US09691815B2
In at least one embodiment of the method, said method includes the following steps: A) producing radiation-active islands (4) having a semiconductor layer sequence (3) on a growth substrate (2), wherein the islands (4) each comprise at least one active zone (33) of the semiconductor layer sequence (3), and an average diameter of the islands (4), as viewed in a top view of the growth substrate, amounts to between 50 nm and 10 μm inclusive, B) producing a separating layer (5) on a side of the islands (4) facing the growth substrate (2), wherein the separating layer (5) surrounds the islands (4) all around, as viewed in a top view of the growth substrate (2), C) attaching a carrier substrate (6) to a side of the islands (4) facing away from the growth substrate (2), and D) detaching the growth substrate (2) from the islands (4), wherein at least a part of the separating layer (5) is destroyed and/or at least temporarily softened during the detachment.
US09691811B1
Methods of forming an image sensor chip scale package. Implementations may include providing a semiconductor wafer having a pixel array, forming a first cavity through the wafer and/or one or more layers coupled over the wafer, filling the first cavity with a fill material, planarizing the fill material and/or the one or more layers to form a first surface of the fill material coplanar with a first surface of the one or more layers, and bonding a transparent cover over the fill material and the one or more layers. The bond may be a fusion bond between the transparent cover and a passivation oxide; a fusion bond between the transparent cover and an anti-reflective coating; a bond between the transparent cover and an organic adhesive coupled over the fill material, and/or; a bond between a first metallized surface of the transparent cover and a metallized layer coupled over the wafer.
US09691810B1
An image sensor includes a plurality of photodiodes arranged in an array and disposed in a semiconductor material with pinning wells disposed between individual photodiodes in the plurality of photodiodes. The image sensor also includes a microlens layer. The microlens layer is disposed proximate to the semiconductor material and is optically aligned with the plurality of photodiodes. A spacer layer disposed between the semiconductor material and the microlens layer. The spacer layer has a concave cross-sectional profile across the array, and the microlens layer is conformal with the concave cross-sectional profile of the spacer layer.
US09691803B2
A semiconductor wafer includes a semiconductor substrate, a dielectric multilayer film formed on the semiconductor substrate and serving as an optical filter on a light receiving sensor, and a light detection region formed in the semiconductor substrate, with the Poisson ratio VS, Young's modulus ES, the radius r, and the thickness b of the semiconductor substrate, stress σ in the dielectric multilayer film, and the thickness d of the dielectric multilayer film satisfy a relationship 1.0×10−3≧{3×r2×d×(1−VS)×σ}/(ES×b2).
US09691801B2
An image sensing device may include an interconnect layer and grid array contacts carried by the interconnect layer, and an image sensor IC carried by the interconnect layer and coupled to the grid array contacts, the image sensor IC having an image sensing surface. The image sensing device may include a transparent plate carried by the image sensor IC and aligned with the image sensing surface, and a cap carried by the interconnect layer and having an opening aligned with the image sensing surface. The cap may have an upper wall spaced above the interconnect layer and the image sensor IC to define an internal cavity, and the cap may define an air vent coupled to the internal cavity.
US09691793B2
An array substrate and a display panel. The array substrate includes an active region and a peripheral circuitry region surrounding the active region; a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines intersected with and insulated from the scan lines; a plurality of pixel driving circuit units disposed at intersection areas between the scan lines and the data lines; a plurality of first electrodes respectively electrically connected to the plurality of pixel driving circuit units and disposed in the active region and the peripheral circuitry region of the array substrate; and a plurality of first connection lines configured to electrically connect the pixel driving circuit units to the corresponding first electrodes.
US09691787B2
Bulk semiconductor devices are co-fabricated on a bulk semiconductor substrate with SOI devices. The SOI initially covers the entire substrate and is then removed from the bulk device region. The bulk device region has a thicker dielectric on the substrate than the SOI region. The regions are separated by isolation material, and may or may not be co-planar.
US09691784B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a first portion including a semiconductor element, a second portion surrounding the semiconductor element. The second portion includes a stack of conductive layers and insulating layers, and at least one groove through the conductive layers and the insulating layers.
US09691783B2
Provided is a semiconductor device including a first stacked structure in which first conductive patterns and first interlayer insulating layers are alternately stacked, a second stacked structure formed on the first stacked structure and including second conductive patterns and second interlayer insulating layers, which are alternately stacked, an interfacial pattern formed between the first stacked structure and the second stacked structure, first through-areas passing through the first stacked structure and the interfacial pattern, and including first protrusions protruding toward a sidewall of the interfacial pattern, second through-areas passing through the second stacked structure and connected to the first through-areas, and through-structures formed along sidewalls of the first through-areas and the second through-areas.
US09691778B2
Contact openings extending to sacrificial layers located at different depths can be formed by sequentially exposing a greater number of openings in a mask layer by iterative alternation of trimming of a slimming layer over the mask layer and an anisotropic etch that recesses pre-existing contact openings by one level. In one embodiment, pairs of an electrically conductive via contact and electrically conductive electrodes can be simultaneously formed as integrated line and via structures. In another embodiment, encapsulated unfilled cavities can be formed in the contact openings by non-conformal deposition of a material layer, electrically conductive electrodes can be formed by replacement of portions of the sacrificial layers, and the electrically conductive via contacts can be subsequently formed on the electrically conductive electrodes. Electrically conductive via contacts extending to electrically conductive electrodes located at different level can be provided with self-aligned insulating liner.
US09691772B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a transistor and a capacitor. The transistor includes: an insulating film in which a groove portion is provided; a pair of electrodes separated so that the groove portion is sandwiched therebetween; an oxide semiconductor film which is in contact with the pair of electrodes and side surfaces and a bottom surface of the groove portion and has a thickness value smaller than a depth value of the groove portion; a gate insulating film covering the oxide semiconductor film; and a gate electrode provided to overlap with the oxide semiconductor film with the gate insulating film positioned therebetween.
US09691753B2
A semiconductor device includes a P-type semiconductor substrate, an N-well and a P-well disposed adjacent to each other and extending along a first direction within the P-type semiconductor substrate, a first N+ doped region and a first P+ doped region extending along the first direction within the N-well and spaced away from each other along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a second N+ doped region and a second P+ doped region extending along the first direction within the P-well and spaced away from each other along the second direction, and a plurality of third N+ doped regions and a plurality of P+ doped regions alternatively disposed in a junction region formed between the N-well and P-well the third N+ doped regions. The third N+ doped regions and the third P+ doped regions form a Zener diode.
US09691745B2
Embodiments of mechanisms of a semiconductor device package and package on package (PoP) structure are provided. The semiconductor device package includes a substrate and a metal pad formed on the substrate. The semiconductor device package further includes a conductive element formed on the metal pad, and the metal pad electrically contacts the conductive element, and at least a portion of the conductive element is embedded in a molding compound, and the conductive element has a recess configured to provide an additional bonding interfacial area.
US09691742B2
A method of manufacturing a display device includes: forming a plurality of photoresist columns at an upper edge region of a glass substrate by a photo patterning process; coating a plastic chemical liquid on an entire upper surface of the glass substrate to cover the photoresist columns; evaporating a solvent of the plastic chemical liquid to semi-harden a plastic substrate and to expose an upper portion of the photoresist columns; forming a plurality of through-holes at an edge region of the surface of the semi-hardened plastic substrate by removing the photoresist columns; firing and curing the plastic chemical liquid to form the plastic substrate; and coating a metal layer on an edge region of the surface of the plastic substrate with the through-holes.
US09691731B2
A method of making a microelectronic package includes forming a dielectric encapsulation layer on an in-process unit having a substrate having a first surface and a second surface remote therefrom. A microelectronic element is mounted to the first surface of the substrate, and a plurality of conductive elements exposed at the first surface, at least some of which are electrically connected to the microelectronic element. Wire bonds have bases joined to the conductive elements and end surfaces remote from the bases and define an edge surface extending away between the base and the end surface. The encapsulation layer is formed to at least partially cover the first surface and portions of the wire bonds with unencapsulated portions of the wire bonds being defined by at least one of the end surface or a portion of the edge surface that is uncovered thereby.
US09691729B2
A first substrate may be bonded to a second substrate in a method that may include providing the first substrate, providing a second substrate, providing a bonding layer precursor, positioning the bonding layer precursor between the first substrate and the second substrate, and bonding the first substrate to the second substrate by heating the bonding layer precursor to form a bonding layer. The first substrate may include a bonding surface, and a geometry of the bonding surface of the first substrate may include a plurality of microchannels. The second substrate may include a complementary bonding surface and the bonding layer precursor may include a metal. The bonding layer may fill the microchannels of the first substrate and may contact substantially the entire bonding surface of the first substrate.
US09691725B2
The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a stacked semiconductor device. The stacked semiconductor device includes a first substrate; a first bond pad over the first substrate; a second substrate including a second electrical device fabricated thereon; a second bond pad over the second electrical device over the second substrate, the second bond pad electrically connecting to the second electrical device; a second insulation layer over the second bond pad having a top surface, the second insulation layer being bonded toward the first bond pad of the first substrate; and a through-substrate-via (“TSV”) extending from a surface opposite to the first bond pad through the first substrate and through the top surface of the second insulation layer to the second bond pad.
US09691720B2
A multi-layer ground shield structure of interconnected elements is disclosed. The ground shield structure may include a first patterned layer of a ground shield structure, a second patterned layer of the ground shield structure, and a spacer between the first patterned layer and the second patterned layer. The first patterned layer includes first conductive elements interconnected within the first patterned layer according to a first pattern. The second patterned layer includes second conductive elements interconnected within the second patterned layer according to a second pattern.
US09691711B2
An electromagnetic interference shield is described for semiconductor chip packages. In some embodiments, a mold compound is formed over a semiconductor die, the die being over a front side redistribution layer on a side opposite the mold compound, the redistribution layer extending past the die and the mold compound extending around the die to contact the redistribution layer. A plurality of vias are formed in the mold compound vertically toward the redistribution layer, the vias being outside of the die, wherein the bottoms of the vias are over a ground layer of the front side redistribution layer. A continuous conductive shielding film is applied over the mold compound and into the vias, wherein the shielding film in some of the vias directly connects to the ground layer and wherein the shielding film in some of the vias does not directly connect to the ground layer, the redistribution layer connecting the metal film to an external ground so that the vias form a shield.
US09691708B1
A semiconductor package and a manufacturing method for the semiconductor package are provided. The semiconductor package includes a molded semiconductor device, a first redistribution layer, a second redistribution layer, and a plurality of through interlayer vias. The molded semiconductor device includes a die. The first redistribution layer is disposed on a first side of the molded semiconductor device. The second redistribution layer is disposed on a second side of the molded semiconductor device opposite to the first side, wherein the second redistribution layer includes a patterned metal layer having an interconnection circuit portion electrically connected to the die and a metal ring surrounding and insulated from the interconnection circuit portion. The through interlayer vias are located right under the metal ring and extending through the molded semiconductor device to be electrically connect the first redistribution layer and the second redistribution layer.
US09691702B2
In a microelectronic component having conductive vias (114) passing through a substrate (104) and protruding above the substrate, conductive features (120E.A, 120E.B) are provided above the substrate that wrap around the conductive vias' protrusions (114′) to form capacitors, electromagnetic shields, and possibly other elements. Other features and embodiments are also provided.
US09691687B2
A module and a method for manufacturing a module are disclosed. An embodiment of a module includes a first semiconductor device, a frame arranged on the first semiconductor device, the frame including a cavity, and a second semiconductor device arranged on the frame wherein the second semiconductor device seals the cavity.
US09691684B2
An integrated circuit device is provided which includes a through-silicon via (TSV) structure and one or more decoupling capacitors, along with a method of manufacturing the same. The integrated circuit device may include a semiconductor structure including a semiconductor substrate, a TSV structure passing through the semiconductor substrate, and a decoupling capacitor formed in the semiconductor substrate and connected to the TSV structure. The TSV structure and the one or more decoupling capacitors may be substantially simultaneously formed. A plurality of decoupling capacitors may be disposed within a keep out zone (KOZ) of the TSV structure. The plurality of decoupling capacitors may have the same or different widths and/or depths. An isopotential conductive layer may be formed to reduce or eliminate a potential difference between different parts of the TSV structure.
US09691682B2
An optoelectronic semiconductor component includes an optoelectronic thin-film chip; and a thermally conductive and electrically insulating element, wherein both the thin-film chip and the element are embedded in a molded body, a top surface of the thin-film chip and a bottom surface of the element are not covered by the molded body, the top surface of the thin-film chip is approximately flush with a top surface of the molded body, the bottom surface of the element is approximately flush with a bottom surface of the molded body, the molded body includes a first embedded conductor structure and a second embedded conductor structure, and the first conductor structure and the second conductor structure extends to the bottom surface of the molded body.
US09691677B2
An underfill material enabling voidless packaging and excellent solder bonding properties, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the same are provided. An underfill material, including an epoxy resin, an acid anhydride, an acrylic resin, and an organic peroxide, the minimum melt viscosity being between 1000 Pa*s and 2000 Pa*s, and gradient of melt viscosity between 10° C. higher than the minimum melt viscosity attainment temperature and a temperature 10° C. higher being between 900 Pa*s/° C. and 3100 Pa*s/° C., is applied to a semiconductor chip having a solder-tipped electrode formed thereon, and the semiconductor chip is mounted onto a circuit substrate having a counter electrode opposing the solder-tipped electrode, and the semiconductor chip and the circuit substrate are thermocompressed under bonding conditions of raising the temperature from a first temperature to a second temperature at a predetermined rate.
US09691676B2
A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor chip including a first surface and a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the first surface; a second semiconductor chip including a second surface which faces the first surface, a plurality of second electrodes each of which includes at least one end disposed on the second surface, and a plurality of first protrusions each of which surrounds the one end of each of the second electrodes on an electrode by electrode basis; a plurality of conductive joint materials each of which joins a third electrode included in the first electrodes to the one end of an electrode which faces the third electrode among the second electrodes; and a plurality of first underfill resins each of which is disposed inside one of the first protrusions and covers one of the conductive joint materials on a material by material basis.
US09691670B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides a manufacturing method of an array substrate comprising forming a gate detecting pattern on the array substrate with gate lines and common electrode lines formed thereon, the gate detecting pattern being arranged on one side of a pixel region of the array substrate and used to connect all the common electrode lines for pixel units; and performing a short circuit or a open circuit detection, wherein if the difference between a signal received by a receiving terminal for a gate line and a signal transmitted from a transmitting terminal for the gate line is larger than a predetermined detection threshold value, it is determined that short circuit between the gate line and a common electrode line or open circuit in the gate line occurs.
US09691655B1
Described herein is a method of forming semiconductor devices. The method comprises depositing an etch stop layer of titanium aluminum carbide in a cavity of a semiconductor device; depositing a first layer of metal on the etch stop layer; etching the first layer of metal to create an etch-modified surface of the first layer of metal; and depositing a second layer of metal on the etch-modified surface of the first layer of metal.
US09691654B1
Back end of line via formation for semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the semiconductor devices. One method includes, for instance: obtaining a wafer with a substrate and at least one contact in the substrate; depositing at least one lithography stack over the substrate; performing lithography to pattern at least one via opening; depositing a block co-polymer coating over the wafer into the at least one via opening; performing an ashing to remove excess block co-polymer material and form block co-polymer caps; and performing a thermal bake to separate the block co-polymer caps into a first material and a second material. An intermediate semiconductor device is also disclosed.
US09691644B2
Provided is a supporting unit. The supporting unit includes: a supporting plate including a substrate on a top surface thereof; and a heater having a predetermined pattern at a bottom surface of the supporting plate and heating the supporting plate, wherein the heater includes: a first metal plating layer applied on the bottom surface of the supporting plate along the predetermined pattern; an anti-oxidation layer of a conductive material applied on the first metal plating layer along the predetermined pattern; and a second metal plating layer of a conductive material applied on the anti-oxidation layer in a portion of the pattern.
US09691635B1
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor package includes mounting and electrically connecting a semiconductor die to a substrate. The semiconductor die and the substrate are encapsulated to form an encapsulation. Via holes are laser-ablated through the encapsulation and conductive material is deposited within the via holes to form vias. A first buildup dielectric layer is formed on the encapsulation. Laser-ablated artifacts are laser-ablated in the first buildup layer. The laser-ablated artifacts in the first buildup layer are filled with a first metal layer to form a first electrically conductive pattern in the first build up layer. The operations of forming a buildup layer, forming laser-ablated artifacts in the buildup layer, and filling the laser-ablated artifacts with an electrically conductive material to form an electrically conductive pattern can be performed any one of a number of times to achieve the desired redistribution.
US09691633B2
The present invention discloses a leadframe in which two conductive pillars with high aspect ratio and the corresponding two leads of the leadframe forms a 3D space for accommodating at least one device. A first lead and a second lead are spaced apart from each other. A first conductive pillar is formed on the first lead by disposing a first via on the first lead, wherein at least one first conductive material is filled inside the first via to form the first conductive pillar. A second conductive pillar is formed on the second lead by disposing a second via on the second lead, wherein at least one second conductive material is filled inside the second via to form the second conductive pillar. The first lead, the second lead, the first conductive pillar, and the second conductive pillar form a 3D space for accommodating at least one device, wherein the at least one device is electrically connected to the first conductive pillar and the second conductive pillar.
US09691628B2
A method for selectively removing silicon nitride is described. In particular, the method includes providing a substrate having a surface with silicon nitride exposed on at least one portion of the surface and SiGex (x is greater than or equal to zero) exposed on at least another portion of the surface, and dispensing an oxidizing agent onto the surface of the substrate to oxidize the exposed SiGex. Thereafter, the method includes dispensing a silicon nitride etching agent as a liquid stream onto the surface of the substrate to remove at least a portion of the silicon nitride.
US09691627B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a linear preliminary mask pattern in a first direction on a substrate. The preliminary mask pattern is patterned to provide a plurality of mask patterns that are aligned end-to-end with one another on the substrate and are separated by an exposed portion of the substrate between respective facing ends of the plurality of mask patterns. An auxiliary layer is formed to cover at least sidewalls of the facing ends to reduce a size of the exposed portion to provide a reduced exposed portion of the substrate and the reduced exposed portion of the substrate is etched to form a trench defining active patterns in the substrate aligned end-to-end with one another.
US09691626B1
A method of forming a pattern includes providing a structure having an etch mask layer disposed over a pattern layer disposed over a dielectric layer. Disposing first and second trench plugs having different material compositions in the etch mask layer, the first and second trench plugs overlaying gamma and beta block mask portions respectively of the pattern layer. Forming an array of self-aligned spacers disposed on sidewalls of mandrels, the spacers and mandrels defining alternating beta and gamma regions extending normally to the dielectric layer, the gamma region and beta regions extending though portions of the first and second trench plug respectively. Selectively etching the structure to remove any portion of the first trench plug within the beta region and any portion of the second trench plug within the gamma region. Selectively etching the structure to form a pattern in the pattern layer including the block mask portions.
US09691625B2
A substrate is disposed on a substrate holder within a process module. The substrate includes a mask material overlying a target material with at least one portion of the target material exposed through an opening in the mask material. A bi-modal process gas composition is supplied to a plasma generation region overlying the substrate. For a first period of time, a first radiofrequency power is applied to the bi-modal process gas composition to generate a plasma to cause etching-dominant effects on the substrate. For a second period of time, after completion of the first period of time, a second radiofrequency power is applied to the bi-modal process gas composition to generate the plasma to cause deposition-dominant effects on the substrate. The first and second radiofrequency powers are applied in an alternating and successive manner for an overall period of time to remove a required amount of exposed target material.
US09691620B2
A semiconductor structure includes: a germanium layer 30; and an insulating film that has a film 32 that includes a germanium oxide and is formed on the germanium layer and a high dielectric oxide film 34 that is formed on the film including the germanium oxide and has a dielectric constant higher than that of a silicon oxide, wherein: an EOT of the insulating film is 2 nm or less; and on a presumption that an Au acting as a metal film is formed on the insulating film, a leak current density is 10−5×EOT+4 A/cm2 or less in a case where a voltage of the metal film with respect to the germanium layer is applied from a flat band voltage to an accumulation region side by 1 V.
US09691614B2
A method includes forming a template portion to provide a first opening trench portion surrounding a first isolated pattern, and forming an array of pillars on an underlying layer; forming a separation wall layer including first separation wall portions surrounding sidewalls of the pillars, and forming second separation wall portions covering sidewalls of the first opening trench portion; forming a block copolymer layer on the separation wall layer; forming first domains in gaps between the pillars, and forming second domains surrounding and separating the first domains by annealing the block copolymer layer; forming second openings by selectively removing the first domains; forming third openings between the second openings, and forming a fourth opening adjacent to the first isolated pattern by selectively removing the pillars and the template portion; and forming fifth openings, which extend from the second and third openings and penetrate the underlying layer, and forming a sixth opening, which extends from the fourth opening and penetrates the underlying layer.
US09691603B2
Disclosed is a liquid chemical for forming a water repellent protective film on a wafer that has at its surface a finely uneven pattern and contains silicon element at least at a part of the uneven pattern, the water repellent protective film being formed at least on surfaces of recessed portions of the uneven pattern at the time of cleaning the wafer. The liquid chemical contains: a silicon compound (A) represented by the general formula R1aSi(H)b(X)4−a−b and an acid; or a silicon compound (C) represented by the general formula R7gSi(H)h(CH3)w(Z)4−g−h−w and a base that contains no more than 35 mass % of water. The total amount of water in the liquid chemical is no greater than 1000 mass ppm relative to the total amount of the liquid chemical. The liquid chemical can improve a cleaning step that easily induces pattern collapse.
US09691602B2
A top plate is provided with a top plate rotation mechanism configured to rotate the top plate in a horizontal plane. An outside cup peripheral case disposed around a cup is configured to move between an upper position, in which a top end of the cylinder is positioned above the cup, and a lower position located below the upper position. A nozzle support arm configured to support a nozzle is moved, in a horizontal direction, between an advanced position, in which the arm is advanced into the outside cup peripheral case via a side opening formed in a side surface of the outside cup peripheral case when the cylinder is located in the upper position, and a retracted position, in which the arm is retracted outward from the outside cup peripheral case.
US09691601B2
A supporting unit is provided. The supporting unit includes a body, an alignment member, at least one sensor, and a controller. The body has a top surface supporting a target object. The alignment member is disposed in the body and adjusts a position of the target object. The sensor senses the position of the target object. The controller controls the alignment member and the sensor member. The alignment member includes a magnet that adjusts the position of the target object according to an electromagnetic force; and a coil that applies the electromagnetic force to the magnet.
US09691600B2
An ultraviolet light emitting device includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; a gas in a space between the first substrate and the second substrate; electrodes directly or indirectly on a first main surface of the first substrate; a dielectric layer that is located in a first region directly or indirectly on the first main surface of the first substrate and covers the electrodes, the dielectric layer being not located in a second region directly or indirectly on the first main surface of the first substrate, the second region being different from the first region, the first region including regions in which the electrodes are located; and a light-emitting layer that is located in the second region and/or located directly or indirectly on at least one of second and third main surfaces of the second substrate and emits the ultraviolet light in the gas due to electrical discharge between the electrodes.
US09691597B2
A mass spectrometry substrate includes an electrically conductive material providing an electrical conductivity that allows at least one of a first and a second surface of the substrate to be maintained at a desirable potential for ion extraction while ions are desorbed during ionization. A solid lattice material comprises a plurality of pores positioned in a plurality of layers that form a network of at least one continuous channel extending from a first surface of the substrate to a second surface of the substrate. Each of the plurality of pores are dimensioned and positioned in the plurality of layers so that a first group of substances are adsorbed or absorbed on the first surface and a second group of substances are adsorbed or absorbed on the second surface.
US09691585B2
A multi charged particle beam writing method includes, shifting a writing position of each corresponding beam to a next writing position by performing another beam deflection of multi charged particle beams, in addition to the beam deflection for a tracking control, while continuing the beam deflection for the tracking control after the maximum writing time has passed; emitting the each corresponding beam in the “on” state to the next writing position having been shifted of the each corresponding beam, during a corresponding writing time while continuing the tracking control; and returning a tracking position such that a next tracking start position is a former tracking start position where the tracking control was started, by resetting the beam deflection for the tracking control after emitting the each corresponding beam to the next writing position having been shifted at least once of the each corresponding beam while continuing the tracking control.
US09691583B2
Applicants have found that energetic neutral particles created by a charged exchange interaction between high energy ions and neutral gas molecules reach the sample in a ion beam system using a plasma source. The energetic neutral create secondary electrons away from the beam impact point. Methods to solve the problem include differentially pumped chambers below the plasma source to reduce the opportunity for the ions to interact with gas.
US09691579B2
An electronic device and methods including a switch formed in a chip package are shown. An electronic device and methods including a switch formed in a polymer based dielectric are shown. Examples of switches shown include microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structures, such as cantilever switches and/or shunt switches.
US09691575B2
A hopper control actuator is provided. The actuator has a frame having a first bracket at a top end for attaching to a hopper, a second bracket at a bottom end for attaching to an overhead support, and at least one strut between the top end and bottom end; a sliding member attached to the frame having of an outer tube, an inner tube and a spring, the inner tube being slidable within the outer tube and having a first magnet affixed on an exterior surface thereof, the spring being connected to the inner tube and the first bracket, the inner tube and the outer tube having complimentary corners to prevent rotation; and an electrical enclosure having a micro-switch mounted therein, the electrical enclosure being attached to the at least one strut and the micro-switch having an actuating lever with a second magnet affixed thereto such that a like pole faces a like pole of the first magnet along a length of a path of travel of the first magnet.
US09691571B2
An electronic device includes a housing and a button. The housing has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and defines a mounting hole passing through the first surface and the second surface. The mounting hole has an inner surface. The button is received in the mounting hole, and includes a metallic keycap and an annular buffer member. The keycap has a peripheral side surface, and defines a receiving groove on the peripheral side surface which extends around the peripheral side surface. The buffer member is composed of flexible material, sleeved on the keycap cap, partially received in the mounting hole, and partially positioned outside of the mounting hole to resist the second surface of the housing.
US09691569B2
A light-transmissible keycap and the manufacturing method thereof are provided. The light-transmissible keycap has multiple light-transmissible symbol areas, and each light-transmissible symbol area has at least one character assigned with a color. Each light-transmissible symbol area is covered with only one light-transmissible color layer. Thus, when an external light is emitted from a light source beneath the keycap, the external light will only pass through one light-transmissible color layer covering that light-transmissible symbol area, and not pass through the light-transmissible color layer covering the other light-transmissible symbol area. Therefore, a bleeding problem due to multiple light-transmissible color layers overlapped and covering the same light-transmissible symbol area is avoided.
US09691565B2
The disclosed concept pertains to coating compositions, methods of applying the compositions, and coated components produced therefrom. The coating compositions include alkyd or modified alkyd. The coatings are formed on surfaces of one or more internal components positioned within an electrical system, such as a circuit breaker. In the event of electrical arcing and the metal splatter produced therefrom, the coatings of the disclosed concept are effective to at least partially protect the component surface from the metal splatter and to at least partially impart splatter resistance to the component surface such that the metal splatter does not tend to adhere thereto.
US09691561B2
A knife switch assembly including a pair of hinged contact knives, arranged in parallel, and moveable between at least two positions. An operator device for moving the pair of contact knives between the at least two positions, and a guide member located between the two contact knives, having two projecting side parts, each projecting side part extending along at least part of a respective side of each contact knife, which side faces a corresponding side of the other contact knife.
US09691551B2
An electrolyte material formulation including: (a) a monomer of formula (I) (b) a monomer of formula (II) and (c) a polymerizable compound, wherein A, X, B1, B2, R1 to R3, q and w are defined as those recited in the specification, and the monomer (b) is in an amount of about 1 part by weight to about 800 parts by weight and the polymerizable compound (c) is in an amount of about 1 part by weight to about 10000 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the monomer (a). Also, an electrolytic material composition obtained by the polymerization of the aforementioned electrolytic material formulation. The electrolytic material composition can be applied to a solid electrolyte capacitor.
US09691541B2
Winding components, each being formed by winding a coil around and along an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of a ring-shaped core a plurality of times, are fixed to a case. An attachment structure includes a placing member made of an insulating material and fixed to a fixing surface of the case in a state where a lower surface of the winding component is placed, a pressing member made of an insulating material and disposed to abut on an upper surface of the winding component, and a pressing force imparting portion that couples the placing member with the pressing member and imparts a pressing force toward the fixing surface, from the pressing member to the winding component, and in the pressing force imparting portion, a distance between the placing member and the pressing member is variable in accordance with a height change of the winding component.
US09691539B2
A coil conductor has a central axis extending in parallel with a mounting surface. The coil conductor disposed inside a component body extends substantially helically by alternately connecting a plurality of circulating conductive layers and a plurality of via hole conductors. The circulating conductive layers each extend so as to form a part of a substantially quadrangular track having a relatively short side and a relatively long side along an interface between the insulating layers. The via hole conductors each penetrate the insulating layer in a thickness direction. The line width of a short side portion of the circulating conductive layer is wider than that of a long side portion of the circulating conductive layer.
US09691538B1
A magnetic device includes a magnetic core, one or more first windings, and one or more second windings. Each first winding forms a respective first turn around a respective first winding center axis, and each second winding forms a respective second turn around a common second winding center axis that is orthogonal to each first winding center axis. Another magnetic device includes a magnetic core, a plurality of first windings forming respective first winding turns, and a second winding forming a second winding turn. Each first winding turn is within the second winding turn, as seen when the magnetic device is viewed cross-sectionally in a first direction. Yet another magnetic device includes a magnetic core, one or more first windings, and one or more second windings magnetically isolated from the one or more first windings.
US09691537B2
A power supply module is disclosed. the power supply module includes a coil including a coil body and connecting terminals; an electronic component including at least an integrated circuit chip; a magnetic core configured to enclose in and around the coil body, wherein a recess is provided on at least one side surface of the magnetic core, the electronic components are located in the recess, and an opening is provided on at least one side wall of the recess; a connector configured to be tightly attached to and cover the side surface where the recess is provided, and be electrically connected with the coil and the electronic component; and a heat conducting material provided in the recess and configured to cover the electronic component.
US09691536B2
A static apparatus is provided in which a partial discharge, if occurred in a winding end portion, is unlikely to lead to insulation breakdown. The windings and core of a static apparatus are housed in a tank filled with coolant. The winding is fixed by upper and lower parts supporting winding. A continuous coolant duct is formed in a section embracing the winding and the upper and lower parts supporting winding. A coolant duct from the wiring, extending through the upper or lower parts supporting winding and connected with the coolant space is configured in a structure in which toroidal ducts in multiple tiers are connected in a vertical direction of the winding. Connecting holes of one toroidal duct and of its next toroidal duct are staggered with respect to each other and spaced at intervals which are longer than the width of the toroidal ducts.
US09691535B2
A filter device is electrically connected between a power supply and a power converter including a converter unit for rectifying inputs and an inverter unit for inversely converting outputs of the converter unit. The filter device includes a casing; a filter reactor housed inside the casing, for removing a high-frequency component; and a booster reactor housed inside the casing and disposed below the filter reactor, for boosting a voltage of a current having passed through the filter reactor. The booster reactor includes an iron core, a coil wound around the iron core, and a spacer interposed between inner and outer circumferential portions of the coil to form an air passage for passing air introduced into the casing. The booster reactor is stored in the casing so that the air that has passed through the air passage passes through a periphery of the filter reactor disposed immediately above the booster reactor.
US09691534B2
In a magnetization device, while an annular magnetic body including plural rows of annular un-magnetized magnetic encoder tracks which are arranged adjacent to each other and integrated therewith is rotated, magnetization is performed, thereby providing a magnetic encoder. The magnetization device includes: a magnetizing yoke including a pair of opposed end portions opposed to each other across a magnetic gap; an exciting coil wound on the magnetizing yoke; a magnetization power source supplying a magnetizing current to the exciting coil to pass magnetic flux between the opposed end portions; and a magnetic shield which is provided to the magnetizing yoke and shields flow of the magnetic flux to the rows of magnetic encoder tracks other than a magnetization target.
US09691529B2
A composite magnetic material contains metal magnetic powder composed of metal magnetic particles, and mica interposed between the metal magnetic particles as an inorganic insulator. The mica has an Fe content of 15 wt % or less per 100 wt % of the mica in terms of Fe2O3. To manufacture the composite magnetic material, first, mixed powder is prepared by mixing the metal magnetic powder and the mica so as to be dispersed into each other. Next, a compact is formed by pressure-molding the mixed powder. Finally, the compact is heat-treated.
US09691522B2
A system and method for a down-hole cable is provided. The down-hole cable includes an insulated conductor portion. A filler layer abuts and encapsulates the insulated conductor portion, wherein the filler layer is substantially formed with a foamed fluoropolymer. An armor shell is applied to the exterior of the foamed fluoropolymer filler layer.
US09691509B1
A THz system has a housing configured to minimize both external noise and internal stray THz waves. The housing material is selected according to the frequency range of THz waves to be propagated though the space enclosed by the housing. In general, the housing is made of foam material, such as low relative dielectric constant foam material, especially foam with conductive additives. The relative dielectric constant of foam material is usually approach to 1.0, which may minimize the reflection of THz waves propagating into the housing. The conductive additives may increase the absorption of the THz waves, even other electromagnetic waves, inside the housing. Clearly, by using proper material, such as Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) and/or Styrofoam, with proper conductive additives, such as graphite, carbon, sliver, absorptive particles/dyes, the housing may minimize the interference of undesired stray terahertz-gigahertz waves, even other noise.
US09691508B2
A method for determining a state of operational readiness of a fuel cell backup system of a nuclear reactor system includes monitoring a readiness state of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system, and providing a readiness determination of the fuel cell system by comparing the monitored state of readiness of the fuel cell system to an established operating readiness state, the established operating readiness state a function of at least one characteristic of the nuclear reactor system. An apparatus includes a fuel cell monitoring system configured to monitor a readiness state of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system, and a readiness determination system configured to provide a readiness determination of the fuel cell system by comparing the monitored state of readiness of the fuel cell system to an established operating readiness state.
US09691507B2
A method and system for the thermoelectric conversion of nuclear reactor generated heat including upon a nuclear reactor system shutdown event, thermoelectrically converting nuclear reactor generated heat to electrical energy and supplying the electrical energy to a mechanical pump of the nuclear reactor system.
US09691505B2
Error correction in a memory subsystem includes determining whether an error is a transient error or a persistent error, and adjusting an approach to ECC (error checking and correction) based on error type. The type of error can be determined by a built in self-test. If the error is a persistent error, the memory controller can perform in erasure mode, including correcting an erasure for an identified error location prior to applying an ECC correction algorithm. Otherwise, if the error is transient, the memory controller can perform standard full ECC correction by applying the ECC correction algorithm.
US09691503B2
An apparatus for allocating computer memory for memory diagnostics is disclosed. The apparatus may include a processor and memory that stores code executable by the processor, and may include code that identifies an unreserved amount of memory in a computer system, code that requests a portion of the memory based on the unreserved amount of memory, and code that determines whether an allocated portion of the memory comprises non-contiguous memory addresses. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes code that locks the allocated portion of the memory in response to the allocated portion consisting solely of contiguous memory addresses, and code that performs a memory diagnostic test on the allocated portion of the memory.
US09691502B2
A multi-port memory includes a memory cell, first and second word lines, first and second bit lines, first and second address terminals, and an address control circuit. The address control circuit controls the first and second word lines independently of each other on the basis of address signals that are respectively supplied to the first and second address terminals in a normal operation mode, and activates both of the first and second word lines that are coupled to the same memory cell on the basis of the address signal that is supplied to one of the first and second address terminals in a disturb test mode.
US09691499B1
According to one embodiment, the semiconductor memory device includes a memory element, a reference resistance element, a read circuit, and a first circuit. The memory element is enabled to take a first resistance value and a second resistance value. The reference resistance element configured to have a resistance value between the first resistance value and the second resistance value. The read circuit is configured to determine data read from the memory element based on a current flowing through the memory element and a current flowing through the reference resistance element. The first circuit is configured to suppress the currents flowing through the memory element and the reference resistance element in response to determination of data read from the memory element.
US09691497B2
Programmable devices and fabrication methods thereof are presented. The programmable devices include, for instance, a first electrode and a second electrode electrically connected by a link portion. The link portion includes one material of a metal material or a semiconductor material and the first and second electrodes includes the other material of the metal material or the semiconductor material. For example, the link portion facilitates programming the programmable device by applying a programming current between the first electrode and the second electrode to facilitate migration of the one material of the link portion towards at least one of the first or second electrodes. In one embodiment, the programming current is configured to heat the link portion to facilitate the migration of the one material of the link portion towards the at least one of the first or second electrodes.
US09691494B2
A semiconductor device and a method of operating the same are provided. A plurality of memory blocks are erased. It is determined whether a selected memory block among the memory blocks is a lastly erased memory block. The selected memory block or another memory block is programmed according to a result of determination.
US09691492B1
A predetermined pattern of bits is written to a non-volatile memory device prior to powering down the non-volatile memory device. A plurality of voltages are applied to the non-volatile memory device to determine which voltage of the plurality of voltages allows the predetermined pattern of bits to be read with a least amount of error. The determined voltage is set to be a demarcation voltage for reading from the non-volatile memory device.
US09691488B1
A NAND flash memory device detects the occurrence of Cell Voltage Distribution Disruption Events (CVDDEs), such as a Partial Block Program (PBP) and Program-Read-Immediate (PRI), and provides a way to dynamically adjust read voltage to account for CVDDEs. A read command includes extended addressing bits that are used when a CVDDE has occurred to access registers that indicate an adjustment to read voltage that is needed to accommodate the CVDDE. The read voltage is then dynamically adjusted to accommodate the CVDDE. When the CVDDE is no longer an issue, the read voltage is adjusted to its previous value before the CVDDE.
US09691483B1
In one aspect, techniques for providing a banked content addressable memory (CAM) with counters are provided. A dictionary word may be divided into a plurality of banks. A counter may be associated with each bank of the plurality of banks. The counter may count the number of times a segment of an input word aligned with the bank does not match. A scheduler may schedule comparison of banks with higher probability of not matching before banks with lower probability of not matching. The probability of not matching may be based on the counters.
US09691476B2
According to one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes first and second data lines, a first memory cell includes first and second resistance changing elements connected in series between the first and second data lines and a first selection transistor including a drain connected to a connection node of the first and second resistance changing elements, and a second memory cell includes third and fourth resistance changing elements connected in series between the first and second data lines and a second selection transistor including a drain connected to a connection node of the third and fourth resistance changing elements.
US09691472B2
A non-volatile memory device and a method of programming a non-volatile memory device including a plurality of memory cells that are stacked in a vertical direction over a substrate and connected to n word lines, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 3. The method includes programming memory cells of second to n−1-th word lines, from among first to n-th word lines that are sequentially disposed in the vertical direction over the substrate, to a multi-level state, wherein a multi-level program operation is sequentially performed from the second to n−1-th word lines in an order in which the word lines are disposed; and programming memory cells of the first word line to a single level state after the programming memory cells of the second to n−1-th word lines to a multi-level state.
US09691465B2
Some embodiments include thyristors having first and second electrode regions, first and second base regions, and material having a bandgap of at least 1.2 eV in at least one of the regions. The first base region is between the first electrode region and the second base region, and the second base region is between the second electrode region and the first base region. The first base region interfaces with the first electrode region at a first junction, and interfaces with the second base region at a second junction. The second base region interfaces with the second electrode region at a third junction. A gate is along the first base region, and in some embodiments does not overlap either of the first and second junctions. Some embodiments include methods of programming thyristors, and some embodiments include methods of forming thyristors.
US09691453B1
A system and method for efficient data eye training reduces the time and resources spent calibrating one or more memory devices. A reference voltage (Vref) calibration mechanism reduces the time and resources for calibration by reducing the number of tests needed to sufficiently determine the boundaries of the data eye of the memory device by using a combination of small steps and small steps to find a preferred reference voltage. In one example, the Vref calibration mechanism uses small steps of the reference voltage in a first range above a nominal reference voltage to find a maximum eye width then uses small steps to more precisely find the maximum eye width. If a maximum reference voltage is found in the first range then the second range below the nominal reference voltage does not need to be tested thereby saving additional time and resources.
US09691452B2
Apparatuses and methods for performing concurrent memory access operations for different memory planes are disclosed herein. An example apparatus may include a memory array having a plurality of memory planes. Each of the plurality of memory planes comprises a plurality of memory cells. The apparatus may further include a controller configured to receive a group of memory command and address pairs. Each memory command and address pair of the group of memory command and address pairs may be associated with a respective memory plane of the plurality of memory planes. The internal controller may be configured to concurrently perform memory access operations associated with each memory command and address pair of the group of memory command and address pairs regardless of page types associated with the pairs of the group (e.g., even if two or more of the memory command and address pairs may be associated with different page types).
US09691434B2
Disclosed herein is one embodiment of an apparatus that includes a housing that defines an interior cavity. The housing also includes a spring aperture. The apparatus further includes a spring coupled to the housing over the spring aperture, with the spring having a deflection portion and a feedthrough aperture. The apparatus also has an electrical connector coupled to the spring and extending through the feedthrough aperture and the spring aperture. The electrical connector may have a plurality of electrical traces extending from a location external to the housing to a location within the interior cavity of the housing.
US09691424B2
An apparatus comprises a slider having an air-bearing surface (ABS), a write pole at or near the ABS, and a reader at or near the ABS and connected to a pair of reader bond pads of the slider. A near-field transducer (NFT) is formed on the slider at or near the ABS, and an optical waveguide is formed in the slider and configured to receive light from a laser source. A sensor is situated proximal of the write pole at a location within the slider that receives at least some of the light communicated along the waveguide. The sensor may be electrically coupled to the reader bond pads in parallel with the reader, and configured to generate a signal indicative of output optical power of the laser source.
US09691415B2
According to one embodiment, a disk device includes a disk includes a recording layer, a recording head includes a main pole configured to apply a recording magnetic field onto the recording layer, and a microwave oscillator adjacent to the main pole, configured to apply a microwave magnetic field to the recording layer, a current supply circuit configured to supply a current to the microwave oscillator, and a switching circuit configured to switch a direction of current flow to the microwave oscillator.
US09691414B1
A tape head includes a body, which includes a transducer. The transducer may be a read or write element, respectively configured so as for the tape head to read from or write to a tape, in operation. The body exhibits a tape-bearing surface, which is typically configured to face and interact with the tape, in operation. The tape head further includes a closure. The closure is fixed on a leading side or a trailing side of the body and includes a skiving edge vis-à-vis the transducer. The skiving edge is adjoined by non-skiving edges. Finally, the closure has a top surface that meets the skiving edge; the top surface is level with the tape-bearing surface. Also included are related devices; tape head apparatuses for recording and/or reproducing tapes, comprising such tape heads; and methods of fabrication thereof.
US09691412B2
A communication system and a method can be configured to facilitate the performance of a conference. The system can include a conference organizer terminal and at least two participants' terminals each assigned to respective conference participants who each log in to start a conference on the communication system. The communication system can be configured to calculate a decision situation at a particular point in time of the ongoing conference by analyzing the views expressed by the conference participants during the conference and send data relating to the decision situation for that point in time to the conference organizer's terminal and/or other conference participant terminals for use in facilitating the conference. IN some embodiments, such data can be used to assist the conference participants' in recognizing when there is a consensus made on at least one decision to be made during the conference.
US09691407B2
A noise reduction apparatus according to the present invention includes: a sudden sound information storage unit that stores an input signal that are input before a current input signal is input as sudden sound information, the input signal having a signal level of voice components equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold and including a sudden sound to be suppressed; a phase difference calculation unit that calculates a phase difference between the sudden sound information and a sudden sound in the current input signal based on a maximum value of a correlation value between the sudden sound information and the current input signal; an addition signal generation unit that shifts a phase of the sudden sound information based on the phase difference to generate an addition signal; and a sudden sound suppression unit that adds the addition signal and the current input signal to output an output signal.
US09691405B1
A method performed in an audio decoder for decoding M encoded audio channels representing N audio channels is disclosed. The method includes receiving a bitstream containing the M encoded audio channels and a set of spatial parameters, decoding the M encoded audio channels, and extracting the set of spatial parameters from the bitstream. The method also includes analyzing the M audio channels to detect a location of a transient, decorrelating the M audio channels, and deriving N audio channels from the M audio channels and the set of spatial parameters. A first decorrelation technique is applied to a first subset of each audio channel and a second decorrelation technique is applied to a second subset of each audio channel. The first decorrelation technique represents a first mode of operation of a decorrelator, and the second decorrelation technique represents a second mode of operation of the decorrelator.
US09691404B2
A method performed in an audio decoder for decoding M encoded audio channels representing N audio channels is disclosed. The method includes receiving a bitstream containing the M encoded audio channels and a set of spatial parameters, decoding the M encoded audio channels, and extracting the set of spatial parameters from the bitstream. The method also includes analyzing the M audio channels to detect a location of a transient, decorrelating the M audio channels, and deriving N audio channels from the M audio channels and the set of spatial parameters. A first decorrelation technique is applied to a first subset of each audio channel and a second decorrelation technique is applied to a second subset of each audio channel. The first decorrelation technique represents a first mode of operation of a decorrelator, and the second decorrelation technique represents a second mode of operation of the decorrelator.
US09691398B2
The embodiments of the present invention improves conventional attenuation schemes by replacing constant attenuation with an adaptive attenuation scheme that allows more aggressive attenuation, without introducing audible change of signal frequency characteristics.
US09691380B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for performing dynamic, stroke-based alignment of touch displays. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a candidate transcription that an automated speech recognizer generates for an utterance, determining a particular context associated with the utterance, determining that a particular n-gram that is included in the candidate transcription is included among a set of undesirable n-grams that is associated with the context, adjusting a speech recognition confidence score associated with the transcription based on determining that the particular n-gram that is included in the candidate transcription is included among the set of undesirable n-grams that is associated with the context, and determining whether to provide the candidate transcription for output based at least on the adjusted speech recognition confidence score.
US09691379B1
A speech-based system may be configured to receive and act upon spoken requests from a user. In some cases, a spoken request may ask the system to play content such as music without specifying from which of multiple available content sources the music is to be obtained. In response to such a request, the system analyzes feature scores for each of the content sources. The feature scores indicate usage characteristics of the different sources by a current user or groups of users. The features scores for a particular source may be averaged or otherwise combined to create a composite score, and the source having the highest composite score is selected as the source of the requested content.
US09691372B2
A noise suppression device includes a generator to generate, on basis of phase differences between phases of the signals input from microphones, additional data obtained by rotating the phase differences; an estimator to select one or multiple ranges in association with a direction in which a sound source of a target sound included in the input signals exists at a high probability, and to estimate, on basis of the phase differences and the additional data, a range that is among the selected one or multiple ranges and in which the sound source exists; and an output signal generator configured to generate, on basis of a suppression coefficient set on basis of a result of determination of whether or not the sound source exists in the estimated range, a output signal in which the noise in the input signals is suppressed.
US09691370B1
Acoustical materials of the type provided in panel form for purposes of controlling or adjusting the acoustics of an interior space, such as an auditorium or concert hall, conference room, etc., and commonly referred to as architectural acoustical panels or ceiling panels. A panel comprises multiple layers, such as a surface layer which faces the room or sound source, which in turn comprises wood veneer laminated to a supporting layer and defines a plurality of microperforations extending entirely through, the surface layer. An acoustical absorbing layer may be a wood wool material or, most preferably, high-density fiberglass having a particular orientation, along with a combination of a support material or ribbing, which may define a plurality of cells in which the fiberglass lies. A back support layer may be perforated or solid. The density and orientation of the sound absorbing material combine with the density and quality of the microperforations to produce substantial improvement in sound absorption over a broad range of frequencies.
US09691366B2
A hybrid drum apparatus combines and integrates at least two different types of drums into a common apparatus. The hybrid drum apparatus includes a six-sided box drum upon which a player sits and strikes the front and side surfaces to produce various percussion sounds. The box drum body serves as a housing for another type of drum, such as a djembe, which is an elongated goblet-shaped hollow drum, having a membrane drumhead top. The djembe is integrated into the box drum body such both may be played simultaneously. The hybrid drum provides an opening into which the djembe may be inserted such that the drumhead is relatively flush with the strike surface of the box drum. The rear panel of the box drum is provided with an opening which both supports the bottom end of the djembe and allows for the sounds produced to resonate out from the box drum body. The hybrid drum apparatus may incorporate other elongated drums, such as a doumbek or congo, as well as frame drums, such as a flat drum or tambourine. Advantageously, the hybrid drum apparatus may combine and support a variety of drums interchangeably.
US09691361B2
A method comprises presenting content on a display associated with a computing device, determining one or more security characteristics associated with respective portions of the content on the display, detecting a presence of one or more individuals proximate to the display associated with the computing device, and modifying presentation of at least one of the portions of the content on the display based on an authorization status of at least one individual proximate to the display associated with the computing device and the security characteristics associated with the at least one portion of the content on the display.
US09691354B2
A display driving method and a display driving device for driving a stereoscopic display device are provided. The display driving method comprises: respectively calculating color component of each sub-pixel in a plurality of the first pixel units and color component of each sub-pixel in a plurality of the second pixel units; and determining a sampling region of each sub-pixel, and determining a display brightness of the sub-pixel in accordance with the color components of sub-pixels, which is the same color as the sub-pixel and in pixel units covered by the sampling region of the sub-pixel wherein the sampling region is a rhombic sampling region, and four vertexes of the rhombic sampling region are respectively midpoints of four lines in row and column directions connecting four central points of four sub-pixels, which are the same type as the sub-pixel, adjacent to the sub-pixel, in two columns adjacent to the sub-pixel.
US09691351B2
Embodiments of a process including determining a position of an observer relative to a pixel array positioned on a diffuse surface, the pixel array comprising a plurality of individual display pixels, determining the observer's viewing angle relative to the pixel array based on the position of the observer relative to the pixel array, and adjusting the brightness of the pixel array so that the brightness of the pixel array when viewed at the observer's viewing angle substantially matches the brightness of the diffuse surface when viewed at the observer's viewing angle. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
US09691346B2
A method and an apparatus for a parallel computing program using subbuffers to perform a data processing task in parallel among heterogeneous compute units are described. The compute units can include a heterogeneous mix of central processing units (CPUs) and graphic processing units (GPUs). A system creates a subbuffer from a parent buffer for each of a plurality of heterogeneous compute units. If a subbuffer is not associated with the same compute unit as the parent buffer, the system copies data from the subbuffer to memory of that compute unit. The system further tracks updates to the data and transfers those updates back to the subbuffer.
US09691343B2
A disclosed display device comprises a data line of a display panel, a first switching circuit of the display panel, the first switching circuit including an input and a transistor to pass a test voltage from the input of the first switching circuit to a transistor electrode of the transistor, and a bridge pattern of the display panel, the bridge pattern electrically connecting the transistor electrode to the data line, the bridge pattern being in a different layer of the display panel than the transistor electrode.
US09691334B2
Devices and methods are disclosed that reduce the amount of power consumed by an existing display device irrespective of the display mode. One such method includes recognizing a display mode related to light and dark when no voltage is applied to the display device. The method also includes determining a shift direction for the values of an image based on the recognized display mode so that power consumption is reduced in the display device. The method further includes determining a shift amount for the values of the image in accordance with a predetermined process, and converting the values of the image to be converted in the determined shift direction in accordance with the determined shift amount.
US09691332B2
The present disclosure provides a backlight brightness control method and a device for adjusting brightness of a backlight. The method comprises: receiving a control instruction to adjust a current brightness value to a target brightness value; stopping current supply to backlights of a first backlight assembly, determining a first target current value necessary for backlights of a second backlight assembly to reach the target brightness value, and providing the first target current value to the backlights of the second backlight assembly, when the current brightness value is greater than a first threshold and the target brightness value is less than the first threshold.
US09691331B2
Disclosed herein is a liquid crystal display device formed by laminating at least two first and second liquid crystal panels, the liquid crystal panels being each formed by disposing a liquid crystal layer between two transparent substrates arranged so as to be opposed to each other and two-dimensionally arranging pixels in a form of a matrix on one of the two substrates, and disposing a backlight on a side of the first liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal display device includes: a first driver configured to drive the first liquid crystal panel on a side of the backlight by n-time speed driving in which one frame period is divided into n fields; and a second driver configured to drive the second liquid crystal panel on a display surface side by normal driving in which one frame period is not divided.
US09691317B2
The present invention discloses an image display control method and an image display control device for realizing an ideal display result of chroma by compensating the chroma values of all sub-pixels used for displaying the current frame of an image. The image display control method comprises: acquiring chroma values, output by a signal source, of all sub-pixels needed when a display device displays the current frame of an image; adjusting the acquired chroma values of all the sub-pixels according to pre-stored chroma compensation values corresponding to respective sub-pixels to obtain adjusted chroma values corresponding to respective sub-pixels; and driving the display device according to the adjusted chroma values corresponding to respective sub-pixels to display the current frame of the image.
US09691301B2
A safe needle for instructional use includes a bead affixed to the penetrating needle tip of a dental anesthetic needle. The safe needle allows unlimited practice of pre-invasive technique without the stress and safety issues of using an actual needle.
US09691300B2
Text-to-touch techniques, in accordance with embodiment of the present technology, include apparatuses and methods for receiving content including textual portions and non-textual portions. The textual portions include letters, select words, numbers and punctuation having recognized Braille codes. The non-textual portions may include metadata, graphics, formatting, decorations, hyperlinks, radio buttons, submit buttons, check boxes, windows, icons, fields and/or the like. The systems and methods convert the textual portion to Braille codes and select non-textual portions to haptic feedback. The Braille code may then be output to a user. In addition, the haptic feedback associated with various Braille codes may also be output to the user along the associated Braille codes.
US09691295B2
This application discloses a game that engages a user in correctly reproducing the duration of notes (short, long) to reproduce a melody from a sequence of notes. The melody becomes recognizable when the durations are approximately correct. As a game, the processing system may score the selected durations and provide feedback to the gamer.This technology can be implemented as a method, device, system or article of manufacture. In addition, for some jurisdictions, it can be described as software that produces a technical effect.
US09691294B2
An on-line teaching, learning and assessing system provides a teacher rapid feedback while teaching a classroom lesson on STEM principles by measuring student progress in learning the principles wherein student progress is measured by students' correct answers to assessment questions. The system includes at least one teacher computer and a plurality of student computers linked to the at least one teacher computer by a communications network. Each computer includes an input device and a touch sensitive screen for receiving handwritten input. The teacher inputs the teacher computer with at least one assessment question and at least one corresponding correct answer to the question, both inputs being handwritten using math expressions and STEM sketches. The student inputs the student computer with at least one student answer corresponding to the assessment question, the answer being handwritten using math expressions and STEM sketches.
US09691286B2
Method, system and computer program product for providing a predicted vehicle track and for providing alerts when two predicted vehicle tracks are closer than a threshold amount. A vehicle intent prediction model is generated based on past instance of tracks for a vehicle operation, known vehicle intent data for the past instances, and contextual factors, such as weather, airline operator, air vehicle type or configuration, day of the week, etc. for the past instances. The vehicle intent prediction model can be generated using one or more machine learning algorithms. A future vehicle trajectory for a current vehicle operation can be output by the vehicle intent prediction model using the current track and existing contextual factors for the current vehicle operation. In the event that two vehicles following their respective predicted vehicle future trajectories would be closer than a threshold distance, an alert can be provided.
US09691284B2
Time Triggered Geo-fencing. At least some of the example embodiments are systems including: a processor; a wireless interface coupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores a program that when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive a set of variables related to a geo-fence to be established at a predetermined time for a preset duration; establish the geo-fence at the predetermined time, the geo-fence established for the preset duration; monitor a location of a vehicle using signals received by the processor; and send an alert related to the location of the vehicle if said monitoring indicates the vehicle has crossed the geo-fence within the preset duration.
US09691273B2
A method includes detecting that a particular media device is communicatively coupled to one or more media devices in a set of media devices; in response to detecting that the particular media device is communicatively coupled to the one or more media devices in the set of media devices: automatically sending one or more remote operating codes, for remotely controlling the particular media device, to a remote control device.
US09691272B2
A method, an apparatus, and an electronic device are provided for controlling a smart home device. In the method, the device detects a user trigger operation from a user, where the user trigger operation indicates a request for a control permission to control the smart home device. The device determines whether a wearable device associated with the user is located within a preset distance range. When determining that the wearable device is located within the preset distance range, the device grants the user the control permission.
US09691271B2
A system for installation in a vehicle and for controlling a device, the system including a trainable transceiver, communications electronics, and a processing circuit coupled to the trainable transceiver and the communications electronics. The processing circuit is configured to train the trainable transceiver to control a device using information received from a cloud computing system remote from the device and vehicle via the communications electronics.
US09691259B2
A personal alert safety system comprises a housing adapted to be worn by a user. An accelerometer is in the housing. An alarm device is operatively associated with the housing. A control in the housing is operatively connected to the accelerometer and the alarm device. The control is configured to operate the alarm device responsive to select acceleration movement of the housing sensed by the accelerometer.
US09691257B2
Hazard detection systems and methods according to embodiments described herein are operative to enable a user to interface with the hazard detection system by performing a touchless gesture. The touchless gesture can be performed in a vicinity of the hazard detection system without requiring physical access to the hazard detection system. This enables the user to interact with the hazard detection system even if it is out of reach. The hazard detection system can detect gestures and perform an appropriate action responsive to the detected gesture. In one embodiment, the hazard detection system can silence its audible alarm or preemptively turn off its audible alarm in response to a detected gesture. Gestures can be detected using one or more ultrasonic sensors, or gestures can be detected using a motion detector in combination with one or more ultrasonic sensors.
US09691252B2
A covering component for detecting falls includes: a body delimited by edges, a plurality of pressure sensors distributed in accordance with a selected geometry in the body, a processing unit connected to at least some of the pressure sensors and which is arranged to collect state information of these pressure sensors, and at least a first socket and a second socket, each of which is connected to the processing unit which is arranged in the region of an edge, and which is arranged so as to be able to be connected to a socket of another similar component. The processing unit is arranged to: associate location information taken from this state information with location information of the component, receive via the first socket information originating from a first other similar component, and transmit, via the second socket, the associated information and/or received information to a second other similar component.
US09691250B2
A system, apparatus, and method of providing an alert when an infant or child is in a child safety seat in a vehicle. Exemplary embodiments can include a pressure sensor and a transmitted signal, such as a continuously transmitted signal, when an infant or child is in a child safety seat and other conditions are met. In some examples, if a continuously transmitted signal is broken or otherwise fails to transmit, an alert may be provided. The alert may be provided through any of a variety of data transmission protocols to any of a variety of devices or locations, for example a mobile phone, smart phone, dedicated alert device, or emergency call center, depending on desired conditions.
US09691247B2
A fire detection apparatus 1 including a wind ascertainment device 6 and an evaluation device 3, and connectable to at least one monitoring camera 2 for recording image data of a monitoring region. The evaluation device 3 includes a control unit 7, configured for evaluation of wind parameters provided by the wind ascertainment device 6. The evaluation device 3 includes an image processing unit 4 configured to evaluate at least one fire detection feature from the image data transmitted from the monitoring camera 2, wherein the control unit 7 switches the image processing unit 4 to different fire detection operation modes in dependence on the wind parameters.
US09691231B2
Probability of prize occurrence is easily controlled without provision of a blank between symbols on a reel. A gaming machine 300 includes a lower image display panel 141 configured to variable-display symbol arrays 170 each including a plurality of normal symbols 501 and a plurality of crest symbols 502 arranged among the normal symbols 501, and then rearrange the normal symbols 501 and the blank symbols 502 in a symbol display region 150 having a matrix of cells. The gaming machine 300 generates a line win or a scatter win when the normal symbols 501 are rearranged on the lower image display panel 141 in a predetermined manner, and generates a crest win which is lower than the line win and the scatter win when a predetermined number or more of the crest symbols 502 are rearranged.
US09691230B2
A method of playing a five card draw video poker wagering game on a gaming device comprising at least a processer, input device and video monitor screen is disclosed. The method comprises providing bonus features in video poker games without requiring an extra wager in addition to a base wager, without lowering the paytable, and basing the paytable on the total wager. In lieu of an extra wager, a predetermined set of dealt hands is automatically disqualified, effectively ending the game and forfeiting the wager. All dealt hands that are not disqualified are qualified hands. The player is eligible to receive at least one randomly-provided bonus feature or guaranteed bonus feature on every qualified hand.
US09691229B2
In some embodiments, the present invention provides for a game-operating computer game system, that includes at least one server and software stored on a non-transient computer readable medium accessible by the at least one server, where the software is at least configured to: (a) conduct the game drawing; (b) determine at least one winning ticket based on the game drawing; (c) identify at least one winning purchase location of the at least one winning ticket; (d) identify at least one pool of non-winning players based on the at least one winning purchase location; (e) calculate a community prize; (f) divide the community prize to determine a plurality of non-winning prizes; (g) award the plurality of non-winning prizes to the at least one pool of non-winning players; and (h) display a notification about each of the plurality of non-winning prizes to each non-winning player of the pool of non-winning players.
US09691220B2
An electromechanical gaming machine constructed to receive real world credits from a user, and operate an anti-sandbagging wagering system. One embodiment includes an entertainment controller, a game world controller, and a real world controller. The entertainment controller generates a skill-based entertainment game, records user identification information, receives the user's interactions, determines the user's level of skill, associates it with the user's identification information, and communicates user information to the game world controller; the real world controller, determines a gambling outcome for a wager, and the game world controller instructs the real world controller to execute the wager based on the user's interaction with the skill-based entertainment game, receives the user information, generates an anti-sandbagging provision that triggers a user identity confirmation, applies the anti-sandbagging provision, and performs the user identity confirmation.
US09691218B2
A method and system to provide user-configurable preferences and/or options for team play on a single gaming machine is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented gaming system comprises a memory device having stored thereon a gaming application that enables multiplayer, turn-based gameplay among one or more players. A computer-processing unit is operatively connected to the memory device and processes the gaming application to enable the one or more players to specify a condition for determining when a player's turn at gameplay ends. Processing the gaming application further includes determining that the condition is satisfied for a current player and generating a message to indicate that the current player's turn at gameplay is terminated. A display presents the generated message to the one or more players.
US09691212B2
Embodiments of the invention can include systems and methods for providing a combined product for dispensing from a product dispenser. In one embodiment, a system can provide a combined product for dispensing from a product dispenser. The system can include a code generation module operable to receive data associated with a plurality of product recipes; and generate a machine readable item with a combined recipe including the plurality of product recipes, wherein the machine readable item configures a product dispenser to dispense the combined recipe.
US09691210B2
A coin processing device (10) and a method for classifying coins are provided. The coin processing device (10) includes at least one computerized controller (9) having a storage unit (36), and at least one coin channel (34) for guiding a coin (35). The at least one coin channel (34) includes at least one sensor (37) suitable for measuring a passage time of the coin (35). An accelerating device (43) is connected to the computerized controller (9) and is designed to accelerate the coin (35) in a reproducible manner. A target speed value for a specified coin (35) is stored in the storage unit (36). An actual speed value is calculated based on the transport time detected by the sensor (37). A coin class of the coin (35) is ascertained by the computerized controller (9) from the comparison of the target speed value and the actual speed value.
US09691207B2
An electronic lock having one or more lock settings that can be updated using a mobile device. The mobile device includes an app that provides a user interface through which one or more lock settings of the electronic lock can be selected and modified. When the user has made the desired selections to the lock settings on the mobile device, the mobile device wirelessly transmits these settings to the electronic lock. The electronic lock is configured to update its lock settings based on the wireless communication from the mobile device.
US09691205B2
A cloud-based locking system and method, comprising a network-connected server comprising at least a memory and a processor and further comprising programmable instructions stored in the memory and operating on the processor, the instructions adapted to a system for locking and unlocking a common access entry point comprising, at least, a lock control interface, a relay, and a communication manager, is disclosed. The lock control interface is operably connected to a relay wherein the relay is electrically connected to a locking system of a common access entry point and able to lock and unlock a locking device thereon. The communication manager is configured to receive a request to lock or unlock the locking device from a network wherein the communication manager is operably connected to the lock control interface to issue commands to the lock control interface based on the request.
US09691204B2
A system includes a processor configured to receive a vehicle-access-PIN generation request from a vehicle computing system (VCS). The processor is also configured to generate the vehicle-access-PIN. The processor is additionally configured to associate a vehicle with the vehicle-access-PIN. Further, the processor is configured to return the vehicle-access-PIN to the requesting VCS. Also, the processor is configured to receive a validation request, including a validation-PIN, from a non-vehicle computing system (NVCS). In addition, the processor is configured to validate the validation-PIN by comparison with stored vehicle-access-PINs to find a match and provide access credentials, for a vehicle associated with a stored vehicle-access-PIN that matches the validation-PIN, to the NVCS.
US09691186B2
A method of generating a design for a device is disclosed. The method includes electronically accessing a reference geometry representing the topology, and electronically accessing a source polygonal data model, where the source polygonal data model includes a plurality of source vertices. The method also includes modifying position characteristics of one or more of the source vertices, where the source vertices are modified so that after the source polygonal data model is subdivided, vertices in the subdivided polygonal data model corresponding with the modified source vertices conform to the reference geometry. The method also includes subdividing the source polygonal data model having the modified source vertices to generate the design, where subdividing the source polygonal data model causes vertices in the design to be positioned such that the design conforms with the reference geometry at least partly because of the modified position characteristics of the modified source vertices.
US09691177B2
Techniques are disclosed for simplifying an occluder representing 3D graphics data. Graphics data corresponding to one or more 3D objects is voxelized. A plurality of planes is generated to intersect the voxelized graphics data. Intersections between the planes and the voxelized graphics data are evaluated to identify corresponding slice polygons from the intersections. A subset of the planes is selected to maximize a correctness of a simplified occluder. The simplified occluder representing the object is generated from a union of the selected subset of the planes.
US09691166B2
A radiation CT apparatus that can gain a clear tomogram without a rotation axis runout and without fail through a single CT scan and a simple operation is provided. When the data on the projection with radiation collected through a CT scan is first reconstructed through an arithmetic operation by a reconstruction arithmetic operation unit 13, temporary coordinates that have been set in advance as the coordinates of the projected rotation axis so as to construct a tomogram along a predetermined sliced surface are used, this tomogram is displayed on the screen for changing the rotation axis coordinates that include the temporary coordinates, and the coordinates of the projected rotation axis are shifted by any amount in any direction through an operation on the screen so that a reconstruction arithmetic operation is again carried out in the reconstruction arithmetic operation unit 13.
US09691165B2
Methods and systems of reconstructing an eyelid are provided. A method of reconstructing an eyelid includes obtaining one or more images of the eyelid, generating one or more image input data for the one or more images of the eyelid, generating one or more reconstruction data for the one or more images of the eyelid, and reconstructing a spatio-temporal digital representation of the eyelid using the one or more input image data and the one or more reconstruction data.
US09691164B2
A method and system for symbol-space based pattern compression. The method includes identifying a plurality of basic image symbols in an input sequence; assigning, to each of the plurality of basic image symbols, at least one connecting port; generating an output sequence by replacing each identified basic image symbol with an identification symbol, wherein the output sequence indicates connections between pairs of the plurality of basic image symbols based on the connecting ports, wherein each identification symbol is not a previously used symbol; and storing the output sequence as a data layer.
US09691157B2
A framework for visualization is described herein. In accordance with one implementation, one or more structures of interest are localized in a three-dimensional image. A position of an anatomical label may be determined using a positioning technique that is selected according to a view type of a visualization plane through the image, wherein the position of the anatomical label is outside the one or more structures of interest. The anatomical label may then be displayed at the determined position in the visualization plane.
US09691155B2
An image processing apparatus comprises a video input unit, a region division unit configured to divide an image acquired by the video input unit into a plurality of regions each including pixels of similar attributes, a feature extraction unit configured to extract a feature from each divided region, a background model storage unit configured to store a background model generated from a feature of a background in advance, and a feature comparison unit configured to compare the extracted feature with a feature in the background model and determine for each of the regions whether the region is the background.
US09691152B1
Approaches provide for minimizing variations in the height of a camera of a computing device when estimating the distance to objects represented in image data captured by the camera. For example, a front-facing camera of a computing device can be used to capture a live camera view of a user. An application can analyze the image data to locate features of the user's face for purposes of aligning the user with the computing device. As the position and/orientation of the device changes with respect to the user, the image data can be analyzed to detect whether a location of a representation of a feature of the user aligns with the alignment element. Once the feature is aligned with the alignment element, a rear-facing camera (or other camera) can capture second image data of an object. The second image data can be analyzed to determine a geometric relationship between the rear-facing camera and the object, and the geometric relationship can be used to determine a distance to the object with respect to the computing device.
US09691144B2
A method and a system for density measurement of zooplankton in situ in an aqueous solution are provided. The method comprises acquiring at least one image of a volume of the aqueous solution; processing the at least one image and identifying particles in the at least one image; analyzing the identified particles based on a sharpness of each particle, and identifying zooplankton to be counted.
US09691141B2
A video correction apparatus includes: a resolution adjuster to determine resolution values and a filter coefficient of at least one filter for performing filtering process, and adjust an initial resolution of the color component of the input image to the resolution values to generate resolution-adjusted images; an illumination component extractor to extract illumination components by using the color component of the input image and the at least one filter; a reflection component extractor to extract reflection components of the resolution-adjusted images by removing the illumination components from the resolution-adjusted images; a color adjuster to generate sum images by using the reflection components and the resolution-adjusted images; and an image synthesizer to generate readjusted images by readjusting the resolutions of the sum images to the initial resolution of the color component of the input image, and generate a corrected image corresponding to the color component of the input image.
US09691134B2
An image processing apparatus capable of properly suppressing coloring caused by image restoration processing. A feature amount of a color of pixels in RAW image data obtained through photographing via an image pickup optical system is calculated as a first color feature amount. Restoration processing is performed on the RAW image data using a restoration filter for improving image quality degraded due to aberration of the image pickup optical system to thereby generate restored image data. A feature amount of a color of pixels in the restored image data is calculated as a second color feature amount. A pixel value of the restored image data is corrected according to a result of comparison between an amount of change in the second color feature amount with respect to the first color feature amount and a threshold value which is set based on a predetermined condition.
US09691131B1
An image processing method and corresponding system stores in computer memory image size data representing a plurality of image sizes. First user interface controls are displayed on a display device to allow a user to specify a source image. The image size data stored in computer memory is used to produce data representing a plurality of transformed images corresponding to the source image with sizes that correspond to the image sizes represented by the image size data. A display window is displayed on the display device where the data representing the plurality of transformed images is used to simultaneously display representations of the plurality of transformed images in a particular area of the display window for viewing by the user.
US09691121B1
Techniques for distributed determination of scene information are described herein. Scene information may include, for example, information associated with geometries, lighting, colors, texture, shading, shadows, audio, camera attributes, and other information associated with a scene. A first portion of scene information may, for example, be determined by one or more first components, while a second portion of scene information may, for example, be determined by one or more second components. In some cases, at least part of the first portion of scene information may be provided from the one or more first components to the one or more second components. The one or more second components may use the at least part of the first portion of scene information in combination with at least part of the second portion of scene information to generate at least part of a resulting image and/or resulting audio associated with the scene.
US09691116B2
Systems and methods using intelligent barcodes for processing mail, packages, or other items in transport are provided. Systems and methods allowing end-to-end visibility of a mail stream by uniquely identifying and tracking mail pieces are also provided. Systems and methods include the use of standardized intelligent barcodes on mail pieces, a seamless process for mail acceptance, continuous mail piece tracking, and feedback on mail quality in real time. In one embodiment, systems and methods using intelligent barcodes allow a mailing service to provide enhanced acceptance, sorting, tracking, address correction, forwarding, and delivery services. In another embodiment, systems and methods using intelligent barcodes allow a mailing service to identify a mail piece as undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) and determine a final disposition for the mail piece. In yet another embodiment, systems and methods using intelligent barcodes allow mailers more visibility into the mail stream and information on the quality of their mailings.
US09691113B2
A travel information system is a software method of organizing and distributing air-travel related information amongst a plurality of subscribers. The software will begin by receiving updated air-travel information from an airline or an airport. The software will then format this information into a textual message that can comprehended by a user. Next, the software will tag the textual message with a unique designator for the specific airline or airport. Once the textual messages is formatted and tagged, the software will publish the textual message on a middleware broker, which allows a plurality of subscribers to access the textual message. The software will also send the textual message to a specific subscriber if that subscriber inputted a request that matches the unique designator of the airline or airport.
US09691106B2
A method, data processing system, and computer program product for locating people. A mobile data processing system identifies a number of degrees of separation from a requestor for use in searching for the people. The mobile data processing system searches a network data processing system for data structures that contain information about associations between the people that are within the number of degrees of separation from the requestor to generate an initial group of people. The mobile network data processing system identifies a group of people from the initial group of people that are within a geographic location based on a location of the mobile data processing system and a portion of the group of people who are online. The mobile data processing system displays the portion of the group of people on a display device for the mobile data processing system.
US09691093B2
A system and method is disclosed having at least one sensor operable to detect a presence of a consumer in a retail environment and at least one database storing personal information of the consumer and a plurality of sales representatives employed by the retail environment. The personal information includes at least one of a personality profile based on data from at least one social network system and text communications, photographic data, and video data on the social network system. A computing device is also provided that includes at least one processor and at least one network connection. The processor is operable to compare the personal information of the consumer with the personal information of each of the plurality of sales representatives and select one of the plurality of sales representatives to service the consumer based on the comparison.
US09691092B2
Methods and systems for predicting and responding to customer needs using local positioning technology are presented. In some embodiments, a customer assistance computing platform may receive one or more attributes associated with a beacon signal received by a customer computing device and an identifier associated with the customer computing device. Subsequently, the computing platform may determine an identity of a customer using the customer computing device. The computing platform then may determine a location of the customer using the customer computing device based on the one or more attributes associated with the beacon signal. Thereafter, the computing platform may determine one or more predicted needs of the customer. Then, the computing platform may generate a notification based on the predicted needs of the customer and may send the notification to the customer computing device.
US09691083B2
A method of optimizing placement of references to an entity includes identifying at least search term to be optimized, determining a score for results of a search of a network with respect to the entity, determining costs associated with improving the score, and determining values associated with improving the score.
US09691082B1
Systems, devices, and methods for providing a dynamic subscription update feature in a wireless communications network are disclosed herein. An exemplary system for providing a dynamic subscription update feature in a wireless communications network is configured to receive offline data and in-call data from a plurality of network entities for use in determining, in accordance with one or more rules, whether at least one subscriber is eligible to receive a subscription update offer and receive a response message indicating whether the at least one subscriber accepts or declines the offer. A device configured to receive a subscription update offer and respond with an acceptance or decline message is disclosed. Methods for operating the aforementioned system and device are also disclosed.
US09691081B2
Systems, methods and computer program products for providing an error-specific advertisement at a client computer. According to one embodiment, a method, implemented in a computer system, of providing an error-specific advertisement at a client computer is provided. The method may include determining that an error has occurred, identifying an advertisement for a product or a service relating to resolution of the error and/or generating an error message. The error message may include the advertisement and information regarding the error.
US09691077B2
An award system associated with a telephony communications system analyzes one or more users' telephony activity to determine if the telephony activity satisfies certain predetermined award rules. If a single user's telephony activity satisfies one or more award rules, the system makes an award to the user. The making of an award can include posting the award on a social networking site with which the user is associated. The analysis can also include collecting information about a predetermined type of telephony activity for multiple users of the system, and determining which of the multiple users has experienced the most of the predetermined type of telephony activity. An award is then granted to those users who experienced the most of the predetermined type of telephony activity.
US09691072B2
The present invention provides a system and method for generating electronic forms for purchasing a financial product, such as a variable annuity. The present invention enables a user (e.g., an agent, a seller, etc.) to access a web-based application where pre-interview data of a client may be entered. The web-based application may then setup interview transaction templates based on various rules and other considerations for gathering appropriate information from a client. The transaction may be stored on the user's desktop device which may be used to remotely gather interview data from a client. During the interview process, the user may collect data offline. At the end of the interview process, the user may reconnect with the web-based application for transmitting data to a server. The server may then generate the appropriate forms based on the interview data gathered remotely and/or other sources of information.
US09691070B2
An automated voice-based customer service system assists TV subscribers without engaging a customer service representative at a call center. A spoken user query is captured by a hand-held remote control device equipped with a microphone. The remote control device transmits voice data to a television content receiver and the voice data is sent to an automated customer service system. The automated customer service system decodes the user query and formulates a response. The response is then transmitted back to the television content receiver for presentation to the user as a voice response, on-screen text response, or as a modification to equipment settings. The user is able to converse verbally with the voice-based automated customer service system. Such a protocol assists subscribers in solving most common, routine problems without involvement of a human customer service representative. The automated customer service system can be programmed to process user queries about billing as well as technical difficulties concerning content reception, tuning, or display of television signals, and device connectivity.
US09691069B2
A method of routing a voice communication from an information handling system to one of a plurality of queues includes automatically obtaining an identifier from the information handling system that uniquely identifies the information handling system, and transmitting the identifier so that the voice communication can be routed to one of the queues.
US09691064B2
A greeting card stored-value card combinations and methods of forming said combinations are provided. In one embodiment, these combinations include a greeting card comprising means for affixing a stored-value card thereto. These combinations also include a stored-value card affixed to the greeting card. A single identifier, such as a Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) or a Universal Product Code (UPC), is assigned to the bundle that uniquely identifies the bundled greeting card and stored-value card. The single identifier provides identification means allowing the stored-value card to be activated. A single capture of the single identifier enables the customer to both purchase the greeting card stored-value card combination product as well as to activate the store-value card.
US09691060B2
Methods and apparatus for recovering a transaction cost in connection with a transaction between a customer and a merchant are provided. The transaction cost may be recovered from a transaction that originates at a merchant location associated with a merchant category code. The transaction cost may be recovered from a low-value purchase. A recovery amount associated with the low-value purchase may include a fixed amount. The recovery amount associated with the low-value purchase may include a percentage of the acceptance cost. The recovery amount may be shared among two or more transaction participant. The recovery amount may be dynamically adjusted. Methods and apparatus may include providing adequate notice of changes in the recovery amount. The transaction cost may be recovered utilizing central control over network of merchant locations.
US09691059B1
Systems and methods for performing a transaction with a headless point-of-sale or automated teller machine (ATM) device are disclosed using a card having a second communications path to a financial services provider. A card having a display and radio frequency (RF) communications module may be authenticated with a headless point-of-sale device using a short-range RF communications link. Characteristics of the card may be set prior to the transaction. Transaction information may be provided to the display of the card from the headless point-of-sale device. A customer may confirm the transaction at the card using a touch-sensitive input area. During the processing, a communication may be made over the second communications path to authorize the transaction independently of the transaction processing path. A transaction may then be completed at the headless point-of-sale device.
US09691053B1
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for data management pertaining to master data management, processing, and optimization; to maintenance management; and to asset management. A master data management system may include a dynamic object identification system. The dynamic object identification system may identify objects using a segmented and coded globally unique identifier. The globally unique identifier may be updated while the objects are within the system. The globally unique identifier may comprise coded segments including a personal identification number, an external key, technical data, and administration data. The technical and administration data may be more or less detailed, depending on, among others, the object, its history of use, and its present circumstances. Implementation of the asset management system may include the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. The RFID tags may store detailed object information, including critical object information and a globally unique identifier.
US09691051B2
Security enhancement through application access control for cloud-based services and/or storage accounts is disclosed. In one aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure include a method, which may be implemented on a system, for providing, via the collaboration environment, applications for use by a user in the collaboration environment. The applications are selectable by a user, through the collaboration environment, for use in interaction and engagement with other users in the collaboration environment in collaboration sessions. The applications that are visible or available for use by the user is configurable by another user (e.g., administrator or IT specialist) with appropriate permissions, though a designated console.
US09691047B2
In a method of using structured communication in a plurality of observation platforms, within a first observation platform associated with a first radio range, a second communication device associated with a computer system receives a signal from a first communication device. A first characteristic of the signal corresponds to an audible source and a second characteristic of the signal corresponds to information indicative of a geographic position of the first communication device. The computer system: recognizes a first user associated with the first communication device; derives context information for the signal; and relays the signal, via a computer network, to a second computer system associated with a second observation platform. The second observation platform is associated with a second radio range outside of the first radio range. In the second observation platform, the signal is relayed via the second computer system to a derived destination in the second observation platform.
US09691020B2
Provided is a DNN learning method that can reduce DNN learning time using data belonging to a plurality of categories. The method includes the steps of training a language-independent sub-network 120 and language-dependent sub-networks 122 and 124 with training data of Japanese and English. This step includes: a first step of training a DNN obtained by connecting neurons in an output layer of the sub-network 120 with neurons in an input layer of sub-network 122 with Japanese training data; a step of forming a DNN by connecting the sub-network 124 in place of the sub-network 122 to the sub-network 120 and training it with English data; repeating these steps alternately until all training data ends; and after completion, separating the first sub-network 120 from other sub-networks and storing it as a category-independent sub-network in a storage medium.
US09691019B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for depth concatenation using a matrix computation unit. One of the methods includes: receiving a request to process network inputs to a neural network using an integrated circuit, the neural network comprising a depth concatenation neural network layer; and generating instructions that, when executed by the integrated circuit, cause the integrated circuit to performing operations comprising: for each spatial location in a first input tensor to the depth concatenation layer and a second input tensor to the depth concatenation layer: multiplying, using the matrix computation unit, a second depth vector for the spatial location by a shift weight matrix for the depth concatenation layer to generate a shifted second depth vector; and adding the shifted second depth vector and a first input depth vector for the spatial location to generate a concatenated depth vector.
US09691002B2
The invention relates to a system and method for adjusting the color of image objects based on chained reference points and/or light gradients to account for the effects of lighting conditions that can vary across different environments, according to an implementation of the invention. To chain reference points and/or characterize light gradients, the system may determine a color shift value, which represents the effects of lighting conditions of a target environment (in which the lighting conditions may be unknown) relative to a reference environment (in which the lighting conditions may be known). The chained reference points, gradient characterization, color shift values, and/or other information may be used to store a delta map that characterizes the lighting conditions of an environment so that it may be reused for subsequent color shifts without re-characterizing the environment.
US09691001B2
An image processing device includes a feature point detecting section which detects a feature point from an image and which includes a ternarizing section and a determining section. The ternarizing section sets each pixel of the image as a target pixel and inputs pixel values of the target pixel and surrounding pixels. The ternarizing section changes each of the pixel values of the surrounding pixels to one of three signal values which represent that brightness of a surrounding pixel is brighter or darker than or similar to brightness of the target pixel. When the number of consecutive surrounding pixels having the same signal value is equal to or greater than a threshold, the determining section determines the target pixel as the feature point.
US09690994B2
A demarcation line candidate recognizing unit recognizes demarcation line candidates which are candidates for a pair of right and left demarcation lines demarcating a lane based on edge points having predetermined continuity in an image captured by a camera. A demarcation line candidate modifying unit excludes edge points whose corresponding positions in a real space are a predetermined distance or more away from the camera in the case where parallelism between the pair of right and left demarcation line candidates recognized by the demarcation line candidate recognizing unit is equal to or less than a predetermined level and re-recognizes the pair of right and left demarcation line candidates based on the edge points having predetermined continuity among the edge points which have not been excluded.
US09690992B2
A plurality of frame images are extracted from a moving image, and image analysis is performed to determine a scene of each frame image. The plurality of frame images are divided into divided frame image groups according to a replay order of the moving image while taking one frame image different from the scenes of preceding and following frame images in the replay order of the moving image, or two or more frame images, in which the same scene is consecutive, as a divided frame image group. It is determined whether or not to publish each divided frame image group based on the priority of publishing, and frame images included in the divided frame image group determined to be published are combined to generate the digest moving image of the moving image. The digest moving image is uploaded to a server through a network.
US09690991B2
Systems and methods of quickly recognizing or differentiating many objects are presented. Contemplated systems include an object model database storing recognition models associated with known modeled objects. The object identifiers can be indexed in the object model database based on recognition features derived from key frames of the modeled object. Such objects are recognized by a recognition engine at a later time. The recognition engine can construct a recognition strategy based on a current context where the recognition strategy includes rules for executing one or more recognition algorithms on a digital representation of a scene. The recognition engine can recognize an object from the object model database, and then attempt to identify key frame bundles that are contextually relevant, which can then be used to track the object or to query a content database for content information.
US09690988B2
An image processing apparatus including a detection unit configured to detect a face area and an eye area from images that are sequentially input; a motion vector calculation unit configured to calculate, between two of the images, a first motion vector in the face area and second motion vectors in a plurality of blocks obtained by dividing the eye area; a similarity calculation unit configured to calculate, for each pair of the images, a value relevant to a similarity between the first motion vector and each of the second motion vectors; and a determination unit configured to determine whether blinking has occurred based on the value relevant to the similarity.
US09690985B2
An apparatus recognizes an object using a hole in a depth image. An apparatus may include a foreground extractor to extract a foreground from the depth image, a hole determiner to determine whether a hole is present in the depth image, based on the foreground and a color image, a feature vector generator to generate a feature vector, by generating a plurality of features corresponding to the object based on the foreground and the hole, and an object recognizer to recognize the object, based on the generated feature vector and at least one reference feature vector.
US09690983B2
A task assistance system includes: a location detection unit (101) for setting a sensing plane in a first face side of a display means capable of displaying a plurality of articles and calculating location information of a hand located on the sensing plane or location information of an object different from the hand; a region setting unit (102) for setting a plurality of sensing regions on the sensing plane using the location information of the hand or the location information of the object calculated by the location detection unit (101); and a pass-through region determination unit (104) for determining which one of the plurality of sensing regions a hand extended to the display means from the first face side has passed through using the location information of the hand calculated by the location detection unit (101), after the region setting unit (102) sets the plurality of sensing regions.
US09690976B2
This document describes methods, systems and computer program products directed to imaging blood cells. The subject matter described in this document can be embodied in a method of classifying white blood cells (WBCs) in a biological sample on a substrate. The method includes acquiring, by an image acquisition device, a plurality of images of a first location on the substrate, and classifying, by a processor, objects in the plurality of images into WBC classification groups. The method also includes identifying, by a processor, objects from at least some classification groups, as unclassified objects, and displaying, on a user interface, the unclassified objects and at least some of the classified objects.
US09690971B2
A photo-sensing unit including a first electrode, a first insulation layer, a photo-sensing structure and a second electrode is provided. The first insulation layer covers the first electrode and has an opening exposing the first electrode. The photo-sensing structure is located on the first electrode and disposed in the opening of the first insulation layer. The photo-sensing structure includes a first photo-sensing layer and a second photo-sensing layer stacked with each other. A material of the first photo-sensing layer is SixGeyOz. A material of the second photo-sensing layer is SivOw. The second electrode covers the photo-sensing structure. A photo-sensing apparatus including the photo-sensing unit and a fabricating method of a photo-sensing unit are also provided.
US09690957B2
RFID systems are disclosed that include at least one RFID receiver system and a distributed exciter architecture. Exciters can be connected via wired and/or wireless connections to the RFID receiver system, which can control activation of the exciters to detect the presence of RFID tags within interrogation spaces defined by the exciter topology. One embodiment includes an RFID receiver system configured to detect information from RFID tags within a receive coverage area, and a plurality of exciters defining a plurality of interrogation spaces within the receive coverage area of the receiver system. The receiver system is configured to transmit a control signal that identifies one of the exciters and includes information indicative of an RFID tag interrogation signal, the exciters are configured to receive the control signal, and the exciter identified in the control signal is configured to illuminate an interrogation space with the RFID tag interrogation signal.
US09690954B2
Securing encrypted virtual hard disks may include a variety of processes. In one example, a virtual hard disk is created for a user and encrypted with a volume key, and the volume key placed in an administrator header. The administrator header may be encrypted with a protection key, the protection key created from a user identifier corresponding to the user, a volume identifier corresponding to the virtual hard disk, and two cryptographic secrets. The protection key may then destroyed after encrypting the administrator header and therefore, might never leave the encryption engine. The two cryptographic secrets may be stored in separate storage locations, one accessible to the user and the other accessible to administrators. Accordingly, the protection key might never transmitted or can be intercepted, and no single entity may be compromised to gain access to all of the information needed to recreate the protection key.
US09690931B1
The disclosed techniques provide systems and methods for detecting coordinated attacks on social networking databases containing personal end-user data. More specifically, various advanced persistent threat (APT) detection procedures are described that explore the commonality between specific targets of various private data accesses. In one embodiment, a threat detection tool is configured to process various private data accesses initiated by a source user account in order to identify associated query structures. The tool then applies one or more filters to the private data accesses to identify a subset of the private data accesses that have query structures indicating specific targets and processes these specific targets to determine if an access pattern exists. The access pattern can indicate, for example, a measure of commonality among two or more of the specific targets. If an access pattern exists, the threat detection tool can trigger an alarm.
US09690928B2
Computing platform security methods and apparatus are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a security application to configure a security task, the security task to detect a malicious element on a computing platform, the computing platform including a central processing unit and a graphics processing unit; and an offloader to determine whether the central processing unit or the graphics processing unit is to execute the security task; and when the graphics processing unit is to execute the security task, offload the security task to the graphics processing unit for execution.
US09690927B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an authenticating service of a chip having an intrinsic identifier (ID). In a typical embodiment, an authenticating device is provided that includes an identification (ID) engine, a self-test engine, and an intrinsic component. The intrinsic component is associated with a chip and includes an intrinsic feature. The self-test engine retrieves the intrinsic feature and communicates it to the identification engine. The identification engine receives the intrinsic feature, generates a first authentication value using the intrinsic feature, and stores the authentication value in memory. The self-test engine generates a second authentication value using an authentication challenge. The identification engine includes a compare circuitry that compares the first authentication value and the second authentication value and generates an authentication output value based on the results of the compare of the two values.
US09690924B2
Two-factor authentication can be provided transparently to a user by virtue of proof information available at a mobile communication device. For example, after an access request for a service is sent, an authentication code can be intercepted from a responsive incoming message. The technologies can incorporate a cost proof as part of a cost optimization. Other features such as obfuscation and separate channels can be incorporated into the technologies to provide a superior user experience while implementing superior security.
US09690919B2
Authenticating users comprises a computing device that receives a manual authentication input of a user and initiates a first user session between the user and the user computing device. The device communicates a request for a first user authorization data from an authentication technology associated with the one or more computing devices and receives the first user authentication data. The user or the device terminates the first user session and subsequently receives an input of the user to initiate a second user session. The device communicates a request for second user authentication data from the authentication technology and compares the first user authentication data and the second user authentication data. The device identifies a match of one or more features of the first user authentication data and one or more features of the second user authentication data and authorizes the user to conduct the second user session.
US09690912B2
An interactive streaming media and application service provider system can securely stream high resolution, multiple formats of video and data. Different data sets can be included in a single stream. A rights management system controls matrix manipulation and other aspects of user control of the data, including one or more of rendering in various different 2D, 3D, or other media formats, reconstruction and modeling, zooming, frame grab, print frame, parental controls, picture in picture, preventing unauthorized copying, adapting to different data transmission formats, adapting to different resolutions and screen sizes, and actively control functionality contained in embedded data, encryption/decryption. Control can be exerted by an external entity through a user-side virtual machine. Control codes can optionally be embedded in the media, embedded in the user's device, and/or sent separately to the device.
US09690911B2
An information distribution apparatus includes an acquiring unit that acquires individual identification information, product identification information, and user identification information. The information distribution apparatus includes a storing unit that stores the authentication information and the user identification information in an associated manner in a predetermined storing device. The information distribution apparatus includes a deciding unit that decides, whether the received authentication information and the received user identification information are stored in an associated manner in the predetermined storing device. The information distribution apparatus includes a distributing unit that distributes, when it is decided by the deciding unit that the received authentication information and the received user identification information are stored in an associated manner in the predetermined storing device, content that is identified by product identification information that is associated with the authentication information to the terminal device.
US09690907B2
A method for providing decision support includes using a programmed computer to input a regression model specification, and to repeat the input a plurality of times to obtain and store a plurality of regression model specifications. The method further includes using the programmed computer to analyze selected regression model specifications to determine at least one of common variables and functions of common variables, to thereby determine a reduced-redundancy request for input of variables, when a plurality of the stored regression model specifications are selected for use.
US09690906B2
An object investigation and classification system may include an object test system, a data storage system, and a data processing system. The object test system may receive a command to perform at least one action with a test object, perform the at least one action with the test object, and return test information indicative of at least one percept resulting from the at least one action. The data storage system may contain an experience database containing data indicative of multiple classifications and, for each classification, at least one action that was performed with at least one previously-observed reference object having this classification, and at least one percept value that is based in whole or in part on the test information resulting from the at least one action.
US09690901B1
Aspects relating to client server interactions using cookies are provided. A computer-implemented method is provided that includes receiving a request from a user for a first advertisement associated with a first advertiser, the request including first cookie data, the first cookie data including a first identifier specified for a first cookie, the first cookie being associated with a first group of advertisers including the first advertiser and a third advertiser, receiving a request from the user for a second advertisement associated with a second advertiser, the request including second cookie data, the second cookie data including a second identifier specified for a second cookie, the second cookie being associated with a second group of advertisers including the second advertiser and where the advertisers of the second group of advertisers are distinct from the advertisers of the first group of advertisers.
US09690900B2
A system and method of performing an intra-run decision during synthesis to determine a physical implementation of a system-on-chip (SoC) logic design are described. The method includes executing a stage of the synthesis with two or more scenarios, each scenario representing a unique combination of values of one or more parameters, and determining a quality measure associated with each of the two or more scenarios. The method also includes performing the intra-run decision by eliminating one or more of the two or more scenarios for execution in a subsequent stage of the synthesis based on the quality measure associated with each of the two or more scenarios.
US09690899B2
Methods of the present disclosure can include methods for prioritized path tracing in a statistical timing analysis of integrated circuits. Methods of the present disclosure can include: determining a required arrival time for a merge point in a statistical timing graph, the merge point having a plurality of associated input edges; calculating a plurality of edge slack distributions for each of the plurality of input edges and the required arrival time at the merge point; projecting a representative edge slack from each of the plurality of edge slack distributions; identifying a most critical input edge based on the plurality of representative edge slacks; generating a prioritized listing of input edges from lowest-value representative edge slack to highest-value representative edge slack; and tracing a next-most critical input edge of the prioritized listing, subsequent to tracing a path from the most critical edge to a source point.
US09690897B2
A method for parasitic capacitance extraction for integrated circuit (IC) designs fabricated involving multiple patterning that includes identifying, at a computing system, metal features in a metal layer of an IC design and generating, at the computing system, a graph based on spacing relationships between the metal features. The method further includes predicting, at the computing system, which metal features are to be formed by the same mask in the multiple patterning lithography process from the graph. The method further can include performing, at the computing system, a parasitic capacitance extraction analysis of the IC design utilizing the prediction of which metal features are to be formed by the same mask, and performing, at the computing system, timing analysis on the IC design utilizing the list of vertices sharing the same designators and the parasitic capacitance extraction calculations.
US09690893B1
Methods and systems of an electronic circuit design system described herein provide a new abutment tool in which a chain post-processing function is called once per resultant chain of abutted instances after each chain is fully formed in a layout. In an embodiment, a process design kit (PDK) abutment update function is enhanced to support a new chain processing event that facilitates a creation of new top level figures in a cell view in which the chain lives, and further facilitate adjustment of parameters of instances of programmable cells in the chain.
US09690892B2
A layout design usable for manufacturing a standard cell includes a first gate pad layout pattern, a first set of channel structure layout patterns overlapping the first gate pad layout pattern, a second gate pad layout pattern, and a second set of channel structure layout patterns overlapping the second gate pad layout pattern. The first gate pad layout pattern extends along a first direction. The second gate pad layout pattern extends along a second direction. The first set of channel structure layout patterns is arranged into a first number of columns each aligned along the first direction. The second set of channel structure layout patterns is arranged into a second number of columns each aligned along the first direction. The first number and the second number are different.
US09690889B2
A static timing analysis method that determines an expected design condition surrounding a target cell in an integrated circuit design. A derate adjustment is determined based on the expected design condition for a target cell and a timing derate, representing variation in propagation delay for a default design condition, is then adjusted based on the derate adjustment. An expected timing of a signal path including the target cell is determined based on the adjusted timing derate. The derate adjustment may be determined based on simulated variance of the propagation delay through the target cell for the expected design condition. This approach avoids unnecessary optimism or pessimism in the timing derate, which reduces the number of false positive or false negative detections of timing violations in the static timing analysis.
US09690887B2
The invention relates to a method for dimensioning, by an analytical method, of an essentially plane panel consisting of a homogenous and isotropic material, said panel consisting of a skin reinforced by a set of three parallel bundles of stiffeners built into the panel. The pockets determined on the skin by said groups of stiffeners are triangular, the stiffeners are blade shaped and the stiffened panel must comply with specifications for mechanical resistance to predetermined external loads, the angles between bundles of stiffeners being such that the triangular pockets have any kind of isosceles form.
US09690884B2
A system and method is disclosed for calculating potential power generation for a wind farm, the wind farm including a plurality of wind turbines. The system and method include measuring the power generated by the wind farm; acquiring turbine data from at least a subset of the plurality of wind turbines, the wind turbine data including local wind speed and power generated at the local wind speed; acquiring wind resource data for the wind farm, the wind resource data including wind speed; generating a power curve from the turbine data and the wind resource data, the power curve plotting the relationship between wind speed and power generated; calculating power lost due to availability, subcurve, and curtailment, the power loss calculated for at least said subset of turbines; and aggregating the power lost in order to determine an aggregate power loss for the wind farm.
US09690882B2
A lens having an extended range of focus is made of a transparent material and has two optical surfaces. The lens defines an optical axis and a focal power distribution (Ftot) which, in relation to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, changes as a function of the radial height (r) and of the azimuth angle (phi) of the aperture between a calculated basic value of the focal power (Flens) not equal to zero and a maximum value Fspiral max(r, phi).
US09690881B2
Methods for product data management and corresponding systems and computer-readable mediums. A method includes receiving and parsing a functional model to produce a functional model graph, and receiving and parsing a three-dimensional (3D) model that corresponds to the functional model to produce a 3D model graph. The method includes identifying a plurality of one-dimensional (1D) candidate components corresponding to the functional model graph and the 3D model graph. The method includes creating a 1D graph corresponding to the 1D candidate components, parameterizing the 1D components in the 1D graph, and generating a 1D model from the parameterized 1D components.
US09690874B1
According to certain aspects, the present invention provides a social platform for developing informed communities. These communities are either hyper local or super focused within a specific geographical location; the social information created within the system of the invention is organized, mined and delivered to other community peers seeking information about important and time critical daily matters. Since these communities are organized around common interests, geographical location and/or goals, the participants will benefit from the information shared by their community peers. In embodiments, users of the invention's communities can ASK, SAY and stay connected with information on daily matters in their local communities that are organized around family, living, neighborhoods, schools, activities, special interests or causes.
US09690871B2
Online systems, for example, social networking systems store features describing relations between entities represented in the online system. The information describing the features is represented as a graph. The online system maintains a cumulative feature graph and an incremental feature graph. Feature values based on recent user actions are stored in the incremental graph and feature values based on previous actions are stored in the cumulative graph. Periodically, the information stored in the incremental feature graph is merged with the information stored in the cumulative feature graph. The incremental graph is marked as inactive during the merge and information based on new user actions is stored in an active incremental feature graph. If a request for feature information is received, the feature information obtained from the cumulative feature graph, inactive incremental feature graph and the active incremental feature graph are combined to determine the feature information.
US09690862B2
An approach is provided for updating corpora in a Question and Answer (QA) system. Ingestion of a first set of sources into a first corpus and a second set of sources into a second corpus with the second set of sources including updates to the first set of sources. A question is received. The system identifies candidate answers to the question using the sources included in the corpuses. Each candidate answer has a weighting. The system determines whether the first and second corpuses have an overlapping source from which two candidate answers were identified. If an overlapping source is found, the candidate answer from the overlapping source in the first corpus is assigned a lower weighting than the candidate answer from the second corpus. Likely answers are selected from the candidate answers based on the weighting and returned to the requestor.
US09690857B1
The disclosure herein provides systems, methods, and devices for identifying and presenting identifications of significant attributes of unique items. A significant attributes system for identifying and presenting identifications of significant attributes of unique items comprises an item analysis engine, at least one driver models database, and a model building engine, wherein the item analysis engine comprises an item description receiver and one or more driver calculators.
US09690853B2
Methods, apparatuses, computer program products, devices and systems are described that carry out accepting at least one indication of an interaction involving at least one member of a network; creating a persona corresponding to the at least one member of a network, wherein the persona is at least partly based on the indication of an interaction; and presenting the persona for use in the interaction involving the at least one member of the network.
US09690849B2
A method includes analyzing a cluster of conceptually-related portions of text to develop a model and calculating a novelty measurement between a first identified conceptually-related portion of text and the model. The method further includes transmitting a second identified conceptually-related portion of text and a score associated with the novelty measurement from a server to an access device via a signal. Another method includes determining at least two corpora of conceptually-related portions of text. The method also includes calculating a common neighbors similarity measurement between the at least two corpora of conceptually-related portions of text and if the common neighbors similarity measurement exceeds a threshold, merging the at least two corpora of conceptually-related portions of text into a cluster or if the common neighbors similarity measurement does not exceed a threshold, maintaining a non-merge of the at least two corpora of conceptually-related portions of text.
US09690844B2
Methods and devices for clustering a plurality of sub-networks of a larger interaction network using an enhanced hierarchical clustering algorithm are disclosed. The methods provide expression based sub-network generation using differentially expressed markers. The enhanced hierarchical clustering algorithm clusters the generated sub-networks based on a user defined customizable similarity coefficient. The methods use non-Boolean links to cluster similar sub-networks. This provides consideration of indirect relationships among sub-networks. The customizable similarity coefficient enables the methods to be used for diverse applications such as biomarker detection, patient stratification, personalized therapy, drug efficacy prediction, genetic similarity analysis in genetic diseases. The methods enable patient grouping based on the enhanced hierarchical clustering algorithm.
US09690833B2
Methods and systems for text disambiguation and context designation in incremental search are provided. A method for selecting items in response to ambiguous keystrokes entered by a user and unambiguous metadata associated with a previously selected search result includes receiving ambiguous keystrokes, selecting and presenting a first subset of items and metadata associated with the items presented based on the ambiguous keystrokes. The method also includes receiving a selection of one of the items from the user, and, in response to a locking operation received from the user, locking in fixed relation at least one of the ambiguous keystrokes to at least one metadata term associated with the selected item. The method further includes, subsequent to receiving the locking operation, selecting and presenting a second subset of items based at least in part on the locked metadata term, and presenting the second subset of items.
US09690816B2
A method includes receiving an entity record, wherein the entity record comprising at least one entity field element, and resolving the entity record to an authority record being associated with an initial authority file, wherein the authority record comprising at least one authority field element. The method further includes calculating a field element update measurement, the field element update measurement being associated with the at least one entity field element and the at least one authority field element and if the field element update measurement meets or exceeds a threshold, updating the authority record, or if not, not updating the authority record. The method further includes developing, in response to updating the authority record, an updated authority file associated with at least one updated authority record. The method also includes incorporating an additional authority record to the updated authority file.
US09690813B2
Embodiments include methods, systems and computer program products for performing a composite sort on a tunable hardware sort engine includes determining desired sort performance parameters, configuring a composite sort engine based on the desired sort performance parameters, and receiving a plurality of keys having a payload associated with each of the plurality of keys. The method also includes reserving DRAM storage for each of the payloads, generating a tag for each of the plurality of keys, the tag identifying the DRAM storage reserved for each of the payloads, and storing the payloads in the portions of the DRAM storage. The method further includes generating a composite key for each of the plurality of keys, sorting the composite keys by the composite sort engine, and retrieving the payloads associated with the sorted composite keys from the DRAM storage. The method also includes outputting the payloads associated the sorted composite keys.
US09690804B2
The invention acquires article data (S1), extracts characteristic words from the acquired article data (S2), specifies a characteristic word which is not stored as a local area word in a database 12b which stores a local area word indicating a local area in association with geography information for specifying the local area, from the extracted characteristic words (S3), acquires a result of searching performed in a search device, according to the specified characteristic word (S4 and S5), specifies a local area related to article data based on the search result and finds geography information (S6), and stores the specified characteristic word in the database 12b as the local area word in association with the specified local area (S7).
US09690802B2
Stream locality delta compression is disclosed. A previous stream indicated locale of data segments is selected. A first data segment is then determined to be similar to a data segment in the stream indicated locale.
US09690797B2
A digital information analysis system includes a target selection unit that selects target digital information, a combination storage unit that stores each of a plurality of word combinations related to a predetermined specific item, a search unit that searches whether the plurality of word combinations stored in the combination storage unit are included in the target digital information selected by the target selection unit, a relation determination unit that determines the relation of the target digital information to the predetermined specific item on the basis of a morphological analysis result when the plurality of word combinations stored in the combination storage unit are included in the target digital information, and a determination result setting unit that associates the determination result of the relation determination unit with the target digital information.
US09690794B2
A hash-optimized backup system and method takes data blocks and generates a probabilistically unique digital fingerprint of the content of each data block using a substantially collision-free algorithm. The process compares the generated fingerprint to a database of stored fingerprints and, if the generated fingerprint matches a stored fingerprint, the data block is determined to already have been backed up, and therefore does not need to be backed up again. Only if the generated fingerprint does not match a stored fingerprint is the data block backed up, at which point the generated fingerprint is added to the database of stored fingerprints. Because the algorithm is substantially collision-free, there is no need to compare actual data content if there is a hash-value match. The process can also be used to audit software license compliance, inventory software, and detect computer-file tampering such as viruses and malware.
US09690789B2
Archive systems and methods are presented. In one embodiment, an archival information storage configuration method comprises: performing an information accessing process including determining if the information is associated with an archive process; and performing an archive storage boundary determination process including establishing archive storage boundaries based upon characteristics indicating potential sharing of the information and potential impacts on performance of archival storage operations. In one exemplary implementation, the archive storage boundary determination process comprises: performing an information mining process including identifying an indication the information is potentially shared; and performing an archival boundary selection process including selecting an archive storage boundary based in at least part upon results of the information mining process.
US09690786B2
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for dynamically creating hyperlinks associated with relevant multimedia content in a computer network. A hyperlink generation module receives an electronic text file from a server. The module searches the text file to identify keywords present in the file. Once the keywords have been identified, a database is queried to identify multimedia content that is related to the keywords. Generally, multimedia content is associated with metadata to enable efficient searching of the multimedia content. Typically, the multimedia content is contextually relevant to both the identified keywords and text file. One or more hyperlinks corresponding to the keywords are then generated and inserted into the text file. The hyperlinks provide pointers to the identified multimedia content. After insertion into the text file, the hyperlinks may be clicked by a user or viewer of the file to retrieve and display the identified multimedia content.
US09690784B1
An avatar interaction system that solicits the end user to provide a cultural profile and automatically filters or translates responses through the avatar in a manner compatible with the cultural profile designated. End users may selected from a plurality of gender, race, and ethnically identifiable anthropomorphic forms to self-identify with a cultural profile. Gestures having cultural significance are identified, suppressed, and/or modified according to the currently enabled cultural profile of the end user.
US09690775B2
A lexical annotator that identifies a chunk of a communication and an associated sentiment is created. In real time, while monitoring a communication from a user, the lexical annotator is used to identify the sentiment for the chunk of the communication, and the sentiment for the chunk of the communication is provided.
US09690749B2
A computer-based method for characterizing data dependent on at least one variable is described. The method comprises sampling the data in a smart manner by sampling the data in a finite sequence of sampling points, the finite sequence of sampling points being controlled by a magnifying factor for controlling a spacing between elements of the finite sequence of sampling points and being determined such that function values of functions of a family of functions in said finite sequence of sampling points satisfy a recurrence relation. A corresponding device also is described as well as software-related products.
US09690744B2
An information processing apparatus of the embodiment includes: a data storage unit to store a virtual address in association with first information that includes at least identification information of a slot; and circuitry. And the circuitry is configured to: detect an interrupt that notifies an operating system that a first PCI card was replaced and is output from a second PCI card by which the first PCI card was replaced on a certain slot; extract, from the data storage unit, a virtual address associated with first information that includes identification information of the certain slot, upon detecting the interrupt; and set the second PCI card so as to communicate using the extracted virtual address.
US09690737B2
A computer system for controlling access to a shared data structure includes a shared memory coupled to first and second processing units that stores a multi-lock to control access to a shared data structure. The multi-lock includes a first sub-lock associated with the first processing unit and a second sub-lock associated with the second processing unit The system also includes a data access control engine to receive a request to read from the data structure from the first processing unit and, as a result, determine whether a privately modifiable copy the first sub-lock exists in a first cache dedicated to the first processing unit, acquire a read portion of the first sub-lock and not communicate the acquisition across a coherence bus if a privately modifiable copy of the first sub-lock exists in the first cache, and if a privately modifiable copy of the first sub-lock does not exist in the first cache, load the first sub-lock into the first cache if no copy is in the first cache, shootdown other copies of the first sub-lock, and acquire the read portion of the first sub-lock.
US09690735B2
A switch connected to an external device, the switch including: a plurality of ports connected to the external devices; a storage unit to store a zone database indicating a group in which each of the plurality of ports is included; and a processor to perform power control of the plurality of ports and permit communication between only ports included in the same group, on the basis of the zone database, wherein the processor powers off a port that is not included in any group among the plurality of ports, on the basis of the zone database.
US09690733B2
An information processing apparatus includes a control unit configured to activate the information processing apparatus in a first activation mode or a second activation mode, a receiving unit configured to receive an operation for activating the information processing apparatus in the first activation mode from a user, a notification unit configured to notify the control unit of information corresponding to the operation of the user received by the receiving unit, and a connection unit configured to connect the control unit and the receiving unit without connecting the notification unit and to notify the control unit that a user has operated on the receiving unit, wherein the control unit activates, in the case where it is not notified via the connection unit that a user has operated on the receiving unit, the information processing apparatus in the second activation mode without waiting for activation of the notification unit.
US09690727B2
Systems, methods, circuits and computer-readable mediums for system internal latency measurements in realtime applications are disclosed. In some implementations, a trigger signal is selected from a plurality of trigger signals for interrupting a processor of an integrated circuit system. The trigger signal includes a pulse having width. The system detects a rising edge of the pulse and starts a counter. The system detects a falling edge of the pulse and stops the counter. The system then compares a count of the counter with first and second values stored in first and second registers, respectively. The first value represents a minimum pulse width and the second value represents a maximum pulse width. The count is stored in the first or second register based on a result of the comparing.
US09690723B2
A semiconductor device may include: a storage unit configured to store program codes provided through control of a processor core; and a control unit configured to perform a control operation on a semiconductor memory device according to the program codes.
US09690722B2
A memory controller (10) for a plurality of banks of memory (55a-55c) is disclosed. The memory controller (10) includes an interface (20) connectable to a bus (60) to communicate with a processor (70). The memory controller (10) redundantly maps the plurality of banks of memory (55a-55c) to a memory space (50) and includes a plurality of memory operators, each of the plurality of memory operators being executable by the memory controller for performing a different function on data in the memory space (50) and/or one or more of the plurality of banks of memory (55a-55c). In response to receipt at the interface (20) of a request from the processor (70) for one of said memory operators, the memory controller (10) is configured to execute, independently of the processor (70), the respective memory operator on the memory space (50) and/or one or more of the plurality of banks of memory (55a-55c).
US09690715B2
One embodiment of the present invention includes a hash selector that facilitates performing effective hashing operations. In operation, the hash selector creates a transformation matrix that reflects specific optimization criteria. For each hash value, the hash selector generates a potential hash value and then computes the rank of a submatrix included in the transformation matrix. Based on this rank in conjunction with the optimization criteria, the hash selector either re-generates the potential hash value or accepts the potential hash value. Advantageously, the optimization criteria may be tailored to create desired correlations between input patterns and the results of performing hashing operations based on the transformation matrix. Notably, the hash selector may be configured to efficiently and reliably incrementally generate a transformation matrix that, when applied to certain strides of memory addresses, produces a more uniform distribution of accesses across caches lines than previous approaches to memory addressing.
US09690714B1
An example method includes receiving a request to change a page size managed by a translation lookaside buffer (TLB), wherein the TLB is currently managing a first page size, and the request specifies a second page size different than the first page size; in response to the request: determining a number of lower-order bits for addressing memory location within pages of the second page size; and configuring the TLB to perform lookups within the memory subsystem using a number of higher-order bits for addressing pages of the second page size, wherein the number of higher-order bits is dependent on the number of lower-order bits.
US09690705B1
Described herein are systems and methods to process efficiently, according to a certain order, a plurality of data sets arranged in data blocks. In one embodiment, a first compute element receives from another compute element a first set of instructions that determine an order in which a plurality of data sets are to be processed as part of a processing task. Relevant data sets are then streamed into a cache memory associated with the first compute element, but the order of streaming is not by order of storage but rather by the order conveyed in the first set of instructions.
US09690702B2
In at least one embodiment, a data storage system includes a non-volatile memory array including a plurality of blocks of physical memory, each including multiple pages. The data storage system further includes a controller that maintains a data structure identifying blocks of physical memory in the memory array that currently do not store valid data. The controller, responsive to receipt of a write input/output operation (IOP) specifying an address and write data, selects a particular block from among the blocks identified in the data structure prior to a dwell time threshold for the particular block being satisfied, programs a page within the selected block with the write data, and associates the address with the selected block.
US09690700B2
A host receives information related to garbage collection of a storage device, and the host controls selective execution of garbage collection by the storage device according to the received information.
US09690684B2
A component for a network system is provided. The component includes an information notification part capable of notifying of one or more pieces of certain information among energy information, additional information except the energy information, and new information based on one or more the energy information and the additional information and a control unit controlling the information notification part. The information notification part notifies of the certain information when satisfying conditions for notifying of the certain information.
US09690680B1
A computer-implemented method for testing a hybrid architecture instruction set is provided. The method includes defining a first instruction definition table for a first base architecture, and defining a second instruction definition table for a second base architecture, wherein the first base architecture is different than the second base architecture. The method also includes defining a delta table, wherein the delta table defines architecture specific behavior, and generating a hybrid architecture table based on the delta table and at least one of the first instruction definition table or the second instruction definition table. The method includes executing a test based on the hybrid architecture table, wherein the hybrid architecture table is for a hybrid architecture that is compatible between the first base architecture and the second base architecture.
US09690676B2
Techniques and systems for performing a network activity within a network. The technique includes assigning one or a plurality of network devices subnets with network devices for performing network activities. Network devices within the assigned network device subnets can be assigned to act as a primary network device and a backup network device. The primary network device can perform the network activity. The backup network devices can monitor the primary network device and continue performing the network activities if the primary network device fails or is rogue.
US09690670B1
Various systems, methods and apparatuses for intelligently and dynamically allocating proxy backup clients to back up and restore vast amounts of data distributed across a network are presented. One method involves identify distributed data stored in a computer system, requesting the data, and performing a backup or restore operation on the data. Other aspects include intelligently dynamically allocating proxy backup clients to perform backup and restore operations on data distributed across a network, and intelligently and dynamically balancing, or re-balancing or otherwise managing the workload among the proxy backup clients.
US09690669B2
A technique for cloud infrastructure backup in a virtualized environment utilizing shared storage includes obtaining a workload input/output (I/O) profile to the shared storage over a time period. An attempt to locate one or more time windows in the workload I/O profile for which a cloud infrastructure backup can be staged is initiated. In response to determining the cloud infrastructure backup can be staged during at least one of the time windows, staging of the cloud infrastructure backup is scheduled during a selected one of the time windows. In response to determining the cloud infrastructure backup cannot be staged during at least one of the time windows, an interference tolerance approach is employed for accessing the shared storage for active workloads and the cloud infrastructure backup during the staging of the cloud infrastructure backup.
US09690667B2
A method includes determining a time shift for data validity windows corresponding to a user, receiving a request for an incremental data update from the user, the user having cached data, determining that the request for the incremental data update is received within an unexpired data validity window for the cached data, wherein the data validity window is based on the determined time shift and in a case the incremental data update is received within the unexpired data validity window for the user, determining that the user is eligible for the incremental data update.
US09690663B2
A data storage system may be configured to allocate replica-sets in a balanced manner and mark some of these balanced replica-sets as being spares. As one or more drives or machines fail, the data storage system may move all copies of an affected replica-set to a marked spare replica-set and mark the affected replica-set as being inactive or invalid. As the failed drives are replaced, the data storage system may reconfigure those inactive replica-sets and use them as new spares. The data storage system may implement a coordinator module that handles the balancing and allocation of spares within a sub-cluster. The coordinator may also reallocate entire replica-sets across sub-clusters to maintain balance at the cluster level.
US09690653B2
An apparatus may comprise an ECC circuit configured to receive read data from a memory cell array to correct, an error bit contained in a data portion of the read data responsive, at least in part, to a parity portion of the read data, to generate a plurality of first error determination signals and a plurality of second error determination signals. Each of the plurality of first error determination signals provided in common to n data terminals and corresponding to an associated one of burst data of m bits. Each of the plurality of second error determination signals provided in common to the burst data of m bits and corresponding to an associated one of the n data terminals. The error bit of the data portion of the read data is detected based, at least in part, on the first error determination signals and the second error determination signals.
US09690649B2
Classifying memory errors may include accessing data from a location within a memory array of a memory device. The memory array may include at least one bit field to store memory error classification information. One or more memory errors in the data may be determined. One or more memory errors may further be classified. In response to the classifying, memory error classification information may be stored as one or more bit values within the bit field.
US09690642B2
Salvaging event trace information in power loss interruption (PLI) scenarios, for use in solid-state drive (SSD) and hard disk drive (HDD) storage devices. If volatile state information that is salvaged after an inadvertent power loss were to include event trace information, then such information can provide a valuable debug resource. Event trace information from volatile memory is copied to a second memory upon a power on which is in response to a PLI event. A corrupt state of context reconstruction data stored on non-volatile memory is detected, and an indication of the corrupt state is set. The event trace information is passed to the host if requested based on the indication.
US09690637B2
A method is described that involves creating a reliable messaging object that includes a configuration context object. The reliable messaging object is created by reading configuration data from the configuration context object and writing instructions for delivery of the reliable messaging object based on the configuration data. The reliable messaging object is received in a messaging system independent from a web services runtime framework. The reliable messaging object is processed in the messaging system by placing the reliable messaging object into a queue and performing a quality of service check on the reliable messaging object.
US09690623B2
A transaction is detected. The transaction has a begin-transaction indication and an end-transaction indication. If it is determined that the begin-transaction indication is not a no-speculation indication, then the transaction is processed.
US09690611B2
To perform a workload, a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) may be assigned to a plurality of blade servers. To assign the VMs, a computing system uses the characteristics of the workloads that will be executed by the virtual machines such as the number of processors or the amount of memory, storage the workload is estimated to use, and the like. Based on these workload characteristics, the computing system determines an optimal solution for deploying the VMs onto the blade servers. In one embodiment, the computing system determines whether two or more of the blade servers should be stitched together. For example, the computing system compares the workload characteristics of one of the virtual machine to the combined available resources of at least two of the blade servers. If the combined available resources satisfy the workload characteristics, the computing system stitches the blade servers together.
US09690586B2
A method of managing instruction execution for multiple instruction streams using a processor core having multiple parallel instruction execution slices provides instruction processing flexibility. An event is detected indicating that either resource requirement or resource availability for a subsequent instruction of an instruction stream will not be met by the instruction execution slice currently executing the instruction stream. In response to detecting the event, dispatch of at least a portion of the subsequent instruction is made to another instruction execution slice. The event may be a compiler-inserted directive, may be an event detected by logic in the processor core, or may be determined by a thread sequencer. The execution slices may be dynamically reconfigured as between single-instruction-multiple-data (SIMD) instruction execution, ordinary instruction execution, wide instruction execution. When an execution slice is busy processing a current instruction for one of the streams, another slice can be selected to proceed with execution.
US09690585B2
A method of operation of a processor core having multiple parallel instruction execution slices and coupled to multiple dispatch queues coupled 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. 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.
US09690583B2
A pool of available physical registers are provided for architected registers, wherein operations are performed that activate and deactivate selected architected registers, such that the deactivated selected architected registers need not retain values, and physical registers can be deallocated to the pool, wherein deallocation of physical registers is performed after a last-use by a designated last-use instruction, wherein the last-use information is provided either by the last-use instruction or a prefix instruction, wherein reads to deallocated architecture registers return an architected default value.
US09690564B2
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of software configuration management, and more particularly to validating, detecting, and dynamically handling software configurations and updates. A computing device detects a configuration event in a first computer program. The computing device includes a plurality of executing computer programs, wherein the plurality of executing computer programs includes the first computer program and a second computer program, and wherein the first computer program has a configurational relationship to the second computer program. The computing program determines whether the configuration event affects the second computer program. The computing device generates an action in response to the determination.
US09690563B2
Updating web resources includes extracting web resources from an application to local files in response to an initial start-up of the application, downloading updates to the web resources to the local files from an external server; and running the application using contents from the local files.
US09690557B2
A framework (referred to herein as Application Integration Architecture, or AIA) that formalizes and orchestrates activities in an SOA development lifecycle. In one set of embodiments, AIA can capture development-related information in a shared data store and cause the information to flow in an automated or semi-automated manner from one lifecycle phase to the next as the lifecycle progresses. This information flow can, in turn, facilitate automations at each lifecycle phase for the responsible stakeholders (e.g., solution architects, developers, installation developers, etc.), thereby enforcing SOA best practices, enhancing development productivity, and ensuring the quality of the final SOA deliverables.
US09690552B2
Technologies for generating composable library functions include a first computing device that includes a library compiler configured to compile a composable library and second computing device that includes an application compiler configured to compose library functions of the composable library based on a plurality of abstractions written at different levels of abstractions. For example, the abstractions may include an algorithm abstraction at a high level, a blocked-algorithm abstraction at medium level, and a region-based code abstraction at a low level. Other embodiments are described and claimed herein.
US09690550B2
When compiling high level, graphical code (e.g. LabVIEW™ code) representative of a design, parts of the code that do not depend on external input data may be executed during the compilation process. Specific variables and/or value traces of specific variables in the program, e.g. constant values and/or repeating patterns may be recorded then analyzed, and certain transformations may be applied in the compilation process according to the results of the analysis, thereby optimizing the design. In one approach, the graph may be dynamically stepped through one node at a time, and it may be determined whether all inputs to the stepped-through node are known. If those inputs are known, type conversion and the operation corresponding to the stepped-through node may be dynamically performed. In another approach, a subset of the graphical code not depending on external data may be compiled and executed, thereby obtaining the same results as described above.
US09690544B2
A round-for-reround mode (preferably in a BID encoded Decimal format) of a floating point instruction prepares a result for later rounding to a variable number of digits by detecting that the least significant digit may be a 0, and if so changing it to 1 when the trailing digits are not all 0. A subsequent reround instruction is then able to round the result to any number of digits at least 2 fewer than the number of digits of the result. An optional embodiment saves a tag indicating the fact that the low order digit of the result is 0 or 5 if the trailing bits are non-zero in a tag field rather than modify the result. Another optional embodiment also saves a half-way-and-above indicator when the trailing digits represent a decimal with a most significant digit having a value of 5. An optional subsequent reround instruction is able to round the result to any number of digits fewer or equal to the number of digits of the result using the saved tags.
US09690542B2
A method for providing digital personal assistant responses may include receiving, by a digital personal assistant associated with a plurality of reactive agents, a user input initiating a dialog with the digital personal assistant within the computing device. In response to receiving the input, an operation mode of the computing device may be detected from a plurality of available operation modes. One of the plurality of reactive agents can be selected based on the received input. A plurality of response strings associated with the selected reactive agent can be accessed. At least one of the plurality of response strings is selected based at least on the operation mode and at least one hardware characteristic of the computing device. The selected at least one of the plurality of response strings is providing during the dialog, as a response to the user input.
US09690536B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a terminal device, and a screen-sharing display method and system. The screen-sharing display method is used in a device having a touch function, where the method includes: detecting a position of a touch object on a touchscreen; generating, according to the detected position of the touch object on the touchscreen, an icon corresponding to the position of the touch object; superimposing the icon onto display content of the touchscreen to obtain screen-sharing touch and display content; and sending the screen-sharing touch and display content to a screen-sharing display device, so that the screen-sharing display device displays the screen-sharing touch and display content including the icon.
US09690528B1
A method and related apparatus for processing print jobs, which automatically edits both the document to be printed and the job ticket based on a state or content of the document itself, without user intervention, to achieve certain printing effects such as inserting tab sheets of slip sheets, removing pages, inserting annotations, changing finishing settings, etc. In one specific example, by checking whether each page includes a specific key phrase or is associated with a specific bookmark, the document and the job ticket are automatically edited so that a tab sheet or slip sheet is inserted at a corresponding position. A program is also provided to emulate the result of the editing the print job and original document.
US09690527B2
In the present invention, in a plug-in of a general-purpose application, a user is only required to specify the size of a printout to be output in order to calculate a paper size that has the same aspect ratio as an output size that is within the maximum paper size of the application and to set the paper size in the printer driver and the application.
US09690526B2
A method for driving a device that enables using a device without using a conventional device driver that is dependent on the operating system of the computer. The method has a binary data conversion step which receives a mark-up language document written in a mark-up language and converts the mark-up language document to binary data composed of commands and data that can be processed by the device. The method also includes a binary data output step in which the converted binary data is output to the device.
US09690525B2
Methods and systems for a client device wirelessly receiving, from a location sensor, an identifier for the location sensor in response to detecting the location sensor. A device corresponding to the identifier for the location sensor may be determined, and resources of the device may be made available to the client device. After making the resources of the device available to the client device, the client device may send data for accessing the resources of the device. The device may comprise a printer, and the resources of the device may comprise printing services. The data for accessing the resources of the device may comprise print job data.
US09690523B2
An information processing apparatus on which a print application is installable, and a method of controlling the same. A search for printers is performed, and if a printer selected by a user from among a plurality of printers found by the search does not correspond to a print application that has performed the search, a determination is made as to whether or not another print application corresponding to the printer selected by the user has been installed to the information processing apparatus. If it is determined that the other print application has not been installed to the information processing apparatus, the user is prompted to install the other print application to the information processing apparatus.
US09690522B2
A system includes storage and control units in a printing apparatus, obtainment and first transmission units in a first computer, and a second transmission unit in a second computer. The storage unit stores print restriction information defining a setting content to permit or restrict printing for each user. The print restriction information of a first computer user is obtained. A first print job including the obtained print restriction information, a first print setting, a second print job including identification information of a second computer user and a second print setting are transmitted. The control unit determines whether to permit or restrict the first print job based on the first print setting and the first print job print restriction information, and determines whether to permit or restrict the second print job based on the second print setting and print restriction information specified by using the second print job user identification information.
US09690518B2
A data storage device includes a non-volatile memory and host interface circuitry. The host interface circuitry is configured, in response to receiving a first command from a host device, to access a table to determine whether to reject the first command based on an operating state of the data storage device. The data storage device also includes a processor coupled to the non-volatile memory and to the host interface circuitry. The processor is configured to program the table.
US09690517B2
A system for error correction code (ECC) management of write-once memory (WOM) codes includes, for example, a controller for selecting between one of a WOM (Write-Only Memory) mode and an ECC (error correction code) mode. A codec is arranged to operate in the selected mode. The codec while operating in the ECC mode is arranged to identify a bit position of at least one bit error in response to ECC parity bits of a first received data word. The codec while operating in the WOM mode is arranged to receive a WOM-encoded word from an addressed location in a WOM device, to receive a second received data word to be encoded and written to the addressed location, and to generate WOM-encoded word for writing to the addressed location in the WOM device. The WOM-encoded word for writing to the addressed location is optionally ECC encoded.
US09690509B2
Embodiments are directed to a computer implemented method of accessing a data frame, wherein a first portion of the data frame is in a first memory block, and wherein a second portion of the data frame is in a second memory block. The method includes initiating, by a processor, an access of the data frame. The method further includes accessing, by the processor, the first portion of the data frame. The method further includes, based at least in part on a determination that the processor does not have access to the second memory block, accessing at least one default character as a replacement for accessing the second portion of the data frame.
US09690503B2
A controller maintains exposed and unexposed locations of a first storage device and a second storage device. In response to receiving a request a perform a write operation to write data in locations that span the first storage device and the second storage device, the controller atomically writes an entirety of the data in the unexposed locations of the first storage device.
US09690502B2
A memory device may include a memory component that stores data and a processor. The processor may map one or more banks or one or more virtual banks in the memory component based on one or more properties associated with the memory component and an expected random access rate for the memory component.
US09690495B2
Embodiments disclose techniques for emulating memory mapped I/O (MMIO) for coherent accelerators in an error state. In one embodiment, once an operating system determines that a processor is unable to access a coherent accelerator via a MMIO operation, the operating system deletes one or more page table entries associated with MMIO of one or more hardware contexts of the coherent accelerator. After deleting the page table entries, the operating system can detect a page fault associated with execution of a process by the processor. Upon determining that the page fault was caused by the process attempting to access one of the deleted page table entries while executing a MMIO operation, the operating system emulates the execution of the MMIO operation for the faulting process, giving the process the illusion that its requested MMIO operation was successful.
US09690491B2
A non-volatile memory system may have a group of non-volatile memory cells having a plurality of predetermined portions, where each predetermined portion is associated with an open host write block of a different host data type than each other predetermined portion. A host data router directs received data from a host to an appropriate predetermined portion based on a determined data type. A maintenance data router, based on predetermined minimum capacity overprovisioning targets for each predetermined portion, operates to adjust an amount of overprovisioning of physical capacity among the plurality of predetermined portions to reduce write amplification and increase performance in predetermined portions having data with a higher probability of host update. The method may include selecting a particular predetermined portion and a particular block within the selected predetermined portion on which to perform a maintenance operation to achieve the desired capacity overprovisioning.
US09690490B2
A method for writing data, a memory storage device and a memory control circuit unit are provided. The method includes receiving a write command and first data corresponding to the write command, obtaining initial data transmission information of the first data and determining whether the initial data transmission information conforms to a predetermined condition, compressing the first data to second data and writing the second data into a rewritable non-violate memory module if the initial data transmission information conforms to the predetermined condition, and writing the uncompressed first data into the rewritable non-violate memory module if the initial data transmission information does not conform to the predetermined condition.
US09690482B2
A data storage apparatus and method of storing data in a data storage apparatus are provided, where the data storage apparatus comprises multiple banks for storing data. The multiple banks form multiple bank groups, wherein each bank group comprising more than one bank. A first data item of a received data block is stored at a selected storage location in a selected bank and a subsequent data item of the data block is stored to a further storage location in a different bank according to a sequence of banks. The sequence of banks firstly comprises the selected bank followed by all other banks in the bank group of the selected bank. Moreover the sequence of banks respects a hierarchical pattern, wherein a finer granularity of the hierarchical pattern comprises all banks in a given bank group, and a coarser granularity of the hierarchical pattern comprises the given bank group followed by a different bank group to the given bank group. Access to the data storage apparatus is thereby improved.
US09690481B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods, software, devices and APIs for defining touch events for application level software. Furthermore, some embodiments are directed to simplifying the recognition of single and multiple touch events for applications running in multi-touch enabled devices. To simplify the recognition of single and multiple touch events, each view within a particular window can be configured as either a multi-touch view or a single touch view. Furthermore, each view can be configured as either an exclusive or a non-exclusive view. Depending on the configuration of a view, touch events in that and other views can be either ignored or recognized. Ignored touches need not be sent to the application. Selectively ignoring touches can allow for simpler software elements that do not take advantage of advanced multi touch features to be executed at the same device and time as more complex software elements.
US09690479B2
A method and an apparatus for controlling an application using key inputs or a combination thereof. The apparatus may be implemented as, for example, a mobile terminal including a touch screen configured to display an icon corresponding to a first application under a display layer of a second application currently displayed on the touch screen, and a controller configured to execute the first application in response to detecting an input to the second application configured to execute the first application.
US09690473B2
The present invention discloses a system and method for changing the state of a user interface (UI) element of a computer program visually marked on a physical object, through a touch action upon the object, among a plurality of objects on the interactive surface, each comprising a capacitance tab and a unique identification code. During runtime execution of the computer program, and in response to a touch action upon an object by an end-user, the interactive surface is configured to detect such touch action upon the object through an embedded capacitance sensor positioned under the object, and direct a sensory accessory to indicate a new state of the UI element marked on an object by exhibiting a new sensory pattern. The present invention offers enhanced interactivity between an end-user and a computer program mediated by physical objects.
US09690470B2
Methods of controlling the display and use of a UI element are disclosed. In an embodiment, the UI element may configured so that it initially maintains a topmost position but eventually allows other applications to assume the topmost position. In an embodiment, the display of the element may be adjusted in response to an input so that the UI element is not visible on the display. In an embodiment, the use of the UI element may allow for seamless dragging of the UI element even if the user inadvertently fails to make consistent contact with the touch-sensitive display while dragging the UI element.
US09690468B2
A method of providing an interactive media presentation may include, by an electronic device, receiving, from a user electronic device, an indication that an interactive portion of a media presentation is about to begin, and causing a graphical representation of a conversation atlas to be displayed. The conversation atlas may include a plurality of selection elements that are each associated with an audio element for a character that is featured in the interactive portion. The method may include receiving a user response comprising conversational information received from a user that is directed to a character of the media presentation, in response to receiving the user response, receiving a selection of at least one of the plurality of selection elements of the conversation atlas, identifying the audio element that corresponds to the selected selection element, and causing the identified audio element to be presented at the user electronic device.
US09690465B2
Embodiments of the invention provide underlying communication functionality to enable companion experiences. A companion experience allows the user to interact with content playing on a primary device through a companion device. An application on the companion device interacts with an application running on a base device (e.g., a game console, PC, or TV) to provide additional interface options on the companion that are related to a title or application playing on the base device.
US09690456B2
A method for controlling a window displayed in a screen area of an electronic device is provided. The method includes executing the window, configuring a reference point of the window according to a predetermined reference, receiving a request for changing a property of the window, in response to receiving the request for changing the property of the window, changing the property of the window on the basis of the reference point, and reconfiguring the reference point of the property-changed window.
US09690455B1
Methods, systems, and media for providing media guidance are provided. In some implementations, a method for providing media guidance is provided, the method comprising: receiving device data from a mobile device associated with a display device; identifying a media content item being presented on the display device; determining a first indication that the mobile device has been interacted with during the presentation of the media content item; storing a first timestamp corresponding to the first indication; determining a second indication that the interaction with the mobile device has ceased; storing a second timestamp corresponding to the second indication; receiving an indication that the media content item is to be played back; determining, using a hardware processor, a first playback position in the media content item based on the first timestamp; and causing the media content item to be presented from the determined first playback position in response to receiving the indication.
US09690451B1
A dynamic biography module in a user device receives a request for supplemental information corresponding to an electronic media item being consumed by a user. The dynamic biography module determines the user's reading location in the electronic media item and determines a version of the supplemental information corresponding to the reading location. In response, the dynamic biography module provides the corresponding version of the supplemental information to the user.
US09690440B2
A touch screen panel is provided. The touch screen panel includes an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) sensor glass layer, a window glass layer mounted above the ITO sensor glass layer by means of an Optical Clear Adhesive (OCA), a conductive layer disposed between a surface of the window glass layer and a surface of the ITO sensor glass layer that includes an electrode pattern, and a touch screen control unit mounted on one of the window glass layer surface and the ITO sensor glass layer surface on which the conductive layer is mounted.
US09690432B2
Systems and processes for encoding and decoding touch signals output by a touch sensor are provided. In one example system, switching circuitry can be used to selectively couple each of the sense lines of a touch sensor to a positive terminal or a negative terminal of a sense amplifier based on the values of the elements of a matrix. The touch signals can be amplified and converted into digital form using a single sense amplifier and an ADC before being decoded using decoding circuitry. The decoding circuitry can decode the digital encoded touch signals by multiplying the digital encoded touch signals by each column of an inverse of the matrix used to encode the touch signals. The result of the decoding can be a set of signals that are representative of the touch signals output by the touch sensor.
US09690431B2
In one embodiment, a system comprises a touch sensor and a stylus. The touch sensor comprises drive lines and sense lines arranged such that intersections of the drive lines and sense lines form capacitive nodes. The drive lines transmits a first signal having an identification portion. The stylus comprises a sense unit and a drive unit. The sense unit senses the first signal from the drive lines, compares the identification portion to criteria stored in the stylus, and authorizes the drive unit to transmit a second signal based on the first signal if the identification portion satisfies the criteria stored in the stylus. The drive unit transmits the second signal to the sense lines such that transmission of the second signal changes capacitance of the capacitive nodes.
US09690430B2
A touch detection method executed by a touch detection apparatus projects light that does not include a wavelength component of visible light onto a screen, has a sensitivity in a wavelength component of the light projected by the projecting, takes an image on the screen in a state where light is projected by the projecting, and performs detection pertaining to a touch, based on image data taken by the image-sensing.
US09690424B2
An in-cell multi-touch display panel system includes a multi-touch LCD panel and a touch display control subsystem. The multi-touch LCD panel has a TFT layer, a detection electrode layer, and a common-voltage and touch-driving layer. The detection electrode layer has M first conductor lines for performing touch detection by sampling touch detection from the M first conductor lines. The common-voltage and touch-driving layer has N second conductor lines for receiving common voltage in display and touch-driving signal in touch detection. In the detection electrode layer, there are pluralities of detection electrode areas in the intersections of first conductor lines and second conductor lines. Each detection electrode area is connected to a first conductor line by a touch-control transistor. The M×N touch-control transistors are divided in to N sets corresponding to N second conductor lines, respectively.
US09690419B2
The present disclosure provides a gate driving circuit and a driving method thereof, a display device, which relates to the field of display technology. The gate driving circuit may comprise a plurality of mutually cascaded shift register units and a pre-charging unit, the gate row drive scanning and touch control scanning of the plurality of mutually cascaded shift register units are performed alternately. By additionally arranging a pre-charging unit connected with the corresponding first stage of shift register unit when the gate row drive scanning is performed again after the touch control scanning is accomplished, the first stage of shift register unit can be pre-charged during the touch control scanning.
US09690418B2
An electrostatic capacitive touch panel having a large surface area includes (i) a driving electrode group (220) and a sensing electrode group (130) which are provided on a substrate (210), and (ii) a touch panel driving circuit (250) provided in a frame region adjacent to a touch panel region where the driving electrode group (220) and the sensing electrode group (130) are provided. The touch panel driving circuit (250) is made up of TFTs made of an oxide semiconductor having a wide band gap so that the touch panel driving circuit (250) has a small surface area. This allows the touch panel to have a narrow frame.
US09690411B2
A touch display includes a display panel and a touch layer. The display panel has pixel areas, and one of the pixel areas has a pixel pitch in a first direction. The display panel includes a substrate, and a display medium layer disposed over the substrate. The touch layer is disposed over the substrate, and includes slits and an electrode. The slits include a first slit and a second slit adjacent to the first slit. The electrode is disposed between the first slit and the second slit. The electrode includes first linear sections and second linear sections alternately arranged in a second direction.
US09690408B1
An integrated touch sensing and force sensing device is included in an electronic device. The integrated touch sensing and force sensing device includes a force-sensitive layer operably attached to an input surface, a first electrode layer attached to a first surface of the force-sensitive layer, and a second electrode layer attached to a second surface of the force-sensitive layer. An analog front end processing channel is operable to process a touch signal that is based on a change in an electrical property between the first and second electrode layers and operable to process a force signal that is based on an electrical property generated by the force-sensitive layer based on a force applied to the input surface.
US09690398B2
A capacitive pointer is disclosed. The capacitive pointer comprises a conductive refill, a refill cover, an elastomer, a pressure sensor, a sensor board, a control circuit board, a pointer tip, a first frame and a second frame. The conductive refill penetrates and combines with the refill cover. The pressure sensor is mounted on the sensor board. The conductive refill applies a tip pressure against on the pressure sensor through the refill cover pushing the elastomer to sense the tip pressure of the capacitive pointer. The sensor board electrically connects the control circuit board to calculate a tip pressure value of the capacitive pointer. The pointer tip electrically connects the control circuit board. The first frame and the second frame are located between the conductive refill and the refill cover and combine to secure the control circuit board.
US09690392B2
An operating device includes: right and left hold sections to be held by a user, the right and left hold sections provided with first operating members; and a central section interconnecting the right and left hold sections. The operating device has a second operating member forming an upper surface of the central section. The second operating member includes a touch sensor located between the first operating members of the right and left hold sections, and is so supported as to be capable of vertical movement in response to a user s pressing-down operation. The second operating member is plate-like in shape, so that user s fingers can easily reach the second operating member in a condition where the user is holding the hold sections. As a result, operability of the operating device can be enhanced.
US09690391B2
A method at an electronic device including a touch-sensitive display for receiving touch input and a keyboard comprising a plurality of buttons, the method comprising: detecting actuation of a button on at least one of the plurality of buttons; detecting a touch input at the touch-sensitive display while the button is actuated; responding to the touch input, wherein response to the touch input while the button is actuated is different to response to touch input detected while the button is not actuated.
US09690390B2
User interface devices (UIDs) for sensing position or motion of an actuator assembly in multiple degrees of freedom are disclosed. In one embodiment a UID includes a frame having a top and bottom assembly, an actuator assembly disposed within a volume between the top and bottom of the frame having magnets disposed therein, a sensor array for sensing magnetic fields from the magnets in multiple axes, and a processing element for receiving the sensed magnet fields and generating a UID output signal corresponding to a position, translation, rotation, deformation, or other action of the actuator assembly.
US09690388B2
A computing device for identifying a gesture performed by a tracked object in an image stream, said computing device comprising a memory and a controller, wherein said controller is configured to: determine a movement vector for the tracked object, compare the movement vector against a reference library of gestures, and thereby identify a gesture matching the movement vector, wherein said movement vector comprises at least one partial movement having a direction being identified by a relative angle and wherein said comparison is based on said relative angle.
US09690386B2
A method and apparatus for performing motion recognition using motion sensor fusion and an associated computer program product are provided, where the method is applied to an electronic device. The method includes the steps of: utilizing a plurality of motion sensors of the electronic device to obtain sensor data respectively corresponding to the plurality of motion sensors, the sensor data measured at a device coordinate system of the electronic device, wherein the plurality of motion sensors includes inertial motion sensors; and performing sensor fusion according to the sensor data by converting at least one portion of the sensor data and derivatives of the sensor data into converted data based on a global coordinate system of a user of the electronic device, to perform motion recognition based on the global coordinate system, in order to recognize the user's motion.
US09690385B2
A handheld communication device includes a screen to receive input from and provide graphical output to a user, a processor to execute machine readable instructions and control operation of the device, a computer readable medium to store the machine readable instructions, an energy storage device to power the screen, processor, and computer readable medium, and a substantially planar electrically conductive member positioned between the screen, processor, and computer readable medium on one hand and the energy storage device on the other. The conductive member engages a first side of the energy storage device and comprises a flexible tab extending from the first side of the energy storage device, around a side of the energy storage device, and to a second terminal on an opposing second side of the energy storage device.
US09690376B2
An apparatus and method for light and optical depth mapping, 3D imaging, modeling, networking, and interfacing on an autonomous, intelligent, wearable wireless wrist computing, display and control system for onboard and remote device and graphic user interface control. Embodiments of the invention enable augmentation of people, objects, devices and spaces into a virtual environment and augmentation of virtual objects and interfaces into the physical world through its wireless multimedia streaming and multi-interface display and projection systems.
US09690370B2
One illustrative system disclosed herein includes a display configured to receive a display signal and output an image, and an image capture device configured to capture an area image and transmit an image signal. The illustrative system also includes a processor in communication with the image capture device and the display, the processor configured to: receive the image signal; determine a virtual object based in part on the image signal; determine the display signal based in part on the image signal, wherein the display signal includes data associated with the virtual object; determine a haptic effect based at least in part on the virtual object; and transmit a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect. The illustrative system further includes a haptic output device configured to receive the haptic signal and output the haptic effect.
US09690365B2
A processing device performs dual-rail power equalization for its memory cell array and logic circuitry. The memory cell array is coupled to a first power rail through a first switch to receive a first voltage level. The logic circuitry is coupled to a second power rail through a second switch to receive a second voltage level that is different from the first voltage level. The processing device also includes a power switch coupled to at least the second power rail and operative to be enabled to equalize voltage supplied to the memory cell array and the logic circuitry.
US09690354B1
The Control Layer IO System (“CLIOS”) software is an energy management system taking into account the performance requirements of the target software and the properties and limitations of the target hardware to optimize energy use of a programmable electronic device. CLIOS is generated in a one-time process and once generated is loaded onto the target. CLIOS is complementing or replacing the power management infrastructure of the main operating system. CLIOS comprises three main components: the CLIOS daemon that operates in the user space; the CLIOS driver that operates in the kernel of the main operating system; and the CLIOS kernel, which can run on an auxiliary core if present in the system. CLIOS can be structured to take advantage of various architectural features of a system, ranging from simple single-core designs to heterogeneous, multi-core systems comprising one or more low power auxiliary cores.
US09690349B2
An information handling system may include at least one information handling resource and a power supply unit having a bulk capacitor for storing charge. The power supply unit may be configured to convert an alternating current waveform received at an input of the power supply unit from an input source into a direct current voltage for delivering electrical energy to a power bus for providing electrical energy to the at least one information handling resource. Responsive to a loss of the input source, the power supply unit may charge the bulk capacitor from electrical energy present on the power bus and generated by at least one other power supply unit coupled to the power bus. Responsive to an indication of a failure of the at least one other power supply unit, the power supply unit may discharge the bulk capacitor to the power bus.
US09690348B2
Method and system for turning on an IoT device directly in a contactless manner using a mobile phone with a camera light source and an app is disclosed. A photo sensor unit is provided on top of the IoT device for converting the incident light from mobile phone into authorized and authenticated power-on switching command to the IoT device. The photo sensor unit can be a first photosensitive circuit, a second photosensitive circuit, or a third photosensitive circuit, which includes a photodiode, a photo resistor, and an amorphous silicon solar cell, respectively. The photo sensor unit is coupled to a power-on circuit of the IoT device, and used for detecting an intensity of incident light and assessing whether a voltage difference produced by the incident light exceeds a power-up voltage difference threshold value, and if so, awaking the IoT device to be power-on, otherwise, maintaining the IoT device to stay powered off.
US09690347B2
A HDD backboard includes a power detecting circuit and a first working circuit. The power detecting circuit is configured to determine whether a plurality of voltage rails of the HDD backboard are normal, so as to output a power detecting signal. The first working circuit is coupled with the power detecting circuit and configured to receive the power detecting signal and output an HDD backboard determining signal. The motherboard includes a second working circuit and a CPLD. The CPLD is configured to receive the HDD backboard determining signal The CPLD is configured to determine whether the HDD backboard is absent when the electronic device operates in a standby mode and determine whether the voltage rails are failed when the electronic device operates in a working mode.
US09690346B1
Methods and apparatuses for sharing power load across multiple input supplies in a peripheral device. Current utilized by the peripheral device from a first voltage supply is monitored and if the current exceeds a first threshold, a voltage converter is utilized to supplement the current from the first voltage supply with current from a second voltage supply up to a maximum total current threshold for the second voltage supply.
US09690340B2
A system and method for adaptive thermal and performance management in electronic devices are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes: providing a processor with a plurality of selectable performance levels and a sensor in an electronic device; receiving sensor information from the sensor, the sensor information including information for determining if the electronic device is positioned proximately to an active airflow; determining a device context from the sensor information; and dynamically modifying the performance level of the processor by implementing one of a plurality of selectable performance levels of the processor based on the device context.
US09690339B2
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a processor, a user interface communicatively coupled to the processor, and a thermal management application. The thermal management application may include a program of instructions embodied in non-transitory computer-readable media, and may be configured to, when executed by the processor receive measurements associated with a plurality of parameters of a thermal system of the information handling system, calculate a calculated thermal resistance based on the measurements, and report information regarding the calculated thermal resistance via the user interface.
US09690337B1
A data center can include at least one computing room, and at least one rack system disposed in the computing room. The rack system includes a rack housing and a plurality of computing devices mounted to the rack housing. The data center can further include a cooling system that includes at least one surface that is wetted with a liquid, and delivers source air across the at least one surface such that heat is transferred from the source air to the liquid so as to produce cold air. The cold air then flows into a cold air aisle and is received in the computing devices so as to cool the computing devices.
US09690332B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a first part, a second part, a third part, and a combining portion. The second part is connected with the first part and configured to move between a first position and a second position. The combining portion is configured to combine the third part with the second part when the second part is positioned within a combining interval defined within an interval between the first position and the second position, and to separate the third part from the second part when the second part is position at a third position defined at the second position or defined at a position between the combining interval and the second position.
US09690331B2
The present disclosure provides an electronic apparatus and a method for producing a housing, which relate to a technical field of electronics. The electronic apparatus comprises: a housing comprising a side wall forming an accommodating space and having an outer surface which is divided into K appearance layers, where K is a positive integer greater than or equal to 3, and wherein borderlines between adjacent layers in the K appearance layers are parallel to each other.
US09690329B2
A display module includes a window member, a display panel, and a protective member. The window member includes a front surface, a rear surface facing the front surface in a thickness direction, and a connection surface coupling the front surface to the rear surface. The display panel includes a display part disposed to be spaced apart from the rear surface of the window member and to display an image toward the window member, and an edge part bent from the display part toward the window member. The protective frame accommodates the display panel and is coupled to at least one of the rear surface of the window member and the connection surface.
US09690326B2
A wearable display device includes a display unit configured to transmit an image, a first housing having a first end connected to the display unit, a second housing having a first end disposed opposite to the first end of the first housing, and a sliding unit configured to slidably connect the first housing and the second housing to each other.
US09690320B2
A control module includes a fixed control apparatus which is provided with a touch-sensitive surface so as to provide a control signal representative of the position or of the movement of a finger on the sensitive surface. The sensitive surface of the control apparatus includes a toroidal portion arranged about a main axis. The control module includes a control unit which is designed to detect an axial component and a circumferential component of a tactile movement on the sensitive surface so as to produce a processed control signal which is a function of these two components.
US09690313B2
A power transfer system provides power factor conditioning of the generated power. Power is received from a local power source, converted to usable AC power, and the power factor is conditioned to a desired value. The desired value may be a power factor at or near unity, or the desired power factor may be in response to conditions of the power grid, a tariff established, and/or determinations made remotely to the local power source. Many sources and power transfer systems can be put together and controlled as a power source farm to deliver power to the grid having a specific power factor characteristic. The farm may be a grouping of multiple local customer premises. AC power can also be conditioned prior to use by an AC to DC power supply for more efficient DC power conversion.
US09690307B2
A monitoring system is disclosed for a heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) system of a residential or commercial building. The monitoring system includes an evaporator unit device including a first current sensor that measures current supplied to a circulator blower. The measured current from the first current sensor is used to diagnose a problem with the circulator blower. The monitoring system includes a first temperature sensor that measures refrigerant temperature between a condenser and an expansion valve. The monitoring system includes a second temperature sensor that measures refrigerant temperature between an evaporator and a compressor. The monitoring system includes a condenser unit device that communicates with the evaporator unit device. The condenser unit device includes a second current sensor that measures current supplied to the compressor. The evaporator unit device transmits sensor data to a remote monitoring service over a data network.
US09690302B2
In order to be able to stably manufacture a fluid resistance device having the same resistance characteristics while preventing fluid such as gas from leaking, a fluid resistance device is provided with a fluid resistance element having a resistance flow passage, a base member and a fixing member for holding the fluid resistance element to be fixed between the base member and the fixing member, and a thin plate-shaped seal member interposed between the fixing member and the fluid resistance element.
US09690279B2
An automation interface is provided for interacting with industrial controllers. The automation interface provides for programming, editing, monitoring and maintenance of industrial controllers programmatically from a local or remote location. The automation interface component is adapted to communicate with industrial controllers by integrating a computer process interface library into the automation interface component. The computer process interface library exposes the automation interface component to client application processes, so that the client application processes can communicate with the at least one industrial controller programmatically. The automation interface is provided with functionality for downloading, uploading and programming of control programs to the processors of the industrial controllers.
US09690278B1
A method of configuring a programmable integrated circuit device to implement control flow at a current basic block. A branch selector node within the current basic block is configured to receive at least one control signal, where each of the at least one control signal is associated with a respective previous basic block. The branch selector node is further configured to select one of the at least one control signal based on one or more intended destinations for the at least one control signal, and provide the selected control signal to a data selector node within the current basic block. The data selector node is configured to select a data signal based on the selected control signal, where the selected data signal is from the respective previous basic block that is associated with the selected control signal.
US09690267B2
A power plant controller (36) is described. The power plant controller (36) controls a power generation system (10) having one or more power generators (12) and an energy storage system (22), and provides a utility grid or transmission system operator with the capability to select the droop response provided by the power generation system. Accordingly, an operator can request a specific generator droop response in order to provide appropriate frequency and grid control services. The power plant controller (36) operates in real time determining one or more power characteristics of the power generation system (10). Based on these characteristics and an indication of a future predicted power output for the power generation system, the power plant controller can take the necessary steps to ensure that the power generation system is capable of responding with the selected droop response, or can advise the operator that a different droop is preferred.
US09690264B2
Co-occurrence data representing e.g. preferences and facts observed in a plurality of situations may be stored in a matrix as combinations of high-dimensional sparse vectors. The matrix may be called e.g. as an experience matrix. The data stored in the experience matrix may be subsequently utilized e.g. for predicting a preference of a user in a new situation. A prediction may be determined by a method comprising providing a query comprising one or more query words, accessing the experience matrix containing co-occurrence data stored as vectors of the experience matrix, determining a first auxiliary vector by identifying a vector of the experience matrix associated with a first query word, forming a query vector by using the first auxiliary vector, and determining the prediction by comparing the query vector with the vectors of the experience matrix.
US09690246B2
An image forming apparatus includes a belt-shaped image bearer, a transferer, a guide unit, and a plurality of contact members. The belt-shaped image bearer has an image bearing surface to bear an image thereon. The transferer forms a transfer section between the transferer and the image bearer, to transfer the image onto a recording medium. The guide unit is disposed upstream from the transfer section in a delivery direction of the recording medium, to guide the recording medium toward the transfer section. The plurality of contact members are disposed side by side at positions opposing the guide unit and in contact with a non image bearing surface of the image bearer opposite to the image bearing surface.
US09690245B2
A recording medium binding apparatus include a cutting unit that is capable of cutting a first end and a second end of each of recording media; a transport unit that transports the recording media; a stacking unit on which the recording media are stacked; a recording medium aligning unit that aligns the recording media by pressing each recording medium by coming into contact with the first end and the second end of the recording medium every time the recording medium is stacked on the stacking unit, the recording medium aligning unit changing an operation of coming into contact with and separating from the recording medium when pressing the recording medium according to whether the recording medium has been cut or the recording medium has not been cut; and a binding unit that binds a recording medium stack formed by stacking the recording media aligned by the recording medium aligning unit.
US09690244B2
A toner image is formed on a sheet based on image data by an image forming portion, and a plurality of sheets on which the toner image is formed is bound together by a stapleless binding unit including a pair of tooth-like members, each having a concave and convex portion. Then, the image data is corrected by a correction portion so that a ratio of toner within a part of the sheet to be subjected to binding processing by the stapleless binding unit is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.
US09690234B2
An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, an external-sheet inlet, a waste toner container, a connector, and a conveying roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet inserted through the external-sheet inlet in the feeding path. The conveying roller is mounted on the waste toner container and removable from the chassis along with the waste toner container.
US09690232B2
A toner container that is detachably attached to a main body of an image forming apparatus such that a longitudinal direction of the toner container is parallel to a horizontal direction includes: a cylindrical container body that has an opening on one end thereof in the longitudinal direction, and is configured to convey toner contained therein toward the opening; a cap portion into which the opening of the container body is inserted, and which includes a toner outlet at a bottom portion thereof for discharging toner discharged from the opening of the container body to the outside of the toner container in a vertically downward direction; and a shutter member that is held on the bottom portion of the cap portion, and moves along an outer periphery of the cap portion to thereby open and close the toner outlet, wherein the cap portion is formed by integral molding.
US09690229B2
An image forming apparatus includes a rotator, a driving control portion, and a layer thickness control portion. The rotator conveys toner to contact position to an image carrying member, and supplies toner to the image carrying member at the contact position. The driving control portion controls rotation of the rotator so as to rotate the rotator during a developing period, and stop the rotation of the rotator after a set time has elapsed since an end of the developing period. The layer thickness control portion causes the rotator to carry toner by controlling a potential difference between a potential of the rotator and a predetermined potential so that toner on the rotator at the contact position has a first layer thickness during the developing period and has a second layer thickness while the rotation of the rotator is stopped, the second layer thickness being thicker than the first layer thickness.
US09690225B2
An image forming apparatus includes the following elements. Plural developing units supply charged developers to electrostatic latent images formed on plural associated image carriers disposed along a direction in which an intermediate transfer body is transported. Plural first transfer units transfer the associated developers onto the intermediate transfer body when the intermediate transfer body passes the associated image carriers while being transported so as to superpose the developers on each other. A second transfer unit transfers the superposed developers transferred onto the intermediate transfer body by the plural first transfer units onto a recording medium. A charge-amount adjusting unit decreases an amount of electric charge of a developer which forms a lower layer developer among the superposed developers transferred onto the intermediate transfer body. A brightness level of the lower layer developer is lower than that of a developer which forms an upper layer developer among the superposed developers.
US09690224B2
An electrostatic latent image developing toner contains a plurality of toner particles. Each of the toner particles contains, in a surface portion thereof, at least one hydrophobic salt in a state where a cation derived from a first surfactant is ionically bonded to an anion derived from a second surfactant. A ratio of a total mass of the at least one hydrophobic salt to a mass of the toner is 1 ppm or more and 5,000 ppm or less.
US09690223B2
A toner includes a plurality of toner particles each including a core and a shell layer residing on a surface of the core. The shell layer has a plurality of cavities each exposing the core. Each of the toner particles has a distribution of surface hardness, as measured by a scanning probe microscope in a state where no external additive adheres to the toner particle, satisfying that the surface hardness is at least 1.10 times a surface hardness Ss in at least 75% and no greater than 95% by area ratio of a surface of the toner particle, where Ss denotes the surface hardness at a location where the core is exposed through any of the cavities.
US09690211B2
The present invention provides an exposure system including a light source and a carrier which are arranged opposite to each other. The carrier is used for placing a to-be-exposed film, and the to-be-exposed film is to be exposed to light emitted from the light source. The exposure system further includes a thickness measurement unit and a light intensity adjustment unit which are electrically connected to each other. The thickness measurement unit is used for measuring thicknesses of different regions of the to-be-exposed film, and the light intensity adjustment unit is used for adjusting exposure-light intensities of different regions of the to-be-exposed film according to the thicknesses of corresponding regions of the to-be-exposed film measured by the thickness measurement unit.
US09690204B2
A maskless exposure device includes an exposure head including a digital micro-mirror device, the digital micro-mirror device being configured to scan an exposure beam to a substrate by reflecting a source beam from an exposure source; and a system control part configured to control the digital micro-mirror device by utilizing a graphic data system file. The graphic data system file includes data for a source electrode, a drain electrode and a channel portion between the source electrode and the drain electrode in a plan view. The channel portion includes a first portion extending in a direction perpendicular to a scan direction of the exposure head. A width of the first portion of the channel portion is defined to be a multiple of a pulse event generation of the exposure beam.
US09690200B2
An optical apparatus and a manufacturing method using the optical apparatus are disclosed. The optical apparatus includes a stage supporting a substrate, first optical systems providing a first light onto the substrate, a gantry supporting the first optical systems to transfer them on the stage, and second optical systems disposed between the gantry and the stage and detecting displacement of the first optical systems. Each of the second optical systems includes a beam source generating a second light different with the first light, and sensor arrays for sensing the second light provided to the first optical systems to detect displacement of the first optical systems.
US09690198B2
Non-linear metallic thermal resist structure having more than two layers of different metals and effective eutectic temperature that is lower than eutectic temperature of a reference non-linear metallic thermal resist having only two layer of same different metals. Optionally, at least one the layers of such resist structure is doped with material different from host metals and/or deposited under conditions resulting in strain or stress in a layer at hand. Method of multi-exposure-based patterning of a substrate carrying such structure with laser pulses characterized by irradiance at levels equal to or below 10 mJ/cm2. The sequence of steps producing the required pattern on the substrate may be explicitly lacking a step of removal of a portion of the resist structure between two consecutive exposures.
US09690189B2
Provided are a mask blank substrate which has effectively and extremely high principal surface flatness while a reduction in the manufacturing throughput of the mask blank substrate is suppressed, a mask blank, and a transfer mask. Also provided are manufacturing methods therefor.A virtual reference surface that becomes an optically effective flat reference surface defined by a Zernike polynomial which is composed of only terms in which the order of a variable related to a radius is the second or lower order, and includes one or more terms in which the order of the variable related to the radius is the second order is set, and a mask blank substrate satisfying the condition that data (PV value) relating to the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the difference data between the reference surface and the measured shape of the mask blank substrate is one-eighth or less of an exposure wavelength (A) is selected.
US09690187B2
Methods for selecting the best measurement sites for OPC model calibration are disclosed. Embodiments include selecting a predetermined number, n, of structures representing an IC design layout eligible for SEM measurement; specifying an image parameter space of image parameters for the n structures; optimizing a redundancy in the image parameter space of measurement sites for the n structures; and calibrating an OPC model for the IC design layout based on the optimized redundancy.
US09690184B1
A rotatable video surveillance system is configured with a drive mechanism that rotates a bracket for a camera up to 360 degrees. The drive mechanism comprises a plurality of gears that rotate a camera back and forth up to at least 180 degrees. The drive mechanism comprises a control arm connecting between the first gear and a second gear, and a third output gear connected to a rotatable bracket. The drive mechanism typically rotates the bracket at a non-linear speed. A switch may be connected to produce back and forth rotation or pause. An electronic control can be used to control the speed of said drive mechanism and/or pan angle and pause. The rotatable surveillance camera covers at least up to 180 degrees. At night, a camera may see 10 to 30 feet, but with a spotlight the camera may see 300′ to 600′. Doppler radar range is about 1 mile.
US09690170B2
A remote-controllable camera dolly and a system for television, film or video recording, including a camera dolly is disclosed. The remote-controllable camera dolly comprises a planar first main part, at least four first wheels that are connected to the first main part and whose rotational axes are each arranged parallel to one another, at least four second wheels that are connected to the first main part and whose rotational axes are each arranged in a first plane that is substantially orthogonal to the rotational axes of said at least four first wheels such that the camera dolly can be moved, guided along a guide element, by means of said at least four first wheels and at least four second wheels, as well as a motorized camera holder which is detachably connected to the fast main part and can be pivoted an at least two axes.
US09690166B1
An apparatus that is wearable by a solo video camera man that allows for solo focusing of subjects without the need for a “focus follow” The device allows for one operator to work the camera and focus it without touching the lens through one hand operation of the lens. There is silent operation for sound recording while filming. The device is modifiable for left hand or right hand use. The device is foldable for portability. The device provides a stable platform for portable camera operation. There is adjustable focus tension for micro control and operator preference. There is an add-on surround frame to support sound and lighting equipment that moves with the camera and that can also house a monitor. The system includes a vest and adjustable support strut that makes hands-free use fatigue-free between scenes. A scale linked to the lens focus makes pre-set focus points easy to mark and visually reference by the single operator. The unit can be tripod mounted for stationary filming. The fold down back stop is adjustable in and back along the shoulder support bars to provide repeatable eye relief to camera or affixed monitor. The back stop and shoulder supports provide a gripping, tacky surface for stability. There is a direct mechanical link between the control handle and the lens focus and no cables or gears with backlash or slippage.
US09690164B2
An acousto-optic crystal optical waveguide is applicable to an acoustic wave sensor for sensing acoustic wave, wherein the acousto-optic crystal optical waveguide includes an acousto-optic crystal core and an inner cladding layer covering the acousto-optic crystal core. The acoustic wave is able to change the refraction index of the acousto-optical crystal optical waveguide to make a light beam with specific wavelength refracting to outside of the acousto-optic crystal waveguide when a light beam transmits through the acousto-optic crystal optical waveguide. Objective of acoustic wave sensing is achieved by detecting wavelength and intensity variation of the light beam transmits through the acousto-optic crystal optical waveguide.
US09690163B2
This invention enables obtainment of a reflectance variable element having a high cold tolerance. Two transparent substrates are disposed so as to face each other across a gap. On respective surfaces of the transparent substrates, the surfaces facing each other, respective transparent conductive films are formed. An electrolytic solution is charged in the gap. The electrolytic solution has a composition in which at least silver ions and copper ions, a content by weight of the copper ions being smaller than that of the silver ions, are contained in a non-aqueous solvent containing a non-aqueous solvent having a boiling point that is higher than that of methanol and methanol, a content by weight of the methanol being smaller than that of the non-aqueous solvent.
US09690162B2
This disclosure provides connectors for smart windows. A smart window may incorporate an optically switchable pane. In one aspect, a window unit includes an insulated glass unit including an optically switchable pane. A wire assembly may be attached to the edge of the insulated glass unit and may include wires in electrical communication with electrodes of the optically switchable pane. A floating connector may be attached to a distal end of the wire assembly. The floating connector may include a flange and a nose, with two holes in the flange for affixing the floating connector to a first frame. The nose may include a terminal face that present two exposed contacts of opposite polarity.
US09690161B2
A diffraction grating comprises a liquid crystal (LC) cell configured to apply an electric field through a cholesteric LC material that induces the cholesteric LC material into a heliconical state with an oblique helicoid director. The applied electric field produces diffracted light from the cholesteric LC material within the visible, infrared or ultraviolet. The axis of the heliconical state is in the plane of the liquid crystal cell or perpendicular to the plane, depending on the application. A color tuning device operates with a similar heliconical state liquid crystal material but with the heliconical director axis oriented perpendicular to the plane of the cell. A power generator varies the strength of the applied electric field to adjust the wavelength of light reflected from the cholesteric liquid crystal material within the visible, infrared or ultraviolet.
US09690159B2
A DC-DC converter (600) generates a supply voltage VPW1, etc. for supplying to a drive circuit (500), by converting a voltage level through an operation of a switching element which changes an electric current passing through an inductor. A mode control signal Cm is generated in a power supply control section (220) of the display control circuit (200), and is supplied to the DC-DC converter (600), whereby the DC-DC converter (600) is operated in a PFM control mode during a period when a load condition is light such as during a non-refreshing period in an intermittent driving, whereas the mode is changed to a PWM control mode in the other periods.
US09690155B2
A TFT substrate (100A) of a liquid crystal display panel includes: an organic interlayer insulating layer (24) covering a TFT; a first transparent electrically-conductive layer (25) provided in the first region of a surface of the organic interlayer insulating layer (24); and an inorganic dielectric layer (26) covering the first transparent electrically-conductive layer (25) and provided in a second region of the surface of the organic interlayer insulating layer (24) which is different from the first region, the inorganic dielectric layer (26) containing SiN, wherein an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the first region and the second region of the surface of the organic interlayer insulating layer (24) is not less than 3.45 nm and not more than 5.20 nm.
US09690141B2
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, which hardly causes display unevenness in joining parts in which mutually neighboring exposure regions are overlapped upon carrying out a photo-alignment treatment for forming a horizontal alignment film. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a step of forming a horizontal alignment film by carrying out a photo-alignment treatment of irradiating a photo-alignment film material applied to at least one substrate of a pair of substrates with polarized light, wherein the photo-alignment treatment is carried out by exposure to a plurality of regions of one substrate surface; two neighboring regions among the plurality of regions to be exposed include an overlapped part; an irradiation amount of the polarized light to the overlapped part is gradually lowered in one of the two neighboring regions toward the other of the two neighboring regions; and the overlapped part of the two neighboring regions has a width of 20 mm or wider.
US09690139B2
A display panel comprises a first electrode on the first substrate and a first alignment layer on the first electrode. The first alignment layer is disposed on the first electrode and comprises a first alignment area and a second alignment area. An alignment direction of the first alignment area is opposite to an alignment direction of the second alignment area. The first electrode is disposed in the first alignment area and comprises a first trunk electrode and at least two first branch electrodes respectively connected to two sides of the first trunk electrode. At least one of the first branch electrodes comprises a first distal end and a first connection end connected to the first trunk electrode. An included angle between the extending direction from the first distal end to the first connection end and the alignment direction of the first alignment area is between 50° and 80°.
US09690135B2
A liquid crystal display panel, in which pixel units are provided on the liquid crystal display panel, each pixel unit includes sub-pixel units displaying different colors, at a position of the apposed substrate or the array substrate corresponding to the sub-pixel unit of at least one color in each pixel unit, a monochromatic quantum dot layer is disposed. This liquid crystal display panel has increased color gamut of the liquid crystal display panel, enhanced color saturation, increased display quality, and increased life of quantum dots. A display device and a process for patterning the monochromatic quantum dot layer are also provided.
US09690127B2
An electronic device includes: a main body of the electronic device; a display, provided on the main body of the electronic device, where the display includes a first light transmitting layer, and a support layer between the main body of the electronic device and the first light transmitting layer, and where the first transmitting layer is located on a first surface of the electronic device; N sensors, provided in the display, and located inside the first transmitting layer, wherein a capturing module of the N sensors faces an inner surface of the first transmitting layer; and the N sensors are adapted to capture ambient light penetrating the first light transmitting layer or ambient light irradiating the N sensors via a through hole of the first light transmitting layer.
US09690121B2
Techniques for providing eyewear with electrical components are disclosed. The electrical components can provide electrical technology to eyewear without having to substantially compromise aesthetic design principles of the eyewear. The electrical components can be partially or completely internal to eyewear. The electrical components can also be attached to the eyewear as an after-market enhancement. The electrical components can operate independently or together with other electrical components provided elsewhere. Apparatus for presenting after-market electrical components are also disclosed.
US09690115B2
The present invention relates to contact lenses which reduce indoor glare and provide improved comfort to the wearer. The contact lenses of the present invention have, at about body temperature, a percent transmission between 70 to 90% across the region of 420-700 nm.
US09690112B2
An image capturing apparatus includes: an image sensor in which multiple light receiving elements are arrayed with respect to one lens on an image sensing plane on which an object image is formed by an imaging lens, the lens being arranged such that the exit pupil of the imaging lens and the light receiving elements are in a conjugate relationship; a polarizer arranged at approximately the position of the exit pupil of the imaging lens, and having multiple areas that have different polarization directions corresponding to different areas of the exit pupil; and an image processing unit that generates multiple images corresponding to the areas of the polarizer from output of the light receiving elements.
US09690110B2
A device may have a display with an array of pixels for displaying three-dimensional images for a viewer. Each pixel may have an array of subpixels and associated lens structures. A beam steerer may be interposed between the array of pixels and the viewer. The beam steerer may steer light that is emitted from the array of pixels towards the viewer. The electronic device may have a camera that monitors the location of the viewer. The beam steerer may be adjusted based on information on the location of the viewer that is gathered from the camera. Other input-output devices such as an accelerometer may also be used in gathering information that is used in adjusting the beam steerer. Different sets of data may be supplied to the array of pixels based on the location of the viewer.
US09690109B2
Disclosed is a display device having a display panel wherein the display device includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines crossing each other to define a plurality of pixels in the display panel, each pixel being divided into N number of sub-pixel areas including a 2D sub-pixel and a 3D sub-pixel, wherein N is an integer and greater than 1; and a lenticular film including a plurality of lenses and attached to the display panel, wherein 3D sub-pixels on an odd-numbered horizontal line and 3D sub-pixels on an even-numbered horizontal line are alternately arranged on a line-by-line basis in a vertical direction.
US09690105B2
A beam shaping system including: a first and second optical modules that are accommodated in a spaced-apart relationship in an optical path of light through the system to sequentially apply beam shaping to light incident thereon. The beam shaping system includes first and second alignment modules respectively carrying the first and second optical modules and operable for laterally positioning the optical modules with respect to the optical path. A calibration module of the beam shaping system is connectable to the first and second alignment modules and is operable to sequentially calibrate and align the respective lateral positions of the first and second optical modules with respect to the optical path. The system thereby enables shaping of an incoming light beam of given predetermined wave-front and lateral intensity distribution to form an output light beam having desired wave-front and desired lateral intensity distribution.
US09690103B2
An electronic device displays an image during a communication between two people. The image represents one of the people to the communication. The electronic device determines a location where to place the image and displays the image such that the image appears to exist at the location.
US09690101B2
As a first prism and a second prism respectively have a third surface and a sixth surface, which are reflecting surfaces which are asymmetrical with respect to an axis, inside thereof, it is possible to correct an aberration, and to display an video having high performance. Furthermore, in the first prism, as a plurality of reflecting surfaces (a second surface and the third surface) is provided, it is possible to reduce a size and a weight of the apparatus. Furthermore, like the second surface and a fifth surface, as a surface which functions not only as a light incident surface that causes video light to be incident but also as a total reflecting surface which totally reflects the video light is provided, it is possible to further reduce a size of an optical system.
US09690089B2
A synthetic image can be generated by a simple operation in a short time. A magnifying observation apparatus includes: a z-axis movement unit capable of automatically adjusting a working distance to an observation surface of an observation target placed on a placement section; an xy-axis movement mechanism capable of changing relative positions of the placement section and a microscope lens section; and an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthetic image obtained by synthesizing a plurality of images each captured at a relative distance made different by the z-axis movement unit, wherein image synthesis processing by the image synthesizing unit and processing of moving the microscope lens section by the z-axis movement unit and capturing an image by the camera section are asynchronously executed.
US09690084B2
A projection device to magnify and project, on a screen, an image displayed at an image display element, includes: a dioptric system including at least one positive lens and at least one negative lens; and a reflection optical system having at least one reflection optical element.
US09690079B2
Camera methods and apparatus using optical chain modules which alter the direction of received light
Methods and apparatus for capturing or generating images using multiple optical chains operating in parallel are described. Pixel values captured by individual optical chains corresponding to the same scene area are combined to provide an image with at least some of the benefits which would have been provided by capturing an image of the scene using a larger lens than that of the individual lenses of the optical chain modules. By using multiple optical chains in parallel at least some benefits normally obtained from using a large lens can be obtained without the need for a large lens. Furthermore in at least some embodiments, a wide dynamic range can be supported through the use of multiple sensors with the overall supported dynamic range being potentially larger than that of the individual sensors. Some lens and/or optical chain configurations are designed for use in small handheld devices, e.g., cell phones.
US09690059B2
An optical module includes a first ferrule, a second ferrule, a clip for holding the first ferrule and the second ferrule together, a board including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, an optical waveguide connecting the board to the first ferrule, an outer case forming a housing of the optical module and including a protrusion, and an inner case disposed in the outer case and to which the clip is attached. A pressing surface is formed at an end of the inner case. A first end of the board is in contact with the protrusion and a second end of the board is in contact with the pressing surface such that the board is clamped between the protrusion and the pressing surface.
US09690054B2
A ferrule assembly for an optical fiber connector has a first ferrule component having a structured surface defining features for aligning a section of an optical fiber, and a second ferrule component that is coupled to the first ferrule component by a web, wherein the web is flexible to allow folding the web to fold the second ferrule component over the groove in the first ferrule component. The optical alignment features includes one or more open grooves for receiving a bare section of an optical fiber. The section of the optical fiber is retained in the groove between the two ferrule components.
US09690051B2
A wafer structure includes a diffractive lens disposed on a backside of a wafer and coupled to a front side waveguide, the diffractive lens being configured to receive light and focus the light to the front side waveguide.
US09690042B2
Disclosed are an optical input/output device and an opto-electronic system including the same. The device includes a bulk silicon substrate, at least one vertical-input light detection element monolithically integrated on a portion of the bulk silicon substrate, and at least one vertical-output light source element monolithically integrated on another portion of the bulk silicon substrate adjacent to the vertical-input light detection element. The vertical-output light source element includes a III-V compound semiconductor light source active layer combined with the bulk silicon substrate by a wafer bonding method.
US09690041B2
A light-emitting diode (LED) backlight unit includes first and second curved bottom floor reflectors exhibiting mirror image symmetry along a center line extending in a latitudinal direction, first and second sides disposed along a longitudinal direction, the first and second bottom floor reflectors disposed therebetween, first and second back reflectors disposed on distal ends of the first and second bottom floor reflectors, respectively, away from the center line, and LEDs disposed in or adjacent to the first and second back reflectors. A curvature of the first and second bottom floor reflectors respectively reach a maximum near the center line.
US09690039B2
A light source device 11 has a light emitting element 23, a light guide plate 15 which light from the light emitting element 23 enters, and wiring 17 for supplying power to the light source. The light guide plate has a guide part 31 for positioning the wiring 17.
US09690036B1
In some examples, a lighting apparatus includes a light guiding component having a light absorbing material disposed on at least one surface. The light absorbing material may be selected to have light absorbing properties to compensate for variations in the color of portions of light emitted by a light source. For instance, the color of the light absorbing material may be generally complimentary to an undesirable color of a portion of the emitted light. Consequently, by reflecting the portion of light off the light absorbing material, the undesirable color may be absorbed from the portion of the light so that the resulting light is of a more uniform color. This disclosure also describes techniques for assembling electronic devices in a component stack to provide enhanced display lighting uniformity.
US09690027B2
The present invention relates to an optical film and method of manufacturing the same. The optical film of the present invention includes an acrylic resin and a core-shell type graft copolymer wherein the core includes a conjugate diene rubber, and the shell includes an acrylic monomer, an aromatic vinyl monomer, and a maleimide monomer.
US09690008B2
A method for detecting atmospheric icing potential comprises emitting, by a Doppler lidar (light detection and ranging) entity, electromagnetic radiation to the atmosphere and receiving radiation backscattered from the aerosol, such as a cloud, present in the atmosphere. From the received backscattered radiation, an indication of the icing potential at a number of distances, on the basis of the comparison and an indication of the temperature at the one or more distances, is determined.
US09690007B2
The present invention relates to a method for comparison of multiple tropical cyclone routes. The method is implementable through a mobile device having an application processor and a touch-sensed display. The method is capable of determining multiple reference cyclone routes relevant to an concerned cyclone route by comparing each of multiple historical cyclone routes, each of which routes consists of multiple cyclone center coordinates, with an estimated cyclone route consisting of multiple estimated cyclone center coordinates for representing the concerned cyclone route.
US09690006B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a downhole tool that includes a photon source, a photon detector having a plurality of detector pixels in a cylindrical row and column arrangement, and a radial collimator having at least two concentric frustoconical collimators circumferentially arranged about the photon detector and at least two azimuthal collimating members radially arranged with respect to the photon detector, wherein one of the azimuthal collimating members is on a first side of a detector pixel and a second azimuthal collimator is on a second side of a detector pixel opposite the first side.
US09690005B2
A metal detector of the disclosure includes a detection head, a supporting rod, and a headset. The supporting rod is connected with the detection head. A first control printed circuit board (PCB) is located inside the supporting rod, and is electrically connected to the detection head. The headset includes a second control PCB connected to the first control PCB by wireless communication, and a display electrically connected to the second control PCB. When an operator wears the headset, a visual direction of the operator keeps within a display range of the display. The detection head detects a metal signal, the first control PCB transmits the metal signal to the second control PCB by wireless communication. The second control PCB transforms the metal signal into a video signal transmitted to the display to display for the operator.
US09689996B2
Improved imaging systems are disclosed. More particularly, the present disclosure provides for an improved image sensor assembly for an imaging system, the image sensor assembly having an integrated photodetector array and its associated data acquisition electronics fabricated on the same substrate. By integrating the electronics on the same substrate as the photodetector array, this thereby reduces fabrications costs, and reduces interconnect complexity. Since both the photodiode contacts and the associated electronics are on the same substrate/plane, this thereby substantially eliminates certain expensive/time-consuming processing techniques. Moreover, the co-location of the electronics next to or proximal to the photodetector array provides for a much finer resolution detector assembly since the interconnect bottleneck between the electronics and the photodetector array is substantially eliminated/reduced. The co-location of the electronics next to or proximal to the photodetector array also enables/facilitates programmable pixel configuration for optimal image quality.
US09689994B2
A method correcting a measured spectrum of X radiation, according to a number of channels Nc, each channel i corresponding to an energy range between Ei and Ei+ΔEi, including: determining function δti,j(k) determining size of temporal deviation Δt interval separating two interactions with energy Ei and Ej, stacking of which leads to a detected energy value Ek; determining, from the function δti,j(k), probability function Pi,j(k) that an event counted in a channel k corresponds to a stack of two interactions, respectively of energies Ei and Ej; determining, from the probability function Pi,j(k), a stack spectrum as a part of the measured spectrum that corresponds only to the stacks alone; and calculating or estimating at least a first corrected spectrum, by the difference between the measured spectrum and the stack spectrum.
US09689984B1
A method of displaying a weather condition indicator with respect to an aircraft includes receiving weather data from a weather radar system. The weather data includes data indicative of a first location of the weather condition. The method also includes determining a second location of the weather condition based on data indicative of a movement of the weather condition, and displaying the weather condition indicator with reference to the second location.
US09689976B2
A system for providing integrated detection and countermeasures against unmanned aerial vehicles include a detecting element, an location determining element and an interdiction element. The detecting element detects an unmanned aerial vehicle in flight in the region of, or approaching, a property, place, event or very important person. The location determining element determines the exact location of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The interdiction element can either direct the unmanned aerial vehicle away from the property, place, event or very important person in a non-destructive manner, or can cause disable the unmanned aerial vehicle in a destructive manner.
US09689971B2
The disclosure relates to a laser ranging calibration method and a laser range finder including a line laser generation module, an image capturing module and a processing module. The line laser generation module projects a line laser beam to a first direction from a first position. The image capturing module at a second position captures a ranging image in the first direction. When the ranging image includes a calibration target image of a calibration target having a first width, the processing module calculates a measured width of the calibration target according to a position of a line spot image of a laser spot on the calibration target image, obtains a calibration parameter according to the first width and the measured width, performs range finding according to the laser spot shown in the ranging image, and performs a calibration task using a calibration parameter.
US09689970B2
Distance measurement methods and apparatus use laser pulse sets having signatures which enable returned pulses to be correlated with emitted pulses. Each pulse set comprises at least one pulse and a signature selected from a set of possible signatures. Pulse sets reflected from at least one surface are detected and, for each set, the signature is recognized and a time of flight is determined. Signatures are defined by one or more of: spacing in time between pulses of a set, wavelength of the at least one pulse of the set, spacing in time between a first subset of a set and a second subset of a set, difference of wavelength between pulses of a set, and difference of wavelength between a first subset of a set and a second subset of a set. Each set can have multiple groups of pulses and pulses within a group can have different amplitudes.
US09689969B2
A system is provided that includes a Doppler radar unit that transmits a first electromagnetic wave having a first frequency, which a test system converts to a first electrical signal having the first frequency. The test system generates a second electrical signal having a second frequency, and mixes the first and second electrical signals to produce a third electrical signal having a third, sum or difference frequency. The third frequency represents a Doppler-shifted frequency caused by reflection of the first electromagnetic wave by a target at a distance from the Doppler radar unit. The test system converts the third electrical signal to a second electromagnetic wave having the third frequency, and transmits the second electromagnetic wave back to the Doppler radar unit for calculation of a speed representing that of the target as a function of the first and third frequencies, from which the Doppler radar unit may be calculated/certified.
US09689960B1
The systems, devices, and processes described herein may identify a beam of a voice-controlled device that is directed toward a reflective surface, such as a wall. The beams may be created by a beamformer. An acoustic echo canceller (AEC) may create filter coefficients for a reference sound. The filter coefficients may be analyzed to identify beams that include multiple peaks. The multiple peaks may indicate presence of one or more reflective surfaces. Using the amplitude and the time delay between the peaks, the device may determine that it is close to a reflective surface in a direction of the beam.
US09689958B1
The present technology may be directed a system for determining an angle and distance between a positioning node and secondary device using a plurality of acoustic transmitters to transmit acoustic ranging signals that are modulated using ranging sequences, respectively. The system includes an acoustic receiver to detect the acoustic ranging signals, and a signal processor to calculate times of arrival and a plurality of aliased angles of arrival of the acoustic ranging signals. An anti-aliasing module may select an angle of arrival from the calculated plurality of aliased angles using the times of arrival of the acoustic ranging signals. A time of flight may be calculated from a comparison of times of arrival for radio signals and the acoustic signals. The time of flight may be used to calculate the distance between the positioning node and secondary device.
US09689957B2
A solar tracking system and method that use a tube that admits solar radiation and one or more photodetectors for generating a signal related to an intensity of solar radiation at a distal end of the tube. The system has a scan unit for periodically executing a certain scan pattern in an elevation angle El and in an azimuth angle Az of the shielding tube. A processing unit in communication with the photodetector determines an on-sun orientation of the shielding tube based on a convolution of the signal obtained while executing the scan pattern with a trained convolution kernel. The on-sun orientation thus found can be used to update the orientation of one or more solar surfaces, e.g., reflective or photovoltaic surfaces.
US09689954B2
An integrated electron spin resonance (ESR) circuit chip includes a chip substrate, a transmitter circuit, and a receiver circuit. The transmitter circuit and receiver circuit are disposed on the chip substrate. The transmitter circuit includes an oscillator circuit configured to generate an oscillating output signal and a power amplifier (PA) circuit configured to generate an amplified oscillating output signal based on the oscillating output signal. The receiver circuit receives an ESR signal from an ESR probe. The receiver circuit includes a receiver amplifier circuit configured to generate an amplified ESR signal based on the received ESR signal, a mixer circuit configured to receive the amplified ESR signal and to down-convert the amplified ESR signal to a baseband signal, and a baseband amplifier circuit configured to generate an amplified baseband signal based on the baseband signal.
US09689949B2
Phase unwrapping is provided for phase contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The velocity values are unaliased. For a given location over time, a path over time through a directed graph of possible velocities at each time is determined by minimization of derivatives over time. The possible velocities are based on the input velocity, the input velocity wrapped in a positive direction, and the input velocity wrapped in a negative direction, so the selection to create the minimum cost path represents unaliasing of any aliased velocities.
US09689945B2
A virtual coil emulation method is used in a magnetic resonance imaging scan for acquiring a magnetic resonance image of an object (10). The scan is performed by an MR system (1) using a physical coil arrangement (9; 11; 12; 13) including a set of individual transmit coils. The coils are adapted for transmission of a desired RF transmit field to the object (10) for magnetic resonance spin excitation of the object (10). Each coil is associated with a physical transmit channel. The RF transmit field corresponds to a virtual arrangement of two or more of the coils. Virtual transmit channel properties include virtual transmit channel weights are assigned to the RF transmit field which describe the virtual complex RF field amplitudes with respect to each individual coil of the virtual coil arrangement to be applied to the physical coils (9; 11; 12; 13) for generating the RF transmit field.
US09689938B2
In a gradient magnetic field coil device including: a plurality of main coils generating in an imaging region of a magnetic field resonance imaging device a magnetic field distribution in which an intensity linearly inclines; and a plurality of shield coils, arranged on an opposite side of the imaging region across the main coils, suppressing residual magnetic field generated by the main coils on the opposite side. The plurality of main coils and the plurality of shield coils are connected in series. The device further includes a plurality of current adjusting devices, connected to the shield coils in parallel, independently adjusting currents flowing through the shield coils, respectively, to enhance symmetry of the residual magnetic field. The gradient magnetic field coil device is provided which can suppress generation of eddy current magnetic field even if there is a relative position deviation between the main coils and shield coils.
US09689936B2
An apparatus includes circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit, each circuit including subarrays of magnetic tunnel junctions, where: (1) the magnetic tunnel junctions in each subarray are arranged in rows, the magnetic tunnel junctions in each row are connected in series, and the rows are connected in parallel; and the subarrays are connected in series. The apparatus further comprises a field line configured to generate a first magnetic field for configuring an operating point of the first circuit based on a current flow through the field line, wherein impedance of one or more of the magnetic tunnel junctions in each of the plurality of rows of each subarray of magnetic tunnel junctions included in the first circuit is configured based on the first magnetic field.
US09689935B2
A Hall-Effect measure apparatus comprises a magnetic source, a wafer on a thermal chuck, a dc current source and a voltage meter. The magnetic source generates a magnetic field in a perpendicular position relative to the wafer. Furthermore, the magnetic field is targeted at a specific region of the wafer to be tested. By performing a Hall-Effect measurement and van der Pauw measurement, the carrier mobility of the specific region of the wafer can be calculated.
US09689934B2
A method and system for determining a force experienced by an object of interest (OOI) within a magnetic field is disclosed. The method includes moving the OOI toward an expected position by altering the magnetic field and then calculating force information associated with the force experienced by the OOI. The force calculation based on a comparing the new position of the OOI vs the expected position of the OOI. The force calculations include magnetic flux measurements.
US09689932B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for influencing and/or detecting magnetic particles in a field of view (28), in particular for examination of human patients. The apparatus comprises i) selection-and-focus means (120) for generating a magnetic selection-and-focus field (50), wherein said at least one set of selection-and-focus field coils comprises—at least one inner selection-and-focus field coil (113, 115) being formed as a closed loop about an inner coil axis (115a), first inner selection-and-focus field coil (115)—a group of at least two outer selection-and-focus field coils (116-119) arranged at a larger distance from said inner coil axis (115a) than said at least one inner selection-and-focus field coil (113, 115) and at different angular positions, each being formed as a closed loop about an associated outer coil axis (116a-119a), and ii) drive means (120) comprising a drive field signal generator unit (122) and drive field coils (124; 125, 126, 127) for changing the position in space and/or size of the two sub-zones (52, 54) in the field of view (28) by means of a magnetic drive field so that the magnetization of the magnetic material changes locally.
US09689924B2
An integrated circuit is configured to receive a test clock input and includes circuitry configured to generate test clocks from the test clock input, and test circuitry configured to use the test clocks in a test mode.
US09689919B2
In an integrated circuit, a first scan chain of flip-flops is loaded with data for testing data retention of the flip-flops and a memory is loaded with data for performing a retention test by a memory built-in self-test (MBIST) wrapper circuit. A portion of the system is placed in a low-power state for a predetermined period of time before data is read from the memory and retention of data by the memory while in the low-power state is determined.
US09689914B2
A method of testing a three-dimensional integrated circuit (3DIC) includes applying a voltage through at least one testing element and at least one conductive line, wherein the at least one conductive line traces a perimeter of at least one of a top chip or an interposer substantially parallel to an outer edge of the at least one top chip or the interposer, and the at least one conductive line is configured to electrically connect a plurality of conductive connectors. The method further includes measuring a current responsive to the applied voltage. The method further includes determining an integrity of the 3DIC based on the measured current.
US09689912B2
A method and apparatus for measuring thickness of a film in a solar cell provides for directing light emitted at multiple emission wavelengths, to a surface of the solar cell. Each emission results in the generation of a responsive photo current. The photo currents are read by a current meter having one contact coupled to a surface of the solar cell and another contact coupled to another surface. The currents associated with each of the different light emissions are identified and the thickness of a film in the solar cell is calculated based on the two currents or associated quantum efficiencies, and associated absorption coefficients. In one embodiment, the film thickness is the thickness of a CdS or other buffer film in a thin film solar cell.
US09689911B2
A system includes a signal system controller electrically connected to a first track section of a first rail of a track system, and electrically connected to a second track section of the first rail, in which the first track section is separated from the second track section by a first rail insulated joint. The signal system controller is configured to transmit a test signal on the first track section and configured to receive the test signal on the second track section to test the first rail insulated joint between the first track section and the second track section.
US09689907B2
A method and device for measuring a variation of a capacitance, the device includes: a capacitance having a voltage across its terminals; a charging element and a discharging element; a comparison element; control elements activating the charging element or the discharging element as a function of the value of the voltage across the terminals of the capacitance and of which an output voltage has a high value during the charging and a low value during the discharging; a counter measuring a time representative of a predetermined number of charging and discharging cycles of the capacitance; and an additional capacitance electrically connected to the output voltage and to the capacitance, able to be charged and discharged simultaneously with the charging and discharging of the capacitance.
US09689903B2
In an embodiment, a body of apparatus includes an opening, such as a V-shaped jaw, that deterministically locates a position of a wire in at least one dimension when the wire is placed in the opening. The apparatus also includes a plurality of sensors. At least one differential signal can be generated from signals from magnetic sensors, such as anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) sensors, of the plurality of sensors to cancel out common mode interference. An additional sensor of the plurality of sensors provides an output from which the location of the wire in another dimension is determined. The current flowing through the wire can be derived from at least the at least one differential signal and the location of the wire the other dimension.
US09689900B1
A current sensing circuit for sensing current in a DUT includes first and second input terminals; a shunt resistor connected to the first input terminal; a shunt resistor sensing circuit that amplifies voltage between terminals of the shunt resistor; a low pass filter coupled to an output of the shunt resistor sensing circuit; a current transformer having a primary winding connected between a terminal of the shunt resistor and the second input terminal; a current transformer sensing circuit connected to a secondary winding of the current transformer and configured to amplify current from the secondary winding; and an adder configured to add outputs of the low pass filter and the first current transformer sensing circuit. The current transformer sensing circuit includes a first transimpedance amplifier and a first input resistor. The current transformer has a low frequency-side cutoff frequency equal to a cutoff frequency of the low pass filter.
US09689891B2
A method for optimizing loop gain of an atomic force microscope (AFM) apparatus includes determining a change in gain of the physical system and adjusting a controller frequency response of the controller in an AFM loop to compensate for the determined change in gain. The AFM loop has a corresponding loop response that includes the product of the controller frequency response and a physical system response of the physical system.
US09689888B2
A device is described that includes a pendulous proof mass, a support base, a flexure, and at least two resonators. The support base defines a plane and supports the pendulous proof mass. The flexure flexibly connects the pendulous proof mass to the support base, suspends the pendulous proof mass within the support base, and in response to an acceleration of the device, the pendulous proof mass rotates about the flexure in the plane defined by the support base. The at least two resonators flexibly connect the pendulous proof mass to the support base and flex based on the rotation of the pendulous proof mass about the flexure, wherein each of the at least two resonators resonate at a respective resonant frequency.
US09689887B1
In some examples, a portable electronic device may monitor onboard sensor information to detect and characterize a fall event. For example, the device may receive acceleration information from one or more accelerometers for determining that the device is falling, and may receive information from one or more gyroscopes for determining an orientation of the device. Based at least in part on the sensor information, the device may determine the fall duration, an estimated fall height, device orientation before during and after the fall, and/or a coefficient of restitution resulting from the device impacting a surface. The device may store the fall information on the device. Further, in some examples, the device may send the fall information to a remote computing device, which may aggregate the fall information from a plurality of the devices, such as for improving or optimizing the design of the devices.
US09689882B2
A monitoring system monitoring an environmental condition of an area by measuring an environmental quantity, including: a static monitoring section including plural static sensor units each configured to collect first measure data relating to the environmental quantity in respective portions of the area; a mobile monitoring section including at least one robot configured to move within the area to collect second measure data relating to the environmental quantity in a portion of the area surrounding the robot; and a central unit communicating with the static sensor units and robot to perform: conditioned to assessing an anomalous environmental condition from first measure data collected by at least one static sensor unit, commanding the robot to operate according to anomaly routines, and conditioned to assessing an anomalous environmental condition from second measure data collected by the robot, commanding at least one static sensor unit to operate according to anomaly routines.
US09689881B2
A method for separating target molecules or particles from a fibrinogen containing sample comprises: (a) trapping the said target molecules or particles in a fibrin network by converting at least partially the fibrinogen contained in the sample into fibrin; (b) retracting the said fibrin network to form a fibrin clot; (c) separating the said fibrin clot from the surrounding sample medium.
US09689878B2
Provided is an assay method using an encoded particle-based platform. In the assay method, first, a plurality of encoded particles having codes distinguishable from one another according to kinds of included target materials are prepared. The plurality of encoded particles are provided onto a plate including a plurality of wells by pipetting, and disposed in the plurality of wells by a self-assembly method. An analyte is provided into the plurality of wells. The codes of the plurality of encoded particles disposed in the plurality of wells are decoded. The target materials of the plurality of encoded particles are released to cause a reaction between the target materials and the analyte.
US09689877B2
Compounds useful as fluorescent or colored dyes are disclosed. The compounds have the following structure (I): Formula (I), including stereoisomers, salts and tautomers thereof, wherein R1a, R1b, R2a, R2b, R2c, R2d, R2e, R2f, R2g, R2h, R2i, R2j, R2k, R2l, R2m, R2n, R2o, R2p, R2q, R2r and R2s are as defined herein. Methods associated with preparation and use of such compounds are also provided.
US09689871B2
Peptides useful in determining the presence of autoantibodies in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis are disclosed.
US09689854B2
A food safety detection device includes a xylem fiber substrate, which is configured with a sampling portion and a reaction portion. The reaction portion includes at least one chemical reagent. The sampling portion absorbs a test sample. The test sample moves on the xylem fiber substrate to the reaction portion and reacts with the chemical reagent. A manufacturing method for the food safety detection device is also disclosed. The food safety detection device is advantageous for easy operation, safety and rapid analysis.
US09689852B2
A sensing system for selective analyte detection in presence of interferences is presented. The sensing system includes an inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) resonant sensor includes a substrate, a plurality of first sensing elements mutually spaced apart and disposed on the substrate, a plurality of second sensing elements, each second sensing element disposed overlapping a corresponding first sensing element of the plurality of second sensing elements, and a protecting film applied onto the plurality of first sensing elements and the plurality of second sensing elements, wherein the protecting film is disposed to be in a physical contact with the analyte and is configured to enable an operational contact of the plurality of first sensing elements and the plurality of second sensing elements with the analyte.
US09689842B2
An embodiment of the invention relates to a device for detecting an analyte in a sample. The device comprises a fluidic network and an integrated circuitry component. The fluidic network comprises multiple zones such as a sample zone, a cleaning zone and a detection zone. The fluidic network contains a magnetic particle and/or a signal particle. A sample containing an analyte is introduced, and the analyte interacts with the magnetic particle and/or the signal particle through affinity agents. A microcoil array or a mechanically movable permanent magnet is functionally coupled to the fluidic network, which are activatable to generate a magnetic field within a portion of the fluidic network, and move the magnetic particle from the sample zone to the detection zone. A detection element is present which detects optical or electrical signals from the signal particle, thus indicating the presence of the analyte.
US09689834B2
A gas sensor including a plate-shaped detecting element is disclosed, wherein the detecting element has a pair of principle surfaces and a pair of side surfaces adjacent to the pair of principle surfaces, in a radical direction thereof, wherein a first chamfered portion is provided between at least one first principal surface of the pair of principal surfaces and the rear end surface of the detecting element, and wherein the angle between a first axis ridgeline portion formed by the first principal surface and a first side surface that is one of the pair of side surfaces and extending in the direction of the axis, and a first width ridgeline formed by the first principal surface and the first chamfered portion and extending in a width direction is larger than 90°.
US09689810B2
An automatic calibration method suitable for an electronic apparatus comprising a proximity sensor is disclosed. The automatic calibration method includes steps of: resetting data comprising a minimal index and a maximal index when a specific function is activated; updating the minimal index and the maximal index according to readings from the proximity sensor; resetting the minimal index when the proximity sensor detects a far event according to a threshold value of the proximity sensor; resetting the maximal index when the proximity sensor detects a near event according to the threshold value; and, re-calculating the threshold value according to the minimal index or the maximal index every time the minimal index or the maximal index is updated.
US09689802B2
An apparatus and method to measure water content and water pH of multiphase fluid mixtures of water and oil. The apparatus employs a water content sensor containing an infrared light source and a photodetector. The pH sensor includes a pH indicator that exhibits a color change in an oleophobic coating including an image recording device. The apparatus and method may be applied to measure water fraction and pH within oil/water pipelines.
US09689798B1
Disclosed herein is a protective film detecting method of detecting the formed condition of a protective film formed on the front side of a workpiece. The protective film detecting method includes a fluorescence intensity measuring step of forming a plurality of reference protective films having different thicknesses on the front sides of a plurality of reference workpieces, next applying excitation light absorbable by an absorbing agent contained in each reference protective film to each reference protective film, and next measuring the intensity of fluorescence emitted from the absorbing agent due to the absorption of the excitation light, and a threshold deciding step of deciding a threshold of the fluorescence intensity corresponding to a desired one of the different thicknesses of the reference protective films according to the fluorescence intensity measured above.
US09689797B2
The present invention discloses a microscopy imaging structure with phase conjugated mirror and the method thereof. The afore-mentioned imaging structure produces a reverse focusing conjugated probe beam together with an original probe beam. These two probe beams meet at the focal point in the object body to be probed, and an interference pattern is produced. The interval between any two consecutive wave fronts in the interference pattern is then half of the wavelength of the original probe beam, and hence the vertical resolution of the image is improved. The present invention also applies a light modulator module on the probe beam to easily adjust the depth of the focal point of the probe beam and the phase conjugated reverse focusing probe beam in the object body. With the adoption of this invention, the size or position limitation of the target object is eliminated and the imaging resolution is also improved.
US09689780B2
A single-use coring probe for collecting a frozen aliquot from a frozen biological sample includes a hollow coring bit and an ejector adapted. The ejector is operable to eject a frozen sample core from the bit as it moves from a retracted position to an extended position. Use of the ejector converts the probe to a disabled configuration to discourage reuse of the coring probe to obtain another sample. The probe may include a locking mechanism adapted to prevent re-use of the single-use coring probe by locking the ejector in the extended position. A hand-held coring device can be used to take frozen sample cores from frozen samples. A tissue container is suitable for holding a frozen tissue sample in frozen storage and also for holding the sample while the sample is sectioned and/or a full-depth frozen sample core is extracted from the frozen tissue.
US09689768B2
A pressure difference sensor includes a pressure difference measuring cell, which has a measuring cell platform with pressure contactable measuring chambers in its interior, a first mounting surface and a second mounting surface. The mounting surfaces have a variable separation under pressure loading of the measuring chambers. A first reinforcement element with a first planar reinforcement area and a second reinforcement element with a second planar reinforcement area. A deflection of the mounting surfaces due to a pressure loading of the measuring chambers is lessened by the reinforcement elements, wherein especially at least 50% of an effective stiffness K=1/(dx/dp) of the reinforcement elements connected by the pressure difference measuring cell is provided only by these connections of the reinforcement element with the measuring cell platform without additional connections between the reinforcement elements in a parallel branch, wherein x is the separation between the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface having the greatest pressure dependence dx/dp.
US09689756B2
A tool for use in locating a pressure measurement device between a surface and a biasing member is provided. The tool includes a first indexing member configured to couple to a first side of the pressure measurement device, and a second indexing member configured to couple to a second opposing side of the pressure measurement device. The second indexing member includes an outer surface including a recess sized to receive at least a portion of the biasing member. The first and second indexing members are configured to be pressed between the biasing member and the surface such that the first and second indexing members compress against the pressure measurement device.
US09689754B2
The invention regards a method for estimating the temperature of a semiconductor chip accommodated in a power semiconductor device in operation, such as an IGBT power module, the method comprising the steps of; while the power semiconductor device is in operation determining a voltage drop over the power semiconductor device for a value of applied load current and; estimating the temperature of the semiconductor chip by evaluating the relationship between the determined voltage drop and the value of applied load current on the basis of a semiconductor chip temperature model. The invention also regards the corresponding apparatus for estimating the temperature of a semiconductor chip, as well as a wind turbine comprising such an apparatus.
US09689745B2
Current apparatuses and methods for analysis of spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (SOCT) signals suffer from an inherent tradeoff between time (depth) and frequency (wavelength) resolution. In one non-limiting embodiment, multiple or dual window (DW) apparatuses and methods for reconstructing time-frequency distributions (TFDs) that applies two windows that independently determine the optical and temporal resolution is provided. For example, optical resolution is provided. For example, optical resolution may relate to scattering information about a sample, and temporal resolution may be related to absorption or depth related information. The effectiveness of the apparatuses and methods is demonstrated in simulations and in processing of measured OCT signals that contain fields which vary in time and frequency. The DW technique may yield TFDs that maintain high spectral and temporal resolution and are free from the artifacts and limitations commonly observed with other processing methods.
US09689735B2
The invention relates to meter electronics (20) for vibratory flowmeter friction compensation is provided. The meter electronics (20) includes an interface (201) configured to communicate with a flowmeter assembly (10) of a vibratory flowmeter (5) and receive a vibrational response and a processing system (203) coupled to the interface (201) and configured to measure a mass flow rate of a fluid using the vibrational response. The processing system (203) is configured to determine a fluid velocity (V) using the mass flow rate, a fluid density (p), and a cross-sectional flow area (A), determine a friction factor (f) using the fluid velocity (V) and a pressure drop (ΔP), and determine a compensation factor using the friction factor (f). The invention also relates to a vibratory flowmeter compensation method.
US09689733B2
A vibration limit switch with a membrane, which can be set into oscillation, and a drive unit for setting the membrane into oscillation and/or for detecting an oscillation of the membrane, with the drive unit comprising at least one electromagnetic drive and one Piezo-electric drive.
US09689723B2
Disclosed is a batteryless counter (1) for gas or water meters having at least one Wiegand sensor (2) or another power generating element and an evaluation circuit (10) connected thereto for processing a pulse (31), and the batteryless counter (1) feeds the pulses (31) generated and processed by the Wiegand sensor (2) to an isolator (17), and that at the output of this isolator (17) a pulse duration setting (18) is disposed, which processes the pulses (31) simultaneously counted via the counting circuit (4) by a pulse selection circuit (6) and converts the other pulse shapes/pulse frequencies and guides them outwards.
US09689717B2
Phase estimation apparatus processes sensor signals from sensors to estimate a phase of a periodically varying state of an object, such as position of a moving object. A phase estimation processor applies a first correlation calculation to simultaneously collected samples of the sensor signals to generate first quadrature values, where the first correlation calculation employs variable calculation values, and applies a phase calculation to the first quadrature values to generate the phase estimation. A pre-quadrature calibration circuit applies respective second correlation calculations to respective sequences of samples of the sensor signals individually to generate second quadrature values for each of the sensor signals, and applies phase and/or magnitude calculations to the sets of second quadrature values to generate the variable calculation values for the first correlation calculation, thereby compensate for the error component and improve accuracy of the estimated phase.
US09689714B2
A sensor network having a series arrangement of fiber-coupled, reflective sensors is disclosed. In operation, a first light signal having multiple wavelength bands is launched in an upstream direction on a fiber bus. Each sensor includes a wavelength filter and an FP sensor that is sensitive to a parameter. Each wavelength filter (1) selectively passes a different one of the wavelength bands to its FP sensor and (2) reflects the remaining wavelength bands back into the fiber bus to continue upstream. The FP sensor imprints a signal based on the parameter onto its received light and reflects it as a second light signal. The collimator, wavelength filter, and FP sensor of each sensor are arranged such that each second light signal is returned to the fiber bus, which conveys them in a downstream direction to a processor that measures them and estimates the parameter at each sensor.
US09689710B2
Systems and methods for identifying and targeting power outages are provided. Electric meters of a system receive electric power from power distribution equipment in a power distribution network and information that identifies the respective power distribution equipment from which the meters receive electric power. Communication nodes are associated with electric meters and receive, from neighboring communication nodes, information identifying each respective neighboring communication node and the information identifying the power distribution equipment from which respective electric meters, associated with neighboring communication nodes, receive electric power. A communication node of a particular electric meter can select a suitable communication node of a neighboring electric meter with which it can communicate. When the particular electric meter experiences a loss in power, it can then transmit an immediate regarding the loss in power to the selected communication node.
US09689709B2
Techniques for mirroring to allow for data transmissions from a device through mirror capable device. In an embodiment, a plurality of mirror capable devices may report their capability, which may include signaling conditions related thereto. A mirror capable device may be selected from the plurality of mirror capable devices based on signaling conditions associated with the utility device's power consumption.
US09689700B1
A navigation system, apparatus and method for prioritizing and geometrically linearizing navigational data/content, where internal navigational data having one or more first navigational destinations and/or locations are stored. A global positioning apparatus may be operatively coupled to a processor in the navigation system and configured to determine a current car position (CCP). Communications operatively coupled to the processor may be configured to receive external navigational data comprising one or more second navigational destinations and/or locations, wherein the processor may be configured to prioritize the internal and external navigational data according to at least one of a source and/or type. The processor may also be configured to process the internal and external navigational data to generate a linearized representation of navigational paths for the prioritized first and second navigational destinations and/or locations relative to the CCP.
US09689680B2
An approach is provided for determining a request by a user to initiate route calculation to at least one destination. The approach involves determining one or more items of interest associated with the user. The approach also involves determining availability information of the one or more items of interest at the at least one destination. The approach further involves causing, at least in part, a presentation of at least one message regarding the availability information.
US09689678B2
The invention relates to a vibrating MEMS inertial angular sensor including a substrate for supporting at least two mass bodies mounted to bear mobile relative to the substrate and associated with at least one electrostatic actuator and at least one electrostatic detector. The sensor includes first means for suspending the mass bodies relative to the substrate and means for coupling the mass bodies together. The substrate is connected to a stationary rack by second suspension means.
US09689676B2
A yaw-rate sensor having a substrate and a plurality of movable substructures that are mounted over a surface of the substrate, the movable substructures being coupled to a shared, in particular, central spring element, means being provided for exciting the movable substructures into a coupled oscillation in a plane that extends parallel to the surface of the substrate, the movable substructures having Coriolis elements, means being provided for detecting deflections of the Coriolis elements induced by a Coriolis force, a first Coriolis element being provided for detecting a yaw rate about a first axis, a second Coriolis element being provided for detecting a yaw rate about a second axis, the second axis being oriented perpendicularly to the first axis.
US09689675B2
A sensor for detecting a rotation rate of an object, including: a sensor element, which is designed to vibrate at an angle to the rotation axis of the rotation rate to be detected at an excitation frequency on a resetting element fastened in a spatially fixed manner to the object, such that the sensor element is deflected at a reaction frequency in a reaction direction at an angle to the rotation axis and at an angle to the vibration direction owing to the Coriolis force; and a measuring transducer, which is designed to detect the vibration in the reaction direction wherein the vibratable sensor element is formed in such a manner that a comparison of a temperature-dependent displacement of a frequency spacing between the excitation frequency and the reaction frequency and a temperature-dependent position of the sensor element on the object satisfies a predefined condition.
US09689673B2
The present disclosure relates to a method (1) and system for determining the position of a target. The method comprises a step of measuring (110) with a range and direction measuring device the position of at least one reference object relative to the position of the range and direction measuring device. The method further comprises a step of marking (120) the at least one reference object in a geo-referenced three-dimensional map so as to obtain a geo-referenced position of the at least one reference object. The method further comprises a step of measuring (130) with the range and direction measuring device the position of the target relative to the position of the range and direction measuring device. The method further comprises a step of calculating (150) a position of the target based on the measured position of the at least one reference object relative to the position of the range and direction measuring device, based on the measured position of the target relative to the position of the range and direction measuring device, and based on the obtained geo-referenced position of the at least one reference object.
US09689661B2
Exemplary apparatus and method can be provided. For example, with at least one first arrangement, it is possible to provide at least one first radiation, which can impact at least one second arrangement that is provided in an optical path between the at least one first arrangement(s) and at least sample. The second arrangement can have at least one birefringent property, In addition, with at least one detector third arrangement, it is possible to receive at least one second radiation from at least one first portion of the second arrangement(s), and at least one third radiation from at least one second portion of the second arrangement(s). The second and third radiations can be associated with the first radiation(s). Using at least one computing fourth arrangement, it is possible to determine information regarding the first radiation(s) based on the second and third radiations.
US09689657B2
The disclosure relates to a method of detecting an object using a detection signal supplied by a proximity sensor. The method comprises the steps of generating a reference signal by filtering the value of the detection signal, defining a first detection threshold, and going from an object non-detecting state to an object detecting state when the value of the detection signal becomes greater than the first detection threshold. When the value of the detection signal becomes greater than the first detection threshold, the value of the reference signal is readjusted in a manner such that the value of the detection signal again becomes less than or respectively greater than, the first detection threshold.
US09689655B2
This invention relates to a method for measuring a feature of an object that comprises obtaining a representation of at least the feature on the object by acquiring multiple data points via surface measurement of at least the feature. A model substantially replicating at least the feature of the object is fitted to the representation. The model comprises parameters defining at least two independently alterable portions that are linked at a common point. The fitting comprises changing the form of the model by altering at least one of the at least two independently alterable portions. The method also comprises obtaining information regarding at least the feature from the fitted model.
US09689636B2
A muzzle brake that will remove 80-90% of rifle recoil is disclosed. The invention uses cone shaped nozzles similar to rocket nozzles to expand the gasses properly in the correct direction to eliminate most of the rifle recoil and muzzle climb. The marksman can keep his rifle on target and fire all day without having a sore shoulder.
US09689632B2
An integrated spring bottom metal latch is disclosed that obviates the problem of rifles having heavy recoil from erroneously and unintentionally opening and dropping shells or magazines upon firing. The integrated spring allows for exact manufacturing versus compression springs. As a result, the presently disclosed invention may be utilized to address specific recoil requirements as found in any number of rifles exhibiting different recoil.
US09689630B2
A heat exchanger system for cooling liquid includes a generally rectangular arrangement of a plurality of horizontally spaced finned tube arrays arranged above the ground, the arrangement having longer sides extending in a length direction and shorter sides extending in a width direction. A plurality of fans are provided above the finned tube arrays for inducing air through the finned tube arrays, wherein at least two of said fans are mutually spaced in the width direction. At least one wind deflector is provided adjacent one of the longer sides, wherein the at least one wind deflector is installed on the ground separately from any of the plurality of finned tube arrays.
US09689628B2
An inner fin is an offset fin having a wavy cross-section that is perpendicular to an oil flowing direction, and has a louver that is partially cut and bent in a direction parallel with the oil flowing direction. The wavy cross-section is defined by alternately placing first-side convex parts and second-side convex parts. A fin height fh is defined by a distance from the first-side convex part to the second-side convex part in the cross-section. An area surrounded by the inner fin, a tube, and the first-side or second-side convex parts located adjacent with each other on the same side in the cross-section is converted into a corresponding circle having a diameter de. When a relationship of X=de/fh0.3 is defined, the diameter of the corresponding circle and the fin height respectively have dimensions that satisfy a relationship of 0.5≦X≦1.0.
US09689625B2
A method for manufacturing a heat pipe includes following steps: providing a tube; providing a rod; inserting the rod in the circular tube, a receiving portion is formed between an inner face of the tube and the upper portion of the rod; providing an amount of metal powder and filling the metal powder into the receiving portion; sintering the metal powder at a high temperature to form a first wick structure adhered on the inner face of the tube and then drawing the rod out of the tube; injecting a working medium into the tube and sealing the tube to form the heat pipe.
US09689623B2
A flat heat pipe includes a tube, a sealed section, an insulation section and a heat conduction section. The tube includes a metal shell and a chamber. The sealed section is formed by rolling the metal shell and making two opposite inner walls of the tube combined closely on the tube that separate the chamber into a first chamber and a second chamber. The insulation section is a hollow chamber including the first chamber. The conduction section includes the second chamber, a capillary and working fluid. Further, the heat conduction device includes a heat dissipating shell, a heating element and a flat heat pipe. The plate heat pipe is disposed in the heat dissipating shell and thermally conducted with the heating element.
US09689620B2
Disclosed is a heat exchanger that can more efficiently transfer heat between a heat-exchange fluid and an object with which heat is to be exchanged. A heat exchanger (1) can transfer heat between a heat-exchange fluid flowing through flow paths (R1) and a fluid with which heat is to be exchanged flowing through other flow paths (R2) by means of the flow path structure member (10) (a first metal sheet (11) and a second metal sheet (12)) in which the flow paths (R1 and R2) are formed. The flow paths (R1 and R2) are formed so that the side surfaces thereof are not straight and so that the depths thereof change along the flow direction.
US09689607B2
A fluid is liquefied from a gaseous state to a liquid state, and the liquefied fluid is stored. In one embodiment, the fluid is oxygen. Mechanisms are employed that enhance the durability, longevity, reliability, efficiency, of a system used to liquefy the fluid.
US09689605B2
A refrigerator is described. The refrigerator includes a body. The refrigerator further includes a door. The refrigerator further includes a first rail guide and a second rail guide. The refrigerator further includes a first rail assembly and a second rail assembly. The refrigerator further includes a shaft that is configured to connect the first rail assembly with the second rail assembly. The refrigerator further includes a first pinion that is located at a first end of the shaft and configured to engage the first rail guide based on the door being pushed in or pulled out. The refrigerator further includes a second pinion that is located at a second end of the shaft and configured to engage the second rail guide based on the door being pushed in or pulled out. The refrigerator further includes a torsion reduction part that is configured to reduce torsion of the door.
US09689600B2
An icemaker unit and a refrigerator having the same. A drainage duct is provided to the icemaker unit, including a longitudinally inclined structure, a laterally inclined structure, and drainage holes to enhance drainage of the water. An upper part of the drainage duct is formed of a high heat-conductivity material and a lower part of the drainage duct of a low heat-conductivity material.
US09689598B2
Systems and methods for providing power to a refrigeration unit or an air conditioner used on a hybrid vehicle. The system includes an accumulation choke, a PWM rectifier, and a frequency inverter. The accumulation choke is configured to receive a first AC power, a second AC power, and a DC power. The accumulation choke and PWM rectifier convert the received power into an intermediate DC power having a peak voltage. The PWM rectifier provides the intermediate DC power to the frequency inverter. The frequency inverter converts the intermediate DC power to an output AC power. The frequency inverter provides the output AC power to the refrigeration unit.
US09689596B2
Systems and methods are described herein for cleaning objects, such as refrigeration coils and the like, by placing a first end of a bag over one side of the coils, and placing a second end of the bag over a suction hose of a vacuum. When the vacuum is activated and compressed air (or other gas or liquid) is blown into a second, opposite, side of the refrigeration coils, the dirt removed therefrom is directed toward the interior of the bag and into the vacuum and contained therein. Baffles within the bag direct the flow of dirt and debris toward the vacuum.
US09689590B2
An integrated CO2 refrigeration and air conditioning (AC) system for use in a facility includes one or more CO2 compressors configured to discharge a CO2 refrigerant at a higher pressure for circulation through a circuit to provide cooling to one or more refrigeration loads in the facility and a receiver configured to receive the CO2 refrigerant at a lower pressure through a high pressure valve. The integrated system further includes an AC module configured to deliver a chilled AC coolant to AC loads in the facility. The AC module includes an AC evaporator and an AC compressor. The AC evaporator has an inlet configured to receive CO2 liquid and an outlet configured to discharge a CO2 vapor. The AC compressor is arranged in parallel with the one or more CO2 compressors and is configured to receive CO2 vapor from both the AC evaporator and the receiver.
US09689587B1
An automatic over-temperature control system for a solar collection is provided in which a light sensor in combination with an electronic solenoid valve is used to prevent entry of cold water into a thermosiphon solar collector during daylight intervals. By delaying entry of water until dusk (low light), the solar tubes have cooled sufficiently so water can be safely introduced into an empty or depleted solar collector without damaging the collector tubes.
US09689582B2
An overvoltage recovery circuit (ORC), a controller for an HVAC system and an HVAC system are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the ORC includes: (1) a first supply voltage terminal connected to a first voltage supply, (2) a second supply voltage terminal connected to a second voltage supply, (3) interruption circuitry including a switch and a trip terminal connected to the second supply voltage terminal and (4) detection circuitry connected to the first supply voltage terminal and the switch of the interruption circuitry, the detection circuitry configured to operate the switch in response to an overvoltage condition at the first supply voltage terminal.
US09689579B2
A dehumidifier includes an improved structure of a water tank in order to enhance convenience in use of the water tank. The dehumidifier includes: a main body to form an external appearance of the dehumidifier, and including an air entrance and an air exit; a heat exchanger in which refrigerant to exchange heat with air coming through the air entrance circulates; and a water tank configured to store condensed water formed when the air come through the air entrance exchanges heat with the refrigerant, wherein the water tank includes: a storage space formed in the water tank to store the condensed water, and a handle coupled to the water tank at one side of the water tank, and inclined toward the other side of the water tank.
US09689578B2
A refrigerant distribution unit for an air conditioner, includes: a refrigerant pipe provided on an outdoor unit side; branch refrigerant pipes provided on an indoor unit side; a distribution portion which distributes a refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe to the branch refrigerant pipes; a main unit which stores the distribution portion and includes a first side face from which the refrigerant pipe is drawn out and a second side face from which the branch refrigerant pipes are drawn out; and an electric component box. Each of the branch refrigerant pipes includes a branch gas pipe and a branch liquid pipe which are drawn out from the second side face. The adjacent branch gas pipes are disposed parallel such that lengths of the branch gas pipes increase sequentially from one toward the other, and the adjacent branch liquid pipes are disposed parallel such that lengths of the branch liquid pipes similarly increase sequentially.
US09689576B2
An oven appliance with one or more features for minimizing the time to preheat the cooking chamber and balancing the heat distribution within the cooking chamber of the oven appliance is provided. Features for minimizing the acoustic noise of the oven appliance are also provided. Further, a method for operating an oven appliance to minimize the preheat time and balance the heat distribution within the cooking chamber of the oven appliance while minimizing acoustic noise is provided.
US09689573B2
Combustion equipment for use in a gas turbine engine is provided. The combustion equipment includes an inner and outer case, wherein the outer case encloses the inner case creating a cavity located between the two cases. The combustion equipment also has a fuel delivery device for delivering fuel into a combustion region within the inner case, wherein the fuel delivery device passes through a hole in the outer case and a corresponding hole in the inner case. The combustion equipment also includes a seal assembly to prevent the leaking of pressurized gas into the cavity located between the outer and inner cases via the hole through which fuel delivery device passes. The seal assembly includes a flexible sleeve that extends around the fuel delivery device and interconnects the inner case with the outer case, permitting relative movement of the inner and outer cases when the combustion equipment is in use.
US09689567B2
A surgical-instrument alignment station comprises a case having an interior surface and an exterior surface. The case comprised a top side and a bottom side joined along a hinge. A plurality of suction cups are fixed to the exterior surface of the bottom side of the case for allowing the case to be selectively attached to a surface. An alignment block is affixed to the exterior surface of the bottom side of the case. The alignment block comprises an elongated element that defines a plurality of slots for selectively holding a plurality of surgical-tool implements. The elongated element further comprises a clamping element configured to selectively engage surgical-tool implements. The station further comprises a first internal pocket in the top side of the case and a light source in the top side of the case.
US09689564B2
A device comprising an arm, with a hollow portion, a hub having a stator portion, and an elongated portion disposed into the arm; a rotor with an elongated portion for housing part of a spring. Wherein the spring has a first end disposed in the arm and a second end disposed in the elongated portion of the rotor, and a moveable arm, with a substantially hollow portion operable to receive the elongated portion of the rotor. Certain embodiments may include more than one moveable arm.
US09689560B2
A LED light bulb simultaneously using as nightlight contains: a LED element, at least one LED filament, a base, a driving circuit, and a light guiding element. The base includes a hollow cavity for accommodating the driving circuit and LED element which electrically connects with the driving circuit, the base also includes an electrical fitting electrically connected with the driving circuit and a bulb holder. The light guiding element is made of photoconductive material and coupled with the base, and the light guiding element includes a light entering end corresponding to a light emitting end of the LED light to guide lights from the LED element. The at least one LED filament is electrically connected with the driving circuit and surrounds around the light guiding element, and the at least one LED filament is supported by the light guiding element to emit the lights.
US09689557B2
A light-emitting device having a cover (1), a heat sink (2) and a light-emitting assembly (3), wherein the heat sink (2) has at least one first locking part (a), the cover (1) has at least one second locking part (b) corresponding to the first locking part (a), the second locking part (b) engages with the first locking part (a) to form an enclosed cavity (5) for the light-emitting assembly (3), and the second locking part (b) has a pressing part (b1) pressing the light-emitting assembly (3) against the heat sink (2).
US09689546B2
A vehicle lighting unit can be configured to include a thin light guide. The vehicle lighting unit can include a solid light guide having a first surface including an internal reflection portion and a light exiting portion that are formed as a single continued surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a light incident surface through which light enters the light guide so that the light reaches and is internally reflected off the internal reflection portion of the first surface, then is internally reflected off the reflection portion of the second surface, and exits through the light exiting portion of the first surface. The reflection portion of the second surface can include a plurality of divided reflection regions, and the reflection regions can include at least one reflection region disposed at a reference position and at least one reflection region disposed at a position closer to the light exiting surface than the reference position.
US09689540B2
An apparatus and methods for retrofitting known solar simulator systems to allow the exit beam to be changed in size and location without changing the other fundamental functions of the main optical elements. The solar simulator system is provided with means for de-magnifying the exit beam to provide higher power densities at the illumination plane. By adding or replacing one final optical element, the system user can change the location of the illumination plane and the size of the illumination area. This change in size can increase or decrease the power density of the exit beam.
US09689539B2
The invention discloses an LED fluorescent lamp, comprising a base plate, an end cap, an aluminum profile, a light diffusing plate, a light guide plate component, a lamp shade, a power unit and a lamp panel component as well as an LED lamp bead on the lamp panel component; first slots are arranged on two left side walls of the aluminum profile; the light guide plate can rotationally sleeved in the first slots; the top of the lamp shade is provided with a holding groove, at the bottom of which a hollowed-out part is hollowed out; the light diffusing plate is fixed in the holding groove and provided with many stripes on the surface; the stripes are crossed to form diamond-shaped stripes; and two sides of the lamp shade are arcs. The invention has the advantages of high thermal radiation effect, soft light and better light-emitting angle.
US09689538B2
An electronic candle includes a housing, an LED light source, a battery, and one or more sensors to detect a blow of air or a tilt of the electronic candle. The electronic candle further includes a microprocessor that is coupled to the LED light source, to the blow sensor and to the tilt sensor. The microprocessor is programmed to control illumination produced by the LED light source, to receive signals indicative of the detection of a blow, and to detect a tilt of the electronic candle.
US09689536B2
An LED tube lamp is disclosed. An installation detection circuit is configured in the LED tube lamp configured to receive an external driving signal. The installation detection circuit is configured to detect during one or more pulse signals whether the LED tube lamp is properly installed on a lamp socket, based on detecting a signal generated from the external driving signal. The installation detection circuit includes a switch circuit coupled to the pulse generating circuit, wherein the one or more pulse signals control turning on and off of the switch circuit. The installation detection circuit is further configured to: when it is detected during one or more pulse signals that the LED tube lamp is not properly installed on the lamp socket, control the switch circuit to remain in an off state to cause a power loop of the LED tube lamp to be open; and when it is detected during one or more pulse signals that the LED tube lamp is properly installed on the lamp socket, control the switch circuit to remain in a conducting state to cause the power loop of the LED tube lamp to maintain a conducting state.
US09689534B2
A pipeline-waste-gas reduction method to reduce the amount of gas wasted by existing high-pressure pipelines having existing pipeline controllers and existing actuator-based control valves, by reducing the pressure of gas sent to existing pipeline controllers by a determined factor, consequently reducing the amount of gas wasted by the controllers, and then increasing control pressure returned by the controllers by the same factor, ensuring that the proper control pressure is sent to the existing actuator-based control valves.
US09689533B2
A gas delivery system for a plasma process system such as a plasma etching system wherein inner surfaces of gas passages are coated with a corrosion-resistant material coating formed by curing a layer of fluidic precursor deposited on the inner surfaces. The coating can be formed by (a) flowing a fluidic precursor of a corrosion-resistant material through the gas passages and depositing a layer of the fluidic precursor to completely coat the inner surfaces of the gas passages; (b) removing excess fluidic precursor from the inner surfaces; (c) curing the deposited layer of the fluidic precursor to form a corrosion-resistant material coating.
US09689531B2
A composite pressure container for fluids includes a pressure container, a boss (1), and a coupling or valve member (5) fitted in an opening in the boss. The pressure container includes an inner fluid-tight liner layer (4) and a pressure supporting layer (3) formed by winding fiber-reinforcement onto the liner layer. The boss is positioned in a central opening of the pressure container. The structure of the boss comprises a depressurization passage for preventing build-up of internal pressure inside the boss.
US09689522B2
The invention relates to a lining element for repairing a connection area between a main pipe and a branch pipe, the lining element including a layer of resin-absorbing material, wherein at least six flexible, expandable lining parts are connected to each other by at least six connections to form the lining element. To manufacture such a lining element the at least six flexible, expandable lining parts are provided and connected to each other by at least six connections to form the lining element.
US09689519B2
A trampoline support structure includes a manifold, a first annular tube, a mesh encircled tube, a second annular tube and a support tube. The manifold includes a longitudinal installation portion, a transverse installation portion and an installation hole located on the transverse installation portion. The first annular tube includes a first assembly section inserted into the transverse installation portion and an anchor hole located on the first assembly section. The mesh encircled tube includes an anchor section inserted into the installation hole, the anchor hole and the longitudinal installation portion. The second annular tube includes a second assembly section inserted into the first assembly section. The anchor section, the longitudinal installation portion and the support tube form a multi-layer structure, thus can solve the problem of inadequate structural strength occurred to the conventional techniques.
US09689510B1
A cable organizer includes a sliding rail assembly including a first sliding rail unit, a second sliding rail unit and a connection member with two opposite ends thereof respectively pivotally connected to the first sliding rail unit and the second sliding rail unit, and a cable-organizing rack including a first holder block and a second holder block respectively affixed to the first sliding rail unit and a first cable supporting frame and a second cable supporting frame respectively pivotally connected to the first holder block and the second holder block so that the first cable supporting frame and the second cable supporting frame can protrude out of the sliding rail assembly, facilitating maintenance.
US09689495B2
A powertrain system including an internal combustion engine rotatably coupled to a variator of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) is described. A method for controlling the CVT includes determining a first speed ratio change rate based upon a desired speed ratio and a commanded speed ratio, and determining a commanded speed ratio trajectory based upon the first speed ratio change rate, an actual speed ratio and a commanded speed ratio. A ratio change coefficient and a force ratio factor are determined based upon the commanded speed ratio trajectory. A shift force is determined based upon the ratio change coefficient and a total speed ratio change rate. A primary pulley pressure and a secondary pulley pressure for the CVT are controlled based upon the shift force and the force ratio factor.
US09689486B2
In an aspect, a decoupler includes a hub, a pulley, a torsion spring having a plurality of coils including first and second end coils, a first spring driver fixed to the pulley, and having a first spring driver surface and a first end coil support surface; a second spring driver not fixed to the pulley, and having a second spring driver surface and a second end coil support surface, a driving clutch member mounted connected to the second spring driver, a driven clutch member mounted concentrically with the driving clutch member and drivingly connected to the hub, a one-way wrap spring clutch mounted about the hub and disposed to interconnect the driving and driven clutchmembers, and configured to transfer torque in a first direction between the driving and driven clutchmembers. A first overrun limit surface connected to the first spring driver engages a second overrun limit surface connected to the second spring driver when an angular displacement of the second spring driver relative to the first spring driver reaches a first selected angular displacement so as to prevent an increase in the angular displacement. At the selected angular displacement any axial compression of the torsion spring resulting from rotation of the second end coil support surface relative to the first end coil support surface is sufficiently small to prevent the coils from binding to one another.
US09689484B2
A differential control system for a motor vehicle such as a truck including at least one differential includes at least one differential lock which is able to operate the differential into at least a locked or an unlocked state, a controller that controls the differential lock, a manually operable control member freely rotating bidirectionally around at least one axis, an encoder connected to the control member to convert a rotation of the control member into a signal fed to the controller which controls the differential lock in order to operate the differential into a locked or an unlocked state.
US09689479B2
A motor-driven machine tool has a drive motor, the motor shaft of which is driven in rotation, with a tool drive shaft, which is driven in rotation or in oscillation about its longitudinal axis, and with a coupling drive for converting the rotational movement of the motor shaft into a driving movement of the tool drive shaft. Furthermore, a coupling is provided, which compensates an angular offset or change in position between the motor shaft and tool drive shaft which deviates from an axially parallel or right-angled arrangement of the two shafts.
US09689475B2
A tensioning or guide rail for a chain drive, in particular for a chain drive of an internal combustion engine, comprises two spaced-apart contact sections and one non-contact section arranged therebetween, the contact sections each having a sliding surface which is adapted to be brought into contact with a chain, and the non-contact section interconnecting the two contact sections as a support structure. Such a rail is to be configured such that the installation space available can be utilized more advantageously. To this end, the support structure of the non-contact section comprises an opening extending continuously from a front to a rear of the tensioning or guide rail and separating the contact sections provided with the sliding surfaces. The invention also relates to an endless drive of the type in question.
US09689472B2
A power transfer device that includes an automatic transmission that includes a plurality of engagement elements and a speed change gear mechanism capable of establishing a multiplicity of shift speeds by changing a power transfer path by engaging or disengaging the engagement elements; and a control device that is configured to control the automatic transmission.
US09689466B2
The present invention provides a reduction mechanism in which high torque output can he achieved, thinness and size and weight reduction can be achieved, and the number of teeth of a gear and reduction ratio can be freely set. In a gear motor that includes a reduction mechanism in which a planetary two-stage gear is arrayed between a sun gear of a planetary gear mechanism and an internal gear of a planetary gear mechanism, the reduction mechanism has at least a single planetary two-stage gear arrayed such as to be positioned between the sun gear and the internal gear and including a small gear or a large gear that meshes together with a large gear or a small gear of the planetary two-stage gear, and both end portions of the at least a single planetary two-stage gear are supported by ball bearings.
US09689461B2
A damper assembly for a motor vehicle drive train is provided. The damper assembly includes a spring retainer retaining arc springs; an engine-side cover for connecting to an engine crankshaft, the spring retainer being fixed to the engine-side cover; and a seal configuration between the engine-side cover and the spring retainer. The seal configuration, the engine-side cover and the spring retainer define an arc spring cavity for lubricating fluid to lubricate the arc springs. The seal configuration is configured to prevent lubricating fluid from radially exiting the arc spring cavity during rotation of the damper assembly about a center axis thereof. A method of forming a damper assembly is also provided.
US09689454B2
The present disclosure relates to a frequency tuned damper with an elastic element (7) adapted to connect a vibration body (5) to a surface (3). The elastic element has a wide portion (17) and a narrow portion (19) disposed at different locations along a longitudinal axis (23) which is substantially parallel with the normal of the surface when the damper is mounted, and has a first circumferential mounting groove (11) in the wide portion (17), for attaching the wide portion to the surface, and a second circumferential mounting groove (15) in the narrow portion (19), for attaching the narrow portion to the vibration body. The first circumferential mounting groove extends along an elongated path. This provides a damper that is capable of providing two different resonance frequencies in two perpendicular directions in the plane of the surface, and can easily be aligned in a desired direction.
US09689450B2
A brake backing plate includes first and second sheet metal stampings. Each sheet metal stamping has a respective textured face with a plurality of integrally formed piercing members. A solid non-porous metal core is sandwiched between the first sheet metal stamping and the second sheet metal stamping. The piercing members of the first sheet metal stamping penetrate into the metal core, and the piercing members of the second sheet metal stamping penetrate into the metal core, to secure the first sheet metal stamping, the second sheet metal stamping, and the metal core together.
US09689441B2
A cam stop conducts rotation from a driving part, such as a tire ring, to a driven part, such as a rotary dryer or kiln. The cam stop includes a pair of support blocks securable to the driven part, and a cam rod rotatably coupled with the support blocks and extending between the support blocks. The cam rod includes a logarithmic spiral cam profile, and the cam rod is displaceable in a radial direction into engagement with the driving part by rotation according to the logarithmic spiral cam profile. Rotation of the tire ring may be conducted to the rotary drum by frictional engagement between the cam rod and the driving part.
US09689437B1
A clutch mechanism includes a meshing arrangement between a first plurality of teeth on a first component coupled to a driven shaft and a corresponding second plurality of teeth on a second component coupled to a driving shaft.
US09689434B2
A hydraulic controller for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle includes at least one gear shift piston-cylinder unit having a gear shift piston for actuating a shifting element in the form of a multi-plate clutch, and a gear shift pressure chamber in which an actuating pressure may be built up by supplying operating fluid. The gear shift piston-cylinder unit has a centrifugal oil chamber that is separated from the gear shift pressure chamber by a gear shift piston. Operating fluid may be supplied to the centrifugal oil chamber via a centrifugal oil line supplied by a first supply line. The hydraulic controller has a second supply line for supplying operating fluid to the centrifugal oil line. The second supply line may be closed and opened by a centrifugal oil valve.
US09689419B2
A threaded portion with thread groove formed and non-threaded portion without the thread groove are prepared on rod-like portion of stud, and non-threaded diameter-increasing portion whose outer diameter is increasing toward thread ridge of screw portion with thread groove formed and non-threaded small diameter portion connecting to small diameter region of non-threaded diameter-increasing portion and having same diameter as that of small diameter region are prepared at threaded portion side edge of non-threaded portion. A holder is provided with stud-receiving hole which receives the rod-like portion, a first locking portion and a second locking portion. The second locking portion is engaged with the non-threaded small diameter portion in a fixedly holding status, and the second locking portion is engaged with the non-threaded diameter-increasing portion in a status that the holder is moved for a predetermined amount in a direction away from the fixedly holding status.
US09689418B2
A reduced-corrosion assembly includes a first and a second component joined by a fastener having a head and a body. A coating covers a section of the body. The assembly also includes a washer, a compression limiter, and a nut arranged on the first component and adapted to engage the fastener body to thereby tighten the assembly. When the assembly is tightened, the compression limiter is arranged on the fastener body between the first and second components, while the second component is arranged on the fastener body between the compression limiter and the washer. Furthermore, the washer is arranged on the fastener body between the fastener head and the second component, while the coating covers the body substantially up to where the nut engages the body such that corrosion of the assembly is limited or reduced. A vehicle employing the reduced-corrosion fastening system is also provided.
US09689417B2
A washer includes a domed central portion with a central opening establishing a longitudinal axis, a base wall extending in a direction radially outwardly from the axis, and an extension wall extending in a direction radially outwardly and axially away from the base wall. The washer also includes a curled radially outer periphery with a peripheral wall extending radially outwardly from the extension wall and in a direction axially away from the extension wall back toward the base wall. A fastener assembly includes the washer and a fastener having a shank extending through the central opening of the central portion. A fastener arrangement includes the fastener assembly and an object to which the fastener assembly is fastened. A product, and a related method, include a panel carried by an underlying support structure to which the shank of the fastener assembly is coupled, with the curled radially outer periphery engaging the panel.
US09689416B2
A torque limiting fastener comprising a body. The body includes a threadform, an inner bore and a controlled break region. The body defines an elongated body extending from a first end to a second end, and the body includes an outer surface. The threadform extends at least partially between the first end and the second end along the outer surface. The inner bore extends from the second end at least partially toward the first end of the body. The controlled break region is positioned between the inner bore and the outer surface. The controlled break region includes an outer surface break point formed into the outer surface and an inner surface break point formed into the inner bore. The outer surface break point and the inner surface break point defining a shear plane therebetween.
US09689413B2
The invention relates to a magnet retention member (1) which can be fitted to a wall (28) of a locking sleeve (27) for a gear mechanism, a locking sleeve (27) and a position sensor arrangement (37) for a gear mechanism. In order to be able to produce the position sensor arrangement (37) with the magnet retention member (1) and/or the locking sleeve (27) in the most cost-effective manner possible, there is provision according to the invention for the magnet retention member (1) to have a retention slot (4) for receiving a wall (28) of the locking sleeve (27), which is flanked by retention arms (2, 3) of the magnet retention member (1), the wall (28) having a securing portion (32) for the magnet retention member (1) and the position sensor (37) having a magnet retention member (1) according to the invention and/or a locking sleeve (27) according to the invention.
US09689404B2
A fan frame and a fan having temperature detecting element are provided. The fan frame includes a body and a circuit board. The body includes an inlet. The circuit board is installed around the inlet of the body. The temperature detecting element traverses the inlet. The first wire electrically connects the first contact end and the first external contact terminal. The second wire electrically connects the second contact end and the second external contact terminal. At least one of the first wire and the second wire includes a plurality of bending sections. By utilizing the bending sections of the first wire or the second wire, the length of the first wire or the second wire can be increased. Therefore, the influence in the temperature detecting element caused by the circuit board can be lowered and the error of the detecting temperature can be decreased.
US09689397B2
A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine includes a rotating assembly having a turbine wheel disposed inside a turbine housing and a compressor wheel disposed inside a compressor cover. The turbine housing defines a turbine outlet cavity, a turbine housing inlet, and a turbine housing outlet. The turbine housing inlet is configured to channel engine post-combustion gases to the turbine wheel and the turbine housing outlet is configured to exhaust the gases aft of the turbine wheel. A diffuser arranged inside the turbine outlet cavity is configured to channel the post-combustion gases aft of the turbine wheel and out to the turbine housing outlet, without discharging into the turbine outlet cavity.
US09689385B2
The invention concerns a method and an apparatus for operating a multi-phase pump which has a suction-side inlet (10) and a discharge-side outlet (20) and which pumps a multi-phase mixture charged with solids, comprising the following steps: a. pumping a multi-phase mixture into a discharge-side separation chamber (45), b. separating a gaseous phase from a liquid phase and a solid phase in the separation chamber (45), c. separating the liquid phase from the solid phase in the separation chamber (45), and d. supplying a portion of the liquid phase freed from the solid phase to the suction side.
US09689380B2
An actuator device for a rearview device of a motor vehicle includes at least one retaining element, at least one adjusting element, at least one driving means, and at least one heat-conducting means. The adjusting element is configured to be transferred into a plurality of functional positions, in particular from a basic position into at least one end position. The driving means includes at least one shape-memory element in the form of a wire, extending between the retaining element and the adjusting element and configured to be secured to both. Extension of the shape-memory element can be modified when electrically energized. The adjusting element can be transferred from one functional position into another functional position by modifying the extension. The heat-conducting means lies in contact with the driving means at least in the end position of the adjusting element. At least one switching means provides no contact between the driving means and the heat-conducting means in the basic position of the adjusting element and causes contact between the driving means and the heat-conducting means.
US09689379B2
A mechanism to create rotational mechanical advantage from an acceleration field consisting of a gravity arm assembly (14) rotationally connected in a horizontal plane to a gimbal assembly (41). A powered action arm assembly (21) rotationally connected in a horizontal plane, adjacent to the first arm assembly, to the gimbal assembly (41). A counterweight arm assembly (72), connecting at one end to a gearbox assembly (64) and connecting at the opposite end to an attachment mounting assembly (87), all vertically connected to the gimbal assembly (41). A mounting stand assembly (80) to rotationally connect to the gimbal assembly (41). An electrical control assembly (100) to controllably power the action arm assembly. The gravity arm and action arm assemblies are balanced about the gimbal assembly by the counterweight arm assemblies. The action arm assembly rotates about the axis of the gravity arm assembly, creating an imbalance in the gimbal assembly, causing the gravity arm assembly to rotate, and the counterweight arm assembly to swing, all in the same direction of the action arm assembly.
US09689378B2
The invention proposes a device (1000) and a method for storing and transporting a wind turbine blade (100). The blade (100) is inserted between an upper structure (220) and a lower structure (240) applying a clamping force on the blade surface. The magnitude of the clamping force can be adjusted by way of a device (400) comprising an elastic member (440) arranged between the upper structure (220) and the lower structure (240) during operation. The magnitude of the elastic force exerted by the elastic element (420) is proportional to the magnitude of the clamping force. Furthermore, the magnitude of the elastic force linearly depends on the amount of compression of the elastic element (440) with respect to a characteristic rest length.
US09689377B2
Wind turbine rotor blade having an electrical heating device and a plurality of lightning conductors
A wind turbine rotor blade includes: a rotor blade root; a rotor blade tip; an electrical heating device; a first lightning receptor disposed in the region of the rotor blade tip; precisely two lightning conductors leading from the lightning receptor to the rotor blade root; a second lightning receptor arranged at a distance to the rotor blade tip and connected to one of the lightning conductors; and, each one of the two lightning conductors being electrically conductively connected to the electrical heating device at a multiplicity of points between the rotor blade root and the rotor blade tip so as to cause equipotential bonding between the two lightning conductors via the electrical heating device in response to a lightning strike to the rotor blade.
US09689370B2
Apparatus for converting wave motion on a body of water into electrical power includes an electrical power generating system. The system includes a floatable housing. An electrical power generating unit is disposed within the floatable housing. The electrical power generating unit includes two spaced apart wheels which are connected by a drive element, and at least one generator for generating electrical power. A weight is connected to the drive element. When the system is tilted by wave motion, the weight moves toward the lower wheel, thereby turning the wheels and generator(s) and creating electrical power. In an embodiment, two weights are combined to provide drive element movement in a single direction. In another embodiment, the weight travels along a track which has two upturned ends.
US09689367B2
A method for determining the starting capability of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, which can be started by an electric motor powered by a battery, including detecting first battery parameter values during a successful starting sequence of the internal combustion engine at a first time, detecting second battery parameter values at a second time following the first time, determining at the second time the expected battery voltage for a starting sequence of the internal combustion engine taking place at a third time based on the detected first and second battery parameter values, and comparing the battery voltage expected at the third time with a predetermined threshold value in order to derive therefrom the starting capability of the internal combustion engine.
US09689354B1
An exhaust gas recirculation system for an engine is provided. The system comprises an exhaust duct configured to receive and exhaust gases from the engine; an exhaust gas recirculation duct configured to recirculate a portion of the exhaust gases within the exhaust duct to the intake of the engine; and at least one recirculation treatment device provided in the exhaust gas recirculation duct, wherein the recirculation treatment device comprises a catalyst configured to encourage removal of contaminants from the recirculated exhaust gases.
US09689351B2
A fuel vapor treatment apparatus of a vehicle in which a supercharger that supercharges intake air is provided at an intake passage of an internal combustion engine includes a pump controller that drives a pump, a gas passage pressure detector that is provided between a canister and the pump in a gas passage and detects pressure of the gas passage, and an abnormality determining module that determines whether an upstream-side purge passage has an abnormality, on the basis of the pressure detected by the gas passage pressure detector. The pump controller drives the pump when an upstream-side valve is in an opened state. The abnormality determining module determines whether the upstream-side purge passage has an abnormality, on the basis of the pressure detected by the gas passage pressure detector after the upstream-side valve enters the opened state and the pump is driven.
US09689349B2
A fuel evaporative emission control apparatus executes a first leak presence/absence determination for determining the presence or absence of leaks of fuel evaporative gases based on the detection results of a tank pressure detection portion, with a first opening/closing portion being closed, a second opening/closing portion being opened, and a third opening/closing portion being closed. The fuel evaporative emission control apparatus can determine whether leaks of fuel evaporative gases are present or absent, can pinpoint the location of the leaks, and can detect a sensor abnormality.
US09689342B2
Systems and methods for improving fuel injection of an engine that includes a cylinder receiving fuel from a direct fuel injector are disclosed. In one example, a transfer function or gain of a direct fuel injector is adjusted in response to an exhaust lambda value and a first pulse width of two pulse widths provided to an injector of a cylinder during a cylinder cycle.
US09689339B2
An engine assembly includes an internal combustion engine with an engine block having at least one cylinder. An intake manifold and an exhaust manifold are each fluidly connected to the at least one cylinder and define an intake manifold pressure (pi) and an exhaust manifold pressure (pe), respectively. A controller is operatively connected to the internal combustion engine and configured to receive a torque request (TR). The controller is programmed to determine a desired fuel mass (mf) for controlling a torque output of the internal combustion engine. The desired fuel mass (mf) is based at least partially on the torque request (TR), the intake and exhaust manifold pressures and a pressure-volume (PV) diagram of the at least one cylinder.
US09689332B2
A method for the rapid restarting of an internal combustion engine that is slowing down at a reduced supplied air volume, in which the supplied air volume is increased again following a detected restart request and an ignitable fuel/air mixture is produced by a fuel injection in an intake cylinder that is in the intake cycle when the supplied air volume is increased, and the mixture is ignited in the intake cylinder to produce a combustion in the power cycle of the intake cylinder.
US09689324B2
A vaporized fuel processing apparatus has a closing valve provided in a vapor path connecting an adsorbent canister to the fuel tank, a pressure sensor configured to detect the inner pressure of the fuel tank, and an electric control unit configured to determine whether the amount of increase in the inner pressure of the fuel tank is within an acceptable range or not, to learn a valve opening start position of the closing valve when the inner pressure of the fuel tank is reduced by an amount not less than a predetermined value, and to stop or prohibit the learning of the valve opening start position of the closing valve when the amount of increase in the inner pressure of the fuel tank is not within the acceptable range during or before the learning of the valve opening start position of the closing valve.
US09689322B2
A vehicle includes an engine having cylinders in fluid communication with an intake air flow, a mass air flow (MAF) sensor positioned with respect to the intake air flow which outputs a pulse train signal describing the frequency of the intake air flow, and a controller. The controller includes a calibrated non-linear conversion curve recorded in memory. The controller executes a method to convert the frequency data into a corresponding mass air flow using the calibrated non-linear conversion curve, determines the instantaneous mass air flow value at each leading or trailing edge of the pulse train signal, and accumulates the instantaneous mass air flow values over a calibrated duration. A time-weighted average of the accumulated mass air flow values is then used to execute a control action. The controller includes a host computer device and memory storing the curve and instructions for executing the method.
US09689315B2
A bleed valve includes inlet and outlet housings, a hollow shaft defining a valve axis, and a full-area piston. The shaft includes a first end mounted to an inner diameter portion of the inlet housing and a second end mounted to an end cap of the outlet housing. The piston is slidably mounted to the shaft. A first chamber is defined between an upstream side of the piston and the inner diameter portion of the inlet housing. A second chamber is defined between a downstream side of the piston and the end cap of the outlet housing. An area of an upstream surface of the piston at an angle with respect to the valve axis is in fluid communication with the first chamber, and is substantially equal to an area of a downstream surface of the piston at an angle with respect to the valve axis and in fluid communication with the second chamber.
US09689314B2
A turbomachine intermediate casing including an internal hub designed to accept a turbomachine compressor shaft, an outer shell ring, and a plurality of radial arms connecting the hub and the shell ring, one of the arms including an internal housing of radial shaft for driving auxiliary machines, the casing further includes a bevel gearbox for the radial shaft arranged in the outer shell ring, the gearbox being formed as one with the outer shell ring, and the bevel gearbox includes a housing for gears between a radial shaft and an accessories gearbox, the housing including an opening opening to the periphery of the outer shell ring.
US09689304B2
A thermal regulation device for a cooling system of an engine that includes a pump positioned upstream from a cooling housing of the engine and at least one consumer requiring permanent cooling. The device includes a main pipe for circulating coolant through the cooling housing and a secondary pipe bypassing the cooling housing. A two-way valve is positioned on the main pipe at the outlet of the cooling housing of the engine, and the secondary pipe includes a tapping on the main pipe downstream from the pump and upstream from a portion of the main pipe used for cooling the engine so that the flow is maintained at a constant and permanent level for ensuring the cooling of the at least one consumer.
US09689302B2
An exhaust manifold for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine is disclosed having a housing, an inlet flange which can be fixed to the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine and has a plurality of inlet openings, and an exhaust outlet. The housing comprises an inner shell and an outer shell, an insulating material being incorporated between the outer shell and the inner shell. A guide plate is provided on the inlet flange side of the inner shell and the outer shell. The guide plate has inflow openings which correspond with the inlet openings of the inlet flange and is joined to the inlet flange. The outer shell engages with its inlet flange-side edge around the guide plate and is joined to the inlet flange and the guide plate.
US09689300B2
An engine control system is provided and includes an engine having combustion chambers and provides driving torque through combustion of a fuel injected into the combustion chambers. A turbocharger includes a turbine rotated according to flow energy of exhaust gas, a compressor compressing external air, and a vane adjusting amount of exhaust gas supplied to the turbine. An EGR device recirculates exhaust gas to the combustion chamber. An exhaust manifold includes a body with an internal fluid path, exhaust inlets in which exhaust gas is introduced, a partition to form internal fluid paths, and an exhaust outlet to which exhaust gas is exhausted. Temperature sensors measure temperature of exhaust gas flowing through the internal fluid paths. A controller adjusts an opening amount of the vane of the turbocharger, exhaust gas recirculated using the EGR device, and fuel to be injected to the combustion chambers based on measured temperature.
US09689295B1
Methods and systems are provided for exhaust gas heat recovery at an exhaust gas heat exchanger. Exhaust gas may flow in both directions through an exhaust bypass passage and the heat exchanger coupled to the bypass passage. Hot or cold EGR may be delivered from the exhaust passage to the engine intake manifold and heat from the exhaust gas may be recovered at the heat exchanger.
US09689293B2
A reductant delivery unit reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from a vehicle. The delivery unit includes a solenoid operated fluid injector having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The inlet receives a source of reducing agent and the outlet communicates with an exhaust gas flow path of the vehicle so that the fluid injector controls injection of the reducing agent into the exhaust gas flow path. The fluid injector has an inlet tube for directing the reducing agent between the inlet and the outlet. A coil heater is integral with the fluid injector and is constructed and arranged, when energized, to inductively heat the inlet tube and thus at least a portion of the reducing agent so that an unheated volume, of the reducing agent in the inlet tube, which is adjacent to the fluid outlet, is less than about 100 mm3.
US09689291B2
According to one embodiment, a diesel exhaust fluid purging system includes a metering valve with a supply port and a delivery port. The purging system also includes a pump assembly that is fluidly connected to the supply port of the metering valve. The pump assembly includes a pump and a single supply line that is fluidly connectable with a diesel exhaust fluid source. The purging system further includes an injection assembly that is fluidly connected to the delivery port of the metering valve. The injection assembly includes an air supply line that is fluidly connectable with an air supply source. Additionally, the purging system includes a controller in electrical communication with the metering valve, the pump assembly, and the injection assembly. The controller is configured to purge the pump assembly of residual diesel exhaust fluid using air from the air supply line.
US09689282B2
A variable valve lift apparatus that changes a lift of a valve in an engine may include an outer body selectively pivoting based on rotation of a cam, having a first end configured to be connected with a valve and a second end mounted with a pivot shaft, and having an internal space formed in the outer body, an inner body pivoting based on rotation of the cam, disposed in the internal space of the outer body, and having a first end rotatably connected to the first end of the outer body, a connecting shaft disposed through the first end of the outer body and the first end of the inner body and connecting the outer body and the inner body to each other, and a lost motion spring having a portion fixed to the outer body and another portion fixed to the inner body.
