle includes controllable couplers for selectively coupling the secondary drive axle wheels to the auxiliary drive train. |
| US09664239B2 |
Highly reactive fluid fan clutch device
Provided is a highly reactive fluid fan clutch device excellent in reaction speed of fan rotation to a control signal even with a weak centrifugal force during low fan rotation. The device of an external control type includes: an annular oil reserving chamber provided in a case that is supported by a rotary shaft having a drive disk fixed thereto; and a valve member for opening and closing an oil circulating flow passage hole of the annular oil reserving chamber by an electromagnet, wherein an effective oil contact area at a torque transmission gap formed between a drive side and a driven side is increased and decreased to control rotation torque transmission from the drive side to the driven side, and an inner wall eccentric to an outer wall of the annular oil reserving chamber is provided in the annular oil reserving chamber. |
| US09664238B2 |
Bimetal activated viscous clutch with wiper on clutch disk
Viscous fan drive systems with wiper members positioned on the OD of the clutch disks, and which rotate at high speed. The fluid reservoir also rotates at input speed. The wiper member directs viscous fluid radially back to the fluid reservoir. The valves in the viscous fan drive systems can be activated by a bimetal mechanism. |
| US09664237B2 |
Sector journal bearing
A universal joint assembly includes a hollow upper shaft, a lower shaft extending at least partially within the upper shaft, and a cage having a plurality of bearing apertures. Each bearing aperture includes a pair of opposed loading pads having a distinct inner wall surface sector extending radially inward into the at least one bearing aperture. The cage receives at least a portion of the lower shaft and is positioned within the hollow upper shaft. The assembly further includes at least one upper tilt pin extending through the upper shaft and a bearing aperture of the plurality of bearing apertures, and a lower tilt pin extending through the lower shaft and a bearing aperture of the plurality of bearing apertures. |
| US09664232B2 |
Generator assembly for high axial vibration input
A generator assembly may include a bearing liner and a bearing retainer configured to reduce vibration response in a bearing assembly under high frequency operation of a rotor. The bearing liner may be configured to provide a clearance between the bearing assembly and an adjacent housing/bearing liner to prevent high vibration output from the bearing assembly on for example, the rotor shaft. The bearing retainer may include a recess to accommodate axial movement of the bearing assembly in response to rotation of the rotor. In some embodiments, the bearing retainer may include a dampener to dampen contact of the bearing assembly with the retainer. |
| US09664225B2 |
Fastening means for pre-assembly of a pin-shaped joining means in a through-hole of a structural element
A device for pre-assembly of a pin-shaped device in a through-hole of a structural element, including a cylinder barrel-shaped sleeve, a plurality of first holding elements disposed at an inner side of the sleeve and projecting inwards, and second holding elements projecting outwards from both ends of the sleeve and being elastically deformable, such that upon insertion of the fastening device into the through-hole, the second holding elements can perform an evasive movement. |
| US09664222B2 |
Connector for use in display frames
The connector is intended for use in displays of the kind which include a display frame formed of a plurality of beams) which are joined together by multi-way node fittings to form a three-dimensional shape, and display panels are releasably secured to the beams. The connector includes a male fitting which has a stem projecting from a plate, and a head comprising four noses which project laterally from the stem. The head is inserted in a correspondingly-shaped aperture of a female node fitting and rotated into positive engagement with the inner face of the node fitting. The trailing faces of the four noses have oppositely-inclined ramps which act to provide progressive tightening and alignment of the connector as the male part is rotated within aperture. |
| US09664219B2 |
Household appliance with adjustable pedestal
Provided herein is a household appliance with at least one pedestal comprising a threaded rod which can be screwed into a corresponding threaded hole in a base of the household appliance in a longitudinal direction in order to reach a desired effective height of the pedestal. A snap nut made of a resilient material is provided having a threaded bore with a diameter and a thread fitting to the threaded rod so that the snap nut can be screwed along the longitudinal extension of the threaded rod, the snap nut further comprising a slot having a width that is less than the diameter of the bore and which defines a lateral opening of the bore wherein the width of the slot and the resiliency of the material allows the snap nut to be snapped from the side onto the threaded rod. |
| US09664214B1 |
Portable universal mounting device
The disclosure provides a universal mounting device and method for mounting a hand-held portable electronic device on the universal mounting device. The universal mounting device includes two gripping members that rotate around a center pivot. Each end of the gripping members includes a non-slip gripping finger for a total of four fingers that clamps onto and secures the electronic device. A threaded rod is used for applying pressure onto the electronic device through the gripping members and non-slip fingers. A knob attached to one end of the threaded rod is used to rotate the threaded rod. Twisting the knob turns the threaded rod that pushes a bar spanning the two gripping members. The two ends of the spanning bar slide along each of the gripping members, forcing them to tighten or loosen the grip on the electronic device fitted between the non-slip fingers. |
| US09664212B2 |
Evaluating a vessel for suitability for containing fluid
A method for evaluating a vessel for suitability to contain a fluid includes providing a vessel and forming a polished surface portion of the vessel by removing oxidation and/or contaminants from a portion of the vessel. The method further includes applying a focused laser to the polished surface portion to form plasma on the polished surface portion, and determining whether the vessel is suitable for containing a fluid based on silicon content of the polished surface portion. The silicon content is estimated based on light emitted from the plasma. |
| US09664211B2 |
Shape memory polymer devices
Various shape memory polymer (SMP) devices are disclosed. Many of these SMP devices can be used as attachment and/or release mechanisms for any number of different applications. These SMP devices can use various characteristics of the SMP material to allow for various shape changes. These shape changes, in some embodiments, can be used to provide for release and/or attachment devices, for example, SMP bolts, SMP screws, SMP collars, SMP pillars, SMP panels, and/or SMP rivets, to name a few. An SMP device can include a first geometric state and a second geometric shape. The first geometric shape can restrict motion of two distinct objects relative to one another and the second geometrical shape can allow motion of two distinct objects relative to one another. |
| US09664208B2 |
Engine control method of construction machine
An engine control system for a construction machine is disclosed, which can compulsorily stop engine driving when an attachment or the like malfunctions against an operator's intention during the operation of an excavator or the like. The engine control system includes a first step of determining whether pilot signal pressure, which is detected when at least one of an operation lever and a traveling pedal for respectively operating an attachment, a swing device, and a traveling device is operated, exceeds a first set pressure, and a second step of determining whether the pressure on the outlet side of a main hydraulic pump exceeds a second set pressure, wherein if the pilot signal pressure detected in the first step does not exceed the first pressure and the pressure of the main hydraulic pump detected in the second step exceeds the second pressure, engine driving is compulsorily stopped by means of a control signal from the controller. |
| US09664205B2 |
Hydraulic damper
A hydraulic damper disposed in a discharge-side passage of a hydraulic pump comprises a bladder made of elastic material and formed into a cylindrical shape, a core, and a plug. The bladder includes a spherical closed end portion at its one end and an open end portion at its the other end. The open end portion includes an annular flange portion extending outwardly in the radial direction. The core includes an inserted portion to be inserted into the bladder and an annular flange portion extending outwardly in the radial direction so as to contact with an end face of the open end portion of the bladder. The inserted portion has a large-diameter portion, a small-diameter portion and a gradually-changing diameter portion formed between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion and forming an air chamber in the bladder together with the small chamber. |
| US09664200B2 |
Turbo compressor and turbo refrigerator
A turbo compressor that has a compression stage provided with an impeller that rotates; a housing provided with a gear unit accommodation space that accommodates lubricating oil and accommodates a large diameter gear that transmits rotating force to the impeller, an IGV accommodation space in which the ambient pressure is lower than the gear unit accommodation space, and a gap that brings the IGV accommodation space and the air intake side of a first compression stage into communication; a pressure equalizing tube that causes a gas to circulate from the gear unit accommodation space toward the IGV accommodation space; and a second oil separating device that separates, in the IGV accommodation space, the lubricating oil contained in the gas. |
| US09664196B2 |
Axial flow fan motor
An axial flow fan motor 100 comprises: a casing outer frame 61; an impeller 10; a rotor shaft 20 as a rotation axis at a center of the impeller 10; a bearing housing 30 in an inside of a rotor housing 11; and a base portion hub 62 in an air blowout opening side 2, wherein, in a cross-sectional view along the rotation axis, the base portion hub 62 has an outer peripheral portion 65 at least partially inclined to the rotation axis side by an angle θ1 toward the air blowout opening side 2 with regard to a straight line parallel to the rotation axis, and the casing outer frame 61 has an inner peripheral portion 67 at least partially inclined to the rotation axis side by an angle θ2 toward the air blowout opening side 2 with regard to a straight line parallel to the rotation axis. |
| US09664194B2 |
Ceiling fan with moisture protection features
A fan may be designed for the strategic diversion of moisture through or around a housing enclosing a controller and/or a motor. The enclosure may include one or more paths for directing moisture away from the controller or the motor. For instance, the housing may include a gap between a support structure and the housing for preventing moisture from entering the housing. The housing may also include a hollow structure for directing fluid through the housing. Additionally, the housing may include one or more channels, raised walls, gutters, and shields for preventing fluid, such as liquid water, from entering an enclosure for the controller or motor. |
| US09664191B2 |
Rotary compressor with increased heating ability and refrigerant circuit for an air conditioner
A rotary compressor includes: a compressor body including an airtight container that has a refrigerant intake opening and a refrigerant discharge opening, a refrigerant compression unit that has a cylinder and a rotary piston housed in the cylinder and that is provided in the airtight container, and an electric motor that drives the rotary piston and is provided in the airtight container; and an accumulator configured to separate a refrigerant suctioned into the refrigerant intake opening into gas and liquid. The accumulator and the refrigerant intake opening are connected via a refrigerant intake pipe, a suction opening of the refrigerant intake pipe is arranged to be opened to the inside of the accumulator, an injection pipe for pouring the refrigerant into the rotary compressor is inserted into the accumulator from above, and a discharge opening of the injection pipe is drawn to face the suction opening of the refrigerant intake pipe in a refrigerant gas space of the accumulator. |
| US09664188B2 |
Variable displacement vane pump
A variable displacement vane pump includes: a rotor to be rotatively driven; a plurality of vanes slidably housed in the rotor; a cam ring allowed of eccentric with respect to a center of the rotor, the cam ring having an inner circumferential cam surface in sliding contact with a distal end portion of the vane; a pump chamber defined by the adjacent vanes, the rotor, and the cam ring; a suction port to guide hydraulic fluid to be suctioned to the pump chamber; and a discharge port to guide hydraulic fluid to be discharged from the pump chamber. An outer circumference of an opening portion of the suction port is formed so as to be positioned along the inner circumferential cam surface of the cam ring or at an outside of the inner circumferential cam surface regardless of eccentricity of the cam ring with respect to the rotor. |
| US09664186B2 |
Diaphragm pumps with air savings devices
In at least one illustrative embodiment, a diaphragm pump may include a sleeve formed to include (i) a bore extending along a longitudinal axis and (ii) a sleeve port that opens to the bore, and a spool supported in the bore of the sleeve and formed to include a spool port, the spool being configured to move with a diaphragm during at least a portion of a stroke of the diaphragm such that the spool slides relative to the sleeve and, when the diaphragm reaches a turndown position that is between first and second end-of-stroke positions, the spool port aligns with the sleeve port to cause a pilot signal to be supplied to a cut-off valve. At least one of the sleeve and the spool may be rotatable about the longitudinal axis to adjust a location of the turndown position relative to the first and second end-of-stroke positions. |
| US09664184B2 |
Axial piston pump having a swash-plate type construction
An axial piston pump has a swash-plate construction, in particular for hydraulic systems. A cylinder drum (3) can be rotationally driven about a rotational axis (7) in a pump housing (1). Pistons (9) are axially displaceable and support at their actuation ends a swash plate (15). The swash plate can be pivoted by an adjusting device (21) to the desired angles of inclination relative to the rotational axis (7) for adjusting the stroke of the pistons (9) and the fluid pressure generated. The adjusting device has an adjusting piston (35) in a hydraulically actuated adjusting cylinder (31). Their movement can be transmitted to the swash plate (15) by a driven connection having a pivot joint (37, 39; 29, 43). The pivot joint is formed by a ball joint (37, 39) arranged between the piston (35) and the piston rod (41) of the adjusting cylinder (31). |
| US09664183B2 |
Integrated high thermal conductive fiber as cooling fin for SMA actuator with expandable sleeve
Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to an SMA actuator that includes a cooling device disposed within a torque tube. In one aspect, the cooling device includes a sliding sleeve, an expandable sleeve, and plurality of cooling fins coupled to the expandable sleeve. Axial movement of the sliding sleeve relative to the expandable sleeve facilitates radial expansion of the expandable sleeve and urges the cooling fins into contact with the torque tube. The cooling fins function as heat sinks when in contact with the torque tube to facilitate the removal of heat from the torque tube to increase the cooling rate of the torque tube. During heating of the torque tube, the cooling fins may be spaced apart from the torque tube to reduce the thermal mass that is heated, thus increasing the heating rate of the torque tube. |
| US09664181B2 |
Thermoacoustic transducer apparatus including a transmission duct
A thermoacoustic transducer includes a mechanical converter providing power conversion between acoustic and mechanical power and includes a diaphragm defining a compression and an expansion chamber. A thermal converter including a flow passage having a regenerator portion is thermally coupled for conversion between acoustic and thermal power. The mechanical converter is in fluid communication with the flow passage through transmission ducts completing an acoustic power loop having a volume containing a working gas. A transmission duct cross-sectional area is less than a regenerator flow area, which is less than a diaphragm surface area. The diaphragm undergoes resilient displacement causing pressure oscillations within the volume. The power loop is configured to cause one location along the loop to have anti-phase pressure oscillations to pressure oscillations in the mechanical converter. |
| US09664180B2 |
Power generating system utilizing expanding liquid
The present disclosure provides a system and method for generating power, such as electrical power, using an increased volume of a working liquid in a tank when the working liquid is heated. The increased volume of the working liquid may increase a pressure in the tank such that a portion of the working liquid is forced through one or more fluid lines towards a hydraulic generator. The hydraulic generator may then generate electricity based at least in part on the portion of fluid transferred to the hydraulic lines. |
| US09664177B2 |
Method and cleaning plate for cleaning a brake of a wind turbine
The invention is directed to a method for cleaning a brake of a wind turbine. The brake has a brake disc and at least one brake unit, wherein the brake disc and the brake unit can be moved relative to one another via a drive. The method includes fastening a cleaning plate to the brake disc; releasing at least one brake unit; moving the brake disc and the brake unit relative to one another so that the cleaning plate is moved past a brake pad of the brake unit while making applied contact engagement to the brake pad; and, dismounting the cleaning plate from the brake disc. |
| US09664174B2 |
Aerodynamic root adapters for wind turbine rotor blades
Aerodynamic root adapters for rotor blades include an interior support section having a first end that connects to a root end of the rotor blade and a second end that connects to a rotor hub of the wind turbine, and, an aerodynamic exterior section supported by the interior support section. The aerodynamic exterior section thereby extends an aerodynamic profile of the rotor blade beyond the root end of the rotor blade to at least partially between the root end of the rotor blade and the rotor hub when the aerodynamic root adapter is connected thereto. |
| US09664172B2 |
Wind turbine
The invention relates to a wind power station (1) for energy generation with an axial-flow, rotating, vortex-generating wind concentrator (2) pivot-mounted on a shaft (3), covered by a ring-shaped outer jacket (4) which on its outside features flow channels distributed over 360° and which is equipped concentrator blades (7) in a circular arrangement between the shaft (3) and the ring-shaped outer jacket (4). To create favorable conditions, it is proposed to include sawtooth-shaped, curved edge-vortex-generating guide profiles (5) producing a downstream vortex coil across the entire cross-section of the ring-shaped outer jacket (4). |
| US09664168B2 |
Hydrostatic power unit
A hydrostatic power unit (2) comprises a variable displacement machine with a continuously variable displacement volume and is operated as a pump and motor and is in a drive connection with an internal combustion engine (3). When operated as a pump, the power unit sucks hydraulic fluid out of a tank (9) and delivers into a delivery side (P), and, when operated as a motor, functions as a hydraulic starter to start the internal combustion engine (3). When operated as a motor, the power unit is supplied with hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic accumulator (30). The displacement volume of the power unit (2) is set by a displacement volume control device (60) actuated by a positioning piston device (61) supplied with hydraulic fluid from a charging pressure circuit (23). The power unit (2) includes a supplemental positioning piston device (80) in an operative connection with the displacement volume control device (60) and which is actuated directly by the pressure present in the hydraulic accumulator (30). By means of a connection of the supplemental positioning piston device (80) with the hydraulic accumulator, the power unit (2) can be adjusted to increase the displacement volume to start the internal combustion engine (3). |
| US09664167B2 |
Valve arrangement
A valve arrangement comprising: a valve outlet for communication with a low pressure drain; a valve housing provided with a bore for receiving fuel from an accumulator volume; and a valve member having a closed position in which it engages a valve seating defined by the bore to prevent fuel flow from the accumulator volume to the valve outlet. The valve arrangement further comprises a first restricted flow means for restricting the flow of fuel between the accumulator volume and the valve outlet during a first stage of valve opening movement; a second restricted flow means effective during a second stage of valve opening movement to provide a greater restriction than during the first stage; and a third restricted flow means effective during a third stage of valve opening movement to provide a variable restriction to fuel flow dependent on the extent of opening movement of the valve member. |
| US09664162B2 |
Sealing structure
A sealing device exhibits a sealing function even when it is in a state in which squeeze of a seal ring is reduced and in a low-temperature condition. A sealing structure is provided with a cylinder head (300) for an engine which has an injector mounting hole (310) and is exposed to high pressure gas; an injector which is mounted in the injector mounting hole (310); and a seal ring (100) made of resin which seals an annular gap between the injector mounting hole (310) and the injector (200), wherein a step having a larger diameter on a combustion chamber side (E) where the high pressure gas is present is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the injector mounting hole (310), and the seal ring (100) is attached to a position where the seal ring is in close contact with a step surface (310c) of the step. |
| US09664160B2 |
Vehicular high pressure direct injection type injector with valve seat body for fuel-atomization
Disclosed herein is a vehicular high pressure direct injection type injector with valve seat body for fuel-atomization. A nozzle hole has an elliptical cross-section so that the fuel injection speed can be increased, whereby a fuel atomization effect can be maximized. Furthermore, a stepped hole is formed under the nozzle hole so that the nozzle hole can be fundamentally prevented from becoming clogged with combustion byproducts. |
| US09664155B2 |
Air induction system having an acoustic resonator
An air induction system for attenuating sound produced by an engine, a housing defining a working chamber for attenuating sound produced by the engine. The air induction system further includes a tube having a first end extending into the working chamber and a second end to be in fluid communication with the engine. The air induction system further includes a first flange radially extending from the tube and disposed in the working chamber. The tube, the housing and the first flange cooperate to define a resonator operable to attenuate sound produced by the engine. |
| US09664152B2 |
Induction assembly and system for a supercharged internal combustion engine, and method for assembly for the same
An induction system for a supercharged internal V-type combustion engine includes a monolithic continuous unitary casting housing a supercharger with a rotor and gear assembly operative to discharge pressurized air to a common bounding receiving plenum, through a first slidably-removable intercooler providing a first cooling, and then to a pair of second side intercoolers providing a second cooling within the bounded plenum and in fluid communication therewith. First and second intercoolers are secured within the monolithic housing. The monolithic housing provides a robust and stable housing of light weight and allows an exterior air cooling as well. Side walls of the supercharger are separate from and are spaced from air intake runners of a cylinder block. Air in the plenum is additionally cooled by convective surface cooling while being guided in an appropriate direction. The intercoolers are plumbed in parallel allowing for enhanced temperature management of the air flow in combination with the convective cooling. The monolithic housing includes rib elements for sound attenuation and strength while minimizing weight. This arrangement allows for enhanced cooling, and simplifies manufacture and service. |
| US09664148B2 |
Engine system having increased pressure EGR system
An engine system having donor cylinders and non-donor cylinders is disclosed. The engine system may have a first intake manifold configured to distribute air into the non-donor cylinders, and a second intake manifold separate from the first intake manifold and configured to distribute air into the donor cylinders. The engine system may also have a first exhaust manifold configured to discharge exhaust from the non-donor cylinders to the atmosphere, and a second exhaust manifold separate from the first exhaust manifold and configured to recirculate exhaust from the donor cylinders to the first intake manifold. The engine system may further have an orifice configured to regulate a flow rate of air flowing into the second intake manifold, a blower configured to regulate a flow rate of exhaust that is recirculated from the donor cylinders to the first intake manifold, and a controller configured to selectively control at least one of the orifice and the blower in response to a desired exhaust gas recirculation operating condition. |
| US09664147B2 |
Fuel separation system for reducing parasitic losses
Systems and methods for separating higher octane fuel from a fuel mixture are presented. In one example, higher octane fuel is separated from lower octane fuel and allowed to condense in a fuel tank holding higher octane fuel so that parasitic engine losses are not increased by having to separate higher octane fuel from lower octane fuel a second time. The approach may be applied to fuel systems that include multiple fuel tanks storing different types of fuel. |
| US09664145B2 |
Systems and methods for determining the integrity of a vehicle fuel system
A method, comprising: indicating a leak of a first diameter on a canister side of a fuel system following applying a vacuum to the fuel system with a fuel tank isolation valve closed; and indicating a leak of a second diameter on a fuel tank side of the fuel system, based on a vacuum decay in an isolated fuel tank following applying a vacuum to the fuel system with the fuel tank isolation valve open. In this way, an evaporative leak check module with a single reference orifice may be used to determine leaks of multiple sizes in multiple sectors of a fuel system. This may allow current production models to meet more stringent emissions regulations in the future. |
| US09664144B2 |
Intake housing including a heat exchanger
The invention concerns an intake housing 1 for an internal combustion engine, capable of receiving a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a feed gas stream circulating in the housing and a coolant, wherein said intake housing 1 includes a space 3 for the circulation of the feed gas and a space 2 for receiving the heat exchanger, said receiving space 2 being defined by at least a first metal component 4, 5 including at least one extension 16, 17 that is in one piece with the first metal component 4, 5, said extension 16, 17 at least partially defining the space 3 for the circulation of the feed gas. |
| US09664137B2 |
Piston
A piston for an internal combustion engine may include a piston head and a piston skirt. The piston head may include a circumferential ring part. In a region of the ring part, the piston head may include a circumferential cooling channel and a circumferential ring support. The ring support may define a wall section of the cooling channel and thereby be directly in contact with the cooling channel. The cooling channel may have a cross-section that may define a contraction disposed in a central area. |
| US09664136B2 |
Auto-stop control for a stop/start vehicle near water
A stop/start vehicle includes an engine and a stop/start system that prevents an auto stop of the engine when a speed of the vehicle is approximately zero in response to the vehicle being located within a specified distance from a body of water or in response to the vehicle being located in a user identified geographic region. |
| US09664135B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling operation of an internal combustion engine operating in HCCI combustion mode
An internal combustion engine is configured to operate in a homogeneous-charge compression-ignition combustion mode and a spark-ignition combustion mode employing late intake valve closing. A method for operating the internal combustion engine includes determining an amount of residual gas re-inducted into a combustion chamber from a previous engine cycle and determining an amount of fresh air trapped in the combustion chamber for the present engine cycle based upon the amount of residual gas re-inducted into the combustion chamber from the previous engine cycle. Engine fueling to the cylinder for the present engine cycle is controlled based upon the amount of fresh air trapped in the combustion chamber for the present engine cycle. |
| US09664131B2 |
Exhaust injection control method for exhaust gas post-treatment device
When particulate matter (PM) has accumulated on a diesel particulate filter (DPF), multiple-injection, post injection, and exhaust pipe injection are performed such that a reduction gas is burned in a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) to raise the exhaust gas temperature, burn the PM accumulated on the DPF, and regenerate the DPF. A light-off performance map is prepared, in advance, by determining burning efficiency relative to the DOC temperature during the post injection and the exhaust pipe injection, both when the catalyst is fresh and when the catalyst has deteriorated. The DOC temperature suitable for the exhaust pipe injection is set from a degree of the catalyst deterioration on the basis of the light-off performance map. The multiple-injection and/or the post injection is performed when the DOC temperature is less than the set temperature, and the exhaust pipe injection is performed when the DOC temperature is equal to or greater than the set temperature. |
| US09664130B2 |
Using cylinder firing history for combustion control in a skip fire engine
Various methods and arrangements for determining a combustion control parameter for a working chamber in an engine are described. In one aspect, an engine controller includes a firing counter that stores a firing history for the working chamber. A combustion control module is used to determine a combustion control parameter, which is used to help manage combustion in the working chamber. The combustion control parameter is determined based at least in part on the firing history. |
| US09664126B2 |
System and methods for engine-off natural vacuum tests
A method for a vehicle, comprising: during a first condition, closing a canister vent valve responsive to an engine-off event without initiating an engine-off natural vacuum test; during a second condition, following the first condition, closing the canister vent valve responsive to a vehicle-off event; and then initiating an engine-off natural vacuum test. In this way, the completion percentage of the engine-off natural vacuum test will increase. |
| US09664123B2 |
Vehicle control device and vehicle control method
A vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle with an engine includes a target engine output calculation unit configured to calculate a target engine output based on a target drive force, a vehicle speed and an air density, and a target engine torque calculation unit configured to calculate a target engine torque based on the target engine output and the air density. The target engine output calculation unit is configured to set a smaller target engine output when the air density is low than when the air density is high, and the target engine torque calculation unit is configured to set a larger target engine torque when the air density is low than when the air density is high. |
| US09664122B2 |
In-cylinder dynamic gas blending fuel injector and dual fuel engine
A dual fuel engine utilizes a compression ignited pilot injection of liquid diesel fuel to ignite a mixture of gaseous fuel and air in each engine cylinder. The gaseous fuel is injected at a relatively low pressure directly into the engine cylinder from a fuel injector. The liquid diesel fuel is injected directly into the engine cylinder from the same fuel injector. In-cylinder dynamic gas blending during the compression stroke can reduce potential hydrocarbon slip that could occur when unburned fuel resides in crevice volumes within the engine cylinder. |
| US09664121B2 |
Exhaust CAM non connection engine brake, vehicle having the same as auxiliary brake, and method for controlling the same
An exhaust cam non connection engine brake includes a housing body having a high pressure storing chamber which converts a low pressure oil to a high pressure oil and stores therein in order to allow the high pressure oil to flow toward an exhaust rocker arm so that the exhaust rocker arm presses an exhaust valve by the high pressure oil when an engine brake signal is applied. |
| US09664118B2 |
Method and system for controlling compressor forward leakage
A system for controlling compressor forward leakage to the compressor flow path in a gas turbine is provided. The system includes a first compressor rotor wheel coupled to an upstream face of a compressor spacer wheel. A second compressor rotor wheel is coupled to a downstream face of the compressor spacer wheel. The compressor spacer wheel includes at least one intake recess defined in the downstream face, at least one discharge recess defined in the upstream face, and at least one axial passage coupling the at least one intake recess in fluid communication with the at least one discharge recess. |
| US09664117B2 |
Guidance of turbine engine shafts
A turbine engine including a power gear box shaft, a turbine shaft, a connecting part of annular shape by which one end of the power gear box shaft and one end of the turbine shaft are connected in a rotationally fixed manner, a structural housing, and a guide bearing for guiding the connecting part relative to the housing, is provided. The guide bearing is mounted between the connecting part and the housing and includes an external ring mounted on the housing, an internal ring mounted on the connecting part, and at least one rolling element configured to enable the external ring to roll around the internal ring. The guide bearing is configured to form a ball joint link enabling a relative angular displacement of its external ring with respect to its internal ring. |
| US09664116B2 |
Wireless power for gas turbine engine instrumentation
A gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section mounted relative to an engine static structure. A module includes instrumentation that is mounted to the engine static structure. The module includes an energy harvesting power source that is configured to provide electricity to the instrumentation during engine operation and is independent of an external electrical power source. |
| US09664113B2 |
One piece inlet lip skin design
An aircraft engine inlet incorporates a lip skin having a skin web with a plurality of stiffeners integrally extending from the skin web. An aft edge land integrally extends from the skin web at an outer rim and an inner edge land integrally extends from the skin web at an inner rim. A central land integrally extends from the skin web with the plurality of stiffeners extending between said aft edge land and the central land. |
| US09664109B2 |
Method for auto-adding energy-saving activator and apparatus for the same
An apparatus to auto-adding an energy-saving activator has a container and a control unit. The container has a heater electrically connected to a control circuit of the control unit. The control unit has a vibration sensor and a sound sensor. When both the vibration and sound sensors transmit signals, the control circuit will actuate the heater to heat the energy-saving activator in the container so that the heated energy-saving activator turns into vapor and leaks out of the container toward the internal combustion engine to decrease the carbon deposits. Using both the vibration and sound sensors is in order to actuate the heater correctly without erroneous judgment. The heated vapor drafts into the internal combustion engine at once to mix with the fuel so that the fuel is burned oxyfuelly and completely to efficiently decrease the carbon deposits. Therefore, the efficiency of the internal combustion engine is also enhanced. |
| US09664107B2 |
Driving device for hybrid working machine
A device comprises an engine including a crank shaft with a first end portion, a generator motor including a rotor shaft with a second end portion, a flywheel with first and second connection portions connected to the first and second end portions respectively, and a fastening member. At least one of the connection portions constitutes an alignment connection portion. The first or second end portion constitutes an alignment end portion. One of the alignment connection portion and the alignment end portion includes a concave portion having an alignment inner surface, and the other includes a convex portion having an alignment outer surface. One surface of the alignment inner and outer surfaces is a tapered surface. The fastening member fastens the alignment connection portion and the alignment end portion to each other to bring a tip end of the other surface into pressure contact with the tapered surface. |
| US09664105B2 |
System for driving at least one compressor, notably a combustion engine supercharger compressor
System for driving at least one compressor that includes an input able to be connected to a belt secured to a rotary machine, an output able to be connected to the compressor, an epicyclic gear train the annulus gear of which forms a flywheel and the sun gear of which is connected to the output of the system, and a device allowing the configuration of the epicyclic gear train to be modified so that this gear train selectively adopts at least the following configurations: (i) a configuration in which the epicyclic gear train is coupled to the input of the system, (ii) a configuration in which the epicyclic gear train has no internal degree of freedom and in which the epicyclic gear train is uncoupled from the input of the system. |
| US09664104B2 |
Condensation control in a charge air cooler by controlling charge air cooler temperature
Methods and systems are provided for reducing corrosion of a charge air cooler and reducing engine misfire due to condensate formation. In response to charge air cooler outlet temperature, electric fan operation and grille shutter opening is adjusted. Electric fan operation and grille shutter opening may also be controlled in response to vehicle operating conditions. |
| US09664103B2 |
Virtual variable displacement two-stroke internal combustion piston engine
A true two-stroke (power and exhaust) internal combustion piston engine combining direct injection of all combustion and working fluid elements with exhaust valve(s) that open early during the power stroke if cylinder pressure falls below exhaust manifold pressure, will operate efficiently from power levels produced by conventional four-stroke engines of a fraction of the displacement of the two-stroke engine to power levels attainable by conventional four-stroke engines of twice the two-stroke engine displacement. No additional external systems will be required to enhance performance or control emissions, as all such enhancements are equivalent to control of the combustion and working fluid components. The magnitude of the combustion charge determines the power, and the makeup of the combustion components determine exhaust emissions. Any implementation of the true two-stroke engine will have the further advantages of requiring only half the cylinders (space and weight) and an equivalent reduction in required support systems. No intake valve train, no intake filter or manifolds, no catalytic converter or exhaust gas recirculation will be required. Some implementations may eliminate other support systems entirely (starter, cooling, exhaust valve train, etc.) |
| US09664094B2 |
Systems and methods for monitoring catalyst deactivation and controlling an air/fuel ratio
A system for controlling an air/fuel ratio in an engine based on catalyst deactivation includes an NH3 detector disposed downstream from the three way catalyst, and a subsystem that compares measured values of NH3 concentration with a nominal value of NH3 concentration at rich operating conditions. A subsystem adjusts the air/fuel ratio based on the measured value of NH3 concentration and estimated CO concentration. |
| US09664092B2 |
Diagnosing system for reductant dosing system
An SCR system may include a controller configured to diagnose errors with a dosing system. The controller may control a pump to compensate for a loss in pressure when dosing reductant and may maintain the pressure as close to a target pressure by modifying a parameter affecting the operation of the pump. The modification of the parameter may be used to determine an estimated flow feedback. The controller may use the estimated flow feedback data and commanded dosing amount data to calculate a percentage error in response to and using an integrated commanded flow and an integrated estimated flow feedback to detect errors of the dosing system. The errors may include an injector stuck closed error, a blocked pressure line error, a partial blockage of a pressure line or injector error, an injector stuck open error, a disconnected pressure line error, a leakage of a pressure line or injector error. |
| US09664088B2 |
Catalyst regeneration processing apparatus
A catalyst regeneration processing apparatus for an internal-combustion engine includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to determine whether a gap is equal to a predetermined degree or less, the gap being a difference between (a) a progress degree of heat deterioration of a NOx catalyst in a predetermined time in a case of assuming that a regeneration process is executed for the predetermined time and (b) a progress degree of heat deterioration of the NOx catalyst in the predetermined time in a case of assuming that the regeneration process is not executed. The electronic control unit is configured to execute the regeneration process in a case of determining that the gap is equal to the predetermined degree or less, even when a sulfur poisoning quantity does not exceed a permissible upper limit quantity. |
| US09664087B2 |
Exhaust heat recovery system with bypass
An exhaust gas heat recovery system may include a housing, a valve member, and a heat exchanger. The housing may include an inlet, an outlet, a first exhaust gas pathway in communication with the inlet and outlet, and a second exhaust gas pathway in communication with the inlet and outlet. The valve member may be disposed within the housing and may be movable between first and second positions. In the first position, the valve member may allow fluid flow through the first exhaust gas pathway and substantially prevent fluid flow through the second exhaust gas pathway. In the second position, the valve member may allow fluid flow through the second exhaust gas pathway. The heat exchanger may be in communication with the second exhaust gas pathway and may include a conduit containing a fluid in thermal communication with exhaust gas when the valve member is in the second position. |
| US09664084B2 |
Emission reduction system
An emission reduction system is provided. The emission reduction system includes a tank configured to store a reductant. The emission reduction system also includes a pump configured to draw the reductant from the tank and supply the reductant to an exhaust system. The pump is further configured to draw in air from an ambient air source. The emission reduction system further includes a control assembly disposed in fluid communication with the ambient air source and the pump. The control assembly is configured to selectively allow the pump to access the ambient air source for purging the pump. |
| US09664083B2 |
Virtual reductant level sensor
An aftertreatment system comprises a reductant storage tank and a SCR system fluidly coupled thereto. A reductant physical level sensor and a tank temperature sensor are operatively coupled to the reductant storage tank. A controller is communicatively coupled with each of the sensors and configured to: interpret a first level output value from the physical level sensor and a first temperature output value from the tank temperature sensor. If the first level output value is below a first threshold, the controller determines if the first temperature output value is below a second threshold. If the first level output value is below the first threshold and the first temperature output value is below the second threshold, the controller determines a virtual reductant level in the reductant storage tank and indicates the virtual reductant level in lieu of a physical reductant level in the reductant storage tank to a user. |
| US09664081B2 |
Assembly and method for introducing a reducing agent into the exhaust pipe of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine
An assembly (10) for introducing a reducing agent into the exhaust pipe (12) of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, has a feed connector (14) which opens into the exhaust pipe (12) and includes a wall (16), a feed device (20) for reducing agents which opens into the feed connector (14), and a device (22) for generating a gas flow (G) which is additional to the reducing agent flow (R) and lines the wall (16) of the feed 10 connector (14). Furthermore, there is described a method of introducing a reducing agent into the exhaust pipe (12) of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle. |
| US09664078B2 |
PCV channel disconnect detection device and method
A Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) channel disconnect detection device and method is provided for an engine having a crankcase, an intake system for delivering metered air to the engine, and a PCV channel for containing PCV gas flow between the crankcase and the intake system and having a first end and a second end. The PCV channel disconnect detection device includes a detection channel that supplies unmetered air surrounding one of the ends of the PCV channel to a post-throttle portion of the intake system. The detection channel is inoperable in response to a vacuum in the post-throttle portion of the intake system if the PCV channel connection is connected. The detection channel is operable in response to the vacuum in the post-throttle portion of the intake system if the PCV channel is disconnected. The detection channels may be configured to bypass all flow restrictions in the PCV system. |
| US09664076B2 |
Switchable finger follower with lash adjustment shim
A switchable finger follower, including an inner lever and an outer lever. The outer lever is mounted for pivoting movement to the inner lever. A coupling device is located on one of the inner or outer levers and has a coupling pin arranged to move between a locking position, in which the inner and outer levers are connected together for movement in an activation direction, and an unlocked position, in which the inner lever is pivotable relative to the outer lever. A coupling projection is located on the other of the inner or outer lever. The coupling pin engages beneath a coupling surface of the projection in the locking position, and a stop surface of the projection contacts a second stop surface on the one of the inner lever or the outer lever. The second stop surface is located on a removable shim that is replaceable for lash adjustment. |
| US09664070B1 |
Bowed rotor prevention system
A bowed rotor prevention system for a gas turbine engine includes a bowed rotor prevention motor operable to drive rotation of the gas turbine engine through an engine accessory gearbox. The bowed rotor prevention system also includes a controller operable to engage the bowed rotor prevention motor and drive rotation of the gas turbine engine below an engine starting speed until a bowed rotor prevention threshold condition is met. |
| US09664063B2 |
Turbocharger comprising a floating bush bearing
A turbocharger has an exhaust gas turbine, a fresh-air compressor and a bearing seat. A rotor shaft that is equipped with the turbine and the compressor wheel is rotatably mounted in the bearing seat by way of at least one radial bearing. The radial bearing is a floating bush bearing with a hollow-cylindrical floating bush body positioned between a bearing seat of the bearing housing and the rotor shaft. The floating bush body is provided with a defined imbalance in order to counteract an imbalance of the turbo rotor. |
| US09664054B2 |
Turbomachine rotor with blade roots with adjusting protrusions
A turbomachine rotor includes a rotor blade mounted to a rotation element. The rotor blade includes a root for mounting the rotor blade to the rotation element. The root has a protrusion structure forming a stop face supporting the mounted root against the rotation element under action of a radially inwardly directed force. The protrusion structure defines a maximum clearance between the stop face and the rotation element. The root is radially moveable to a certain extent where in a radially outermost position the protrusion structure has the maximum radial clearance from the rotation element. The rotation element includes a groove therein. The groove has a groove face bearing the stop face of the rotor blade under action of a radially inwardly directed force. The groove is a circumferential groove extending in a circumferential direction with regard to an axis of rotation of the rotation element. |
| US09664038B2 |
Method and system for transmitting a data frame of an electromagnetic telemetry signal to or from a downhole location
Methods, techniques, and systems for transmitting a data frame of an electromagnetic (EM) telemetry signal to or from a downhole location can be performed using multi-channel transmissions in which at least two different channels at two different frequencies are used to send a long header and the data frame. At least a portion of the long header is transmitted at a first frequency, and at least a portion of the data frame and any remaining portion of the long header not transmitted at the first frequency are transmitted at one or more additional frequencies different from each other and the first frequency. In one example, only two channels are used: one channel is used to transmit all of the long header, another channel is used to transmit all of the data frame, and either of the channels is used to transmit an identifier identifying the type of the data frame. |
| US09664036B2 |
Systems and methods for measuring downhole fluid characteristics in drilling fluids
Disclosed are systems and methods for monitoring drilling fluids. One system includes a flow path containing a fluid having at least one component present therein, and a movable housing having at least one optical computing device configured to move with the movable housing along a detection path, the at least one optical computing device including at least one integrated computational element (ICE) configured to optically interact with the fluid over the detection path, wherein the at least one ICE is configured to detect a characteristic of the at least one component and generate an output signal corresponding to the characteristic. |
| US09664030B2 |
High frequency inspection of downhole environment
Among other things, there are disclosed embodiments of a well-logging tool that inspects features of the down-hole environment using ultrasonic signals with a frequency in the range of 3-5 MHz. The ultrasonic signals are encoded, and their time-of-flight and amplitude provide information on features of interior surface of the casing on the order of 1 mm, and on the quality of the cement bond behind the casing. |
| US09664027B2 |
Advanced inground operations, system and associated apparatus
Systems, apparatus and methods are described for purposes of initiating a response to detection of an adverse operational condition involving a system including a drill rig and an inground tool. The response can be based on an uphole sensed parameter in combination with a downhole sensed parameter. The adverse operational condition can involve cross-bore detection, frac-out detection, excessive downhole pressure, a plugged jet indication and drill string key-holing detection. A communication system includes an inground communication link that allows bidirectional communication between a walkover detector and the drill rig via the inground tool. Monitoring of inground tool depth and/or lateral movement can be performed using techniques that approach integrated values. Bit force based auto-carving is described in the context of an automated procedure. |
| US09664026B2 |
Modular system for extracting hydrocarbons from subterranean volumes and associated methods
Modular systems for extracting hydrocarbons from subterranean volumes and associated methods are generally described. Methods for extracting hydrocarbons from a subterranean volume are also described. Some of the described methods comprise flowing a mixture comprising hydrocarbons and water from the subterranean volume to a plurality of fluidically connected separation units and at least partially separating the hydrocarbons from the water using the separation units to produce a first stream comprising higher purity water than the mixture. In certain cases, the method includes fluidically disconnecting at least one of the separation units from the remaining separation units while the separating step is being performed. Some methods include fluidically connecting an additional separation unit to the separation unit while the separating step is being performed. |
| US09664024B2 |
Method for fracking wells using a packer to form primary and secondary fracs and seal intervals for hydraulic fracturing
A method for fracking and completing a well (10) having a well bore (12) through a formation (14) includes the steps of: packer jack fracking the formation using a packer (22) to form a packer fractured formation (28), moving the packer (22) to seal the packer fractured formation (28), and hydraulically fracturing the packer fractured formation (28) by injecting a fracking fluid (30) through the packer (22). These steps can then be repeated through successive intervals (I1, I2) of the formation (14). To complete a new well, a perforated liner (16) can be placed in the well bore (12) to direct the fracking fluid (30) into the packer fractured formation (28). To complete an existing or a new well having a cemented liner (58), the packer jack fracking step can also be used to break apart the liner (58) and form at least one opening (64) to provide a flow path for the fracking fluid (30). A system (54) includes a perforated liner (16) having pre-formed openings (18) and a packer (22) in the perforated liner (16) configured to fracture and seal successive intervals (I1, I2) in the formation (28). |
| US09664022B2 |
Convective SAGD process
The present disclosure describes a recovery process using injector and producer wells, each well having means for varying the axial resistance to fluid flow to provide a complementary first and second annular axial fluid flow resistance profile. The recovery mechanism includes a gravity drainage component and also includes a convective flow mechanism which operate concurrently. |
| US09664018B2 |
Method for fracturing subterranean rock
A method of hydraulically fracturing a subterranean formation is provided. The method comprises generating a primary fracture using a fracturing fluid. The method further comprises extending the primary fracture and/or creating micro fractures about the primary fracture by initiating a chemical reaction such as an exothermic reaction at about the primary fracture. In one embodiment, the fracturing fluid is used to convey one of the reactive components participating in the chemical reaction. |
| US09664015B2 |
Fracturing system and method
A system and method comprising at least one ported sleeve assembly and a flapper assembly positioned downwell of the ported sleeve assembly. The system provides for the use of multiple ported sleeve assemblies for each stage of a hydrocarbon producing well that can be opened with a single element, and multiple stages, each have thFracturinge ability to be opened with a single element size. |
| US09664013B2 |
Wellbore subassemblies and methods for creating a flowpath
Wellbore subassemblies usable to create a flowpath between a formation and a wellbore can include an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve positioned internal to and external of a core, the core having sockets containing charge assemblies. Upon actuation of the charge assemblies, the inner and outer sleeves are both simultaneously penetrated to form a fluid flowpath between the interior of the subassembly and the formation exterior to the subassembly. The structure of the subassembly can enable it to be lowed and used as part of a tubular conduit string both before and after perforation, the charge assemblies being unobtrusively embedded within the wall of the subassembly. |
| US09664008B2 |
Downhole completion tool
A downhole tool and method of operation thereof is provided. The downhole tool may be configured to permit fluid communication between a combined flowbore of the casing string and the downhole tool and the subterranean formation or wellbore, or both, after a pressure test has been completed, a second threshold pressure is reached or applied, and a third threshold pressure has been applied to the downhole tool. |
| US09664002B2 |
Pneumatic mud bucket
A pneumatically operated vertical clam shell mud bucket attaches to a pipe joint connection in a drill stem on a drilling rig, the mud bucket defining a first tubular section forming a half cylinder hingably attaching a second tubular section forming a mirror image half cylinder, the tubular sections forming a sealed cylinder which is forcibly closed together by a plurality of pneumatic cylinders with a composition compression material forming a liquid seal between the closed half cylinders containing drilling fluids during the drilling stem separation and connection diverting drilling fluids to an outer evacuation hose to an external recirculating system on the drilling rig. |
| US09664001B2 |
Centralizer and associated devices
Disclosed herein is a centralizer for being mounted around a centralizer sub body to form a centralizer sub. The centralizer comprises first and second opposing end collars arranged, in use, to be positioned around a longitudinal axis of the centralizer. The centralizer also comprises a plurality of spring bows extending from the first end collar to the second end collar. The first end collar may comprise first and second end regions arranged, in use, to face one another. The first and second opposing end regions may comprise first and second engaging elements respectively. The first end region may be configured to be connected, in use, to the second end region via the first and second engaging elements. Also disclosed is a centralizer sub and an engaging device for use in forming a centralizer. |
| US09663999B2 |
Isolated shearing mechanism for downhole tools
A shearing mechanism in which a male component mates into a female component, the male component having a first groove extending around the male component and the female component having a second groove extending around the female component, the first groove and the second groove cooperating when the male component is inserted into the female component to define an annular recess. A shearing component is provided within the annular recess, the shearing component having a shear load that is controlled by the material and size of the shearing component. An opening is provided within one or both of the male component and female component, the opening being aligned with the annular recess. Stress relief is provided. |
| US09663993B2 |
Directional drilling system and methods
A directional drilling steering system is configured to direct a tubular sleeve arranged at the bottom of a drill string adjacent the drill bit at a selected tilt angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the uphole drill string and at a selected azimuth. Tilt angle can be achieved by axial movement of one or more pistons in engagement with the downhole tubular sleeve. Azimuth can be achieved by axial movement of the pistons or by rotation of the drill string. The movement of the downhole sleeve along the deviated path causes movement of the drill bit shaft and the drill bit coupled thereto. |
| US09663992B2 |
Downhole motor for extended reach applications
An apparatus for forming a wellbore in a subterranean formation includes a drill bit, a connector connected to the drill bit and configured to transmit torque and thrust to the drill bit, and a drilling motor energized by a pressurized fluid. The drilling motor may include a stator and a rotor disposed in the stator and having a torque transmitting connection to the connector. The apparatus may also include a thrust generator associated with the rotor and having a pressure face in pressure communication with a fluid flowing through the drilling motor and a force application assembly selectively anchoring the stator to a wellbore wall. A related method uses the apparatus to drill a wellbore. |
| US09663988B2 |
Hold down device for window covering looped operator
A hold down device is provided for continuous loop cords or bead chains in a window covering installation. The hold down device engages the cord or chain while the cord or chain is loosely suspended, and prevents operation by encountering the head rail if the cord or chain is operated. Mounting the hold down device in a window covering installation disengages the hold down device from its secured position relative to the cord or chain. |
| US09663986B2 |
Spring counterbalance apparatus and method
A spring counterbalance apparatus and method consists of a shade system with a torque profile, where the shade system is connected with a drive shaft. A first spring system is connected with the drive shaft where the first spring system is a standard wound spring system. A second spring system is connected with the drive shaft where the second spring system is a reverse wound spring system and where, in combination, the first spring system and the second spring system produce a counterbalance torque profile approximately equal to the shade system torque profile. |
| US09663982B1 |
Domestic cooling appliance with two doors and a moving device for movement coupling of the doors
A domestic cooling appliance has a housing and at least one receiving space for receiving food and first and second doors for closing the receiving space in the front. A first door is pivotally arranged at the housing a second door is pivotally arranged at the housing. The two doors are adjacent one another for closing the at least one receiving space at the front. The two doors are coupled to each other by a moving device, by which, upon operation of one of the two doors, automatically a concurrent movement of equal type of the other door is achieved. |
| US09663976B2 |
Lock for a rotational mount for portable electronic devices
A lock for a rotational mount is disclosed. The lock comprises a plate member arranged to be placed between the rotational mount and a mounting surface, the plate member having a support surface that is arranged to engage with the rotational mount. The lock further comprises a housing extending away from the plane of the support surface of the plate member, the housing comprising a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the housing defining a gap with an edge of the plate member, and the second portion extending around at least a portion of the edge of the plate member. The lock further comprises a locking member arranged to be movable between an unlocked position and a locked position, wherein the locking member, when in the locked position, extends away from the plane of the support surface of the plate member through the gap defined by the first portion of the housing. |
| US09663973B2 |
Water meter pit cover latch
A water meter pit assembly includes a water meter pit frame defining an opening and a cover supported within the opening. A latch is moveable between a locked position where the cover is held fixed relative to the water meter pit frame to close the opening and an unlocked position where the cover is moveable relative to the water meter pit frame to allow access to the opening. The latch comprises a rotatable cam that engages the water meter pit frame when in the locked position. |
| US09663971B2 |
Combination lock
A combination lock includes a casing, a number disk unit, a restriction member located above the number disk unit, and a resilient member cooperated with the number disk unit. The number disk unit has multiple rotary disks and multiple number disks, each number disk has multiple mark areas and multiple grooves located alternatively to the mark areas. The resilient member has multiple engaging portions which are resiliently engaged with the grooves of the number disks so as to ensure that each of the number disks is rotated one mark area and the engaging portion is engaged with the groove to pause the number disk. The combination lock is easily assembled and manufactured. |
| US09663970B1 |
TSA lock with multiple dial combinations
A lock includes a core, a driving member, a rotary member, a push member and a dial unit. When a TSA key is used to rotate the core clockwise, the rotary member contacts the driving member until the inclined face of the rotary member contact the push member which is pushed by a first spring toward the rotary member so that the shackle is removed from the reception hole of the push member to unlock the lock. When a correct key is used to rotate the core counter clockwise, the rotary member is rotated counter clockwise to engaging member of the rotary member is engaged with the slide slot. The driving member is pushed upward by the resilient member to contact the rotary member. The block of the driving member is removed from the recessed area of the pawl member to allow the user to set the correct combinations. |
| US09663967B2 |
Illuminated latch system
An illuminated latch system for a vehicle is disclosed herein. The illuminated latch system includes an engine compartment having a latch configured to open the compartment. A light source is configured to emit light at a first wavelength and is disposed between the compartment and latch. A light guide is optically coupled to the light source and configured to direct light towards the latch and the compartment. A first photoluminescent structure is disposed within the light guide and configured to luminesce in response to excitation by the light source. A second photoluminescent structure is disposed within the compartment that luminesces in response to the light at the first wavelength. |
| US09663965B2 |
Fence for use as barrier installation
A fence (1) has at least two hollow fence posts (2), between which at least two crossbeams (3) extend, where each crossbeam (3) fits into an opening (4) provided in the fence post (2), a plate-shaped blocking element (5) extending into the cavity of the fence post (2) which is provided to block the crossbeams (3) against displacement, where the crossbeam (3) is provided in its external circumference with at least one recess (6) which lies within the hollow inner area of the fence post (2) and wherein the plate-shaped blocking element (5) is movable between a first position and a second position in which the crossbeam (3) is blocked in place. |
| US09663960B2 |
Anchor for lifting a concrete component
An anchor for use in lifting a concrete component, said anchor comprising a single length of wire bent to form a head engagable with a clutch of a lifting system, and a body portion for embedment with the concrete component, wherein the wire is bent such that opposed legs of the body portion extend in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of the head portion. |
| US09663954B1 |
Interlocking roof cement paver and method to manufacture
The present disclosure discloses an interlocking roof tile comprising two groove extending over length of the interlocking roof tile at both lateral ends that create side walls at the distalmost ends of the interlocking roof tile. The grooves are created on top surface of the interlocking roof tile using a press machine that uses pressure to mold the cement into the interlocking roof tiles. The interlocking roof tile's at bottom surface is flat. The interlocking roof tile further comprises at least one nail opening, provided spatially from each other to mount and secure the interlocking roof tile to the roof. In order to couple a plurality of interlocking roof tiles in series, a first interlocking roof tile is placed coupled to the second roof tile such that side wall of the first interlocking roof tile is engaged with the groove of the second interlocking roof tile. |
| US09663953B2 |
Building module and method for utilizing thermal energy
The present invention relates to a building module, in particular a facade module, roof module or window module, for utilizing solar energy and/or for thermal insulation. The building module comprises an inner pane and an outer pane, wherein an intermediate space is formed between the inner pane and the outer pane. A heat transfer element is arranged in the intermediate space and has at least one functional surface for absorbing thermal radiation and/or for controlling the temperature of the intermediate space. A fluid line is provided in which a heat transport medium is conducted, wherein a thermal contact is formed between the heat transfer element and the heat transport medium in order to exchange heat between the heat transfer element and the heat transport medium. The functional surface and the fluid line, to which the thermal contact is assigned, are arranged juxtaposed to one another when the functional surface is viewed in a perpendicular direction. |
| US09663946B2 |
Curtain wall mullions, transoms and systems
A curtain wall mullion or transom including a unitary component made of a thermally insulating material bonded to a metal structural segment or fastened, from the inside-out, to an outer side of the metal segment such that a stem of the component extends into a pocket defined by panels of a curtain wall system. The component may be a reinforced fiberglass polymer component and bonded to the metal segment with an adhesive and may isolate the metal structure from the atmosphere outside the curtain wall and may include a seal receiver which abuts a panel of the curtain wall. The metal segment may be made of steel or aluminum or other metal. A pultrusion method is used to make the fiberglass component to have a profile configured to cover an entirety of an outside of the mullion or transom and to have a pair of receivers for receiving seals to abut against panels of the curtain wall. |
| US09663945B2 |
Systems and methods for providing a window wall with flush slab edge covers
Certain embodiments provide systems and methods for providing a window wall with flush slab edge covers. A window wall system can include a sill receptor configured to fixably attach to a top surface of a slab. The window wall system may include a head receptor configured to fixably attach to an underside surface of the slab. The window wall system can include a window wall panel including panel infill and a panel sill configured to detachably couple to the sill receptor. The window wall system may include a slab edge cover including cover infill. The slab edge cover can be configured to detachably couple to the window wall panel and the head receptor. In various embodiments, an exterior surface of the panel infill and an exterior surface of the cover infill are configured to flushly align when the slab edge cover is detachably coupled to the window wall panel. |
| US09663943B2 |
Building products with fire-resistant claddings
A building product having improved fire resistance by virtue of solid fire-resistant cladding material attached to at least a portion of one or more surfaces of the building product. The solid fire-resistant cladding material includes wood fiber and binder. The building product can be a wood-based building product, and can be in the form of an I-joist. When an I-joist is used, the solid fire-resistant cladding material can be attached to, for example, the web of the I-joist. |
| US09663935B2 |
Wastewater treatment systems and related methods
The invention relates to wastewater treatment systems with decentralized disposal of treated wastewater and methods of using the same. The invention further relates to methods of converting existing septic systems to a wastewater treatment plant system. |
| US09663930B2 |
Overflow assembly for bathtubs and the like
An overflow system in the bathtub has an overflow port and has a drain pipe in connection with the overflow port. A threaded flange has a stub shoulder on one end which is fitted into a circular sleeve on the overflow port. The threaded flange has exterior threads on its outer surface and a thin diaphragm secured to the end thereof opposite to the stub shoulder. A large internally threaded nut is threadably mounted on the outer end of the threaded flange. A decorative cap is frictionally snapped into engagement with protrusions on the outer surface of the nut. The cap can be removed when needed to permit the plumber to gain access to the diaphragm to cut it open for fluid flow after the system has been tested for leaks, or put in place after the cut takes place. |
| US09663927B2 |
Faucet diverter
A faucet diverter is revealed. The faucet diverter includes at least one outlet and a control part for switching direction of water flow discharged. The faucet diverter is connected to a faucet. |
| US09663925B2 |
Plumbing fixture fitting
The present invention provides a plumbing fixture fitting having a spray mode with improved spray performance. The fitting includes a spray face. The spray face includes nozzles. The nozzles are operable to deliver water from the spray face in the form of a spray. The spray includes streamlets. A velocity of the spray from each of the streamlets is greater than approximately two-hundred fifty inches per second at a flowing pressure of approximately sixty pounds per square inch. In exemplary embodiments, each of the streamlets has a substantially uniform width along an entire length of the streamlet, an average unbroken length of the streamlets is greater than approximately two inches at a flow rate of approximately thirty-seven thousandths gallons per minute, and a splash created from the spray is less than approximately twenty percent at approximately one and a half gallons per minute. |
| US09663924B2 |
Water collection apparatus
Disclosed herein are apparatuses for collecting water in a shower or bathtub enclosure. The apparatus comprises a water-resistant or waterproof panel, one or more connectors coupled or coupleable to the panel, the one or more connectors enabling the panel to be disposed within the shower or bathtub enclosure, and a receptacle coupled or coupleable to the panel, the receptacle having an opening for collecting water from a surface of the panel, the receptacle for delivering the collected water to a destination other than a drain of the shower or bathtub enclosure. The destination may be a container, a bucket, a toilet, a tank, a planter box, a plant pot, or an outdoor location such as a garden or lawn. The collected water may flow directly to the destination, or the apparatus may use a channel to deliver the collected water to the destination. |
| US09663916B2 |
Foundation structure of an offshore plant, in particular an offshore wind turbine, which foundation structure is to be installed at a low noise level, and installation method therefor
A foundation structure of an offshore plant, such as a wind turbine, comprising at least one foundation element that can be anchored to the seabed without a gravity foundation and without a floating foundation and a support structure fastened thereto for fixing the offshore plant. The foundation element is a pile that can be inserted into the seabed by means of drilling and/or by means of vibratory driving, can be fixed in the seabed by means of an organic and/or inorganic material, and is oriented at an angle from a vertical on the seabed. A method of installing the foundation structure on a seabed includes first anchoring the coupling element by means of piles inserted into the seabed and then connecting the support structure to the coupling element. |
| US09663911B2 |
Snow thrower
A three-stage snow thrower having a housing, a power supply operatively connected to said housing, a longitudinal drive shaft extending from the power supply into the housing, and a lateral drive shaft extending rotatably attached to opposing side walls of the housing and being meshingly engaged with the longitudinal drive shaft within a gear assembly. The power supply drives the longitudinal drive shaft, thereby causing the longitudinal drive shaft to rotate, and at least a portion of such rotation is transferred to the lateral drive via a gear assembly. The first stage assembly includes a plurality of augers attached to the lateral drive shaft, wherein the first stage assembly pushes loosened snow axially toward the gear assembly. The second stage assembly includes at least one auger attached to the longitudinal drive shaft, wherein the second stage assembly pushes the snow from the first stage assembly axially rearward in a transverse manner relative to the first stage assembly. The third stage assembly includes an impeller that rotates to throw the snow from the second stage assembly through a chute attached to the housing to expel the snow from the housing. |
| US09663898B2 |
Automatic multi-station integrated equipment and method for forming waste-paper-based packaging products
Disclosed are embodiments of an automatic multi-station integrated equipment for forming waste-paper-based-pulp packaging products, and related methods of operation. The equipment comprises at least one suction filter forming station integrated with one or more pair of high-temperature drying stations. The suction filter forming station includes a forming frame, pulp tank, forming plate apparatus, transfer plate apparatus, transfer air storage tank, horizontal transfer air cylinder, vertical transfer air cylinder, forming hydraulic cylinder, and forming apparatus main shaft. Each high-temperature drying station may include an upper press plate apparatus, lower press plate apparatus, high pressure air cylinder, lower horizontal air cylinder, air storage tank and upper horizontal air cylinder. Embodiments of the invention generally use one suction filtration forming station in conjunction with multiple high temperature drying stations to form a single production line. |
| US09663897B2 |
Method of and an arrangement for introducing process liquid from a treatment step to a washing and/or filtering apparatus
A method of and an arrangement for introducing fiber suspension or pulp from a pulp vessel to a washing and/or filtering apparatus is based on simultaneous division and degassing of pulp at immediately upstream of the washing and/or filtering apparatus. |
| US09663894B2 |
Steam generator and laundry dryer having the same and controlling method thereof
A water supply device for a drying machine and a method for controlling the same are disclosed. The water supply device includes a common hose having one end connected to at least one water supply source, a drying machine water supply hose having one end connected to the common hose and the other end connected to a steam generator of the drying machine, and a washing machine water supply hose having one end connected to the common hose and the other end connected to a washing machine. With the provision of the water supply device, the drying machine has the effects of preventing wrinkles, creases, or the like from being generated in an object to be dried, such as clothes, and the like, or eliminating wrinkles, creases, or the like in clothes, and the like. |
| US09663892B2 |
Laundry washing machine
A laundry washing machine includes an outer casing, a washing tub arranged inside the casing directly facing a laundry loading/unloading opening realized in a front wall of the casing, a rotatable drum arranged in an axially rotating manner inside the washing tub and structured for receiving the laundry to be washed, a detergent dispenser which is housed inside the casing between the washing tub and the top wall of the casing and is structured for feeding into the washing tub a detergent, softener and/or other washing agent mixed with fresh water arriving from the water mains, and a water softening device which is arranged inside the boxlike casing and is structured for reducing the hardness degree of the fresh water supplied to the washing tub. The water softening device in turn includes a water-softening agent container filled with a water softening agent able to reduce the hardness degree of the fresh water supplied to the washing tub, and a regeneration-agent reservoir which is fluidly connected to said water-softening agent container and is structured to receive a salt or other regeneration agent for performing a regeneration of the water softening function of said water softening agents. At least one among the water-softening agent container and the regeneration-agent reservoir is a stand-alone modular component-part which is provided with mechanical coupling means structured for allowing rigid fastening of the stand-alone modular component-part to the detergent dispenser. |
| US09663888B2 |
Washing machine and washing method thereof
A washing machine includes an auxiliary washing unit. When an inner tank is rotated during a washing cycle or a rinsing cycle, laundry experiences direct impact from an impact projection member of a rotator assembly of the auxiliary washing unit, thereby improving washing performance by virtue of the rubbing caused by such impact. |
| US09663884B2 |
Method for preventing seam ravel of multi-thread chain stitches, seam ravel preventing apparatus for multi-thread chain stitch sewing machine, and multi-thread chain stitch seam structure
A method for preventing seam ravel of multi-thread chain stitches is provided. After normal sewing is terminated with a looper set in a forward movement state, a state in which a needle thread loop caught by the looper is subjected to position-holding at a position closer to a forward movement end of the looper than a descent position of a needle is maintained until the needle descends through the needle thread loop caught by the looper. Thereafter, the position-holding of the needle thread loop is released to permit a sewing action for at least one stitch, thereby allowing the needle thread loop to be self-looped with a needle thread held by the needle. This surely strongly prevents the seam ravel of multi-thread chain stitches formed by the single needle, irrespective of the dimension of tension applied to the needle thread and the looper thread. |
| US09663878B2 |
Air jet spinning machine and method for operating it
A method is provided to operate an air jet spinning machine, having at least one spinning unit with a spinning nozzle for manufacturing yarn, in which a fiber strand is fed to the spinning nozzle through an inlet and is imparted a twist inside a vortex chamber of the spinning nozzle by means of a swirled air current so that a yarn is formed from the fiber strand. An additive is added with an additive dispenser to the spinning unit while the air jet spinning machine is operating and applied on the fiber strand or on sections of the spinning nozzle and/or the yarn. At least one physical parameter of the yarn is monitored by a sensor system wherein, based on a measured value supplied by the sensor system correlated with the parameter, it is determined whether and/or how much additive was applied. |
| US09663876B2 |
Sea-island composite fiber, mixed yarn and fiber product
A sea-island composite fiber includes two or more kinds of island components having different cross section shapes of which an irregularity difference is 0.2 or more in a same fiber cross section, wherein at least one kind of island component has an irregularity of 1.2 to 5.0 and an irregularity coefficient of variation of 1.0 to 10.0%. |
| US09663874B2 |
Device for manufacturing polymer fibers and uses thereof
There is provided a device, and related method and uses, for drawing a polymer fiber, the device comprising: a. at least two polymer compartments, wherein each polymer compartment is capable of retaining a polymer solution, and wherein adjacent compartments comprise different polymer solutions; and b. a slider comprising at least one prong, wherein the prong is capable of contacting the different polymer solutions, and wherein the slider is arranged in a retractable manner from the at least two polymer compartments. There is further provided a system and a related method for manufacturing a polymer fiber. |
| US09663871B2 |
Method for forming a single crystal by spraying the raw material onto a seed substrate
A crystal production method according to the present invention includes a film formation and crystallization step of spraying a raw material powder containing a raw material component to form a film containing the raw material component on a seed substrate containing a single crystal at a predetermined single crystallization temperature at which single crystallization of the raw material component occurs, and crystallizing the film containing the raw material while maintaining the single crystallization temperature. In the film formation and crystallization step, preferably, the single crystallization temperature is 900° C. or higher. Furthermore, in the film formation and crystallization step, preferably, the raw material powder and the seed substrate are each a nitride or an oxide. |
| US09663870B2 |
High purity metallic top coat for semiconductor manufacturing components
A method for coating a component for use in a semiconductor chamber for plasma etching includes providing a component for use in a semiconductor manufacturing chamber, loading the component into a deposition chamber, cold spray coating a metal powder onto the component to form a coating on the component, and anodizing the coating to form an anodization layer. |
| US09663869B2 |
Anodization and plating surface treatments
A metal part is surface treated using anodization and plating processes to produce different finishes on selective regions of the metal part. The different finishes can contrast in decorative appearance (such as color, shininess and texture) and structural properties (such as wear resistance). |
| US09663868B2 |
Electro-deposited copper-alloy foil and electro-deposited copper-alloy foil provided with carrier foil
An object of the present invention is to provide an electro-deposited copper-alloy foil excellent in infrared laser processability which enables uniform etching rate along a thickness direction in following etching process. To achieve the object, an electro-deposited copper-alloy foil obtained from electrolyzing of an electrolytic solution, wherein the electro-deposited copper-alloy foil has tin content of 8% by mass to 25% by mass is employed. In the electro-deposited copper-alloy foil, a grain in a crystal structure is preferably a columnar grain longitudinal along a thickness direction. |
| US09663864B2 |
Biological/electrolytic conversion of biomass to hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbon and hydrogen fuels and other products may be produced by a process employing a combination of fermentation and electrochemical stages. In the process, a biomass contained within a fermentation medium is fermented with an inoculum comprising a mixed culture of microorganisms derived the rumen contents of a rumen-containing animal. This inoculated medium is incubated under anaerobic conditions and for a sufficient time to produce volatile fatty acids. The resultant volatile fatty acids are then subjected to electrolysis under conditions effective to convert said volatile fatty acids to hydrocarbons and hydrogen simultaneously. The process can convert a wide range of biomass materials to a wide range of volatile fatty acid chain lengths and can convert these into a wide range of biobased fuels and biobased products. |
| US09663858B2 |
Plasma processing apparatus
In a plasma processing apparatus, when pulse-modulating the high frequency power RF1 for plasma generation and the high frequency power RF2 for ion attraction with a first pulse PS1 and a second pulse PS2 having different frequencies, respectively, an impedance sensor 96A in a matching device 40 of a plasma generation system calculates an average value (primary moving average value ma) of an load impedance on a high frequency transmission line 43 for each cycle of the second pulse PS2 having a lower frequency, and outputs a load impedance measurement value based on those average values of the load impedance. Then, a matching controller 94A controls reactances of reactance elements XH1 and XH2 within a matching circuit 88A such that the load impedance measurement value is equal or approximate to a matching point (50Ω). |
| US09663856B2 |
Plasma processing apparatus and shower plate
A plasma processing apparatus including a processing vessel 10 in which a plasma process is performed and a plasma generation antenna 20 having a shower plate 100 which supplies a first gas and a second gas into the processing vessel 10, performs the plasma process on a substrate with plasma generated by a surface wave formed on a surface of the shower plate 100 through a supply of a microwave. The shower plate 100 has multiple gas holes 133 configured to supply the first gas into the processing vessel 10 and multiple supply nozzles 160 configured to supply the second gas into the processing vessel 10, and the supply nozzles 160 are protruded vertically downwards from a bottom surface of the shower plate 100 and are provided at different positions from the gas holes 133. |
| US09663855B2 |
Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus and method of manufacturing display apparatus using the same
A plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (“PECVD”) apparatus includes: an ejecting unit which is configured to eject a gas toward a substrate onto which the gas is deposited; a lift which is configured to support and selectively raise or lower a mask unit in which is defined a pattern through which the gas ejected from the ejecting unit passes towards the substrate; and a susceptor into which a portion of the lift is inserted, and which is configured to linearly move the substrate. A temperature of the lift is variable. |
| US09663852B2 |
Coated article with dark color
An article is coated with a coating having a dark color. In a preferred embodiment, the coating comprises a nickel or polymer basecoat layer, and a first color layer comprised of oxygen-rich refractory metal oxycarbides, a second color layer comprising oxygen-rich refractory metal oxycarbides and a top layer of refractory metal oxides. |
| US09663851B2 |
Substrate for CVD deposition of diamond and method for the preparation thereof
A substrate for depositing diamond by CVD, comprising a base body of hard material and a coating layer that holds diamond particles as seed crystal in a matrix and is deposited joined thereto on a surface of said base body, wherein: the seed diamond particles have an average particle size of 1 μm or smaller; the matrix comprises a first metal selected from a first group of Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo and W and/or a first compound between said first metal and a non-metallic substance selected from boron, carbon and nitrogen, said matrix holding the diamond particles distributed therein; and a joint zone developed as a result of a diffusion process and extending over said base body and coating layer comprises either or both atoms of said first metal and a component metal of the hard material. |
| US09663849B2 |
Fancy color silver containing alloys
The present invention is directed to a formulation of one or more low silver containing alloys (including those with silver content below 50 weight %, “w %”) that show one of the group of distinct pink, yellow and green colors and further demonstrate enhanced resistance to tarnish and other beneficial features described herein. |
| US09663835B2 |
Cellulose-solvent-based lignocellulose fractionation with modest reaction conditions and reagent cycling
Embodiments of the present invention overcome the well-known recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in an economically viable manner. A process and system are provided for the efficient fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose sugars, lignin, and acetic acid. The cellulose thus obtained is highly amorphous and can be readily converted into glucose using known methods. Fermentable hemicellulose sugars, low-molecular-weight lignin, and purified acetic acid are also major products of the process and system. The modest process conditions and low solvent/solid ratios of some embodiments of the invention imply relatively low capital and processing costs. |
| US09663832B2 |
Method to determine zygosity of the FAD3 gene in canola using end-point taqman® PCR
The subject disclosure relates in part to endpoint TaqMan® PCR assays for the detection and high throughput zygosity analysis of the fad-3c gene in canola. The subject disclosure further relates, in part, to the use of wild type DNA as a reference for use in determining zygosity. These and other related procedures can be used to uniquely identify the zygosity and variety of canola lines comprising the subject gene. The subject disclosure also provides related kits for determining zygosity from a sample of a canola plant or seed, for example. |
| US09663829B2 |
Compositions and methods for detecting BV-associated bacterial nucleic acid
Disclosed are nucleic acid oligomers, including amplification oligomers, capture probes, and detection probes, for detection of a 16S rRNA or its encoding gene from bacterial species associated with bacterial vaginosis. Also disclosed are methods of specific nucleic acid amplification and detection using the disclosed oligomers, as well as corresponding reaction mixtures and kits. |
| US09663828B2 |
Detection of bacteria belonging to the genus Campylobacter by targeting cytolethal distending toxin
An objective of the present invention is to provide the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) of C. hyointestinalis and polynucleotides encoding it, and novel methods for detection of C. hyointestinalis using the cdt genes. The present inventors focused on the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) of Campylobacter bacteria, and detected the cdt genes of a Campylobacter-like bacterium isolated from an enteritis patient in Thailand. The present inventors discovered a bacterial strain whose cdtB gene was amplified by common primers in C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. fetus, but not by multiplex PCR that can specifically detect the cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC genes of the three bacterial species. The bacterial strain was identified as C. hyointestinalis by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Furthermore, the entire nucleotide sequence of the cdt genes was determined by genome walking upstream and downstream of the cdtB gene. |
| US09663825B2 |
Biomarkers to identify patients that will respond to treatment and treating such patients
The invention relates to methods for using biomarkers to identify cancer patients that will or are likely to respond to treatment. Specifically, the invention relates to the use of one or more of three association studies of cancer types, gene mutations, or gene expression levels in order to identify cancer patients that will or are likely to respond to treatment with a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, alone or in combination with another cancer treatment. The methods may, optionally, further include treating such patient with an HDAC inhibitor, alone or in combination with another cancer treatment. |
| US09663820B2 |
Recombinase polymerase amplification
This disclosure describes related novel methods for Recombinase-Polymerase Amplification (RPA) of a target DNA that exploit the properties of recombinase and related proteins, to invade double-stranded DNA with single stranded homologous DNA permitting sequence specific priming of DNA polymerase reactions. The disclosed methods have the advantage of not requiring thermocycling or thermophilic enzymes, thus offering easy and affordable implementation and portability relative to other amplification methods. Further disclosed are conditions to enable real-time monitoring of RPA reactions, methods to regulate RPA reactions using light and otherwise, methods to determine the nature of amplified species without a need for gel electrophoresis, methods to improve and optimize signal to noise ratios in RPA reactions, methods to optimize oligonucleotide primer function, methods to control carry-over contamination, and methods to employ sequence-specific third ‘specificity’ probes. Further described are novel properties and approaches for use of probes monitored by light in dynamic recombination environments. |
| US09663815B2 |
Cytosolically-active peroxidases as reporters for microscopy
An imaging method comprising expressing in cells a Class I heme peroxidase, which optionally is fused with a protein of interest or a cellular localization signal peptide, and contacting the cells with a substrate of the Class I heme peroxidase to allow conversion of the substrate into a product via an oxidation reaction catalyzed by the Class I heme peroxidase, wherein the product releases a signal detectable by a microscope such as an electron microscope. Also disclosed herein are monomeric mutants of a Class I heme peroxidase and mutants of the enzyme that exhibit elevated enzymatic activity as compared to the corresponding wild-type counterpart. |
| US09663812B2 |
Adapter for suspending a cryovial over a centrifuge tube
A system is disclosed for thawing a frozen specimen that includes a cryovial containing a frozen specimen, a centrifuge tube containing a medium, and an adaptor for suspending the cryovial over the centrifuge tube in an inverted position, wherein the adaptor has an elongated tubular body defining opposed proximal and distal ends, and it has an axial bore extending from the distal end thereof to the proximal end thereof to define an outer periphery and an inner periphery, and wherein the outer periphery is dimensioned for insertion into the centrifuge tube and the inner periphery is dimensioned to receive the cryovial in an inverted position. |
| US09663810B2 |
Methods of cell culture
Polypeptide preparations having target levels of glycans, and methods of producing such polypeptide preparations using putrescine, are described. |
| US09663808B2 |
Compositions comprising a polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity and an organic compound and uses thereof
The present invention relates to compositions comprising: a polypeptide having cellulolytic enhancing activity and an organic compound. The present invention also relates to methods of using the compositions. |
| US09663805B2 |
Preparation of 6-aminocaproic acid from 5-formyl valeri C acid
The invention relates to a method for preparing 6-aminocaproic acid (hereinafter also referred to as ‘6-ACA’) using a biocatalyst. The invention further relates to a method for preparing e-caprolactam (hereafter referred to as ‘caprolactam’) by cyclising such 6-ACA. The invention further relates to a host cell, a micro-organism, or a polynucleotide which may be used in the preparation of 6-ACA or caprolactam. |
| US09663803B2 |
Genetically engineered yeast cell capable of producing lactate, method of producing the same, and method of producing lactate by using the cell
A genetically engineered yeast cell capable of producing lactate having increased TPI activity, a method of preparing the yeast cell, and a method of producing lactate by using the yeast cell. |
| US09663795B2 |
Use of Cry1Ab in combination with Cry1Be for management of resistant insects
The subject invention includes methods and plants for controlling European corn borer and/or fall armyworm insects, said plants comprising a Cry1Ab insecticidal protein and a Cry1Be insecticidal protein, and various combinations of other proteins comprising this pair of proteins, to delay or prevent development of resistance by the insects. |
| US09663793B2 |
Plant regulatory elements and uses thereof
The present invention provides DNA molecules and constructs, and their nucleotide sequences, useful for modulating gene expression in plants. Transgenic plants, plant cells, plant parts, and seeds comprising the DNA molecules operably linked to heterologous transcribable polynucleotides are also provided, as are methods of their use. |
| US09663792B2 |
Plant mitochondria transformation method
Method for heterologous RNA species and protein production in plant cell mitochondria comprising introducing into plant cells nucleic acid components that encode heterologous proteins/RNAS under the control of promoters operative in mitochondria, vectors, host cells, plants and uses thereof. |
| US09663785B2 |
Treatment of nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) related diseases by inhibition of natural antisense transcript to NRF1
The present invention relates to antisense oligonucleotides that modulate the expression of and/or function of Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1 (NRF1), in particular, by targeting natural antisense polynucleotides of Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1 (NRF1). The invention also relates to the identification of these antisense oligonucleotides and their use in treating diseases and disorders associated with the expression of NRF1. |
| US09663784B2 |
Single-stranded nucleic acid molecule for regulating expression of gene having delivering function
The invention provides a single-stranded nucleic acid capable of inhibiting expression of a target gene having a delivery function. The nucleic acid contains, from the 5′-side to the 3′-side, a 5′-side region (Xc), a linker region (Lx), an inner region (Z), a linker region (Ly) and a 3′-side region (Yc) in this order, wherein the inner region (Z) is constituted by linkage of the inner 5′-side region (X) and the inner 3′-side region (Y), the 5′-side region (Xc) is complementary to the inner 5′-side region (X), the 3′-side region (Yc) is complementary to the inner 3′-side region (Y), at least one of the inner region (Z), the 5′-side region (Xc) and the 3′-side region (Yc) comprises an expression inhibitory sequence that inhibits expression of a target gene, and at least one of the 5′-terminus, the 3′-terminus, the linker region (Lx) and the linker region (Ly) is bound to a bio-related substance. |
| US09663781B2 |
Diagnosis of prostate cancer
The invention provides methods for isolating RNA from whole urine and urine fractions for the diagnosis of prostate cancer and/or benign prostate hyperplasia. An exemplary method for diagnosing prostate cancer in an individual, said method comprises: (a) determining the amount of RNA encoding one or more diagnostic genes in the soluble urine fraction of a urine sample obtained from said individual; (b) comparing the amount of said RNA to a reference value for said one or more diagnostic genes, wherein said reference value is derived from the amount of RNA encoding said one or more diagnostic genes in one or more individuals that do not have prostate cancer; and (c) diagnosing said individual as having prostate cancer when the amount of said RNA is greater than said reference value. |