US09960304B2
Provided is a solar cell for which accurate mutual alignment between a condenser lens and a power generating element corresponding thereto can be performed.In a solar cell 23, a plurality of grid electrodes 31 each formed in a linear shape are arrayed on a light receiving surface 23a along the width direction of the light receiving surface 23a. The plurality of grid electrodes 31 include a first center grid electrode 31a forming a cross portion 34 exhibiting a center-specific geometry caused by electrodes crossing each other at the center of the light receiving surface 23a.
US09960303B2
Device for concentrating and harvesting sunlight comprising: A panel having rigid layer having a patterned electrical circuit thereon. An array of sunlight concentrating and harvesting units, each unit being formed by at least one rigid element and a portion of the rigid layer; and including: a rigid optical concentrating element, a photovoltaic cell sandwiched within the panel for converting sunlight into electrical energy, and an electrical conductor. The electrical conductor being the primary heat sink for the photovoltaic cell, the photovoltaic cell being primarily cooled via conduction. The electrical conductor and the optical concentrating element being dimensioned and arranged within the unit such that the electrical conductor does not materially impede transmission of sunlight to the photovoltaic cell. The electrical conductor transmitting electrical and thermal energy received from the photovoltaic cell away from the unit.
US09960288B2
Some implementations provide a device (e.g., solar panel) that includes an active layer and a solar absorbance layer. The active layer includes a first N-type layer and a first P-type layer. The solar absorbance layer is coupled to a first surface of the active layer. The solar absorbance layer includes a polymer composite. In some implementations, the polymer composite includes one of at least metal salts and/or carbon nanotubes. In some implementations, the active layer is configured to provide the photovoltaic effect. In some implementations, the active layer further includes a second N-type layer and a second P-type layer. In some implementations, the active layer is configured to provide the thermoelectric effect. In some implementations, the device further includes a cooling layer coupled to a second surface of the active layer. In some implementations, the cooling layer includes one of at least zinc oxides, indium oxides, and/or carbon nanotubes.
US09960287B2
A passivation layer is deposited on a first portion of a region of the solar cell. A grid line is deposited on a second portion of the region. The passivation layer is annealed to drive chemical species from the passivation layer to deactivate an electrical activity of a dopant in the first portion of the region of the solar cell.
US09960280B2
A transistor with stable electric characteristics is provided. An aluminum oxide film containing boron is formed in order to prevent hydrogen from diffusing into an oxide semiconductor film.
US09960278B2
To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device manufactured by giving stable electric characteristics to a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor. In a manufacturing process of a transistor, an oxide semiconductor layer, a source electrode layer, a drain electrode layer, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode layer, and an aluminum oxide film are formed in this order, and then heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer and the aluminum oxide film, whereby an oxide semiconductor layer from which an impurity containing a hydrogen atom is removed and which includes a region containing oxygen more than the stoichiometric proportion is formed. In addition, when the aluminum oxide film is formed, entry and diffusion of water or hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor layer from the air due to heat treatment in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or an electronic appliance including the transistor can be prevented.
US09960277B2
A method for producing a semiconductor device includes a first step of forming a first insulating film around a fin-shaped semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate; a second step of forming a second insulating film, depositing a first polysilicon, planarizing the first polysilicon, forming a third insulating film, forming a second resist, and forming a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, a first dummy gate, and a first hard mask; and a third step of forming a fourth insulating film, depositing a second polysilicon, planarizing the second polysilicon, etching back the second polysilicon, depositing a sixth insulating film, forming a fourth resist, forming a second hard mask, forming a third hard mask, forming a second dummy gate, and forming a first dummy contact on the fin-shaped semiconductor layer.
US09960269B2
A semiconductor device according to one embodiment includes a semiconductor substrate having a main surface and a back surface opposite to the main surface, a drift region of a first conductivity type, a base region of a second conductivity type, a source region of the first conductivity type, and a gate electrode. The semiconductor substrate has a trench in the main surface. The gate electrode is formed in the trench. A distribution of an impurity concentration in the base region has a plurality of peak values along a direction of depth from the main surface toward the back surface, and the number of peak values is four or more.
US09960263B2
A field effect transistor according to the present invention includes a semiconductor layer including a groove, an insulating film formed on an upper surface of the semiconductor layer and having an opening above the groove and a gate electrode buried in the opening to be in contact with side surfaces and a bottom surface of the groove and having parts being in contact with an upper surface of the insulating film on both sides of the opening, wherein the gate electrode has a T-shaped sectional shape in which a width of an upper end is larger than a width of the upper surface of the insulating film.
US09960253B2
A chemically sensitive sensor with a lightly doped region that affects an overlap capacitance between a gate and an electrode of the chemical sensitive sensor. The lightly doped region extends beneath and adjacent to a gate region of the chemical sensitive sensor. Modifying the gain of the chemically sensitive sensor is achieved by manipulating the lightly doped region under the electrodes.
US09960251B2
An ESD protection structure comprising a first semiconductor region of a first doping type, a second semiconductor region of the first doping type, a semiconductor structure of a second doping type opposite to the first doping type formed to provide lateral isolation between the first and second semiconductor regions of the first doping type, and a first contact region of the second doping type formed within a surface of the second semiconductor region. A thyristor structure is formed within the ESD protection structure comprising the first contact region of the second doping type, the second semiconductor region of the first doping type, the semiconductor structure of the second doping type, and the first semiconductor region of the first doping type. Wherein no contact region is formed within a surface of the semiconductor structure of the second doping type between the first and second semiconductor regions of the first doping type.
US09960231B2
A MOS IC may include a first contact interconnect in a first standard cell that extends in a first direction and contacts a first MOS transistor source and a voltage source. Still further, the MOS IC may include a first double diffusion break extending along a first boundary in the first direction of the first standard cell and a second standard cell. The MOS IC may also include a second contact interconnect extending over a portion of the first double diffusion break. In an aspect, the second contact interconnect may be within both the first standard cell and the second standard cell and coupled to the voltage source. Additionally, the MOS IC may include a third contact interconnect extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and couples the first contact interconnect and the second contact interconnect together.
US09960223B2
An active-matrix display device according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of pixels. Each of the pixels includes: a drive transistor disposed on a substrate; and an organic EL element that is caused by the drive transistor to emit light and includes an AM layer disposed above the substrate and a transparent electrode layer disposed above the AM layer. The active-matrix display device further includes: a source line that supplies data to the pixels; and a power supply line that supplies electric power to the pixels. The power supply line is shared by, among the plurality of pixels, two pixels that are adjacent to each other in a second direction that crosses a first direction in which the power supply line is extended. The source line and the AM layer are disposed not to overlap each other in a plan view of the substrate.
US09960221B2
An organic light emitting diode display includes: a substrate; a scan line formed over the substrate and transmitting a scan signal; a data line crossing the scan line and transmitting a data voltage; a driving voltage line crossing the scan line and transmitting a driving voltage; a switching transistor connected to the scan line and the data line; a driving transistor connected to the switching transistor; a driving connection member connected to a driving gate electrode of the driving transistor; a storage capacitor including a first storage electrode and a second storage electrode; a pixel electrode electrically connected to the driving transistor; and a contact hole connecting the first storage electrode and the driving connection member. the second storage electrode may include a cut-out by a curved edge at least partially surrounding the contact hole, and the pixel electrode may be formed not to overlap the cut-out.
US09960220B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, including a flexible substrate bent in a first direction, an OLED arranged on the flexible substrate, a first thin film transistor connected to the OLED and including a first channel area extending in a second direction crossing the first direction, and one or more additional thin film transistors connected to the first thin film transistor and including corresponding additional channel areas extending in the second direction.
US09960217B2
A display panel is provided. The display panel includes a substrate having a pixel region and a peripheral region, a control element overlying the pixel region of the substrate, a first metal layer overlying the substrate in the peripheral region and in the pixel region, a first insulating layer formed on the first metal layer in the peripheral region, wherein the first insulating layer includes at least an opening, and the opening is disposed on the first metal layer, a second metal layer overlying the first insulating layer and electrically connected to the first metal layer, wherein a portion of the second metal layer is disposed in the opening, a second insulating layer overlying the second metal layer, and an electrode layer disposed on the second insulating layer.
US09960216B2
An organic light emitting display apparatus includes a substrate; an anode electrode on the substrate; an auxiliary electrode on the substrate; an organic emission layer on the anode electrode; a cathode electrode on the organic emission layer and on the auxiliary electrode; an insulating bank on the auxiliary electrode, the bank overlapping a first portion of the auxiliary electrode and exposing a second portion of the auxiliary electrode; a first partition wall on the auxiliary electrode; a second partition wall on the first partition wall and covering the exposed second portion of the auxiliary electrode in plan view. A separation space is between the second partition wall and the bank, the cathode electrode is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode through the separation space between the second partition wall and the bank, and the second partition wall is supported by the first partition wall and the bank.
US09960213B2
A flexible input and output device in which defects due to a crack is reduced. The input and output device includes a first flexible substrate, a second flexible substrate, a first buffer layer, a first crack inhibiting layer, an input device, and a light-emitting element. A first surface of the first flexible substrate faces a second surface of the second flexible substrate. The first buffer layer, the first crack inhibiting layer, and the input device are provided on the first surface side of the first flexible substrate. The first buffer layer includes a region overlapping with the first crack inhibiting layer. The first buffer layer is between the first crack inhibiting layer and the first surface. The input device includes a transistor and a sensor element. The light-emitting element is provided on the second surface side of the second flexible substrate.
US09960203B2
The present disclosure relates to a radiation sensor. In one implementation, the sensor may include a radiation detector array having a plurality of pixels; at least two readout connectors having a plurality of contacts, each readout connector being configured for receiving a readout module; a routing circuit having conductors configured for routing electrical signals from each of the plurality of pixels to a corresponding contact of one of the readout connectors. The plurality of pixels is grouped in two or more groups of pixels, at least two pixels of a first group of pixels being separated by at least one pixel from another group of pixels. The routing circuit is configured for leading pixels of the first group of pixels to a first readout connector, and pixels from the other group of pixels to a second readout connector.
US09960202B2
Disclosed is a solid-state imaging device including a plurality of pixels and a plurality of on-chip lenses. The plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix pattern. Each of the pixels has a photoelectric conversion portion configured to photoelectrically convert light incident from a rear surface side of a semiconductor substrate. The plurality of on-chip lenses are arranged for every other pixel. The on-chip lenses are larger in size than the pixels. Each of color filters at the pixels where the on-chip lenses are present has a cross-sectional shape whose upper side close to the on-chip lens is the same in width as the on-chip lens and whose lower side close to the photoelectric conversion portion is shorter than the upper side.
US09960192B2
A flexible display device includes a flexible substrate, an adhesion layer disposed on a surface of the flexible substrate, and a plurality of pixel structures in respective pixels on the adhesion layer. Each of the pixel structures on the adhesion layer includes a light emitting diode including an inorganic light emitting layer, and a thin film transistor which is connected to the light emitting diode and switches a state of the light emitting diode.
US09960188B2
A thin film transistor comprises a source over a substrate; a first insulation layer having a source contact through-hole corresponding to a position of the source over the source; an active layer electrically connecting with the source through the source contact through-hole over the etching stop layer; a second insulation layer having a drain contact through-hole exposing a portion of the active layer over the active layer; and a drain electrically connecting with the active layer through the drain contact through-hole over the second insulation layer.
US09960183B2
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: preparing a substrate in which an insulating layer, a semiconductor layer, and an insulating film are laminated on a semiconductor substrate, and a device isolation region is embedded in a trench. The insulating film in a bulk region is removed; the semiconductor layer in the bulk region is removed; and thereafter the insulating film in the SOI region and the insulating layer in the bulk region are thinned. An impurity is implanted into the semiconductor substrate in the SOI region, and thereafter the insulating film in the SOI region and the insulating layer in the bulk region are removed.
US09960167B1
A method for forming a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate having a plurality of memory cells formed therein; forming an insulating layer on the substrate; forming a plurality of openings in the insulating layer and exposing a portion of the memory cells; forming a conductive portion and a metal layer in the openings; removing a portion of the metal layer to form a plurality of first metal portions and a plurality of second metal portions that the first metal portion and the conductive portion form a first connecting structure, and the second metal portion and the conductive portion form a second connecting structure; forming a passivation layer on the first connecting structures; and forming a plurality of first storage nodes and dummy nodes on the substrate and the first storage nodes and the dummy nodes are electrically connected to the second connecting structures and the first connecting structures respectively.
US09960165B2
Provided is a technology for further reducing a loss in a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate in which an IGBT region and a diode region are provided. This semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate in which at least one IGBT region and at least one diode region are provided. The IGBT region and the diode region are adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction in a plan view of the semiconductor substrate. In the plan view of the semiconductor substrate, a first boundary plane where the collector region and the cathode region are adjacent is shifted from a second boundary plane where the IGBT region and the diode region are adjacent on the front surface side of the semiconductor substrate either in a direction from the cathode region toward the collector region or in a direction from the collector region toward the cathode region.
US09960161B2
In one embodiment, a method of making a semiconductor device includes: forming a substrate; forming an nFET transistor and a pFET transistor on the substrate; wherein forming the nFET transistor comprises first depositing several first layers in and along the inner sidewalls of a trench on the substrate, then depositing a conductive metal comprising cobalt on the several first layers; wherein forming the pFET transistor comprises first depositing several second layers in and along the inner sidewalls of a trench on the substrate, then depositing a conductive metal comprising cobalt on the several second layers.
US09960155B2
Laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor device integrated with vertical field effect transistor
An electrical device that in some embodiments includes a substrate including a lateral device region and a vertical device region. A lateral diffusion metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) device may be present in the lateral device region, wherein a drift region of the LDMOS device has a length that is parallel to an upper surface of the substrate in which the LDMOS device is formed. A vertical field effect transistor (VFET) device may be present in the vertical device region, wherein a vertical channel of the VFET has a length that is perpendicular to said upper surface of the substrate, the VFET including a gate structure that is positioned around the vertical channel.
US09960150B2
Semiconductor device assemblies having stacked semiconductor dies and thermal transfer devices that include vapor chambers are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device assembly includes a first semiconductor die having a base region, at least one second semiconductor die at the base region, and a thermal transfer device attached to the first and second dies. The thermal transfer device includes an encapsulant at least partially surrounding the second die and a via formed in the encapsulant. The encapsulant at least partially defines a cooling channel that is adjacent to a peripheral region of the first die. The via includes a working fluid and/or a solid thermal conductor that at least partially fills the channel.
US09960136B2
A semiconductor device includes a first circuit layer, a copper pillar disposed adjacent to the first circuit layer, a second circuit layer and a solder layer. The second circuit layer includes an electrical contact and a surface finish layer disposed on the electrical contact, wherein a material of the surface finish layer is a combination of at least two of nickel, gold, and palladium. The solder layer is disposed between the copper pillar and the surface finish layer. The solder layer includes a first intermetallic compound (IMC) and a second IMC, wherein the first IMC includes a combination of two or more of copper, nickel and tin, and the second IMC includes a combination of gold and tin, a combination of palladium and tin, or both.
US09960131B2
In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes one or more metallizations, such as, e.g., Cu-RDL metallizations, provided on a passivation layer over a dielectric layer. A via is provided through the passivation layer and the dielectric layer in the vicinity of the corners of the metallization. The via may be a “dummy” via without electrical connections to an active device and may be provided at a distance between approximately 1 micron (10−6 m.) and approximately 10 micron (10−5 m.) from each one of said converging sides landing on an underlying metal layer.
US09960129B2
A method of forming a hybrid bonding structure includes depositing an etch stop layer over surface of a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a conductive structure, and the etch stop layer contacts the conductive structure. The method further includes depositing a dielectric material over the etch stop layer. The method further includes depositing a first diffusion barrier layer over the dielectric material. The method further includes forming an opening extending through the etch stop layer, the dielectric material and the diffusion barrier layer. The method further includes lining the opening with a second diffusion barrier layer. The method further includes depositing a conductive pad on the second diffusion barrier layer in the opening, wherein a surface of the first diffusion barrier layer is aligned with a surface of the conductive pad.
US09960126B2
According to the present invention, a semiconductor device includes a heat spreader, a semiconductor chip fixed to a mounting surface of the heat spreader via a bonding member and sealing resin that covers the heat spreader and the semiconductor chip, wherein a groove is formed on the mounting surface around the semiconductor chip, a length between the semiconductor chip and the groove is equal to or greater than a depth of the groove, and the bonding member is not provided on at least part of a region of the mounting surface between the semiconductor chip and the groove.
US09960125B2
A method of forming a semiconductor package includes forming an interconnecting structure on an adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is on a carrier. The method further includes placing a semiconductor die on a surface of the interconnecting structure. The method further includes placing a package structure on the surface of the interconnecting structure, wherein the semiconductor die fits in a space between the interconnecting structure and the package structure. The method further includes performing a reflow to bond the package structure to the interconnecting structure.
US09960120B2
A wiring substrate includes a buried substrate disposed within a through-hole penetrating through a resin substrate of a core layer and including a plate-like body and a plurality of linear conductors penetrating the plate-like body, a first insulating layer covering a first surface of the resin substrate, a first wiring layer including a first pad pattern formed on a first surface of the buried substrate and a first wiring pattern formed on a first surface of the first insulating layer, and a third wiring pattern formed on the first surface of the resin substrate and covered by the first insulating layer. In the plurality of linear conductors, a gap between the adjacent linear conductors is smaller than a diameter of each of the linear conductors. The third wiring pattern is formed so as to have a thickness thicker than a thickness of the first wiring pattern.
US09960118B2
An opening is formed within a substrate made of a silicon material, and a cleaning process is performed; after which, the bottom and walls of the opening are contaminated with oxygen and fluorine particles. A lower blocking layer is formed within the opening, and the lower blocking layer contacts the bottom and walls of the opening. Also, a middle liner layer is formed within the opening, and the middle liner layer contacts the lower blocking layer. Additionally, an upper blocking layer is formed within the opening, and the upper blocking layer contacts the middle liner layer. Further, a conductor layer is formed within the opening, and the conductor layer contacts the upper blocking layer. The lower blocking layer prevents the fluorine particles from affecting the other layers.
US09960110B2
Techniques are disclosed that enable improved shorting margin between unlanded conductive interconnect features and neighboring conductive features. The techniques provided are particularly useful, for instance, when lithography registration errors cause neighboring conductive features to be physically closer than expected, but can also he used when such proximity is intentional. In some embodiments, the techniques can be implemented using a layer of electromigration management material (EMM) and one or more insulator layers, wherein the various layers are provisioned to enable a differential etch rate. In particular, the overall etch rate of materials above the target landing pad is faster than the overall etch rate of materials above the off-target landing pad, which results in a self-enclosed conductive interconnect feature having an asymmetric taper or profile. The differential etch rate may result, for example, from configuration of the EMM layer, or from accompanying insulator layers having different etch rates.
US09960103B2
The power module semiconductor device (2) includes: an insulating substrate (10); a first pattern (10a) (D) disposed on the insulating substrate (10); a semiconductor chip (Q) disposed on the first pattern; a power terminal (ST, DT) and a signal terminal (CS, G, SS) electrically connected to the semiconductor chip; and a resin layer (12) configured to cover the semiconductor chip and the insulating substrate. The signal terminal is disposed so as to be extended in a vertical direction with respect to a main surface of the insulating substrate.
US09960095B2
The present disclosure relates to a thermally enhanced semiconductor package, which includes a module substrate, a thinned flip chip die over the substrate, a first mold compound component, and a thermally enhanced mold compound component. The first mold compound component resides over the module substrate, surrounds the thinned flip chip die, and extends above an upper surface of the thinned flip chip die to form a cavity over the upper surface of the thinned flip chip die. The thermally enhanced mold compound component includes a lower portion filling a lower region of the cavity and residing over the upper surface of the thinned flip chip die, and an upper portion filling an upper region of the cavity and residing over the lower portion. A first average thermal conductivity of the lower portion is at least 1.2 times greater than a second average thermal conductivity of the upper portion.
US09960094B2
Packaged semiconductor components having substantially rigid support member are disclosed. The packages can include a semiconductor die and a support member proximate to the semiconductor die. The support member is at least substantially rigid. The packages can further include an adhesive between the support member and the semiconductor die and adhesively attaching the support member to the semiconductor die. The packages can also include a substrate carrying the semiconductor die and the support member attached to the semiconductor die.
US09960093B2
Disclosed are a packaging structure, a packaging method and a template used in packaging method. The packaging structure comprises: a substrate; a chip mounted on the substrate; bonding wires for electrically connecting the substrate to the chip; and a protective layer which is formed on the substrate and is used for covering the chip, the bonding wires and bonding pads connected to the bonding wires, the size of the protective layer being smaller than that of the substrate. The packaging structure, the packaging method and the template used in packaging method can solve the problems in the prior art of the great difficulty in designing a mold chase, a complicated molding process, a high manufacturing cost and a high molding material consumption.
US09960089B2
An apparatus to control processing conditions for a substrate. The apparatus may include a current measurement component to perform a plurality of extraction current measurements for extraction current in a processing apparatus housing the substrate, the extraction current comprising ions extracted from a plasma and directed to the substrate; and an endpoint detection component comprising logic to generate an endpoint detection signal based upon a change in extraction current during the plurality of extraction current measurements.
US09960086B2
At least one method, apparatus and system are disclosed for forming a fin field effect transistor (finFET) having doping region self-aligned with a fin reveal position. A plurality of fins of a transistor is formed. A nitride cap layer on the plurality of fins is formed. An N-type doped region in a first portion of the plurality of fins. A P-type doped region in a second portion of the plurality of fins. A shallow trench isolation (STI) fill process for depositing an STI material on the plurality of fins. A fin reveal process for removing the STI material to a predetermined level. A cap strip process for removing the nitride cap layer for forming a fin reveal position that is self-aligned with the P-type and N-type doped regions.
US09960083B1
First, a substrate having a first region and a second region is provided, a first gate structure is formed on the first region and a second gate structure is formed on the second region, an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer is formed around the first gate structure and the second gate structure, and the first gate structure and the second gate structure are removed to expose the substrate on the first region and the second region. Next, part of the substrate on the first region is removed to form a first recess and part of the substrate on the second region is removed to form a second recess, in which the depths of the first recess and the second recess are different. Next, a first metal gate is formed on the first region and a second metal gate is formed on the second region.
US09960082B2
A stack type memory device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The stack type memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of active layers stacked on the semiconductor substrate, and a gate structure overlapping the plurality of active layers. The gate structure includes a side gate region overlapping sides of the plurality of active layers and a top gate region overlapping a top of an uppermost active layer.
US09960081B1
A method for selective etching using a dry film photoresist includes forming an opening through a substrate from a first surface to expose a stop layer at a second surface of the substrate. A material layer is formed over an inner surface of the opening and over the stop layer. The dry film photoresist is applied over the first surface of the substrate and over the opening. A second photoresist is applied on the dry film photoresist. First and second aligned holes are formed in the second photoresist and the dry film photoresist, respectively. The holes are approximately centered over the opening and are smaller in diameter than the opening so that a composite structure of the dry film photoresist and the second photoresist overhangs edges of the opening. The material layer is removed from the stop layer by etching via the first and second holes.
US09960078B1
A method for forming conductive structures for a semiconductor device includes depositing a reflow liner on walls of trenches formed in a dielectric layer and depositing a reflow material on the reflow liner. The reflow material is reflowed to collect in a lower portion of the trenches. The depositing and the reflowing steps are repeated until the trenches are aggregately filled with the reflow material. The reflow material is planarized to form conductive structures in the trenches.
US09960072B2
A vertical adjustment assembly is disclosed in order to provide for matching vertical positions of two substrates within separate chambers or cavities of a reaction system for processing of semiconductor substrates. The vertical adjustment assembly, in cooperation with a main lift driver, can provide for a more accurate positioning of the substrates to account for a tolerance stack-up error.
US09960065B2
Provided are a substrate processing apparatus, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, which are capable of reducing an effect on a substrate, which is caused by a change in an atmosphere in a substrate storage container, by appropriately supplying an inert gas into the substrate storage container. The substrate processing apparatus includes a purge mechanism installed in at least one of a support unit and a receiving unit accommodating a substrate storage container, and configured to supply an inert gas into the substrate storage container; a monitoring unit configured to compare a flow rate of the predetermined gas supplied into the substrate storage container via the purge mechanism with a preset reference value and output a signal indicating a result of comparison between the flow rate of the predetermined gas and the preset reference value; and a management unit configured to manage use of the substrate storage container, based on the signal outputted from the monitoring unit.
US09960064B2
The lateral substrate support part has: a plurality of plate parts, which have a parallel positional relationship, and support end portions of a plurality of substrates; and a plate-part support part, which supports the plate part, and is fixed to a side wall. The plate-part support part has: a groove-forming portion having a groove formed therein, said groove linearly extending over the whole plate parts in the direction intersecting the plate parts; a protrusion, which is formed in the groove, and which protrudes such that the protrusion reduces the width of the groove in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the groove extends; and a positioned part that is formed at a center portion of the groove in the direction in which the groove extends.
US09960062B2
An apparatus, method, and system for collecting data related to effluent emitted from tools in semiconductor fabrication facilities using one or more sensors to take continuous real-time samples of the effluent to indicate one or more properties and characteristics of effluent, and based at least in part on the properties and characteristics indicated in the samples taken by at least one or more sensors, determining the proper processing, recyclability, and treatment of the effluent.
US09960060B2
A platen assembly includes a base and a clamping layer fixed to the base. A portion of the base that faces the clamping layer and a portion of the clamping layer that faces the base define a gap between the base and the clamping layer. The gap is configured to circulate a fluid during a first operating mode and provide a thermal break during a second operating mode. The platen assembly is capable of operating over a wide temperature range.
US09960059B2
A honeycomb heater includes a lamp housing having an outer edge that forms a partial circle. The lamp housing has an opening extending from a top surface to a bottom surface of the lamp housing. The opening further extends from the outer edge into a center region of the lamp housing. A plurality of lamps is distributed throughout the lamp housing, and is configured to emit light out of the top surface of the lamp housing.
US09960051B2
The present invention relates to an activation composition for activation of silicon substrates, which is an aqueous solution comprising a source of palladium ions, a source of fluoride ions and at least two aromatic acids. The present invention further relates to a method for its use and optionally for subsequent metallization of such treated substrates. The method can be employed in semiconductor and solar cell manufacturing.
US09960047B2
A test pattern for testing a trench POLY over-etched step is provided. The test pattern is a trench (14) formed on a substrate (1); the trench (14) comprises a bottom surface and two side surfaces extending from the bottom surface; the trench (14) is formed on the substrate (1) with a preset angle of non-90° formed between the longitudinal direction (L) thereof and the longitudinal direction (X) of a wafer scribing trench. The test pattern can extend the scanning length of a step scanning equipment without changing the width of the trench.
US09960045B1
In a 3D NAND device, the charge trap region of a memory cell is formed as a separate charge-trap “island.” As a result, the charge-trap region of one memory cell is electrically isolated from charge-trap regions in adjacent memory cells. The charge trap region of one memory cell is separated from the charge trap regions of adjacent memory cells by a dielectric structure, such as a silicon oxide film. Alternatively, the charge trap region of a memory cell is separated from the charge trap regions of adjacent memory cells by an air, gas, or vacuum gap.
US09960043B2
A process of forming a semiconductor device using plasma processes is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a device area, a scribed area, and a peripheral area on a wafer, where these areas have respective conductive regions. The process includes steps of (a) implanting ions to isolate the conductive regions in the device area from the conductive region in the scribed area; (b) forming a metal film so as to cover a back surface, a side, and the peripheral area in the top surface of the wafer; (c) deposing insulating film on a whole surface of the wafer; and (d) selectively etching, by the plasma process, the insulating film so as to expose the conductive regions in the device area and the scribed area. During the plasma process, the metal film in the back surface of the wafer is connected the apparatus ground that effectively dissipates charges induced by the plasm to the apparatus ground through the metal film.
US09960039B2
A method of forming a pattern includes forming a first level pattern layer on a feature layer on a substrate. The first level pattern layer includes a plurality of first line patterns and a plurality of first space burying patterns. The first line patterns extend parallel to one another in a first direction and the first space burying patterns extend parallel to one another in the first direction with first line patterns alternately disposed with first space burying patterns A portion of the plurality of first space burying patterns may be removed to form a second direction pattern space extending intermittently or continuously in the first level pattern layer. A second burying layer filling the second direction pattern space may be formed to form a network structure pattern. The feature layer may be etched with the network structure pattern as an etch mask to form a pattern of holes.
US09960033B1
A method of filling recesses or grooves on a patterned surface with a layer of film, by combining depositing a film by PEALD/PPECVD on the patterned surface and etching the film, wherein the deposition and the etching are separately controlled, and wherein the conditions for deposition can be controlled by controlling RF power.
US09960031B2
In a plasma processing apparatus comprising a processing chamber arranged in a vacuum chamber, a sample stage arranged under the processing chamber and having its top surface on which a wafer to be processed is mounted, a vacuum decompression unit for evacuating the interior of the processing chamber to reduce the pressure therein, and introduction holes arranged above said sample stage to admit process gas into the processing chamber, the wafer having its top surface mounted with a film structure and the film structure being etched by using plasma formed by using the process gas, the film structure is constituted by having a resist film or a mask film, a poly-silicon film and an insulation film laminated in this order from top to bottom on a substrate and before the wafer is mounted on the sample stage and the poly-silicon film underlying the mask film is etched, plasma is formed inside the processing chamber to cover the surface of members inside the processing chamber with a coating film containing a component of Si.
US09960030B2
A method for the surface treatment of a substrate surface of a substrate with the following steps: arrangement of the substrate surface in a process chamber, bombardment of the substrate surface with an ion beam, generated by an ion beam source and aimed at the substrate surface, to remove impurities from the substrate surface, whereby the ion beam has a first component, introduction of a second component into the process chamber to bind the removed impurities. A device for the surface treatment of a substrate surface of a substrate with: a process chamber for receiving the substrate, an ion beam source for generating an ion beam that has a first component and is aimed at the substrate surface to remove impurities from the substrate surface, means to introduce a second component into the process chamber to bind the removed impurities.
US09960025B1
A cold-atom cell is formed by machining a block of silicon to define sites for an atom source chamber, an atom manipulation chamber, and an ion-pump chamber. A polished silicon panel is frit-bonded to an unpolished (due to machining) chamber wall (which would be difficult and costly to polish). The polished panel can then serve as a reflector or a sight for anodic bonding. A solid-phase atom source provides for vapor phase atoms in the source chamber. The source chamber also includes carbon and gold to regulate the atom pressure by sorbing and desorbing thermal atoms. The atom manipulation chamber includes components for magneto-optical trap and an atom chip, e.g., for forming a Bose-Einstein condensate. The ion-pump chamber serves as the site for an ion pump. By integrating the ion pump into the body of the cold-atom cell, a more compact, reliable, and robust cold-atom cell is achieved. In addition to the embodiment just described, several variations and alternatives are presented and within the scope of the claims.
US09960022B2
The invention relates to a sputtering target containing a sputtering material containing a metal oxide. The sputtering material contains zirconium and titanium as metals and contains at least one mixed oxide phase.
US09960011B2
Provided are a plasma generation apparatus and a plasma generation method. The plasma generation apparatus includes a chamber including a dielectric window and a toroidal discharge space, a magnetic core disposed to surround a portion of the chamber, an induction coil disposed to wind the magnetic core, and a waveguide radiating a microwave through the dielectric window. Alternating current flowing in the induction coil forms a magnetic flux at the magnetic core, and the magnetic flux generates inductively-coupled plasma. A microwave propagating along the waveguide generates microwave plasma inside the chamber.
US09960005B2
Microplasma generators and associated arrays and methods are described herein. Certain embodiments relate to a microplasma generator in which an elongated semiconductor structure can control electronic current supplied to a microplasma cavity. In certain cases, the microplasma generator can be configured to generate a microplasma when a voltage is applied across the elongated semiconductor structure. Some embodiments include particular spatial arrangements between the electrode(s), the elongated semiconductor structure, and/or the microplasma cavity.
US09959988B2
A position lock and position shift controlling mechanism for a multi-position shifting switch includes a position lock and position shift assembly and a controlling assembly to control the locking of the position lock and position shift assembly. The position lock assembly includes a locked body, a moving body and a housing body. The locked body includes a roundel pedestal which rotates synchronously with a switching shaft, a lock tooth component rotatably attached with the roundel pedestal, and an inner core component. The lock tooth component includes evenly distributed location teeth and plural radial slots. The moving body locks the lock tooth component and pushes the inner core component away from the lock tooth component. The switching shaft actuates the roundel pedestal to rotate a preset angle about the lock tooth component to shift the multi-position shifting switch to a stop control mode position from an automation control mode position.
US09959982B2
To provide a photoelectric conversion element being excellent in photoelectric conversion efficiency and stability of photoelectric conversion function, a method for producing the photoelectric conversion element, and a solar cell using the photoelectric conversion element. A photoelectric conversion element having a substrate, a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer containing a semiconductor and a sensitizing pigment, a hole transport layer having a conductive polymer, and a second electrode, wherein the hole transport layer is formed by bringing the photoelectric conversion layer into contact with a solution containing a conductive polymer precursor and an oxidizer at a ratio of 0.1<[Ox]/[M] (wherein [Ox] is the molar concentration of the oxidizer; and [M] is the molar concentration of the conductive polymer precursor), and irradiating the photoelectric conversion layer with light.
US09959981B2
The invention relates to a process for the production of electrolyte capacitors having a low equivalent series resistance and low residual current for high nominal voltages, electrolyte capacitors produced by this process and the use of such electrolyte capacitors.
US09959980B2
Disclosed is a solid electrolytic capacitor element including a dielectric layer, a first conductive polymer semiconductor layer, a second conductive polymer semiconductor layer and a conductor layer, formed in that order, on a tungsten anode body having an externally protruding lead wire, and the thickness of the thickest portion of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the lower surface opposite the upper surface from which the lead wire protrudes is thinner than the thickness of the thickest portion of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the side surfaces, and the thickness of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the lower surface is greater than 2 μm and less than 15 μm.
US09959972B2
Methods and apparatus for flux cancellation includes first and second inductors, wherein the first inductor is configured for coupling to a first energy source and the second inductor is configured for coupling to a second energy source. A layer of magnetic material is disposed between the first and second inductors, wherein the first and second inductors are configured such that, when driven with an oscillating current, magnetic flux generated by the first inductor is substantially canceled by magnetic flux generated by the second inductor in the layer of magnetic material.
US09959962B2
In an interactive environment, a user action may dictate what type of action a base device performs using an entertainment object. In one embodiment, the base device includes a controllable electromagnet that uses magnetism to move one or more permanent magnetics mounted in or on the entertainment object. For example, the entertainment object may be a doll or character that jumps, vibrates, slides, or sways in response to a changing magnetic field generated by the electromagnet. Moreover, the user may wear headphones that determine the location of the base device (and the toy) relative to the user. Using this location, the headphones can output 3D positional audio that the user perceives as originating from the location of the entertainment object on the base device. The 3D positional audio can be outputted synchronously with the action performed by the entertainment object to further immerse the user in the interactive environment.
US09959955B2
A superconducting cable includes a core part, in which the core part includes a former including a plurality of copper wires, a superconducting conductor layer including a plurality of superconducting wires connected in parallel to each other, an insulating layer, and a superconducting shield layer including a plurality of superconducting wires are sequentially arranged. A conducting layer formed of a metal having a current-carrying property at room temperature is provided on opposite surfaces of each of the superconducting wires of the superconducting conductor layer to reinforce mechanical rigidity of each of superconducting wires of the superconducting conductor layer, and the former has a cross-sectional area which is smaller than that of a former of a superconducting cable in which the conducting layer is not added to superconducting wires and which is designed on an assumption that all fault current flows to the former.
US09959946B2
A production process of a conductive material includes processing graphite oxide into a graphene suspension comprising graphene monolayer nanoflakes, and processing the graphene suspension and metal or metal oxide so as to provide a liquid comprising a composite as the conductive material.
US09959945B2
A high temperature gas cooled reactor steam generation system (1) includes a nuclear reactor (2) that has helium gas as a primary coolant and heats the primary coolant by heat generated by a nuclear reaction that decelerates neutrons by a graphite block, a steam generator (3) that has water as a secondary coolant and heats the secondary coolant by the primary coolant via the nuclear reactor (2) to generate steam, a steam turbine (4) that is operated by the steam from the steam generator (3), and a generator (5) that generates electricity according to an operation of the steam turbine (4). Moreover, the system (1) includes pressure adjustment means for setting a pressure of the secondary coolant in the steam generator (3) to be lower than a pressure of the primary coolant in the nuclear reactor (2).
US09959942B2
In one embodiment, a fusion reactor includes an enclosure, an open-field magnetic system comprising one or more internal magnetic coils suspended within the enclosure, and one or more encapsulating magnetic coils coaxial with the one or more internal magnetic coils of the open-field magnetic system. The one or more encapsulating magnetic coils form a magnetosphere around the open-field magnetic system. The open-field magnetic system and the one or more encapsulating magnetic coils, when supplied with electrical currents, form magnetic fields for confining plasma within the enclosure.
US09959940B2
A computer implemented system and method provides a volume of activation (VOA) estimation model that receives as input two or more electric field values of a same or different data type at respective two or more positions of a neural element and determines based on such input an activation status of the neural element. A computer implemented system and method provides a machine learning system that automatically generates a computationally inexpensive VOA estimation model based on output of a computationally expensive system.
US09959932B1
A three-dimensional stacked memory device is configured to provide uniform programming speeds of different sets of memory strings formed in memory holes. In a process for removing sacrificial material from word line layers, a block oxide layer in the memory holes is etched away relatively more when the memory hole is relatively closer to an edge of the word line layers where an etchant is introduced. A thinner block oxide layer is associated with a faster programming speed. To compensate, memory strings at the edges of the word line layers are programmed together, separate from the programming of interior memory strings. A program operation can use a higher initial program voltage for programming the interior memory strings compared to the edge memory strings.
US09959930B2
A method for writing data into a reprogrammable non-volatile memory, wherein a marking pattern including several bits is added at the beginning of the data and the set formed of the marking pattern and of the data is written from an address in the memory varying from one write operation to another, the marking pattern being identical for each write operation.
US09959928B1
A method to program a programmable resistance memory cell includes performing one or more iterations until a verifying passes. The iterations include a) applying a programming pulse to the memory cell, and, b) after applying the programming pulse, verifying if the resistance of the memory cell is in a target resistance range. After an iteration of the one or more iterations in which the verifying passes, c) a stabilizing pulse with a polarity the same as the programming pulse is applied to the memory cell. After applying the stabilizing pulse, a second verifying determines if the resistance of the programmable element is in the target resistance range. Iterations comprising steps a), b), c), and d) are performed until the second verifying passes. Methods and apparatus are described to program a plurality of such cells, including applying a stabilizing pulse of the same polarity after programming.
US09959925B2
A semiconductor device including an active mode and a standby mode as operation modes, includes: a first power source line which accepts the supply of power in the active mode; a second power source line which accepts the supply of power in the active mode and the standby mode; a memory circuit to be coupled with the first and second power source lines; and a first switch which electrically couples the first power source line with the second power source line in the active mode and electrically decouples the first power source line from the second power source line in the standby mode. The memory circuit includes a memory array to be coupled with the second power source line, a peripheral circuit to be coupled with the first power source line, and a second switch which electrically couples the first power source line with the second power source line.
US09959922B2
A semiconductor system includes a first semiconductor device and a second semiconductor device. The first semiconductor device outputs a command/address signal. The second semiconductor device extracts an active signal, a pre-charge signal, and addresses from the command/address signal, performs an active operation on a memory cell corresponding to the addresses, and performs a refresh operation on the memory cell corresponding to counting signals generated by counting a number of pulses in a refresh signal.
US09959921B2
Apparatuses and methods of for refresh control of a semiconductor device are described. An example apparatus includes a command control circuit that provides a plurality of pulses on a first control signal in series responsive to a plurality of refresh commands issued in series; a signal generation circuit that produces a plurality of pulses on a second control signal in sequence; and a refresh control circuit that receives two or more of the plurality of pulses on the first control signal during a period of time between one pulse and a succeeding pulse of the plurality of pulses on the second control signal, disables refresh operations responsive to at least one of the two or more of the plurality of first control signal and executes a refresh operation responsive to remaining one or more pulses of the two or more of the plurality of pulses on the first control signal.
US09959918B2
An operating method of a memory device includes entering into a command bus training mode, generating a plurality of internal clock signals by dividing a received clock signal, generating a plurality of internal chip selection signals by latching a received chip selection signal according to the plurality of internal clock signals, generating a second command/address signal by encoding a received first command/address signal based on the plurality of internal chip selection signals, and outputting the second command/address signal.
US09959907B2
A computer-implemented method can include displaying, within a user interface in a digital media system, a media pane, and a project pane, displaying, within the media pane, a thumbnail group representing a media item, the thumbnail group comprising one or more thumbnails, a thumbnail comprising a plurality of frames, enabling a user to select, from the thumbnail group, a frame of the media item, and upon detecting that the user has selected a frame, creating a group of frames, the group of frames including the selected frame and one or more adjacent frames.
US09959905B1
In accordance with example embodiments, the method and system for 360-degree video post-production generally makes use of points of view (POVs) to facilitate the 360-degree video post-production process. A POV is a rectilinear subset view of a 360-degree composition based on a particular focal length, angle of view, and orientation for each frame of the 360-degree composition. Video post-production editing can be applied to a POV by the user, using rectilinear video post-production methods or systems. The rectilinear video post-production editing done on the POV is integrated back into the 360-degree environment of the 360-degree composition. In accordance with example embodiments, the method and system for 360-degree video post-production comprises identifying a point of view in a 360-degree composition; applying video post-production editing to the point of view; and aligning a new layer containing the video post-production editing with the point of view in the 360-degree composition.
US09959898B1
A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk having a plurality of tracks, a magnetic head used for writing data on the magnetic disk and reading data from the magnetic disk, a controller configured to control seek operations of the magnetic head, and a vibration sensor. The controller predicts a first vibration caused by a currently executed seek operation, based on a seek control signal, predicts a second vibration based on vibration detected by the sensor, and determines an adjusted start time of the currently executed seek operation so that a phase of the first vibration does not match a phase of the second vibration.
US09959897B2
User inputs are received from one or more of a plurality of sources at an input interpreter agent. The plurality of sources comprises a remote control device and an on-screen keyboard application. The received user inputs are provided to a digital video object player application, wherein the input interpreter agent is separate from the digital video object player application.
US09959894B2
The magnetic tape comprises a nonmagnetic layer comprising nonmagnetic powder and binder on a nonmagnetic support, and comprises a magnetic layer comprising ferromagnetic powder and binder on the nonmagnetic layer, wherein a fatty acid ester, a fatty acid amide, and a fatty acid are contained in either one or both of the magnetic layer and the nonmagnetic layer, with the magnetic layer and nonmagnetic layer each comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a fatty acid ester, a fatty acid amide, and a fatty acid, a quantity of fatty acid ester per unit area of the magnetic layer in extraction components extracted from a surface of the magnetic layer with n-hexane falls within a range of 1.00 mg/m2 to 10.00 mg/m2, and a weight ratio of the quantity of fatty acid ester per unit area of the magnetic layer to a combined total of a quantity of fatty acid amide and a quantity of fatty acid, quantity of fatty acid ester/(quantity of fatty acid amide+quantity of fatty acid), per unit area of the magnetic layer falls within a range of 1.00 to 3.00 in the extraction components.
US09959891B2
A method for correcting a mounting position of a disk device on a rack, includes performing a normal seek to position a head of the disk device above a target position on the disk, determining that the normal seek has failed, and performing an excitation seek that causes a position of a base supporting the disk to move and reposition the disk. The disk device includes a carriage arm supporting the head, a voice coil motor configured to drive the carriage arm to position the head, the base supporting the magnetic disk, the voice coil motor, and the carriage arm, and a control unit configured to control a current to the voice coil motor to be supplied with a first current profile during the normal seek and with a second current profile during the excitation seek.
US09959880B2
In general, techniques are described for coding higher-order ambisonic coefficients during multiple transitions. A device comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor may be configured to perform the techniques. The processor may be configured to obtain a multi-transition indication of whether an ambient HOA coefficient is in transition during a same frame of the bitstream as a foreground audio signal is in transition. The processor may also be configured to obtain a vector that describes a spatial characteristic of a corresponding foreground audio signal based on the multi-transition indication, both the vector and the corresponding HOA audio signal decomposed from the HOA audio data. The memory may be configured to store the vector.
US09959875B2
In general, techniques are described for specifying spherical harmonic coefficients in a bitstream. A device comprising one or more processors may perform the techniques. The processors may be configured to identify, from the bitstream, a plurality of hierarchical elements describing a sound field that are included in the bitstream. The processors may further be configured to parse the bitstream to determine the identified plurality of hierarchical elements.
US09959869B2
Features are disclosed for processing a user utterance with respect to multiple subject matters or domains, and for selecting a likely result from a particular domain with which to respond to the utterance or otherwise take action. A user utterance may be transcribed by an automatic speech recognition (“ASR”) module, and the results may be provided to a multi-domain natural language understanding (“NLU”) engine. The multi-domain NLU engine may process the transcription(s) in multiple individual domains rather than in a single domain. In some cases, the transcription(s) may be processed in multiple individual domains in parallel or substantially simultaneously. In addition, hints may be generated based on previous user interactions and other data. The ASR module, multi-domain NLU engine, and other components of a spoken language processing system may use the hints to more efficiently process input or more accurately generate output.
US09959850B2
It is inter alia disclosed a method comprising: determining a divergence measure between a statistical distribution of audio features of a first audio track and a statistical distribution of audio features of at least one further audio track; determining a divergence measure threshold value from at least the divergence measure between the statistical distribution of audio features of a first audio track and the statistical distribution of audio features of the at least one further audio track; and comparing the divergence measure with the divergence measure threshold value.
US09959836B2
An image output apparatus includes a light emitting unit, a power supplying unit, and a control unit. The light emitting unit is configured to emit a laser beam. The power supplying unit is configured to supply power to the light emitting unit at a predetermined voltage. The control unit is configured to control the power supplying unit to supply the power to the light emitting unit in a predetermined period at the voltage associated with a peak light emission amount of the light emitting unit in image data for the predetermined period.
US09959830B2
The present invention provides a GOA circuit, comprising a forward-backward scan control module, an output module, an output pull-down module, a node control module, a second node signal input module, a second node signal control module, a voltage stabilizing module and a second capacitor; the forward scan of the circuit is controlled with the ninth and the tenth thin film transistors, and the signal input of the second node is controlled with the first and the eleventh thin film transistors, and the mutual control of the first node and the second node are achieved with the second, the fourth and the fifth thin film transistors, and meanwhile, as the GOA circuit applies to a display of dual side drive interlaced scan structure, the GOA circuits of the two sides can respectively receive four different clock signals to reduce the loading of the signal line of the GOA circuit.
US09959827B2
A black matrix of the display panel comprises N columns of first sub-regions and M columns of second sub-regions, the pixel electrodes comprise N columns of first pixel electrodes in one-to-one correspondence with N columns of first sub-regions and M columns of second pixel electrodes in one-to-one correspondence with M columns of second sub-regions. A width of the M columns of second sub-regions and a width of the M columns of second pixel electrodes along the row direction of the black matrix are increased only by reducing a width of the N columns of first sub-regions along the row direction of the black matrix, such that some signal lines in the divided gate driver may be placed at the M columns of second sub-regions to enable the display panel not having frames at the left and the right, without substantially not changing the aperture ratio of the display panel.
US09959818B2
A display engine includes light emitting elements, an optical subsystem to produce a single collimated beam of light from the light emitted by the light emitting elements, one or more image producing MEMS mirrors, one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors, and a controller. One of the image producing MEMS mirror(s) is positioned to reflect the single beam of light produced by the optical subsystem. The controller controls the image producing MEMS mirror(s) and the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s). The image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s) is/are controlled and is/are positioned relative to the image producing MEMS mirror(s) and relative to input-coupler(s) of optical waveguide(s) so that a pupil corresponding to a scanned image that the image producing MEMS mirror(s) project onto one of the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s), is reprojected by the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s) onto the input-coupler(s) of the optical waveguide(s) and thereby coupled into the optical waveguide(s).
US09959815B2
A light emitting assembly is described. In one embodiment, one or more light emitting diode (LED) devices and one or more microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, with the one or more microcontrollers to switch and drive the one or more LED devices.
US09959801B2
A picture-frame size of a display device including self light-emitting type display elements which are driven by a current is reduced over conventional devices. Transistors for controlling supply of a light-emission enable signal outputted from an emission driver to emission lines are provided between the emission driver and the emission lines. In such a configuration, based on selection signals provided to the transistors, one of the transistors is brought into an on state in each subframe, and each of the transistors is brought into an on state once during one frame period.
US09959793B2
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a display system which is related to the field of display technology. The display system enables a display device to be switched between a normal display mode and an anti-peeping display mode. This display system comprises a display device which comprises a display panel for displaying content. The display system further comprises: a display mode switch configured to switch between display modes of the display device, the display modes comprising a normal display mode and an anti-peeping display mode; a signal processor configured to provide signals to the display device, wherein the signal processor provide a normal signal to the display device when the display device is in the normal display mode, and the signal processor provide the normal signal and an interference signal alternately to the display device when the display device is in the anti-peeping display mode; and a shutter eyeglass configured to be enabled when the display device is in the anti-peeping display mode, wherein the shutter eyeglass is in an open state when the signal processor provides the normal signal, and the shutter eyeglass is in a closed state when the signal processor provides the interference signal.
US09959783B2
In general, in one aspect, a method performed by one or more processes executing on a computer systems includes receiving an audio signal comprising a range of audio frequencies including high frequencies and low frequencies, converting a first portion of the range of audio frequencies into haptic data, shifting a second portion of the range of audio frequencies down to lower audio frequencies, and presenting at least one of the converted first portion and the shifted second portion to a human user. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.
US09959777B2
Headpiece (10) including a frame (22) having a support portion supported on a test-taker's head, an imaging device (14) that obtains images of an environment around and in front of the test-taker, a biometric identification system (26) that obtains biometric data about the person, a display (12) viewable by the test-taker, and a sound generator and detector (16, 18). A processor on the frame (22) is coupled to these components and controls content of the display (12) based on input received via the imaging device (14) and the biometric identification system (26). The processor also monitors detection of audio communications by the sound detector (16) relative to sound generated by the sound generator (18) and images obtained by the imaging device (14) and a test is displayed on the display (12) to determine whether a person other than the test-taker is present in an image obtained by the imaging device (14) or orally providing information to the test-taker.
US09959770B2
A flight itinerary alerting system for monitoring a flight itinerary includes a monitoring system storing flight itinerary data like pilot contact data, first tier contact data, and second tier contact data. An alert routine executable on the monitoring system i) determines first or second tier alert conditions if no deactivation message is received upon expiry of a respective first or second duration following the expected arrival time, and ii) send an alert message through a communication network to a computer device of a corresponding first or second tier contact person upon determination of the respective alert condition. The multiple tiers of contact data with respective alerting criteria allows quick determination if search and rescue should be contacted with inherent redundancy, thus preventing overdue aircraft from being overlooked, while also minimizing false alarms in reporting overdue aircraft to search and rescue which might reasonably be accounted for by responsible persons.
US09959768B2
Apparatuses, computer programs and methods are provided. A method includes causing display on an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle of a dynamic sign acknowledging the presence of at least one road user.
US09959766B2
Information regarding moving bodies (00) that are in danger of colliding is collected at an appropriate frequency in accordance with the degree of danger. This information-collecting device has a risk calculation unit and a transmission-interval determination unit. The risk calculation unit receives, from a plurality of moving bodies, state information that includes locations and velocities and is transmitted at provided time intervals. The risk calculation unit also computes the distance between and relative velocities of two moving bodies. The transmission-interval determination unit computes an interval such that the higher the relative velocities of two moving bodies are relative to the distance therebetween, the shorter the interval is, and provides the computed interval to the moving bodies.
US09959765B2
A motor vehicle alert system based on vehicle dynamics input includes a communication module positioned in a host vehicle receiving and sending vehicle data in a vehicle mobility data format. A list generator in communication with the communication module generates the vehicle data as specific vehicle identification data in a track list to distinguish a sensed vehicle and at least one other vehicle positioned proximate the host vehicle. A tracker module in communication with the list generator periodically updates the vehicle data for the sensed vehicle and the at least one other vehicle. A transient condition data device generates data identifying when a transient condition of the sensed vehicle is present. A message standard conformance module receives the data identifying the transient condition and forwards the data identifying the transient condition to the communication module for transmission to the at least one other vehicle proximate to the host vehicle.
US09959763B2
In various embodiments, the present disclosure includes a system for reducing vehicular collisions having: (a) a vehicle comprising sensors, an acceleration system, a braking system, a processor, and memory; and (b) programs operatively coupled to the vehicle including: (1) a marking program configured to mark an outside vehicle as V2X or standard; (2) a reaction program configured to generate a signal in response to the mark, the signal being based on the mark.
US09959752B2
A device and to a method for a relay station for vehicle-to-vehicle messages. The relay station communicates using vehicle-to-vehicle messages via at least one antenna. The device includes an input interface to receive a vehicle-to-vehicle message via the at least one antenna and a control module to filter the vehicle-to-vehicle message based on a relevance of the vehicle-to-vehicle message for one or more receivers in a coverage area of the at least one antenna. The control module provides the filtered vehicle-to-vehicle message via an output interface via the at least one antenna if the vehicle-to-vehicle message is relevant for the one or more receivers.
US09959751B2
A filter method for adapting a computing load to a computing capacity of a car-to-x communication system, in which method car-to-x messages are received and/or sent using the car-to-x communication system and the received car-to-x messages require processing by the car-to-x communication system. The filter method decides which of the received car-to-x messages to process and which of the received car-to-x messages to discard.
US09959747B1
A method and system for assessing a threat level associated with a distress signal. The method may include linking a first communication device on a client side communication system with a second communication device on a provider side communication system over a communications network. The method may include transmitting a distress signal from the first communication device to the second communication device, and mapping, via the provider side communication system, a geographic origin of the distress signal. The method may also include transmitting an audio signal in a one-way communication link from the first communication device to the second communication device, and attributing a threat level associated with any of an audio level, a frequency, and a duration of the transmitted audio signal via the provider side communication system.
US09959725B2
A notification appliance is disclosed. The notification appliance may be a strobe notification appliance, such as an LED strobe notification appliance. The notification appliance may be wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted. Further, the notification appliance may include an optic that is configured to shape the light output from the notification appliance. For example, in a wall-mount, the optic may be mounted off-axis of a plane defined by a back plate of the notification appliance. Further, the notification appliance may be composed of a back plate, a driver board, and a front housing, with the front housing being attached to one or both of the back plate and the driver board. Moreover, the notification appliance may be used with an adapter bracket, which may be used to connect the notification appliance with one or more types of junction boxes.
US09959721B1
An anti-theft system and an operating method are provided. The anti-theft system includes a wearable device and a portable electronic device. The wearable device includes a first wireless module and a first processing module. The portable electronic device includes a second wireless module, a second processing module and a positioning module. The first wireless module and the second wireless module are in a wireless connection with each other. The second wireless module detects a received signal strength indicator value of the wireless connection. If the received signal strength indicator value is lower than a predetermined signal strength value, the positioning module is enabled to generate plural position data within a predetermined time period. Moreover, the second processing module calculates a displacement of the portable electronic device according to the plural position data and determines whether a warning mode is enabled according to the displacement.
US09959720B2
A burglar alarm system with an input zone enhancer using a power source with random variable timing or voltage to supply the zone loop. The input zone enhancer measures the current flowing through a zone loop of a burglar control unit. A method includes providing random variable timing and a voltage to supply the zone loop. A method includes directly measuring the current flowing through a hard wired zone loop of a burglary control unit in order to overcome sensitivities associated with electromagnetic noise. A method includes detecting compromise attempts by calculating a correlation of two signals, the zone loop current and the reference current, and by calculating the autocorrelation of the zone loop current with itself at different points in time.
US09959717B2
A network system in a building complex linking different locations together and facilitating information and data exchange and access, includes ‘N’ number of autonomous nodes for receiving, processing, and storing sensory data collected by one or more sensors relating to an environment in ‘N’ number of regions within the building complex. The nodes are configured to communicate and share sensory data among the ‘N’ number of nodes and to generate a dynamic virtual map of the building complex environment that is accessible by users having access to the network.
US09959710B2
The present invention provides for a game-operating computer system, including: at least one server and game-operating software stored on a non-transient computer readable medium accessible by the server, where the at least one server, executing game-operating software, is at least configured to: generate an instance of a proximity game, where the instance of the proximity game is played based on the following rules: a) selecting a plurality of winning values from a pool of values, b) electronically receiving a first plurality of player-selected values from the pool of values, c) electronically receiving a second plurality of player-selected values from the pool of values, d) comparing the player-selected values with the winning values, where at least one player-selected value is not equal to at least one winning values; and e) determining at least one winning player from the at least one first player and the at least one second player.
US09959702B2
A gaming system including a number of host devices each coupled to one or more gaming machines, wherein content provided by the host device is output on the gaming machine. To output the content provided by the remote host, a host-controlled process that is authenticated by the gaming machine and executed in a secure memory location such that it is isolated from other processes executing on the gaming machine may be utilized. The host-controlled processes may be decoupled from the process used to execute the game of chance played on the gaming machine such that the content output by the host-controlled process doesn't alter the play of game of chance.
US09959698B2
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dispenser configured for storing one or more items and dispensing the stored items to authorized users. According to various embodiments, the dispenser generally includes a housing defining an interior portion dimensioned to receive a plurality of items and an access assembly configured to prevent unauthorized user access to the interior portion of the dispenser while providing selective access to certain items in response to input received from an authorized user. According to various embodiments, the access assembly comprises a pair of flexible barriers coupled to a sliding door assembly, which includes one or more lockable access doors. Together, the door assembly and flexible barriers prevent access to the interior of the dispenser when in a locked configuration and permit access to certain items when in an unlocked configuration.
US09959693B2
In a method for identifying desynchronization between representations of data obtained from an ordered plurality of documents, a processor can receive ordered first and second pluralities of data strings obtained from the respective plurality of documents; compare each data string in the first plurality to the corresponding data string in the second plurality and to each data string sequentially before or sequentially after the corresponding data string in the second plurality; based on the comparison, designate each data string in the first plurality as being one of synchronized, leading, or trailing; identify a continuous sequence of N data strings in the first plurality that all have a designation of leading or all have a designation of trailing, where N equals or exceeds a specified sequence threshold; and generate a single error signal that identifies all N of the data strings in the continuous sequence as being desynchronized.
US09959692B2
Provided is a locking unit for a housing, comprising at least two doors for locking each housing opening. The locking unit has a locking element module for each of the doors, and the module has at least one locking body and a locking drive for actuating the locking body. The locking drive has a common drive element for the locking element modules, which drive element can be moved about a displacement path, and which, in a first displacement position, brings the locking body, for only one of the doors or only a first group of doors, of the doors into an unlocking position, and in a second displacement position, brings the locking body for all doors into an unlocking position. The invention also relates to a housing comprising a locking unit of this type, and to a method for unlocking one or more doors of a housing of this type.
US09959686B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for analyzing operation of a machine. The system includes a memory device configured to store a data stream that includes values of a plurality of parameters. The system further includes a data interface configured to receive a first script associated with a first set of parameters selected from the plurality of parameters, and a second script associated with a second set of parameters selected from the plurality of parameters. A processing device is in communication with the memory device and the data interface. The processing device is configured to analyze the data stream according to the first and second scripts to produce a first result associated with the first set of parameters and a second result associated with the second set of parameters. The processing device is further configured to render for display the first result and the second result.
US09959681B2
The present disclosure relates to an augmented reality contents generation and play system. The augmented reality contents generation and play system includes an image acquisition unit configured to include a preview mode in which an image which is input through a lens is displayed on a screen and a shooting mode in which, if an image to be shot is displayed in the preview mode, the image is captured by operating a shooting button and the captured image is converted into an image file; a storage unit configured to store an image which is obtained from the image acquisition unit when the shooting button is pressed and video information which is automatically obtained for a predetermined time based on a shooting point of time; a mapping unit configured to map the image which is stored in the storage unit onto a video which is stored in the storage unit; an augmented reality processing unit configured to recognize an image corresponding to a marker from the image which is obtained by the image acquisition unit, configured to call the video mapped onto the image, and configured to overlay the video on a position of the marker on a screen in the preview mode; and a control unit configured to control a process of generating and playing contents by using an augmented reality contents.
US09959675B2
A “Layout Optimizer” provides various real-time iterative constraint-satisfaction methodologies that use constraint-based frameworks to generate optimized layouts that map or embed virtual objects into environments. The term environment refers to combinations of environmental characteristics, including, but not limited to, 2D or 3D scene geometry or layout, scene colors, patterns, and/or textures, scene illumination, scene heat sources, fixed or moving people, objects or fluids, etc., any of which may evolve or change over time. A set of parameters are specified or selected for each object. Further, the environmental characteristics are determined automatically or specified by users. Relationships between objects and/or the environment derived from constraints associated with objects and the environment are then used to iteratively determine optimized self-consistent and scene-consistent object layouts. This enables the Layout Optimizer to augment environments with arbitrary content in a structured constraint-based process that adapts to changing scenes or environments.
US09959671B1
A system and method are provided which generate a three-dimensional model of a subject from continuous capture of images or video on a hand-held portable device, such as the typical consumer “smartphone.” The system may comprise a depth sensor, an integrated digital camera, an inertial measurement unit, and a template-driven data processing pipeline. The pipeline receives and processes depth, color and inertial measurement data to produce a real-time three-dimensional rendering of the subject. The system may also allow for coordination of multiple connected devices such that processing functions may be allocated to different devices. A user may save the rendering in a variety of different formats and transmit it to multiple devices via any conventional means available. The system is thread-safe to prevent crashes. It is also platform-agnostic and may operate on a variety of hardware and software platforms on different types and brands of devices without re-programming.
US09959668B2
Virtual surface update and composition techniques are described. These techniques include support of initialization and batching of updates, use of updates and lookaside lists, use of gutters, blending and BLT operations, surface optimization techniques such as push down as well as enumeration and clumping, mesh usage, and occlusion management techniques.
US09959664B2
Embodiments can provide adaptive image filtering. Under this approach, image quality can be enhanced by adjusting an approximation function to better adapt image signals in different parts of an image. Certain parts of the image may be enhanced using a certain approximation function while some other parts of the image may be enhanced using a different approximation function. In certain embodiments, the approximation function selected for a part of the image can be a polynomial function having a specific order. The specific polynomial order can be applied directly to obtain an estimated image value of the part of the image. In certain embodiments, the estimation of the reconstruction error can include iteratively estimating a bias term of the reconstruction error and a variance term of the reconstruction error.
US09959656B2
Embodiments of the invention set forth a technique for animating objects placed across a surface of a graphics object. A CAD application receives a set of motions and initially applies a different motion in the set of motions to each object placed across the surface of the graphics object. The CAD application calculates bounding areas of each object according to the current motion applied thereto, which are subsequently used by the CAD application to identify collisions that are occurring or will occur between the objects. Identified collisions are cured by identifying valid motions in the set of motions that can be applied to a colliding object and then calculating bounding areas for the valid motions to select a valid motion that, when applied to the object, does not cause the object to collide with any other objects.
US09959655B2
A method, system, and computer program product provide the ability to render an animated creature in real-time. A creature diagram for a creature, having chains sections, is drawn. An effector is created for each section and each chain, and defines a target position and an orientation that is reached. A chain solving type is selected for the chains, and is used to simulate a desired biomechanical behavior of the creature. The creature diagram, including the sections, chains, and chain solving types, is mapped to a three-dimensional (3D) model. The creature is animated/rendered in a real-time 3D application based on the mapping.
US09959653B2
A computer system running image processing software receives an identification of a desired scene of a geographical area for which an oblique-mosaic image is desired including one or more geometry parameters of a virtual camera; creates a mathematical model of the virtual camera having mathematical values that define the camera geometry parameters that configure the model to capture the geographical area, and looking down at an oblique angle; creates a ground elevation model of the ground and vertical structures within the oblique-mosaic pixel map, wherein source images were captured at an oblique angle and compass direction similar to the oblique angle and compass direction of the virtual camera; and reprojects, with the mathematical model, source oblique image pixels of the overlapping source images for pixels included in the oblique-mosaic pixel map using the ground elevation model to thereby create the oblique-mosaic image of the geographical area.
US09959652B2
The present disclosure provides a display method and a terminal. The display method comprises: identifying a background picture on a screen interface of a terminal; and when the background picture comprises a preset object, ensuring that there is no display content shielding a display region of the preset object on the screen interface. By using the technical solution of the present disclosure, it is avoided that display content on a terminal shields a preset object on a background picture, so that the preset object can be fully displayed, which helps to improve use experience of a user.
US09959647B1
Various technologies pertaining to modeling patterns of activity observed in remote sensing images using geospatial-temporal graphs are described herein. Graphs are constructed by representing objects in remote sensing images as nodes, and connecting nodes with undirected edges representing either distance or adjacency relationships between objects and directed edges representing changes in time. Activity patterns may be discerned from the graphs by coding nodes representing persistent objects like buildings differently from nodes representing ephemeral objects like vehicles, and examining the geospatial-temporal relationships of ephemeral nodes within the graph.
US09959644B2
A computerized method for annotating at least one feature of an image of a view, includes the steps of obtaining the image with an image sensor of a portable device, and retrieving at least one condition. Based on the at least one condition, the method automatically selects a feature identification method among a plurality of features identification methods. It then applies the feature identification method for identifying the at least one feature, and annotates some of the identified features.
US09959634B2
Methods and systems for identifying depth data associated with an object are disclosed. The method includes capturing, with an image capturing device, a plurality of source images of the object. The image capturing device has a sensor that is tilted at a known angle with respect to an object plane of the object such that the image capturing device has a depth of field associated with each source image, the depth of field defining a plane that is angled with respect to the object plane. An image processor analyzes the plurality of source images to identify segments of the source images that satisfy an image quality metric. Position data is assigned to the identified segments of the source images, the position data including depth positions based on the plane defined by the depth of field.
US09959633B2
An embodiment relates to a method for the detection of texture of a digital image, including providing a raw data image of the image by means of Bayer image sensors, determining noise in at least a region of the raw data image and determining the texture based on the determined noise without using a high pass or low pass filter.
US09959618B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a detecting unit configured to detect images of interest including regions of interest that are estimated as an object to be detected, from a group of a series of images acquired by sequentially imaging a lumen of a living body; a global similarity calculating unit configured to calculate a global similarity that is a similarity between regions including at least regions other than the regions of interest, between the images of interest different from one another; an image-of-interest group extracting unit configured to extract an image-of-interest group including identical regions of interest, in accordance with comparison between a threshold and the global similarity or a determination parameter based on the global similarity; and a representative image extracting unit configured to extract a representative image from the image-of-interest group.
US09959617B2
A medical image processing apparatus and a breast image processing method thereof are provided. The processing method at least contains but not limited to the following steps. At least one slice of breast image is obtained. Mammary glandular tissue in each breast image is detected through a mammary glandular tissue detector. The mammary glandular tissue detector is based on texture characteristic analysis. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure would assist density analysis of the mammary glandular tissue and efficiently reduce false positive of computer-aided detection. In addition, based on a result of the density analysis of the mammary glandular tissue, the embodiment would further determine lactation yield and present density diagrams of mammary glandular tissue of left and right breasts. A breast region may also be separated from the breast image based on rib information according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.
US09959607B2
Aspects provide automatic verification of graphic rendition of JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data by using a baseline JSON file to render data values of a baseline data set into a baseline graphic presentation that meets a boundary condition requirement for displaying the data values. The baseline data set data values are rendered into a baseline graphic presentation that is stored into a local file system and used to render data values of a second set of data of a back end server data warehouse data into a new graphic presentation, which is compared to the stored baseline graphic presentation on a pixel-by-pixel basis. In response to the pixel-by-pixel comparison indicating a difference in display of boundary condition requirement values, the stored baseline JSON file is revised into a revised baseline JSON file that renders the data values of the second data set into a revised new graphic presentation.
US09959602B2
An image processing device and a radiography apparatus each include a pixel selection unit configured to select pixels of an image based on pixel values of pixels of the image obtained by capturing an image of a subject, and a subtraction processing unit configured to subtract, from the image, a line artifact extracted using a profile in predetermined direction and is based on the pixels selected by the pixel selection unit.
US09959601B2
Disclosed is a distortion rectification method, comprising: taking a wide-angle photograph using a camera of a terminal; determining distortion regions and non-distortion regions in the wide-angle photograph; obtaining a target distortion region selected by a user; dividing the target distortion region into M grid regions of a first pre-set size, wherein M is an integer greater than or equal to one; and respectively preforming distortion rectification on the M-grid regions of the first pre-set size. Also disclosed is a terminal.
US09959590B2
Embodiment described herein combines a caching system with special cache flushing methods aimed at reducing thread divergence across a group of threads in a thread group, in order to synchronize branching paths taken by different threads executing on the same graphics processor execution unit, One embodiment provides for a graphics processing apparatus comprising graphics execution logic to execute one or more threads of a graphics shader program; an occluder cache to store input occluder node data for adaptive graphical effects logic of the graphics shader program; and compression logic to compress input occluder node data stored in the occluder cache. The occluder node data, in one embodiment, includes occlusion data for use with adaptive shadowing or transparency logic.
US09959586B1
The present disclosure describes a system, method, and computer program for encoding and decoding a unique signature for a user in a video file, wherein the digital signature is substantially invisible to the viewer of the video, easy to detect during the coding process, does not require specialized equipment for playback of the video, and is resilient to transcoding, video editing, and high compression encoding. A numeric digital signature is converted into a binary number. The binary number is then divided into sequences, where sequence includes a subset of data bits from the binary number. Each sequence is also associated with a sequence ID that enables the data bits in the sequence to be later combined in the correct order to recreate the binary number. A watermark is created for each of the sequences and embedded within suitable areas of a color channel.
US09959584B1
A system includes one or more processors to receive a representation of a document from a client computing device, the document comprising one of a scanned document, a faxed document, and an electronic document, determine a document type of the document based at least on the representation of the document, index the document using a classification and index processing engine based on the document type, the document type comprising at least one of a plurality of document types used by an electronic health record (EHR) system, extract index data from the document based on the document type using the classification and index processing engine, and match the document with a patient from a database of the EHR system using the index data when the classification and index processing engine successfully indexes the document and extracts index data from the document.
US09959581B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for a property management system that runs on a smartphone and allows users to identify and track information on one or more properties and to receive property updates from the server. Systems and methods are also disclosed that use the orientation of and images captured by a smartphone camera to identify a facet of an object and to determine its pitch.
US09959571B2
A method and system is disclosed for user-published interactive widgets for auctions hosted by an auction forum resource. Examples include an auction forum configured to generate a script associated with an auction upon a publisher-request, and to provide the script to be published on the publisher's resource, resulting in an external interactive component displayed on the publisher's resource. Example features may be configured to respond to user inputs submitted from the interactive component. Furthermore, reward logic can be included to issue a reward to the publisher associated with the script request.
US09959564B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for providing confirmations for list modifications. A network page is sent to a client. The network page includes one or more components for requesting that one or more items be added to a list of items. The item(s) are added to the list of items in response to a request from the client. A display region is encoded for rendering in the client as a layer superimposed on the network page. The display region includes a confirmation that the item(s) have been added to the list of items.
US09959563B1
Systems and methods are disclosed for generating recommendation rules based on the attributes of items that are purchased together at a threshold rate. The attributes of the items may be extracted from item-detail content associated with the items. Using a count of the frequency with which pairs of items include pairs of attributes, a recommendation rule can be created that recommends items with particular attributes to users who access other items with particular attributes. Further, using the recommendation rules, items may be selected for recommendation to users who access an item that lacks historical access data from which to generate recommendations solving the “cold-start” problem. Moreover, negative rules may be generated based on historical access data and attributes of items purchased and/or not purchased together at a threshold rate to prevent the recommendation of particular items to users who access items associated with the negative rules.
US09959562B1
Techniques are provided for managing local item fulfillment. For example, a fulfillment management computer can provide a local item to a user when the local item is stored in a local fulfillment center, when the local fulfillment center can fulfill the order requested by the user quickly, when the price of a local item is within a certain threshold of the best item in a top level market, or when the local item is provided by a preferred item provider. The local item may be a perishable item (e.g., apples) and could benefit from being stored close to a user that orders the local item or be non-perishable (e.g., electronics). It may be preferable to provide an item that is stored locally to the user instead of an item that would need to be shipped to the user from afar.
US09959558B2
A server includes a network communication device, a storage device, and a processing device that executes computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processing device, the computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to receive advertisement data that corresponds with a web advertisement. The advertisement data includes an advertisement uniform resource locator (URL) that refers to a website advertised by the web advertisement. In addition, the computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to determine an advertisement card object based on the advertisement data. The advertisement card object includes a card label, a card image, and graphical user interface (GUI) elements. The computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to render an advertisement card that displays the card label, the card image and the GUI elements, and transmit the advertisement card object via the network communication device.
US09959552B2
A method and system for communicating promotional offers by registering an electronic device with a server, activating a promotional offer stored on the server, receiving location information of the electronic device by the server over a network, determining the electronic device is to receive the promotional offer based upon the received location information, sending the promotional offer from the server to the electronic device over the network, sending a positive response to the promotional offer from the electronic device, over the network, and to the server, and sending a confirmation of the positive response from the server, over the network, and to the electronic device.
US09959545B2
A system, a method, and a computer program product for monitoring of events and key figures are disclosed. An event in a plurality of events associated with a business process is identified. The identified event is monitored. A business value of the identified event is determined in real time. Based on the determined real-time business value, at least one key figure associated with the monitored event is retrieved and displayed in a user interface.
US09959537B2
The disclosure provides a portable electronic card system and a method for manufacturing a rewritable plastic card. The portable electronic card system includes: a portable personal electronic device, a rewritable plastic card and a writing device. The portable personal electronic device is used for obtaining a certificated code and a personal information from a database by internet. The rewritable plastic card has a rewritable storage device for storing the personal information. The writing device electrically connects to the portable personal electronic device, and is used for writing the personal information into the rewritable plastic card.
US09959530B2
Various technologies described herein pertain to an automated dispenser including a dispensing portion, a motion sensor, a receiver module, and a control module. The control module initiates motion sensing by the motion sensor in response to receipt of an activation signal from a network server by the receiver module. The dispensing portion dispenses a product in response to the motion sensor sensing an absence, presence or motion of an object.
US09959527B2
Calendar items can be scheduled with a joined group of user profiles. Scheduling calendar items can include, for each of the calendar items, sending a calendar item request to each of the user profiles in the group of user profiles. In response to the joining of a new user profile to the group, the new user profile can be automatically sent a calendar item request for each of one or more of the calendar items scheduled with the group of user profiles. Also, a first user profile can receive a request to share a calendar with a second user profile. The request can be received from the second user profile and can list one or more additional user profiles as recipients of the request. A representation of the request to share can include a control that can be selected to share the calendar with the additional user profile(s).
US09959524B2
A method and system for providing a graphical position hierarchy and associated data sets is described. The method includes receiving a graphical position hierarchy model, analyzing nodes of the position hierarchy model to discern branches and leafs thereof, associating incumbent information with the nodes, where the incumbent information pertains to resources such as employees, contracting services, consulting, and other data and attributes related to the position hierarchy model, and displaying the model to a user thereof. Nodes of a position hierarchy may include incumbents, or may be placeholder position nodes, with no incumbents, allowing the user to model the position hierarchy according to organization needs before associating or allocating resources thereto. The method provides options for users to analyze the effect of changes to the position hierarchy on organizational resource allocation and costs in order to assess, optimize, and monitor the impact of such changes on the organization.
US09959523B2
This disclosure includes a system, device, and method to aggregate a list of video conferences for a user. The method may include identifying one or more video conferences that are likely to be of interest to a user viewing a web page, and providing a list comprising the video conferences that are likely to be of interest to the user, where each video conference in the list is available to be joined by the user viewing the web page without an invitation from participants of the video conference.
US09959518B2
A method, system, and/or computer program product generates self-organizing layouts of process diagrams. Initial weight vectors are distributed uniformly within boundaries of regions in the process diagram. A spatial input vector is randomly generated within the boundaries of each region. In each region in the process diagram, a closest graphical node is found, and a position of a winning graphical node that is the closest graphical node to the random input vector is adjusted. Positions of all non-immutable graphical objects, wi, in a topographical neighborhood N(k) of a closest graphical node wc that can cross a boundary of one or more regions from the multiple regions are adjusted. The spatial input vector is recursively generated, the closest graphical node is recursively located, and the positions of all non-immutable graphical objects, wi, in the topographical neighborhood N(k) are recursively adjusted until a maximum number of iterations, kmax is reached.
US09959514B2
There are provided a system, a method and a computer program product for generating an optimal preventive maintenance/replacement schedule for a set of assets. The method includes receiving data regarding an asset, said data including a failure rate function of said asset, a cost of preventative maintenance (PM) of said asset, a cost of an asset failure, and a cost of replacing an asset. An optimal number K of preventative maintenance time intervals tk and an indication of a possible replacement is computed and stored for each asset by minimizing a mean cost-rate value function with respect to an electrical age of the asset. A first PM schedule is formed without consideration of labor and budget resource constraints. The method further generates a second maintenance schedule for a system of assets by minimizing a deviation from the optimal PM time intervals subject to the labor and budget resource constraints.
US09959505B1
High value information Alert and Reporting System (HARS) and method to integrate the public into the law enforcement process by providing information on specific wanted persons/person-of-interest to a diverse range of information display devices specifically selected to display the information to the public. Wanted persons/persons-of-interest are profiled by behavior and acquaintances and predictive behavior algorithms and social media and social communication links and networks are used to predict locations and venues where there is a higher likelihood the person can be found and providing that information to the public. Public observations on the wanted person can be reported to HARS, which notifies the Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) for investigation and apprehension. HARS can provide public service information to the public in the precise area the information is needed and can also provide commercial advertising information to selected target areas.
US09959502B2
Dynamic data discovery can identify variables or changes in a business environment which can impact existing business rules and can match identified triggers. A business rule associated with a business rule management system can be identified. The business rule management system can be a component of an enterprise organization. The rule can be an operation, a definition, and a constraint associated with the organization. The organization can be a person, a process, a product, a service, or a computing device. Relevant information can be determined from a dynamic data associated with a data source. The determination can be made through the use of semantic analysis. A business pattern associated with the rule can be semantically matched with a dynamic pattern associated with the information. The pattern can be a semantic pattern of the information. A new business rule can be automatically generated from the dynamic data analysis.
US09959498B1
A computer-implemented method that includes receiving, by a processing unit, an instruction that specifies data values for performing a tensor computation. In response to receiving the instruction, the method may include, performing, by the processing unit, the tensor computation by executing a loop nest comprising a plurality of loops, wherein a structure of the loop nest is defined based on one or more of the data values of the instruction. The tensor computation can be at least a portion of a computation of a neural network layer. The data values specified by the instruction may comprise a value that specifies a type of the neural network layer, and the structure of the loop nest can be defined at least in part by the type of the neural network layer.
US09959495B2
A portable data terminal that includes a housing and an environmentally responsive device for collecting data about the environment surrounding the housing. The portable data terminal also includes an encoded information reader unit with one or more data collection hardware devices, which can capture data encoded in decodable indicia, e.g., bar codes. In one embodiment, the portable data terminal is configured to operate in a mode that processes the decodable indicia, and the environmental data so as to correlate the information decoded in the decodable indicia with the environmental data.
US09959492B2
An image processing device supplies image data to be used in an image forming apparatus, the image processing device including a control unit configured to process the image data in accordance with an image quality processing parameter, wherein the control unit distinguishes between an overprint region in which overprinting of a coat layer of a transparent material is to be performed on a transfer medium and a non-overprint region in which the overprinting is not to be performed, and adjusts a difference in image quality between the overprint region and the non-overprint region by using the image quality processing parameter.
US09959483B2
The present invention is to provide a system and a method for information identification to more accurately identify an object and make the process more easily. The system for information identification includes a database that registers information on an object; images the object from a predetermined direction by using the first imaging unit; images the object from a different direction by the second imaging unit; registers information on the object imaged by the first imaging unit in the database; and compares information on the object imaged by the second imaging unit with information registered in the database to identify the object.
US09959482B2
The present invention provides a classifying method of classifying an article into one of a plurality of groups based on an image of the article, comprising determining an evaluation method for obtaining an evaluation value of an image by using at least some of sample images, obtaining evaluation values for the sample images by the determined evaluation method, changing the evaluation method so as to increase a degree of dissimilarity in an evaluation value range for sample images between the plurality of groups by changing a evaluation value of at least one sample image having a singular evaluation value among the sample images, obtaining an evaluation value for the image of the article using the changed evaluation method, and classifying the article into one of the plurality of groups based on the evaluation value for the image of the article.
US09959465B2
Aspects of the subject disclosure are directed towards safely projecting a diffracted light pattern, such as in an infrared laser-based projection/illumination system. Non-diffracted (zero-order) light is refracted once to diffuse (defocus) the non-diffracted light to an eye safe level. Diffracted (non-zero-order) light is aberrated twice, e.g., once as part of diffraction by a diffracting optical element encoded with a Fresnel lens (which does not aberrate the non-diffracted light), and another time to cancel out the other aberration; the two aberrations may occur in either order. Various alternatives include upstream and downstream positioning of the diffracting optical element relative to a refractive optical element, and/or refraction via positive and negative lenses.
US09959459B2
Embodiments described herein use depth images to extract user behavior, wherein each depth image specifies that a plurality of pixels correspond to a user. In certain embodiments, one or more average extremity positions of a user, which can also be referred to as average positions of extremity blobs, are extracted from a depth image. An application is then updated based on the average positions of extremity blobs.
US09959454B2
A face recognition device includes a processor configured to: extract a plurality of feature points of a face included in an input image; detect a first and a second feature points that are paired from among the plurality of the feature points, a third feature point that is away from a straight line that connects the first and the second feature points, and two inter-feature vectors starting from the third feature point to the respective first the second feature points; calculate a feature angle formed by the two detected inter-feature vectors; and perform face recognition based on the feature angle formed by the two inter-feature vectors included in face information that is previously set as the face targeted for recognition and based on the calculated feature angle.
US09959443B1
A transaction card construction and computer-implemented methods for a transaction card are described. The transaction card has vector formatted visible information lasered onto its surface. In some embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed for electronically verifying information on a transaction card. The systems and methods may receive a request to provide a verification status for the transaction card and first visible information comprising a signature of a customer written on a point-of-sale terminal. The systems and methods may also receive second visible information comprising a vector representation of a user signature on a transaction card. In addition, the systems and methods may determine the verification status based on a comparison of the first visible information to the second visible information and send the verification status.
US09959431B2
Methods and apparatus for displaying potentially private information are disclosed. A computing device, that is showing a breathing view on its touch screen display, detects a peek request event, such as a swipe on the display. Before allowing the user to see potentially private information in response to the peek request, the computing device determines if the computing device is currently locked and if an increased privacy setting is enabled. If the computing device is not locked, or the increased privacy setting is not enabled (even though the computing device may be locked), the computing device shows a full peek view (e.g., some or all of the text from a recent text message). However, if the computing device is locked, and the increased privacy setting is enabled, the computing device shows a secure peek view (e.g., the number of new text messages, but no text from the messages).
US09959412B2
An online system obtains risk scores determined by a machine learning model for a content item provided by a user of an online system for display to users of the online system, where the risk scores indicate the likelihood of content items violating a content policy. The online system uses the risk scores to determine sampling weights used to select content items for inclusion in a sampled subset of content items. The sampling weights are determined from risk score counts indicating the relative frequency of the obtained risk scores and impression counts indicating the number of times content items have been presented to the users of the online system. The online system presents the selected content items for evaluation by a human reviewer using a quality review interface. Using the results of the quality review, the online system determines quality performance metrics of the machine learning model.
US09959410B2
An encryption and decryption method in a virtualization system is disclosed. The virtualization system includes a VMM and an encryption and decryption virtual machine. The VMM includes a control module, the encryption and decryption virtual machine records a first association relationship between a hard disk image identifier and a key, the key includes an encryption key, and the virtualization system records a second association relationship between the hard disk image identifier and a hard disk image attribute. The control module in the VMM is configured to determine whether to-be-written data needs to be encrypted and forward the to-be-written data, which makes it easy to implement a function and reduces system complexity of the VMM. In addition, encryption or decryption is processed without occupying a resource in the VMM.
US09959408B2
In some embodiments, a content management system can initiate a scan of a content item when the content management system detects that activity associated with the content item triggers a scan policy. In some embodiments, a content management system can initiate a scan of a user's account when the content management system detects that activity associated with the content item triggers a scan policy. A scan policy can specify, for example, a number of shares, downloads and/or previews of the content item allowable in a period of time. When the number of shares, downloads, and/or previews exceeds the specified number in the policy in the specified period of time, the content management system can initiate a scan (e.g., virus scan, malware scan, etc.) of the content item and/or the user's account.
US09959405B2
A method and apparatus of a device for security management by sandboxing third-party components is described. The device can determine whether a third-party component supports network access. If the third-party component supports network access, the device can request a user input regarding whether to restrict the network access of the component. The device can receive a user input to restrict network access of the third-party component. Upon receiving the user input to restrict network access, the device can construct a sandbox for the third-party component to restrict network access of the component and prevent the component from performing data exfiltration. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09959400B2
Controlling the access to a user interface for atmosphere control with an atmosphere creation system
The invention relates to accessing user interfaces for atmosphere controlling, particularly to comfortably accessing dedicated user interfaces of a complex atmosphere control system. A basic idea of the invention is to provide several user interfaces, each of which is provided for a certain control configuration for atmosphere control with an atmosphere creation system and to control the access to the user interfaces. In an embodiment of the invention, a system for controlling the access to a user interface for atmosphere control with an atmosphere creation system (10), which is provided to create atmospheres in an environment, is provided, wherein the user interface access control system comprises—several user interfaces (12), wherein each use interface is provided for a certain control configuration for atmosphere control with the atmosphere creation system, —several access control codes (14, 16), wherein each access control code is assigned to one of the several user interfaces, and —user interface access control means (18, 20) being adapted to receive an access control code and to access the user interface assigned to the received access control code.
US09959397B1
Systems and methods are provided for handling Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in a globally compliant manner, across and within governmental or defined synthetic jurisdictions without violating the privacy laws or rules of the involved jurisdictions. Disclosed systems for distributing PII include a regional server in a first jurisdiction with a first set of jurisdictional rules, a central computer and a recipient computer. The recipient computer is located in a second jurisdiction and inputs data conforming to a second set of jurisdictional rules. The central computer communicates with both the regional server and the recipient computer. The central computer masks data coming from the first jurisdiction and from the second jurisdiction so that the data complies with the rules of the destination jurisdiction.
US09959395B2
A digital rights management system includes two digital rights management servers (RMS servers) connected to a client computer. The two RMS servers implement different but related digital rights management (DRM) policies, with the first RMS server implementing conventional DRM policies and the second RMS server implementing extended DRM policies. An application program on the client computer interacts with a document on the client computer, and communicates with the first RMS server to obtain access authorization for the document. A plug-in program in the client computer cooperates with the application program, and communicates with the second RMS server to obtain additional access authorization for the document. Access to the document is granted when both RMS servers grant access to the document. This achieves extended digital rights management control which can provide a more flexible access control than that provided by existing DRM systems.
US09959393B2
Testing tamper protection of a field device includes arrangement of at least one test element in the material of a housing of the field device. The test element is supplied with a first test signal, and the first test signal is measured for determining a physical fingerprint. The physical fingerprint is measured, and the test element is supplied with a second test signal. The second test signal is measured, and the second test signal is compared with the physical fingerprint. If the second test signal deviates from the physical fingerprint, a tamper signal is output.
US09959384B2
Methods and compositions related to the selective, specific disruption of multiple ligand-receptor signaling interactions, such as ligand-receptor interactions implicated in disease, are disclosed. These interactions may involve multiple cytokines in a single receptor family or multiple ligand receptor interactions from at least two distinct ligand-receptor families. The compositions may comprise polypeptides having composite sequences that comprise sequence fragments of two or more ligand binding sites. The methods and compositions may involve sequence fragments of two or more ligand binding sites that are arranged to conserve the secondary structure of each of the ligands from which the sequence fragments were taken.
US09959383B1
The disclosure details the implementation of an apparatus, method, and system for brokering SmartAds. The disclosure teaches a efficient ad brokering as between advertisers, broadcast service providers, and media consumers by employing a SmartAds Client (SAC) and a SmartAds Server (SAS). The SAC may provide viewers with programming and integrate ads in an intelligent manner based on criteria supplied to it. The SAC is used to display SmartAds to television viewers. The ad brokering SAS is complementary to the SAC media consumer and provides services, ads, and ad related information to the SAC. By employing intelligence from a SAC and SAS, ads may be dynamically provided, changed, and/or augmented with programming. The SAS collects and matches media consumer profiles and advertiser bids against one another and an ad database to provide better targeted ads to media consumers. The manner and way in which this is achieved, results in the expiration of stale ads. Such stale ads are replaced with more intelligent, dynamically placed ads that are better targeted, tracked, and managed.
US09959371B2
A method and system is disclosed for maintaining Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of a new data center constant or within narrow range around efficient level during ramping up stage of the data center. The method comprises of capturing a plurality of design and operational parameters of the data center, computing an efficient design for the data center at full occupancy, and maintaining the Power Usage Effectiveness constant or within narrow range around efficient level at a current occupancy during a ramp up period of the data center.
US09959363B2
In an approach for documenting a representational state transfer (REST) resource. A processor monitors input JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data and output JSON data of a REST resource of an application. A processor converts a set of data from the monitored input JSON data and output JSON data of the REST resource to a self-documenting interchange format. A processor stores the converted set of data from the monitored input JSON data and output JSON data of the REST resource.
US09959361B2
In one or more embodiments, a Web browser receives user input in the form of text that is entered in a suitably-configured text entry bar, such as an address bar. The web browser processes the text and ascertains whether the text appears to be a search or an attempted navigation. Based on whether the text appears to be a search or an attempted navigation, the web browser communicates the text to a search provider, along with an indication of whether the text appears to be a search or an attempted navigation. The search provider receives the text and the indication and can then take appropriate action as by returning a search results page or causing the web browser to be redirected to a website associated with the received text.
US09959356B2
Automatically creating and modifying a search engine for a website. User input may be received specifying an address of a website. A search engine may be automatically created for the website based on the user input. Webpages of the website may specify a plurality of tags specifying custom attributes of the webpages. During creation of the search engine, these custom attributes may be incorporated into the search engine index. Additional user input may be received customizing the search engine for various search engine contexts, e.g., based on the custom attributes of the webpages. Search engine results for the website may be based on various ranking functions, potentially including social impact of webpages of the website.
US09959350B1
A system gathers information on important and influential people and uses an ontology to build a social graph. The information is organized based on this social graph and provided to users as a service. The system uses ontology models to identify connectivity between entities (e.g., people, organizations, events, and things) in the social graph. Through its ontology, the system can determine, interpret, and represent the relationships of people that occur in the real world.
US09959348B2
A method including obtaining search results for a search query, determining a type of the search query, calculating a degree of focus score for the search query when the type of the search query is a non-navigation type, determining one or more social annotations to provide for display along with the search results based on the degree of focus score, and providing the one or more social annotations for display with the search results.
US09959347B2
Subject matter described herein includes a multi-layer search-engine index. Accordingly, the search-engine index is divided into multiple indexes, each of which includes a respective set of information used to serve (i.e., respond to) a query. One index includes a term index, which organizes a set of terms that are found among a collection of documents. Another index includes a document index, which organizes a set of documents that are searchable. A computing device is used to serve the search-engine index (i.e., to analyze the index when identifying documents relevant to a search query). For example, a solid-state device might be used to serve the multi-layer search-engine index.
US09959346B2
A method to design, implement and create distributed indexes for storing and comparing fingerprints of videos is presented. The method effectively utilizes cloud computing platforms that offer varying amounts of computing resources. The method enables the distributed index to scale to large numbers of data points and the distributed index is robust to failures within the computing resources maintaining the index. The method minimizes the memory required to maintain the distributed index and reduces the I/O operations needed to process operations performed on the index. The method improves the efficiency of the index to process queries.
US09959340B2
Some implementations provide techniques and arrangements for semantic lexicon based processing, such as in an input method editor. In some instances, a semantic label may be received that is to be defined for a semantic lexicon and at least a first term may be identified as a positive or negative example of the semantic label. In response, some examples may label at least a second term in the semantic lexicon with the semantic label based at least in part on the identification of the first term as a positive or negative example of the semantic label.
US09959338B2
An illustrative embodiment includes processing parse tree data. A parse tree data structure that is representative of a document object model (DOM) tree data structure is received. Concomitant to receiving the parse tree data structure, an assignment of index values for the DOM nodes consisting of distinct index values for each existing DOM node is received by the processor. Requests to manipulate the parse tree data structure that include node inserts and document order comparisons are also performed.
US09959329B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable mediums are provided for generating master reports. For example, a request to generate a master report may be received from a client device. Release data that includes a list of programs being developed is obtained from a program repository tool. Programs from the list of programs matching the search criteria are then identified. Business case data is then obtained from a business case tool for each matching program. Program process data is also obtained from a product and production tool for each matching program. Using an integrity rule, issues in the release data, the business case data, and the program process data are detected. The master report is generated such that the master report includes the release data, the business case data, the program process data, and the detected issues. The master report is then communicated to the client device.
US09959320B2
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client device of a user of an online social network, an input from the user to access a card-stack interface, generating a plurality of cards, where each card comprises a suggested query referencing a query-domain associated with the online social network and one or more query-filters, and where each query-filter references one or more objects of the online social network, each card further comprising one or more search results corresponding to the suggested query, and each search result referencing an object of the online social network matching the suggested query of the card; and sending, to the client device in response to the input from the first user, the card-stack interface for display to the first user, wherein the card-stack interface comprises one or more of the generated cards.
US09959307B2
In a large presentation or lecture, multiple questions submitted by the audience may be classified into one or more common questions based on the semantic relatedness of the submitted questions. Further, the common questions may be sorted and presented to a host or lecturer so that the host or lecturer may efficiently answer the common questions.
US09959302B2
A method and apparatus for processing packets in a network are disclosed. For example, the method scans one or more packets representing a content that is being transferred via the network, where the scanning acquires one or more content elements. The method then builds a keyterm index from the one or more content elements, and stores the keyterm index in a repository. A query handler then responds to queries in accordance with the keyterm index.
US09959300B1
Systems and methods for article location and retrieval are described. In one described method, the normal processing of an operating system call associated with a dialog control is interrupted, and a search dialog control is displayed. The search dialog control is associated with an index comprising a plurality of events. Each of the plurality of events may be associated with at least one of a plurality of client applications and at least some of the plurality of events can be captured in real time. Each event may be associated with one or more articles.
US09959299B2
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system for sorting data records generates a plurality of data structures associated with corresponding record fields used to sort the data records, and inserts values of the record fields into the corresponding data structures. Each of the data structures comprises one or more ordered parts, and each inserted value is inserted into a part of the corresponding data structure. Each part of a data structure corresponding to a record field having a sort priority immediately below another record field corresponds to a distinct value inserted into a part of the data structure corresponding to the other record field. The system processes the generated data structures to determine sorted data records. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for sorting data records in substantially the same manners described above.
US09959283B2
Techniques for managing records on a filesystem to enforce a record disposition protocol. Embodiments identify records on the filesystem using one or more record definitions. Each record definition may contain a conditional statement which, if satisfied by a particular file on the filesystem, indicates the particular file as a record. Embodiments may then monitor file activity for each of the identified records and upon detecting the file activity, may enforce the record disposition protocol for the record. Such enforcement may include preventing the file activity, and may further include logging information related to the file activity.
US09959282B2
Methods, apparatus, and electronic devices for file management are provided. On a touch screen, whether a duration time of a first pre-set operation to a target file is greater than a first pre-set threshold value can be detected. When the duration time of the first pre-set operation to the target file is detected greater than the first pre-set threshold value, the target file, and other files related to the target file and on an interface of the target file can be determined as files to be managed. According to a second pre-set operation to the files to be managed, a corresponding management to the files to be managed can be performed.
US09959279B2
A method for maintaining an index in multi-tier data structure includes providing a plurality of a storage devices forming the multi-tier data structure, caching an index of key-value pairs across the multi-tier data structure, wherein each of the key-value pairs includes a key, and one of a data value and a data pointer, the key-value pairs stored in the multi-tier data structure, providing a journal for interfacing with the multi-tier data structure, providing a plurality of zone allocators recording which zones of the multi-tier data structure are in used, and providing a plurality of zone managers for controlling access to cache lines of the multi-tier data structure through the journal and zone allocators, wherein each zone manager maintains a header object pointing to data to be stored in an allocated zone.
US09959277B2
Systems and methods allow for reliably and efficiently managing files stored on a data storage medium associated with a computer system such as a set-top box. In one embodiment a method of managing a file is provided. The method includes: mounting a first file system to a second file system; creating, by the first file system, a virtual file by partitioning a file into a plurality of segments and by linking the plurality of segments in an index file; and sending a file operation request, by the first file system, to the second file system based on the segments of the virtual file.
US09959276B2
Data is received or accessed that includes a structured file encapsulating data required by an execution environment to manage executable code wrapped within the structured file. Thereafter, code and data regions are iteratively identified in the structured file. Such identification is analyzed so that at least one feature can be extracted from the structured file. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.
US09959267B2
A graphical user interface for creating a data summary table includes a data summary table including a plurality of fields, and a filtering pane programmed to apply filters to items in the fields of the data summary table, the filtering pane including a field selector control, wherein the field selector control is programmed to allow for selection of a field of the fields in the data summary table to define filtering for the field.
US09959247B1
A circuit comprises an input register configured to receive an input vector of elements, a control register configured to receive a control vector of elements, wherein each element of the control vector corresponds to a respective element of the input vector, and wherein each element specifies a permutation of a corresponding element of the input vector, and a permute execution circuit configured to generate an output vector of elements corresponding to a permutation of the input vector. Generating each element of the output vector comprises accessing, at the input register, a particular element of the input vector, accessing, at the control register, a particular element of the control vector corresponding to the particular element of the input vector, and outputting the particular element of the input vector as an element at a particular position of the output vector that is selected based on the particular element of the control vector.
US09959243B2
A circuit for processing data is provided. The circuit includes an Application Processor (AP), a Communication Processor (CP), and a storage unit including at least a first region which the AP and the CP access and from/to which data related to at least one of the AP and the CP is read/written, and a second region which the CP accesses and from/to which data related to the CP is read/written.
US09959232B2
An embodiment of a method for executing data access commands, performed by a control unit, is disclosed to include at least the following steps. A series of interface-driving instructions is read from a RAM (Random Access Memory) after detecting that an indication for altering instruction source has been written into a register. A storage-unit access interface is operated according to the interface-driving instructions, so as to complete data access to a storage unit.
US09959227B1
Apparatus and methods are disclosed herein for reducing I/O latency when accessing data using a direct memory access (DMA) engine with a parser. A DMA descriptor indicating memory buffer location can be stored in cache. A DMA descriptor read command is generated and can include a prefetch command. A descriptor with the indicator can be communicated to the DMA engine in response to the read. A second parser can detect the descriptor communication, parse the descriptor, and can prefetch data from memory to cache while the descriptor is being communicated to the DMA engine and/or parsed by the DMA engine parser. When the DMA engine parses the descriptor, data can be accessed from cache rather than memory, to decrease latency.
US09959221B2
A semiconductor device (100) according to an embodiment calculates the number of times of burst access for an address set (A) based on a result of a determination, for each of N addresses a1 to an (N is a natural number no less than two) included in the address set (A), whether or not the address and another address adjacent to that address in an accessing order can be accessed by the same burst access, and calculates an access time that will be taken for accessing the address set by the burst access.
US09959220B2
In one embodiment, an apparatus, such as a memory device, is disclosed. The apparatus includes multiple memory tiles and selection circuitry. Each memory tile has an array of storage components at intersections of a plurality of digit line conductors and a plurality of access line conductors. The selection circuitry includes line drivers that select a storage component of a memory tile based on a corresponding digit line conductor and a corresponding access line conductor to the storage component. The selection circuitry may select two or more storage components of a memory tile in a consecutive manner before selecting the storage components of a different memory tile.
US09959219B1
A peripheral device connected to a local electronic device which is connected to at least one communication network can communicate with a peripheral device attached to a remote electronic device as if the remote peripheral device was locally attached. Data designated for the remote peripheral device is received by a local virtual device object and transmitted to the remote electronic device via at least one of the electronic devices communication interfaces or peripheral devices. Data received by the remote electronic device's communication interface or peripheral device is written to the peripheral device at the remote electronic device by a virtual device object. For compensation of different transfer speeds or outages between the peripheral device and the communication interface or another peripheral device the virtual device provides the ability to utilize the virtual devices emulation driver that is attached to the virtual device object as an I/O buffer.
US09959218B2
A memory device including at least one memory location for storing information representing data written using a first encryption/decryption method, and a read channel using a second encryption/decryption method for reading and decrypting information as written. The memory device also includes an apparatus that prevents the reading of the at least one memory location using the second encryption/decryption method, in response to an indication that the at least one memory location was written using the first encryption/decryption method. In another embodiment, a reading of all zeroes is returned in response to an indication of another encryption/decryption method.
US09959212B2
A memory system has a first cache memory comprising a volatile memory, a second cache memory comprising a non-volatile memory with access speed slower than access speed of the volatile memory, and a reconfiguration control circuitry to switch between a first mode that uses the second cache memory as a cache memory in a lower layer than the first cache memory and a second mode that uses the first cache memory and the second cache memory as cache memories in an identical memory layer.
US09959188B1
Technology for detecting processor usage of a physical host hosting computing instances is provided. In one example, a method may include identifying a location of a hardware register of a physical host containing data in a model specific register. The physical host hosts a plurality of computing instances using a hypervisor. The method may include determining power consumption by a processor of the physical host for the computing instances from the data. An upper level of acceptable processor power consumption may be identified. Processor usage may be determined based on the power consumption determined and the upper level of acceptable processor power consumption. The processor usage may be provided as data through the hypervisor.
US09959186B2
A test system that enables real-time interactive debugging of a device under test (DUT) using native customer code. A translation module may format, in real time, debug commands, corresponding to a user input, into a format recognizable by instruments in a tester. The user input may be a test program or test instructions written in a high-level programming language. The translation module may translate the user's debug commands into lower-level test instrument commands, based on which the tester may apply control signals to a processor in the DUT to test subsystems of the DUT. A result of the test may be provided to the translation module, which may, in real time, format another debug command, or provide an indication of the result to the user. The translation module may thus enable a user to step-through and modify native customer code in an interactive manner to debug a DUT.
US09959185B2
A memory system includes a memory device, a switch device, and a built-in self-test circuit. The memory device is for storing data and toggling a notification signal whenever a read operation or a write operation is completed. The switch device has a first input terminal for receiving an external clock signal, a second input terminal coupled to the memory device for receiving the notification signal, a select terminal for receiving a selection signal, and an output terminal for outputting a memory clock signal to the memory device. The memory clock signal is one of the external clock signal and the notification signal. The built-in self-test circuit is for outputting a control signal required by the memory device to perform the read operation or the write operation and check whether the memory device functions normally.
US09959170B2
A storage cluster is provided. The storage cluster includes a plurality of storage nodes within a single chassis. Each of the plurality of storage nodes has nonvolatile solid-state memory for storage of user data. The plurality of storage nodes are configured to distribute the user data and metadata throughout the plurality of storage nodes with erasure coding of the user data such that the plurality of storage nodes can access the user data, via the erasure coding, with a failure of two of the plurality of storage nodes. The plurality of storage nodes are configured to employ the erasure coding to reconfigure redundancy of the user data responsive to one of adding or removing a storage node.
US09959167B1
Techniques for rebundling grid encoded data storage systems are described herein. A new grid of shards is created based in part on shards from a first grid of shards. The second grid of shards contains data shards, including one or more data shards from the first grid of shards, and derived shards that are indexed by row and column and is configured so that shards in the second grid are reproducible from shards in the same row using a first redundancy code and are also reproducible from shards in the same column using a second redundancy code. The derived shards of the second grid of shards are then derived from other shards in the second grid of shards using the first redundancy code and the second redundancy code.
US09959141B2
A system and method of dynamically controlling a reservation of compute resources within a compute environment is disclosed. The method aspect of the invention comprises receiving a request from a requestor for a reservation of resources within the compute environment, reserving a first group of resources, evaluating resources within the compute environment to determine if a more efficient use of the compute environment is available and if a more efficient use of the compute environment is available, then canceling the reservation for the first group of resources and reserving a second group of resources of the compute environment according to the evaluation.
US09959139B2
A system and method for virtualization and cloud security are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a system comprises a first multi-core processing cluster and a second multi-core processing cluster in communication with a network interface card and software instructions. When the software instructions are executed by the second multi-core processing cluster they cause the second multi-core processing cluster to receive a request for a service, create a new or invoke an existing virtual machine to service the request, and return a desired result indicative of successful completion of the service to the first multi-core processing cluster.
US09959137B2
The use of a skip element when redoing transactions, so as to avoid tracking dependencies between transactions assigned to different threads for parallel processing. When the second thread comes to a second task in the course of redoing a second transaction, if a first task that is mooted by the second task is not already performed, the second thread inserts a skip element associated with the object to be operated upon by the particular task, instead of actually performing the particular task upon the object. When the first thread later comes to the first task in the course of redoing a first transaction, the first thread encounters the skip element associated with the object. Accordingly, instead of performing the dependee task, the first thread skips the dependee task and perhaps removes the skip element. The result is the same regardless of whether the first or second task is redone first.
US09959127B2
Systems and methods for exporting failure and diagnostic data and securing privileges in a service Operating System (OS). In some embodiments, an Information Handling System (IHS) includes a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the processor, cause the IHS to: identify a malfunction; store malfunction data in a predefined location; detect the coupling of an external device to the IHS; and export the malfunction data from the predefined location to the external device.
US09959103B2
Computer programming is aided by way of automatic code generation, and more specifically generation of deployment code automatically. An application can be analyzed and deployment code, including installation, maintenance (e.g., update/upgrade), and removal (e.g., un-install) code, can be generated as a function of the analysis as well as a particular execution environment.
US09959093B2
A binary fused multiply-add floating-point unit configured to operate on an addend, a multiplier, and a multiplicand. The unit is configured to receive as the addend an unrounded result of a prior operation executed in the unit via an early result feedback path; to perform an alignment shift of the unrounded addend on an unrounded exponent and an unrounded mantissa; as well as perform a rounding correction for the addend in parallel to the actual alignment shift, responsive to a rounding-up signal.
US09959090B2
Athletic performance sensing and/or tracking systems include components for measuring or sensing athletic performance data and/or for storing and/or displaying desired information associated with the athletic performance to the user (or others). Such systems can allow users a wide variety of options in creating workouts, selecting and presenting media content during the athletic performance, etc., e.g., to help keep users entertained and motivated. In some instances, user feedback may be used, optionally in combination with objective data relating to a workout, to control features of the workout routine, to control the music or other media content selected and/or presented, and/or to control features of future workout routines and/or the presented media content.
US09959087B2
Embodiments are described herein that may include a computing device. The computing device may receive an indication of a particular media item that is currently playing on a media playback system. The computing system may query a social media service for one or more accounts of the social media service that are connected within a social network to a particular account of the social media service that is registered to the media playback system and have received respective indications of the particular media item from respective media playback systems within a particular period of time. The computing system may receive data indicating the queried one or more accounts of the social media service and cause one or more respective indications of the received one or more accounts of the social media service to be displayed on a graphical interface in association with an indication of the particular media item.
US09959081B2
A system includes an operation device and an information storing apparatus, which are connected via a network. The operation device determines, based on information input from the outside of the operation device in response to an operation performed on the operation device, an electronic device among a plurality of electronic devices connected to the system, for causing the electronic device to input electronic data to the information storing apparatus, and sends, to the information storing apparatus, a first request to cause the determined electronic device to input the electronic data to the information storing apparatus. The information storing apparatus sends, to the determined electronic device, a second request based on the first request sent from the operation device, and stores the electronic data that has been sent from the determined electronic device based on the sent second request.
US09959078B2
Systems and methods for increasing performance and reducing power consumption of a non-volatile memory system while the system acquires status information from a plurality of memory die are described. The non-volatile memory system may include a plurality of memory die and a system controller for controlling operations performed by each memory die of the plurality of memory die (e.g., read operations, write operations, or erase operations). The system controller may transmit or broadcast a first status command to each memory die of the plurality of memory die and in response simultaneously or concurrently receive one or more sets of status information from each memory die of the plurality of memory die. The status information may include ready/busy status information (e.g., indicating that a memory die is able to receive new data), programming loop count information, and erase loop count information.
US09959076B2
A method in a distributed storage (DS) unit begins by the unit receiving one or more data slices to store. The method continues by determining a memory utilization method for the one or more data slices. The method continues when a multiple memory utilization method is determined. The method continues by determining a data slice distribution method. The method continues by storing a plurality of the one or more data slices in the multiple memories using the data slice distribution method and updating a virtual address to physical location table to reflect the storing.
US09959072B2
A method includes, in response to a first write command corresponding to first data and a first context which is identifiable with a first identifier and to a second write command corresponding to second data and a second context identifiable with a second identifier, determining whether the first identifier of the first context matches the second identifier of the second context. The method also includes, if the first identifier of the first context is determined to match the second identifier of the second context, forming a compression group of data including the first data and the second data, and generating compressed data corresponding to the compression group of data.
US09959070B2
A system for managing storage of data units includes a data storage system configured to store multiple data blocks, at least some of the data blocks containing multiple data units, and configured to store, for at least some of the data blocks, corresponding historical information about prior removal of one or more data units from that data block, the removal affecting at least some addresses of data units in that data block. The system is configured to perform at least one operation that accesses at least a first data unit stored in a first data block according to address information interpreted based on any stored historical information corresponding to the first data block.
US09959069B2
A facility for processing textual input generated with a user input device described. In one example facility, the facility stores the textual input in a first data structure contained in the address space of a first process. The facility synchronizes contents of the first data structure to a second data structure contained in the address space of a second process distinct from the first process, an application executing in the second process being configured to consume textual input synchronized to the second data structure.
US09959060B1
A plurality of traffic profiles is determined for a plurality of traffic groups where each traffic profile includes a share of traffic and an address footprint size associated with a corresponding traffic group. A host write is received from a host and the traffic group that the host write belongs to is identified. Write data associated with the host write is stored in the solid state storage allocated to the traffic group that the host write is identified as belonging to where the amount of solid state storage allocated to each of the plurality of traffic groups is based at least in part on the traffic profile of a given traffic group.
US09959056B2
Methods and systems for a networked system are provided. One method includes receiving a request by a processor to transfer a data block stored at a first storage tier to the second storage tier; using an object staging data structure to determine that an object is available for transferring the data block from the first storage tier to the second storage tier. The object staging data structure an indicator providing a status for the object and an object length and an offset value of a transfer log indicating where information regarding the data block is stored. The method further includes updating an address of the storage tier where the information regarding data block is stored at the transfer log; increasing the object length and the offset value at the object staging data structure; and creating the object at the second tier.
US09959055B2
Examples herein disclose identification of a presence of a processing unit that is to obtain the lock within a queue in a fair lock mode. In response to the presence of the processing unit within the queue, the examples place a separate processing unit in an unfair lock mode.
US09959048B2
Disclosed aspects include management of a set of blocks in a storage system. A set of write requests is initiated to the set of blocks. In response to the set of write requests, a set of expiration metadata for the set of blocks is established. Based on the set of expiration metadata, an expiration event is detected. In response to detecting the expiration event, an expiration operation on the set of blocks is processed.
US09959047B2
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for capacity forecasting is disclosed. The method includes: storing, in a memory, resource data associated with an environment, the resource data comprising inventory information of applications, processing resources and storage resources of the environment; and providing a ledger module executable by a processor unit to: create a capacity-associated transaction; identify and link at least one of an application, processing resource and storage resource to the transaction from the resource data; determine an initiation time and duration associated with the transaction; and forecast a change in capacity of at least one linked storage resource for the transaction and a time of the change in capacity.
US09959040B1
An example method includes designating a corner region of a display device as active, and outputting, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location substantially diagonally opposite and at a first distance from the active corner region. The method further includes receiving an indication of a gesture interpreted by the computing device as originating within the active corner region and terminating within a center region of the display device, and responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture, outputting, for display at the display device, an updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location a second distance from the active corner region.
US09959032B2
An information processing apparatus, method and computer program product are described. At least the apparatus includes comprising a display control device that controls a display of a lock release screen that has displayed thereon a manipulation object and a target object. A manipulation detection device detects a lock release manipulation as a detected moving of the manipulation object toward the target object. The display control device changes an appearance of the target object in response to the manipulation detection device detecting the moving of the manipulation object toward the target object.
US09959029B2
The present invention relates to a system and method for performing a scroll using a scrollTop attribute of a web page, which allows a user to feel as if an individual contents area is actually scrolled if movement of a touched state is sensed when a portion of an individual contents area is displayed on a screen of a user terminal, by calculating a variation of touch coordinates according to the sensed movement of the touched state, determining a scroll direction according to the calculated variation of touch coordinates, calculating a scroll length corresponding to the variation of touch coordinates according to the sensed movement of the touched state and adjusting a scrollTop value of the individual contents area as much as the calculated scroll length.
US09959025B2
An electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface, a display, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts displaying a lower-level user interface that is part of a user interface hierarchy, where the hierarchy includes at least three levels, including the lower-level user interface, an intermediate-level user interface and a higher-level user interface. The device also, while displaying the lower-level user interface, detects an input on a portion of the device that is associated with user interface hierarchy navigation and, in response to detecting the input, in accordance with a determination that the input meets first transition criteria, the device replaces display of the lower-level user interface with display of the intermediate-level user interface and in accordance with a determination that the input meets second transition criteria, the device replaces display of the lower-level user interface with display of the higher-level user interface.
US09959024B2
A method for launching software applications of a smartphone through a personal computer connected thereto is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) operatably connecting the handheld computer to the personal computer; b) the personal computer acquiring information of used times of applications of the handheld computer; c) converting tops of the most frequently used applications into items in a subwindow of the personal computer; and d) launching one of the applications by clicking an item in the subwindow, wherein the clicked item corresponds to the launched application.
US09959020B2
A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon comprises code for generating a canvas upon a display space, the canvas being larger than the display space and including an interactive element, code for navigating within the canvas upon the display space code for changing a status of the interactive element in response to navigation moving the interactive element within the display space.
US09959018B2
The display apparatus includes: a display device; an image processor which processes an image to display the image on the display device; a communication unit which communicates with at least one first external device in which content data are stored and at least one second external device in which an application is installed to process the content data; and a controller which controls the image processor to communicate with the first and second external devices and display a user interface (UI) image corresponding to the content data and the application on the display device, and controls the processing operation of the application with respect to the content data through the UI image.
US09959011B2
The present disclosure relates to quantification of subjective experiences. A method for quantifying a subjective experience may include outputting an adjustable graphic that is continuously adjustable between differing states. The position of a selector may be manipulated to cause the adjustable graphic to be substantially simultaneously manipulated between the differing states to produce an adjusted graphic. Thus, a user may match the adjustable graphic to his or her subjective experience regarding a particular topic. The position of the adjustable graphic may be stationary, and thus independent of the position of the selector. A scaled value corresponding to the adjusted graphic may be calculated to quantify the subjective experience.
US09959010B1
Embodiments of the present application disclose a method and for displaying information as well as a terminal equipment, wherein at least one information card is displayed on a display screen after it is detected that the display screen switches to a screen-on state from a screen-off state. The switch of the display screen to the screen-on state from the screen-off state indicates that a user may be in a spare state. In this case, target information potentially desired by the user is displayed in form of an information card, such that the user can browse the target information with spare time, thus increasing utilization of the spare time of users.
US09959008B2
A system for providing a visual user environment includes a processing unit, a memory, a primary display device for providing a primary visual interface, and an adjunct communication device for providing an adjunct visual interface. In an embodiment, the adjunct display device is configured to present quasi-3D or 3D images. A process can include detecting an adjunct content event corresponding to adjunct visual content associated with an aspect of an application program; and selectively transferring one of an adjunct content notification and adjunct visual content to the adjunct communication device, wherein the adjunct content event corresponds to one of an application program installation sequence, an application program event, an indication of user proficiency in interacting with the application program, a communication session with a remote system, and a predefined visual sequence that is automatically selected for presentation to the user during one of application program installation and application program execution.
US09959002B2
In a method of input sensing and exclusion, an input is detected within a sensing region of an input device. It is determined that the input is along an edge of the input device. It is then determined whether the input satisfies exclusion criteria. Responsive to satisfaction of the exclusion criteria, the input is excluded from consideration as valid input.
US09959000B2
A touch sensing device is provided. The device includes a substrate; a plurality of first electrodes formed on the substrate and arranged along a first direction without overlapping one another; a first insulating layer formed on the substrate and covering the plurality of first electrodes; and a plurality of second electrodes formed on the first insulating layer and arranged along a second direction without overlapping one another, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.
US09958994B2
An input device having a sensing region overlapping an input surface includes a first substrate, a second substrate physically coupled to the first substrate, and a sensor electrode disposed on the first substrate and configured to detect input objects in the sensing region. A first force sensor includes a first electrode disposed on the first substrate and a first conductive portion of the second substrate capacitively coupled with the first electrode. The first conductive portion is configured to move relative to the first electrode such that a first variable capacitance of the first force sensor changes in response to force applied to the input surface in a first direction parallel to the touch surface.
US09958991B2
An input device and an input method for a data processing device are provided. The input device includes a touch-sensitive module, an operation prompt interface and a controller. According to the input method, the input device issues a first input signal to the data processing device when a first electrical property change resulting from the keystroke or the tap is sensed in a first operation state. The input device is switched from the first operation state to a second operation state in response to a switching operation. The input device issues a second input signal to the data processing device when a second electrical property change resulting from a touch action is sensed in the second operation state.
US09958990B2
In one embodiment, a stylus operable to communicate wirelessly with a device through a touch sensor of the device contains one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic that is operable when executed to access first data representing a recently occurred authentication event involving the stylus or the device. The logic is further operable to access second data representing a pre-defined authentication event. The logic is further operable to compare the first data with the second data to authenticate a user to the stylus or the device, a stylus to the user or the device, or a device to the user or the stylus.
US09958988B2
In a method for optically capturing a fingerprint or an object on a surface (2) of a cover plate (1) of a screen with a plurality of photosensors (4) which are each assigned to a respective display pixel (6), the display pixels (6) emit light radiation and the photosensors (4) capture light radiation from the display pixels (6) reflected by the surface (2) within a scan angle (8). The scan angle (8) describes in a virtual mirror image plane (9) the size of the display pixel (6).
US09958987B2
The various methods and devices described herein relate to devices which, in at least certain embodiments, may include one or more sensors for providing data relating to user activity and at least one processor for causing the device to respond based on the user activity which was determined, at least in part, through the sensors. The response by the device may include a change of state of the device, and the response may be automatically performed after the user activity is determined.
US09958976B2
Provided is an electronic device with high portability and/or high browsability. The electronic device includes first and second support bodies, a first hinge, and a flexible display panel. The first hinge has a first rotation axis and connects the first and second support bodies to each other, and the first and second support bodies are capable of relatively rotating on the first rotation axis. The display panel includes at least first and second portions supported by the first and second support bodies, respectively; the first rotation axis and a first plane including the display surface overlapping with the first portion or a second plane including the display surface overlapping with the second portion are parallel to each other; and each of a distance between the first rotation axis and the first plane or the second plane is greater than zero.
US09958972B2
The disclosure provides a sensing structure of a touch panel, which includes a shielding layer and a sensing layer. The shielding layer is provided with one hollow portion, and the sensing layer is arranged under the shielding layer and located around the hollow portion. The disclosure further provides a cover plate structure of a touch panel and the touch panel. In the touch panel, the cover plate structure of the touch panel and the sensing structure of a touch panel provided by the disclosure, the sensing layer is located under the shielding layer and around the hollow portion. Thus, the sensing layer is covered by the shielding layer and avoids the hollow portion of a pattern zone, so that the sensing layer cannot be seen through the hollow portion, and the appearance quality of the touch panel is improved.
US09958969B2
An apparatus and method for automatically registering and executing a preferred function in a mobile communication terminal. The method includes registering a function and a configuration value and use character string/numeral string value for the function, to a one-touch execution object. The method also includes, when a one-touch input for the one-touch execution object is sensed, executing the function registered to the one-touch execution object, by the configuration value and use character string/numeral string value registered to the one-touch execution object.
US09958960B2
A three-dimensional imaging and display system is provided in which input is optically detected in an imaging volume by measuring the path length of an amplitude modulated scanning beam as a function of the phase shift thereof. Visual image feedback concerning the detected input is presented.
US09958959B2
A method for detecting an adjusting movement of an adjusting element located on a display area in a motor vehicle, the adjusting element serving for operating at least one function. At least part of the light emitted from the display area is used for detecting the adjusting movement of the adjusting element. This makes a reliable detection of the adjusting movement possible. A compact and robust device for carrying out the method is also disclosed.
US09958948B2
Systems and methods systems and methods for altering a state of system using a remote device that processes gestures are described herein. The electronic device can communicate with the system in response to monitoring a user generated gesture or other interaction. For example, a user can wave the personal device or wave to the personal device, and in response thereto, the personal device can transmit an instruction to the system that causes it to change its operational state. Thus, embodiments discussed herein enable a user to perform remote gestures with a first device to affect the operation of a second device.
US09958943B2
The present invention concerns a method and apparatus for the modulation of an acoustic field for providing tactile sensations. A method of creating haptic feedback using ultrasound is provided. The method comprises the steps of generating a plurality of ultrasound waves with a common focal point using a phased array of ultrasound transducers, the common focal point being a haptic feedback point, and modulating the generation of the ultrasound waves using a waveform selected to produce little or no audible sound at the haptic feedback point.
US09958937B2
Provided is a content viewing system using a head-mounted display (HMD), which enables a user to know a popular broadcaster content in real time. A device to be used for content viewing includes: a display unit configured to display, on the head-mounted display, a plurality of virtual displays arranged in a virtual space; a selecting unit configured to select one of the virtual displays based on movement detected by a detector of the head-mounted display; and a playing unit configured to play a content associated with a selected virtual display. The plurality of virtual displays are arrayed in grid sections provided along a celestial sphere surface. The selecting unit is configured to identify one of the grid sections on the celestial sphere surface based on the detected movement, to thereby select one virtual display associated with the identified grid section.
US09958933B2
Described herein in various embodiments are techniques to better coordinate long wakeup events on a network processor that are due to radio or network activity with the long wakeups that are due to requests from an application processor. In one embodiment, power management logic can receive wake requests from system processes upon notice that one or more application processors are transitioning into a low power state. The power management logic can coalesce the wake requests based on a supplied margin and determine a wake timeframe in which the application processor may be opportunistically woken from the low power state. The power management logic can provide the wake timeframe for the application processor to a network processor in the system. The network processor can opportunistically cause an early wake of the application processor during the wake timeframe.
US09958932B2
In an embodiment, an integrated circuit may include one or more processors. Each processor may include multiple processor cores, and each core has a different design/implementation and performance level. For example, a core may be implemented for high performance, and another core may be implemented at a lower maximum performance, but may be optimized for efficiency. Additionally, in some embodiments, some features of the instruction set architecture implemented by the processor may be implemented in only one of the cores that make up the processor. If such a feature is invoked by a code sequence while a different core is active, the processor may swap cores to the core the implements the feature. Alternatively, an exception may be taken and an exception handler may be executed to identify the feature and activate the corresponding core.
US09958931B2
A method for self-tuning a computing system is presented. The method comprises mapping a current workload of the computing system to at least one bucket; measuring a current operation metric representing a current operation of the computing system; determining, based on the current operation metric, at least one optimization scheme for each of the at least one bucket, wherein the at least one optimization scheme includes at least a list of system knobs having optimal values configured to adjust the operation of the computing device to meet at least one predefined target metric; and setting each of the system knobs listed in the at least one determined optimization scheme to its respective value.
US09958930B2
An application processor includes a main central processing device that operates based on an external main clock signal received from at least one external clock source when the application processor is in an active mode, at least one internal clock source that generates an internal clock signal, and a sensor sub-system that processes sensing-data received from at least one sensor module on a predetermined cycle when the application processor is in the active mode or a sleep mode, and that operates based on the internal clock signal or an external sub clock signal received from the external clock source depending on an operating speed required for processing the sensing-data.
US09958916B2
A temperature management system includes: a first temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature of a heat generation component in an electronic device; a cooling apparatus configured to circulate air in the electronic device and to cool the heat generation component; a second temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature of air flowing in the electronic device; a parameter setting unit configured to set a target value of the temperature of the heat generation component; and a control unit. The control unit calculates a predicted value of a future temperature of the heat generation component based on the outputs of the first temperature detection unit and the second temperature detection unit, and the power consumption of the electronic device, and determines a manipulated variable of the cooling apparatus based on the predicted value and the target value.
US09958915B1
A slot assembly configured for being inserted by a workpiece. The slot assembly comprises a holder body, a substrate, a push member and a heat spreader. The substrate and the holder body together form an accommodating space therebetween. The push member is movable between a released position and a pressed position. The push member is configured for being moved from the released position to the pressed position by being pushed by the workpiece. The heat spreader is movably disposed on the substrate and located in the accommodating space. The heat spreader has a thermal contact surface facing away from the substrate. The thermal contact surface is configured for being in thermal contact with the workpiece. When the push member is located at the pressed position, the heat spreader is located at a thermal contact position where the thermal contact surface is in thermal contact with the workpiece.
US09958911B2
An Information Handling System (IHS) includes a chassis having a base panel, a selected modular cover, and a latching structure. The base panel has an upper chassis surface to receive selected compute components and infrastructure components that vary in height desired for the fully assembled IHS or rack in which the IHS will be inserted. The selected modular cover can have peripheral sides of a vertical height to complement a vertical height of the lateral guides of the base panel to create either a first height enclosure of a first height to house compute components of less than the first height or a second height enclosure of a second height to house compute components of less than the second height but greater than the first height. The latching structure is formed between the peripheral sides of the selected one of the first and second modular cover and the lateral guides of the base panel.
US09958909B1
A housing design and method of providing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) by mitigating a slot antenna in a corner region of a housing, the corner profile including an electrically conductive insert that has a spring bias, such as a spring or coated plastic member, in a corner of the housing.
US09958905B1
An apparatus, system, and cluster for vertically docking interactive devices. The apparatus includes a pair of device docking hooks (DDHs), which temporarily couple to and secure an interactive device onto a vertical surface. In addition to the apparatus, the system may include one or more device locking mount(s) (DLMs) coupled to the interactive device, which further secures the interactive device to a static vertical surface. The coupling between each of the one or more DLM(s) and the interactive device may take the form of, for example, a magnetic attachment, a hook and loop fabric attachment, a spring loaded hook, a simple gravity induced friction attachment (e.g., a resting pad), etc. Alternatively, in addition to the apparatus, the system may include a device locking apparatus (DLA), which when engaged may further secure the interactive device to an articulating vertical surface.
US09958903B2
The present invention relates to a method for providing a representation of orientation and movement of an item being moved in space by a user of the item. The user is wearing a wearable electronic device being physically separate from the item. The item comprises an item memory storing item defining data and a device communication unit. The wearable electronic device comprises an item communication unit, adapted to receive data from the device communication unit, and an orientation and movement detector. The method comprises retrieving, at the wearable electronic device, item defining data from the item; registering, at the wearable electronic device, orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device during user movement of the item; and computing, at a first processor, the representation of orientation and movement of the item based on the item defining data and the registered orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device.
US09958902B2
An input device comprises: a detection unit that detects a body movement generated by tapping a user body as detection data; and an input information determination unit that refers to the detection data, determines a tap position based on a fact that the detection data varies depending on the tap position, and outputs an operation command associated with the determined tap position.
US09958901B2
An electronic device equipped with a touch panel provided with, at side surfaces of the housing, first elastic members having a first modulus of elasticity and a first coefficient of friction and contacting a level surface when the electronic device is made to stand in a range from the vertical to 50° and second elastic members having a second modulus of elasticity lower that the first modulus of elasticity and a second coefficient of friction larger than the first coefficient of friction and contacting the level surface when the electronic device is made to lean against a wall from the level surface by an angle of 50° or less, the electronic device thereby prevented from slipping no matter what the range of angle, is provided.
US09958899B2
An electronic device and an information processing method thereof are provided. When a state of a relative position between a first body and a second body is an open state and a sensor is started, an initial angle between the first body and the second body that is formed through support of the connector is collected by the sensor, a variation between a first position of the first body relative to the second body and a second position to which the first body moves relative to the second body under an external force is collected by the sensor, and finally a display parameter is controlled according to the variation. Therefore, the solutions provided by the invention do not need an additional auxiliary apparatus such as a keypad/pedal thereby making the operation easier and more convenient for the operator.
US09958897B1
Systems and methods are disclosed for routing electrical signals in a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein the PCB includes a conductive ground layer, a conductive power layer and a conductive signal layer. A first volatile memory module and a memory receptacle are mounted to the top surface of the PCB, wherein the memory receptacle electrically connects a second volatile memory to vias connected to the memory receptacle that extend through the ground, power and signal layers. The controller board includes one or more conductive traces disposed in the signal layer between the first and second vias, wherein signals may flow through the vias to the first volatile memory.
US09958877B2
A system, apparatus, and method for use in delivery of items to a storage unit. The storage unit can include one or several storage receptacles and a control unit that controls and monitors the status of the one or several storage receptacles. The storage unit may be included in a storage unit system that can include one or several storage units and a central control unit. The central control unit can communicate with the one or several storage units, and can receive status and availability updates from the one or several storage units.
US09958876B2
A flight configuration is disclosed. The flight configuration includes a lift configuration in which a lift aircraft lifts a powered payload via a tether. The flight configuration comprises a series of steps for transitioning from the lift configuration to a forward flight configuration. In the forward flight configuration, the lift aircraft and the powered payload are in horizontal alignment.
US09958870B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for non-mechanical assistance for autonomous vehicles. An unknown environmental condition may be detected that affects a navigation of the autonomous vehicle. A passenger and/or other source may be presented an inquiry requesting identification of the unknown environmental condition. A response to the inquiry may be used as an input by the vehicle control system in determining appropriate navigation of the autonomous vehicle.
US09958864B2
Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computer software and systems, and wired and wireless network communications to provide an autonomous vehicle fleet as a service. More specifically, systems, devices, and methods are configured to manage a fleet of autonomous vehicles. In particular, a method may include determining destination locations for autonomous vehicles, calculating, at an autonomous vehicle service platform, delivery locations to which the autonomous vehicles are directed, identifying data to implement a delivery location associated with an autonomous vehicle, and transmitting data representing a command to the autonomous vehicle. The command may be configured to cause navigation of the autonomous vehicle to the delivery location.
US09958862B2
A method and apparatus for controlling an industrial robot relative to an intuitive motion coordinate system. The current 3D position of a touch-screen teach pendant relative to the robot is sensed, and an operator-centric frame of reference is developed relative to the robot-centric frame of reference. A simulacra of the robot is generated, oriented so as to correspond with an operator view of the robot from the current position of the controller, and displayed on the pendant. A motion-control construction, generated and displayed on the pendant, is adapted to receive jog commands from the operator indicative of a respective incremental movement of the simulacra in the operator-centric frame of reference. Each jog command is transformed from the operator-centric frame of reference to the robot-centric frame of reference, and the robot moved in accordance with the transformed jog command. Movement of the pendant relative to the robot is sensed and, in response, the displayed simulacra is reoriented to correspond to the new position of the pendant relative to the robot as viewed by the operator.
US09958856B2
The robot of this embodiment moves a work tool to points where multiple work-pieces are placed, and executes a process specified at each point where the work-piece is placed. A point sequence memory stores the point where the work-piece is placed. A work-instruction-sequence memory stores a work instruction executed at the point where the work-piece is placed. A work-piece-correction-level memory stores, in association with each other, a work-piece correction level at each point and a parameter of each point where the work-piece is placed. A work-piece-correction counter memory stores a counter indicating to which point the work-piece correction level at the point is reflected.
US09958854B2
Systems and methods for robotic measurement of parts are provided. One system includes one or more omni-directional ground vehicles configured to move within a facility defined work zone to a setup calibration station and an engineering defined work space, wherein the engineering defined work space includes a part to be measured. The system also includes a multi-axis robot removably coupled to each of the omni-direction ground vehicles and configured to move a laser scanner, wherein the laser scanner of each of the multi-axis robots is configured to move in at least two linear directions and one rotational direction. The system further includes a processor configured to automatically generate a surface ready output file from measurement data received from the laser scanners, wherein the surface ready output file is configured to command a machine to manufacture a mating component to the part.
US09958852B2
A runtime coordination subsystem allows programmers of multi-mover, linear motion systems to provide simple commands to the movers without concern for the presence of other movers on the track. The runtime coordination subsystem manages proper separation distances to prevent collisions and automatically queue movers in contention situations. In addition the runtime coordination subsystem permits a specialized multi-mover command controlling movers in unison with constant separation.
US09958850B2
An energy management system is disclosed having an in situ processing unit with a measuring unit capable of measuring a set of power related parameters over a main electricity cable. The system has a first processing unit capable of processing the power related parameters by applying a signature detection algorithm, for detecting an event relating to turning ON or OFF an electronic and/or electric appliance and for characterizing the event. The system also has means for transferring to a server a data packet having an output of said signature detection algorithm. The processing unit triggers the transfer of a data packet only in case such an event is detected. Also disclosed is a method for monitoring the use of electronic and/or electric appliances.
US09958842B2
A system and a method for configuring an intelligent electronic device are described. A baseline configuration of the IED and a delta configuration are processed by a configurator to thereby obtain a target configuration for the IED. The delta configuration is responsive to a target operation of the IED, and the target operation is dependent on the target configuration. The baseline configuration is defined by default parametric values of the IED and the delta configuration is defined by delta parametric values. The delta parametric values are differences between the default parametric values of the IED and respective target parametric values of the target operation.
US09958837B2
A motor control apparatus includes a position detector for detecting the position of a rotor of a motor, a speed detection unit for calculating a speed detection value based on a position detection value detected by the position detector, a speed command generation unit for generating a speed command which commands a rotation speed of the rotor of the motor, a correction amount calculation unit for calculating a correction amount based on the position detection value detected by the position detector, a correction processing unit for correcting the speed detection value by using the correction amount, and a torque command generation unit for generating a torque command which commands a rotational torque of the motor based on the speed command and the speed detection value corrected by the correction processing unit.
US09958830B2
A functional micromechanical timepiece assembly including at least a first component, including a first layer defining a first contact surface configured to come into friction contact with a second contact surface defined by a second layer, the second layer belonging, either to the first component, or to at least a second micromechanical component forming the assembly with the first component. The first and second layers each include carbon with at least 50% carbon atoms and, on the first and second contact surfaces, the layers have different surface crystalline plane orientations from each other.
US09958818B2
A fixing device including an endless belt, a rotary body positioned outside of the endless belt, the rotary body having an axis extending in an axial direction, an elastic member positioned at an inner space of the endless belt and configured to nip the endless belt in cooperation with the rotary body, and an adhering member having rigidity higher than rigidity of the elastic member. The elastic member has a contact surface in contact with the endless belt. The adhering member has an adhered portion adhered to an opposite surface opposite to the contact surface. The adhering portion has a length in the axial direction smaller than the length of the elastic member in the axial direction.
US09958810B2
A belt unit includes: a belt member; a roller rotatably placed on an inner peripheral surface of the belt member; and a meander restraint member facing an edge portion of the belt member and configured to restrain the belt member from meandering while the belt member is running. The edge portion of the belt member includes a modification layer.
US09958806B2
A developing device includes a toner bearer to rotate while bearing toner and a toner regulator including a bend on a free end side. The bend is disposed in contact with a surface of the toner bearer and defines a regulation nip to adjust an amount of the toner on the toner bearer. The toner regulator further includes an area having a water contact angle greater than or equal to 70 degrees. The area having the water contact angle includes, at least, a downstream end of the bend in a rotation direction of the toner bearer.
US09958805B2
An image forming apparatus includes a developing device including a developer carrying member, a developer supplying member and a regulating member. Also provided are a first power source for the developer carrying member, a second power source for the regulating member, and a controller. In a period from a start of a developing operation to an end of the developing operation for printing an image on a single recording material, the controller effects control of a potential difference between the developer carrying member and the developing blade so that a force for urging the developer from the regulating member toward the developer carrying member acts on the developer at a contact portion between the regulating member and the developer carrying member. The force acting on the developer being is stronger at the end of the developing operation than at the start of the developing operation.
US09958803B2
In a case where another first region exists which faces the edge pixel across a second region on a line in a predetermined direction passing through the edge pixel of the first region, the correcting unit selects a correction amount for correcting the exposure amount applied by the exposing unit for the pixel to be corrected from information describing a plurality of correction amounts in accordance with a first number of pixels being a number of pixels on the line within the second region between the first region and the other first region and corrects the exposure amount for the pixel to be corrected in accordance with the selected correction amount.
US09958794B2
According to one embodiment, a management method of a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device, the method includes measuring a weight of a pre-exposure substrate including a semiconductor substrate and a resist film provided on the semiconductor substrate, performing an exposure process for the resist film, measuring a weight of a post-exposure substrate including the semiconductor substrate and the resist film after the exposure process is performed, and acquiring a weight difference between the weight of the pre-exposure substrate and the weight of the post-exposure substrate.
US09958787B2
A method of exposing a patterned area on a substrate using an EUV lithographic apparatus having a demagnification of about 5× and a numerical aperture of about 0.4 is disclosed. The method comprises exposing a first portion of the patterned area on the substrate using a first exposure, the first portion dimensions are significantly less than the dimensions of a conventional exposure, and exposing one or more additional portions of the patterned area on the substrate using one or more additional exposures, the additional portions having dimensions which are significantly less than the dimensions of a conventional exposure. The method further comprises repeating the above to expose a second patterned area on the substrate, the second patterned area being provided with the same pattern as the first patterned area, wherein a distance between center points of the first and second patterned areas corresponds with a dimension of a conventional exposure.
US09958785B2
An exposure apparatus includes a nozzle member which has at least one of a supply port for supplying a liquid and a recovery port for recovering the liquid, and a nozzle adjusting mechanism which adjusts at least one of a position and a posture of the nozzle member depending on a position or a posture of a substrate. The exposure apparatus forms an immersion area of the liquid on the substrate, and performs exposure for the substrate through the liquid in the immersion area. Accordingly, the liquid is satisfactorily retained between the projection optical system and the substrate, thereby making it possible to realize the exposure highly accurately.
US09958772B1
A reticle pod is provided for receiving a reticle, the reticle pod comprises: a plurality of positioning modules, which are disposed on at least one vertex portions of a substrate of the reticle pod. The positioning module includes an elastic member, and an abutting member which disposed above the positioning module, wherein when the reticle is received in the reticle pod and the cover of the reticle pod is engaged to the substrate, the cover contacts and provides a downward pressure to the abutting member, and forcing the abutting member to compress the elastic member. The compressed elastic member deforms extensively along a transverse direction and contacts with the reticle.
US09958771B2
A method and apparatus for removing a pellicle from a photomask wherein the adhesive between the pellicle frame and photomask is cooled sufficiently to allow the adhesive property of the adhesive to diminish to the point where the adhesive will release from the photomask with little or no mechanical force and leaving minimal adhesive on the photomask. The adhesive is cooled by way of manifolds containing coolant being brought in contact with the pellicle frame or by way of a coolant spray nozzles spraying coolant directly onto the pellicle frame.
US09958770B2
A pellicle for EUV lithography is provided. The pellicle for EUV lithography may improve strength of a pellicle film by having a strength reinforcing layer including a first coupling layer and a carbon nanostructure disposed on a first inorganic layer, the first coupling layer here increase coupling strength between the first inorganic layer and the strength reinforcing layer, and a strength reinforcing layer including a carbon nanostructure. Also, a pellicle for EUV lithography according to another embodiment and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The pellicle for EUV lithography includes a plurality of holes and is a porous thin film made of a material with an extinction coefficient less than or equal to 0.02, and a diameter of the holes is less than or equal to 1 μm. Accordingly, improved strength is achievable because thickness may be made large with still having high EUV transmission.
US09958758B2
Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for illuminating a scene with light containing speckle patterns. A plurality of instances of coherent light are generated in sequence. From each instance of coherent light of the plurality of instances of coherent light, a corresponding instance of illumination light is generated that contains a respective speckle pattern, thereby generating a plurality of instances of illumination light containing a plurality of respective speckle patterns. The plurality of speckle patterns are configured such that a summation of the plurality of speckle patterns forms a substantially uniform illumination pattern. The plurality of instances of illumination light are projected into an illumination environment in sequence.
US09958754B2
Provided is a lens apparatus, including: a lens barrel comprising an operation ring rotatable about an optical axis of an optical system to operate a movable optical member included in the optical system; and a driving apparatus engaging with the operation ring to drive the operation ring in a mounted state on the lens barrel, wherein the driving apparatus includes a first communication unit and an operation unit; the lens barrel includes a second communication unit; communication between the lens barrel and driving apparatus is established through the first and second communication units; in the mounted state, the first communication unit is disposed on a surface covering a part of an outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel; and is located on a object side relative to an operation unit arranged closest to an image side in an optical axis direction of the optical system on the driving apparatus.
US09958747B2
An array substrate and a manufacturing method thereof, a display panel and a display device are disclosed. The method for manufacturing an array substrate includes: forming a first via hole for connecting a second transparent electrically conductive layer and a gate line layer, a second via hole for connecting a first transparent electrically conductive layer and the second transparent electrically conductive layer, and a third via hole for connecting the second transparent electrically conductive layer and a source/drain electrode layer on a base substrate through patterning process; performing a filling process on the first via hole, the second via hole and the third via hole during a pattern of second transparent electrically conductive layer is being formed, such that each of the three via holes has a top surface which is flush with the second transparent electrically conductive layer surrounding the respective via holes.
US09958745B2
The present disclosure provides a light-on detection device and a light-on detection method. The light-on detection device includes a substrate, and a probe block provided with probes and connected to the substrate. The light-on detection device further includes a flattening element configured to apply a force onto a surface of the display panel so as to change the surface of the display panel from a first shape having a first height difference to a second shape having a second height difference less than the first height difference, thereby to enable the probes to perform the light-on detection on the display panel with the second shape.
US09958737B2
A liquid crystal display includes a first substrate on which a first sub-pixel electrode and a second sub-pixel electrode are spaced apart from each other in a first direction, different voltages being applied to the first sub-pixel electrode and the second sub-pixel electrode, a first switching element which controls a voltage applied to the first sub-pixel electrode, a second switching element which controls a voltage applied to the second sub-pixel electrode, a variable resistor which drops an output voltage of the second switching element and apply the dropped output voltage to the second sub-pixel electrode, a second substrate on which a common electrode is disposed, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.
US09958726B2
A highly-reflective liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) panel includes pixel electrodes on a substrate, each pixel electrode having a top surface with a first reflectivity. A continuous reflective coating covers the pixel electrodes and substrate surfaces therebetween, forming a plurality of coated pixel electrodes having an enhanced reflectivity that exceeds the first reflectivity. A method for increasing pixel reflectivity in a LCOS panel includes depositing a continuous reflective coating covering both (1) a plurality of pixel electrodes on a substrate and (2) a plurality of inter-pixel substrate surfaces, and depositing a layer on the continuous reflective coating.
US09958722B2
The present invention provides a pixel structure, comprising a pixel layer and data lines, wherein the pixel layer comprises a plurality of pixel areas, and each of the pixel areas comprises an upper area and a lower area, and one lateral side of the upper area and one lateral side of the lower area are respectively provided with one keel, and the pixel layer and the data lines are located in different layers, and projections of the data lines at the pixel layer coincide with the keels. By employing the keels in the pixel areas to cover the data lines under the pixel areas, the data lines can shield light for one lateral side of the pixel areas where the keels are provided for achieving the technical result of reducing the non-display area, increasing the display area and raising the aperture ratio.
US09958721B2
A first integrated circuit disposed in a region, in which a length of a first space in a device depth direction is largest, among two regions dividing an entire region of a first main surface of a signal processing circuit board into two in a device width direction. The first space is a space between the signal processing circuit board and a metal chassis, which is a member of the metal chassis and a back cover that opposes the first main surface on which the first integrated circuit is mounted. A first heat sink is disposed between the metal chassis and the back cover and has a plurality of fins. A length of each of the plurality of fins in the device depth direction is set according to a length of the first space in the device depth direction at a position of the fin in the device width direction.
US09958718B2
Disclosed is a display device including a display panel; a panel driver electrically connected to the display panel, a guide frame arranged at an edge area of the display panel and configured to support the display panel; and a coupling member arranged on an upper surface of the support and configured to couple the display panel to the guide frame.
US09958715B2
A display device framework and a display device, solving technical problem of application limitation of existing display device frameworks due to an integral structure thereof. The display device includes: a rear frame (20) configured to support at least a display panel (21); and a front frame (10) configured to support at least an out-cell panel (11), wherein, the front frame (10) and the rear frame (20) are flexibly connected so as to be movable with respective to each other along a first direction (101), wherein the first direction is perpendicular to a display panel (21) upon the display panel (21) being supported. The display device includes at least the display device framework.
US09958711B1
A laser system may include a laser source configured to generate a laser light beam and an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). The AOM may include an acousto-optic medium configured to receive the laser light beam, and a phased array transducer comprising a plurality of electrodes coupled to the acousto-optic medium and configured to cause the acousto-optic medium to output a zero order laser light beam and a first order diffracted laser light beam. The system may further include a beamsplitter downstream from the AOM and configured to split a sampled laser light beam from the zero order laser light beam, a photodetector configured to receive the sampled laser light beam and generate a feedback signal associated therewith, and a radio frequency (RF) driver configured to generate an RF drive signal to the phased array transducer electrodes so that noise is diverted to the first order diffracted laser light beam based upon the feedback signal.
US09958703B2
This invention discloses methods and apparatus for providing an ophthalmic lens with diffractive/refractive variable optic structures. An energy source is capable of powering the variable optic included within the ophthalmic lens as it may be predetermined. In some embodiments, an ophthalmic lens is cast molded from a silicone hydrogel.
US09958688B2
The present invention provides a stereoscopic display, which comprises a backlight, a display panel, a phase delay film arranged at a light-exiting side of the display panel, and a visual angle adjusting baffle arranged between the backlight and the display panel and parallel to the display panel for adjusting a vertical or horizontal stereoscopic visual angle of the stereoscopic display. The shading strips of the visual angle adjusting baffle can be reflective strips which can reflect light from the backlight arriving at the reflective strips back to the backlight, and the light reflected by the reflective strips to the backlight can enter the display panel after passing through the transparent strips in the visual angle adjusting baffle, thus improving display brightness of the stereoscopic display.
US09958683B2
Light guide device, virtual image display apparatus, and method for manufacturing light guide device
In a light guide device, a step between optical surfaces connected to each other by a connection portion can be limited (e.g., to 1 mm or smaller) so that a large stepped portion is not allowed to be formed at the connection portion in a hard coat formation process, whereby a coating liquid that flows along portions that are to form the optical surfaces forms no liquid pool or causes no liquid sagging. The light guide device can thus maintain satisfactory light guiding performance at the light guide portion.
US09958682B1
Systems, devices, and methods for optical splitters are described. An optical splitter includes a transparent polygonal structure having an input side to receive light from a light source and an output side that is segmented into multiple facets. Each facet is engineered to provide a respective planar surface that is oriented at a different angle in each of at least two spatial dimensions relative to the other facets in order to refract and route a respective portion of the light along a respective set of optical paths. The input side may be faceted as well to further refine the optical paths. A particular application of the polygonal structure in an optical splitter providing eyebox expansion by exit pupil replication in a scanning laser-based wearable heads-up display is described in detail.
US09958676B2
A projector device is provided. The projector device includes a projector unit, an optical beam splitting module and a first image forming element. The projector unit forms a beam projecting image. The horizontal projection width of the beam projecting image is smaller than the vertical projection width of the beam projecting image. The optical beam splitting module projects one or multiple projection sub-images according to the beam projecting image. The projection sub-images are projected to the first image forming element to form one or multiple projection images. Thus, the projector device obtains multiple projection images from a single image source, and the placement of the image forming elements in the projector unit may be adjusted to obtain the projection images with the best image ratios and the best resolutions. The projector device may be suitable for a head up display.
US09958673B2
A cover plate or lens for an optical metrology device that is positioned under a wafer during measurement is protected with a purge device. The purge device may include a ring that extends around a periphery of the cover plate or lens. The ring includes a plurality of apertures through which a purge gas or air is expelled over the surface of the cover plate or lens. Additionally or alternatively, one or more heating elements may be provided that extend around the periphery of the cover plate or lens. The heating elements heat the cover plate above a dewpoint temperature of contaminant vapor. A heat sensor may be used to monitor the temperature of the cover plate to control the heating elements and/or to compensate for optical changes of the cover plate caused by heating during measurement of a wafer.
US09958668B2
There is provided an image pickup unit which is capable of achieving a focused image of a favorable depth of field while changing a visual field direction of observation.An image pickup unit, comprises a front group which includes a prism that can be rotated for changing a visual field direction, and a rear group which includes a lens group and an image pickup element, wherein the image pickup unit includes a prism rotating section which rotates the prism for changing the visual field direction, and a focusing section which does not change a focused range, as an angle of visual field direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the image pickup unit becomes smaller than a specific angle, and which moves the focused range toward a near-point side, as an angle of visual field direction with respect to the longitudinal direction of the image pickup unit becomes larger than the specific angle, in accordance with a rotation of the prism, and the focusing section, in a case in which the specific angle is not smaller than 30°, moves the focused range toward the near-point side.
US09958662B2
A microscope system includes: a stage on which a specimen is configured to be placed; an objective lens disposed so as to face the stage; an oblique illumination unit having a plurality of light emitting units arranged annularly around or outside the objective lens, the oblique illumination unit being configured to emit oblique illumination light for irradiating the specimen; an input unit configured to receive an instruction signal that instructs a rotation mode for changing, at regular intervals, a light emitting area where one or more light emitting units of the plurality of light emitting units are caused to emit the oblique illumination light; and an illumination controller configured to change the light emitting area at the regular intervals by controlling light emitting timing of each of the plurality of light emitting units when the input unit receives the instruction signal.
US09958658B2
Embodiments disclose a device for testing biological specimen. The device includes a sample carrier and a detachable cover. The sample carrier includes a specimen holding area. The detachable cover is placed on top of the specimen holding area. The detachable cover includes a magnifying component configured to align with the specimen holding area. The focal length of the magnifying component is from 0.1 mm to 3 mm. The magnifying component has a magnification ratio of at least 30.
US09958653B2
An imaging optical system includes, a first lens unit having a negative refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, a third lens unit having a negative refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power, the first lens unit includes a first negative lens and a first cemented lens, the second lens unit G2 includes a second cemented lens, one or more positive lens components, and a third cemented lens, and the first cemented lens includes a negative lens and has a surface having a concave surface facing toward the reduction side, the second cemented lens has a positive refractive power and has a surface having a concave surface facing toward the enlargement side, and the third cemented lens has a positive refractive power and includes a negative lens on the reduction side.
US09958649B2
An optical image capturing system includes, along the optical axis in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens, and a seventh lens. At least one lens among the first to the sixth lenses has positive refractive force. The seventh lens has negative refractive force, wherein both surfaces thereof can be aspheric, and at least one surface thereof has an inflection point. The lenses in the optical image capturing system which have refractive power include the first to the seventh lenses. The optical image capturing system can increase aperture value and improve the imaging quality for use in compact cameras.
US09958647B2
A six-piece wide-angle lens module includes, from an object side to an image side, a first lens group, an aperture and a second lens group. The first lens group consists of a negative first lens, a negative second lens and a positive third lens, each lens having an object side surface facing the object side and an image side surface facing the image side, the first lens is a meniscus lens having a convex object side surface, the second lens has a concave image side surface, the third lens has a convex object side surface. The second lens group consists of a positive fourth lens, a negative fifth lens and a positive sixth lens, the fourth lens is a biconvex lens, the fifth lens has a concave image side surface, the sixth lens has a convex object side surface, the second lens group has a positive focal length.
US09958646B2
A six-piece optical lens for capturing image and a six-piece optical module for capturing image are provided. In order from an object side to an image side, the optical lens along the optical axis includes a first lens with refractive power, a second lens with refractive power, a third lens with refractive power, a fourth lens with refractive power, a fifth lens with refractive power and a sixth lens with refractive power. At least one of the image-side surface and object-side surface of each of the six lens elements is aspheric. The optical lens can increase aperture value and improve the imagining quality for use in compact cameras.
US09958644B2
An optical image capturing system includes, along the optical axis in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, and a fifth lens, wherein at least one lens among the first to the fifth lenses has positive refractive force and the fifth lens can have negative refractive force, wherein both surfaces thereof are aspheric, and at least one surface thereof has an inflection point, and wherein the lenses in the optical image capturing system which have refractive power include the first to the fifth lenses, whereby the optical image capturing system can increase aperture value and improve the imaging quality for use in compact cameras.
US09958639B2
The present invention relates to an imaging lens, the imaging lens including, in an ordered way from an object side, a first lens having positive (+) refractive power and convexly formed at an object side surface; a second lens having positive (+) refractive power and concavely formed at an object side surface; and a third lens having negative (−) refractive power, wherein the imaging lens meets a conditional expression of 1.6
US09958638B2
A high performance kinematic mirror mount facilitating the reduction of thermally and mechanically induced optical distortion of a precision mirror is disclosed. The mirror mount assembly includes a mirror with a front reflective surface and a rear support surface. A set of sub-tier mounting assemblies are provided being affixed to the rear support surface of the mirror utilizing a number of strut pairs and a number of bonded mount pads arranged so as to connect the sub-tier mounting assemblies to the mirror with numerous strut pairs arranged as bipods.
US09958637B2
An optical device whose impact resistance against an impact improved without increasing the size thereof. A first-group lens barrel holds has radially protruding follower pins formed thereon. A cam ring is disposed outside the first-group lens barrel, and has cam grooves formed therein for engagement with the follower pins. A diaphragm unit disposed rearward of the first-group lens barrel and a second-group lens barrel disposed rearward of the diaphragm unit move in the optical axis direction. When the diaphragm unit and the second-group lens barrel move in the optical axis direction, the optical device is switched between a wide angle position in which first protrusions formed on the diaphragm unit are positioned inside the follower pins and a telephoto position in which third protrusions formed on the second-group lens barrel are positioned inside the same.
US09958636B2
The electronic apparatus includes a base member, a rotatable operation member, a clicking member rotatable together with the rotatable operation member, an exterior member disposed between the base and rotatable operation members, a switching operation member provided with an operation knob and movable between first and second positions, a pressing member and a contact member both held by the base member, the pressing member being biased toward the clicking member, the contact member being biased toward the switching operation member to contact the switching operation member, and a stopper member movable together with the switching operation member. When the switching operation member is located at the first position, the pressing member contacts the concave and convex portions. When the switching operation member is located at the second position, the pressing member contacts the stopper member and held away from the concave and convex portions.
US09958632B2
An optical lens assembly includes a first lens element and a second lens element. The first lens element has at least one contacting surface. The second lens element has at least one contacting surface. The contacting surface of the first lens element comes in contact with the contacting surface of the second lens element, and at least one air duct is disposed on at least one of the contacting surface of the first lens element and the contacting surface of the second lens element.
US09958627B2
An optical fiber cable including an optical fiber ribbon in a pipe, wherein the ribbon includes at least two optical fibers arranged side by side, and wherein at least two of the optical fibers are bonded intermittently along a length of the fibers.
US09958624B2
A structure for optically aligning an optical fiber to a protonic device and method of fabrication of same. The structure optically aligns an optical fiber to the protonic device using a lens between the two which is moveable by actuator heads. The lens is moveable by respective motive sources associated with the actuator heads.
US09958622B1
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving light from a light generating device at a port of a network device, the port comprising a port optical element positioned within a path of the light, receiving a cable assembly comprising a plug at the port, the plug comprising a plug optical element positioned for alignment with the port optical element when the cable assembly is coupled with the port, and processing the light at the port optical element and the plug optical element. The processed light is emitted from a portion of the plug extending from the port when the cable assembly is coupled with the port to provide a visual indication of compatibility between the cable assembly and the port. An apparatus is also disclosed herein.
US09958617B2
A connector (1), in particular cable connector, for producing an optical and electrical connection to a mating connector (2). The connector (1) has a connector main housing (3) and at least one housing attachment part (4) and at least one optical waveguide carrier (5), and the housing attachment part (4) is fastened or fastenable releasably to the connector main housing (3) by a releasable and reconnectable connecting device (6). The optical waveguide carrier (5) and at least one electric contact (7) are arranged on the connector main housing (3), and the housing attachment part (4) has at least one electric extension contact (8) which is connectable to the electric contact (7) of the connector main housing (3) by connection of the housing attachment part (4) to the connector main housing (3).
US09958615B2
A monolithic optical element and system is used for collimating or focusing laser light from or to optical fibers. The optical fiber terminates in a tip that directly abuts against the first surface of the optical element. The optical element may provide a collimation or focusing function depending upon whether the abutting fiber delivers light for collimation or receives focused light from a collimated beam. The optical element may be a standard or modified barrel or drum lens, with the first and second surfaces being convex curved surfaces having the same or different radii of curvature. The end of the optical element to which the fiber abuts may have a diameter to match the inner diameter of a ferrule for positioning the fiber. A pair of the elements may be used for collimation and focusing in a Raman probehead or other optical detection system.
US09958611B2
A system and method for securely holding a fiber optic cable splice in place and for creating a watertight splice by encapsulating two or more fiber optic cables having one or more spliced fiber optic strands in an enclosure with an encapsulant to create a permanent, watertight, fiber-optic splicing system and method.
US09958606B2
The invention relates to a supercontinuum light source comprising a microstructured optical fiber and a pump light source. The microstructured optical fiber comprises a core and a cladding region surrounding the core, as well as a first fiber length section, a second fiber length section and an intermediate fiber length section between said first and second fiber length sections. The first fiber length section comprises a core with a first characteristic core diameter. The second fiber length section comprises a core with a second characteristic core diameter, smaller than said first characteristic core diameter, where said second characteristic core diameter is substantially constant along said second fiber length section. The intermediate length section of the optical fiber comprises a core which is tapered from said first characteristic core diameter to said second characteristic core diameter over a tapered length.
US09958600B2
There are provided a light-source device which is capable of restraining deformation of side walls of a housing due to heat generated by the light emission of the light source, and a display apparatus. A light-source device is provided with a light guide plate which is placed on a bottom plate of a housing having an opening formed at one surface thereof, and a light source which is fixed to the housing and is arranged to face one end face of the light guide plate, and the bottom plate of the housing has a separation part that separates the bottom plate into a first portion in which the light source is disposed and a second portion in which the light source is not disposed.
US09958598B2
A light source module includes a light guide plate (LGP), at least one light emitting element, a reflector, and a plurality of spacer units. The LGP has a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, a light incident surface connecting the first surface and the second surface, and a plurality of optical microstructures. The light emitting element is located adjacent to the light incident surface. The reflector is adhered to the second surface through an adhesive gel. The spacer units are located between the LGP and the reflector, and sizes of the spacer units are larger than or equal to 1 micrometer. The adhesive gel includes a first adhesive gel and a second adhesive gel. The first adhesive gel is located between the spacer units and the LGP, and the second adhesive gel is located between the spacer units and the reflector.
US09958587B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to a light guide plate, a method for fabricating the same and a backlight unit. The light guide plate comprises a low density region and a plurality of high density regions, wherein the plurality of high density regions are separately disposed on a light incident side of the light guide plate.
US09958586B2
A mounting device (26) for a sanitary element comprises a mounting frame (30) to hold the sanitary element and a lighting unit (B) connected to the mounting frame, which comprises a first optical means (1) having at least one light source (3) for providing a first glow of light (5) and at least one second optical means (2) having at least one light source (4) for providing a second glow of light (6), wherein the said glows of light (5, 6) can be output from the mounting device (26).
US09958583B1
An optical notch filter includes a particle layer including nano-particles in a substrate material. The nano-particles are arranged in one or more arrays to provide a nano plasmonic absorption of radiation having a wavelength of 532 nm incident on the filter. The filter exhibits a radiation absorption profile with an absorption maxima of at least 99% at 532 nm for an angle of incidence of between +50° and −50°, and has a full width half maxima transmission of less than 15 nm.
US09958580B2
Provided is an anisotropic optical film which is capable of diffusing and condensing light in a wide incident angle range even when this film merely has a single anisotropic diffusion layer, which gives no unnatural impression, and which does not easily generate any light interference (rainbow). An anisotropic optical film having a diffusing property which varies in accordance with the incident angle of light radiated thereinto. The film has rectangularly columnar region, and a matrix region. At an incident angle of the light at which a maximum linear transmittance is exhibited, the maximum linear transmittance is 30% or more and less than 95%; and at an incident angle of the light at which a minimum linear transmittance is exhibited, the minimum linear transmittance is 20% or less.
US09958571B2
Machine, computer readable medium, program code, and computer-implemented methods for performing a reservoir simulation with well completion and reservoir grid data quality assurance, are provided. An exemplary embodiment can include a data quality analyzing machine having memory containing data quality analyzing instructions configured to simulate a reservoir model with automated well completion and reservoir grid data quality assurance.
US09958565B2
Embodiments, including apparatuses, systems and methods, for attaching autonomous seismic nodes to a deployment cable. In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a seismic node having a direct attachment mechanism configured to directly attach the seismic node to a deployment line, the direct attachment mechanism being configurable between an open and/or unlocked position and a closed and/or locked position to release and retain the deployment line.
US09958562B2
A method for calibrating a nuclear gauge of the having a source includes providing a nuclear gauge comprising a radiation source, the radiation source being coupled with a computing system with a machine readable program stored thereon containing a calibration routine. An operator places the gauge on one or more specified blocks to adjust the source within each block to one or more specified positions to initiate a count. The method includes determining that the source is at each position before each count begins, adjusting the counting times before each count begins by the program on the nuclear gauge based on each position of the source to obtain calibration information, obtaining counts at each position, storing the counts within the computing system of the nuclear gauge, and calculating for each position calibration coefficients.
US09958558B2
A digital x-ray detector has a non-metallic housing. A two dimensional array of photosensors enclosed by the housing is in electrical communication with an electrical circuit formed on an interior surface of the housing.
US09958551B1
A method for evaluating the availability of ARAIM system is provided. A satellite position coordinate and clock offset of each satellite at a current time point and several time points before the current time point are received. Empirical mode decomposition is performed on the position coordinate and the clock offset respectively, to obtain a position coordinate mode component and a clock offset mode component of each satellite at each time point. A position coordinate mode component and a clock offset mode component of each satellite at a time point next to the current time point are obtained respectively. According to the position coordinate mode component and the clock offset mode component of each satellite at the time point next to the current time point, a position coordinate mode component and a clock offset mode component of each satellite at a next time point is obtained, thereby obtaining an evaluation result.
US09958550B2
The invention relates to methods, apparatuses and computer programs for generating receiver-specific correction information for correcting pseudorange observations. The method comprises: receiving raw observations obtained by the NSS receiver observing NSS multiple frequency signals from a plurality of NSS satellites over multiple epochs; obtaining precise satellite information on: (i) the orbit position of each of the satellites, (ii) a clock offset of each of the satellites, and (iii) a set of biases associated with each of the satellites; estimating ambiguities in the carrier phase of the received raw observations, using the precise satellite information, or information derived therefrom; computing combination values based on the received raw observations together with the estimated ambiguities, to cancel out the effects of the geometry, the effects of the clocks, troposphere and ionosphere; and generating the correction information per satellite, based on the computed combination values.
US09958549B2
Methods and systems that can detect GNSS spoofing attacks and that do not require explicit or implicit knowledge of exact position or attitude and that provide hypothesis test statistics, threshold values, and probabilities of false alarm and missed detection.
US09958537B2
Apparatus and methods are provided directed to a device, including at least one ultrasonic transducer, a multi-level pulser coupled to the at least one ultrasonic transducer; the multi-level pulser including a plurality of input terminals configured to receive respective input voltages, an output terminal configured to provide an output voltage, and a signal path between a first input terminal and the output terminal including a first transistor having a first conductivity type coupled to a first diode and, in parallel, a second transistor having a second conductivity type coupled to a second diode.
US09958535B2
A detector (118) for determining a position of at least one object (112) is disclosed, the detector (118) comprising: at least one longitudinal optical sensor (120), wherein the longitudinal optical sensor (120) has at least one sensor region (124), wherein the longitudinal optical sensor (120) is at least partially transparent, wherein the longitudinal optical sensor (120) is designed to generate at least one longitudinal sensor signal in a manner dependent on an illumination of the sensor region (124) by at least one light beam (126) traveling from the object (112) to the detector (118), wherein the longitudinal sensor signal, given the same total power of the illumination, is dependent on a beam cross-section of the light beam (126) in the sensor region (124); at least one illumination source (114) adapted to illuminate the object (112) with illumination light (115) through the longitudinal optical sensor (120); and at least one evaluation device (136), wherein the evaluation device (136) is designed to generate at least one item of information on a longitudinal position of the object (112) by evaluating the longitudinal sensor signal.
US09958533B2
A method for locating wireless devices within a local region, comprising: determining respective global locations of two or more of the wireless devices; determining whether the wireless devices are within the local region by calculating respective distances between the global locations; determining respective ranges between the wireless devices within the local region; and, determining respective relative locations of the wireless devices within the local region by triangulation using the ranges.
US09958532B2
Provided is a method for detecting a position of an object relative to an electrode configuration with at least three electrodes, wherein a first electrode substantially is arranged parallel or concentrically to a second electrode, a third electrode is arranged in an acute angle or excentric relative to the first electrode, the first electrode is loaded with a first generator signal, and wherein the second electrode may be loaded with a second generator signal. The second generator signal preferably is inverse with respect to the first generator signal. In addition, provided for the method is a suitable electrode configuration with at least three electrodes.
US09958528B2
A method for determining a yaw direction of a wind turbine includes the following steps, receiving at a component of the wind turbine a signal broadcasted from a source, determining a direction from the component towards the source based on the received signal, determining the yaw direction of the wind turbine in relation to the determined direction towards the source is provided. Further, a wind turbine and a device as well as a computer program product and a computer readable medium are disclosed for performing the method.
US09958522B2
A method for determining the spatial distribution of magnetic resonance signals from at least one of N subvolumes predefines a reception encoding scheme and determines unique spatial encoding for at least one of the subvolumes but not for the entire volume under examination (UV). A transmission encoding scheme is also defined, wherein encoding is effected via the amplitude and/or phase of the transverse magnetization. The temporal amplitude and phase profile of the RF pulses is then calculated and each reception encoding step is carried out I times with variations according to the I transmission encoding steps in the transmission encoding scheme. The method makes it possible to largely restrict the spatially resolving MR signal encoding and image reconstruction to subvolumes of the object under examination without the achievable image quality sensitively depending on imperfections in the MR apparatus.
US09958501B1
A system for electrically testing an object, the system may include a scanning electron microscope that comprises a column; and nano-probe modules that are mechanically connected to the column; wherein the column is configured to illuminate areas of the object, with a beam of charged particles; wherein nano-probes of the nano-probe modules are configured to electrically contact elements of the object, during electrical tests of the object, wherein the elements of the object are located within the areas of the object.
US09958495B2
A method of analyzing power noise in a semiconductor device includes; generating modified current information by modifying present current information based on a previous analysis result, updating a current vector based on the modified current information, and generating a present analysis result by calculating a voltage vector from the updated current vector.
US09958494B2
For improving wafer fabrication, yield and lifetime of wafers are predicted by determining coefficients of a yield domain for wafer yield prediction and a lifetime domain for a wafer lifetime prediction, an integral domain, an electric/layout domain, a metrology/defect domain, and a machine sensor domain in a hierarchical manner. With the aid of the hierarchically-determined coefficients, noises in prediction can be reduced so that precision of prediction results of the yields or the lifetimes of wafers can be raised.
US09958490B2
An electrical monitoring system is configured to monitor one or more systems of a vehicle. The electrical monitoring system may include a housing, a loop resistance test (LRT) unit contained within the housing, a network analyzer unit contained with the housing, and a time domain reflectometer (TDR) unit contained within the housing. The LRT unit is configured to conduct loop resistance tests with respect to the system(s) of the vehicle. The network analyzer unit is configured to conduct network analysis with respect to the system(s) of the vehicle. The TDR unit is configured to conduct time domain reflectometry with respect to the system(s) of the vehicle.
US09958485B2
An on-chip millimeter wave power detection circuit comprises a high resistive probe for voltage sensing of millimeter wave signals, the probe comprises a metal line perpendicularly connected to a transmission line, at one end, and further connected to a power root mean square (RMS) detector at the other end; and the RMS detector for measuring a RMS voltage value of the sensed millimeter wave signals, wherein the RMS detector is characterized by a known impedance.
US09958481B2
A current transformer arrangement, and method, include a current sensor for producing a sensor output voltage that is proportional to the input current flowing in a conductor; a first processing branch including a voltage calculating device for calculating the effective voltage value of the sensor output voltage; a second processing branch including a polarity detecting device having an input terminal connected with the current sensor output terminal to produce a polarity signal having one polarity when the conductor input current is either an alternating current, a hybrid current, or a direct current flowing in one direction, and the opposite polarity when the conductor input current is a direct current flowing in the opposite direction; and a multiplier device for modifying the effective voltage value to produce a signed effective voltage having a polarity corresponding with the polarity of the polarity signal. A modifying circuit modifies the signed effective voltage.
US09958476B2
A test socket for facilitating testing of a device under test (DUT) includes a holder comprising a mounting structure for attaching the holder to other components of the socket and a floating nest structure in which the DUT can be disposed. The floating nest structure can have a seat cavity sized and shaped to receive and hold the DUT such that at least some of the DUT terminals are in contact with corresponding contacts of a test board while the test socket is attached to the test board. A flexure located laterally between the mounting structure and the floating nest structure and can allow the nest structure to move relative to the mounting structure and thus float.
US09958464B2
Compounds and methods for use in detecting pregabalin in a sample suspected of containing pregabalin are disclosed. Pregabalin derivatives are described for producing pregabalin conjugates. A pregabalin-immunogenic carrier conjugate may be used as an immunogen for the preparation of an anti-pregabalin antibody. A pregabalin-detectable label conjugate may be used in a signal producing system in pregabalin assays.
US09958455B2
The present invention provides methods and systems for the rapid determination of the intact mass of non-covalently associated antibody heavy chains (HC) and light chains (LC) which result from the attachment of drug conjugates to interchain cysteine residues. By analyzing the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) using native desalting conditions, the intact-bivalent structure of the ADC, which ordinarily would decompose as a consequence of denaturing chromatographic conditions typically used for LCMS, is maintained. The mass of the desalted ADC is subsequently determined using desolvation and ionization ESI-MS conditions. The methods described herein provide for direct measurement of the intact mass of an ADC conjugated at interchain cysteine residues. The methods described herein also provide for the relative quantitation of the individual ADC species.
US09958454B2
The present invention provides methods for constructing peptide construct sets and methods of use of these peptide construct sets in assay systems for peptide analysis, and in particular for use in high throughput peptide analysis. The methods allow for analysis of large sets of peptide constructs in a cost-effective manner, employing molecular biological techniques that are both robust and easily parallelized. Thus, the methods allow for the construction of peptide construct sets encompassing, e.g., the human proteome.
US09958441B2
A biosensing FET device, comprising a plurality of nanostructured SOI channels, that is adapted to operate in solutions having a high ionic strength and provides improves sensitivity and detection. Generally, the biosensing device comprises an underlying substrate layer, an insulator and a semiconductor layer and a plurality of channels in the semiconductor layer comprising a plurality of whole or partially formed nanopores in the channels.
US09958440B2
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for the rapid determination of analytes in liquid samples by immunoassays incorporating magnetic capture of beads on a sensor capable of being used in the point-of-care diagnostic field.
US09958436B2
Methods for determining cell chirality using micropatterned substrates are disclosed. Also provided are methods for diagnosing diseases such as genetic diseases or cancer by comparing the chirality of sample cells from a subject with normal cells, and determining a difference in chirality between the sample cells and normal cells.
US09958435B2
A process is disclosed for detecting cells in a liquid sample, which includes: i) filtration of the liquid sample through a porous membrane which is suitable for retaining detectable cells, where at least one subregion of a support is configured as transparent supporting body and the membrane is arranged over its area on the transparent supporting body in such a way that detectable cells are retained on at least part of the surface of the membrane and that at least part of the sample liquid passes through the membrane, ii) application of a liquid optical medium which has essentially the same refractive index as the supporting body, and iii) optical measurement of at least a subarea of the membrane in order to detect detectable cells.
US09958432B2
The invention relates to systems and methods for studying patient cancer samples in cis-co-culture with stromal cells from the same patient. For example, the invention provide systems and methods for testing therapeutic agents in vitro in an environment that simulates an in vivo environment to identify agents that are therapeutically effective for the patient.
US09958430B2
The invention relates to the field of medicine and biology. A device for monitoring of spatial coagulation of blood and its uses for diagnostic and research purposes is described. The device includes a thermostatically controlled chamber, at least one means of illumination, a means of recording connected to the thermostatically controlled chamber. The thermostatically controlled chamber includes a cuvette to place a sample of a test medium, a light trap, and is filled with a substance suitable for temperature regulation. The light trap is formed by geometry of the inner surfaces of the thermostatically controlled chamber.
US09958427B2
A drop-in probe for determining phase changes by thermal analysis of a sample of a molten metal includes a measurement head having a first end which is an immersion end and an opposing second end having an end face. A sample chamber is arranged within the measurement head. An opening, which is free of any restrictions and which is in communication with the sample chamber, is formed in the end face of the second end of the measurement head. The sample chamber includes a first thermocouple having a first thermocouple junction enclosed within a wall which has a uniform internal geometry. A ratio D/H of an internal diameter D of the sample chamber to a length H extending between the opening and the first thermocouple junction is between 0.1 and 1.2.
US09958426B2
The present invention relates to a device and a method for determining mixing ratios of flowing media, in particular for determining the mixing ratios of two gases by using two flow resistances with different characteristic curves, each flow resistance containing a differential pressure sensor and being connected in series, where one flow resistance is formed by a sintered metal filter and another flow resistance is formed by an orifice.
US09958424B2
The present disclosure provides a method of identifying an airborne molecular contamination (AMC) leaking source in a fab. The method includes distributing a sensor in the fab, executing a forward computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of an air flow in the fab, setting an inversed modeling of the forward CFD simulation of the air flow in the fab, building up a database of a spatial response probability distribution matrix of the sensor using an AMC measurement data in the fab, and identifying the AMC leaking source using the database of the spatial response probability distribution matrix of the sensor.
US09958421B2
The invention provides a packing method for high efficiency chromatography columns starting from dry swellable particles, as well as columns packed by the method and the use of the columns in separation of biomolecules. In the packing method, an amount of dry swellable particles sufficient to give a swollen volume in a liquid of about 105-120% of the column chamber volume is transferred to the column, the column is closed and the liquid is provided to the column.
US09958391B2
In various embodiments, a lighting device is provided. The lighting device includes a phosphor volume for at least partial wavelength conversion of primary light into secondary light, a primary light semiconductor light source for irradiating the phosphor volume with primary light, a measurement light generating arrangement for generating measurement light having a spectral composition outside the primary light and the secondary light, a measurement light detector sensitive to the measurement light, and a measurement light filter, which is fixedly connected to the phosphor volume and is optically arranged between the measurement light generating arrangement and the measurement light detector.
US09958376B2
A floating particle detection device 1 is capable of accurately identifying the type of a floating particle while achieving simplification of a configuration of the device, the device includes: a laser light irradiator (10) that includes a laser light emitting element (11) and a back-monitor-use light receiving element (12); a scattered light receiver (20) that selectively receives light of a predetermined polarization component among scattered light generated when a floating particle (50) is irradiated and that generates a second detection signal; and an identification processor (30) that identifies the type of the floating particle on the basis of a first detection signal and the second detection signal. Incident light entering the back-monitor-use light receiving element (12) includes: a back-monitor-use laser beam (L0); and backscattered light (Lbs) travelling toward the laser light irradiator (10) among the scattered light (Ls).
US09958366B2
A stone impact simulator is provided. That stone impact simulator includes a projectile propulsion section to propel a projectile toward a test sample and a projectile capture section to capture the projectile after the projectile ricochets off of the test sample. The projectile capture section includes a rebound block, a spent projectile storage compartment and a projectile energy dissipation element between the rebound block and the spent projectile storage compartment.
US09958364B2
An article that can be used for biomaterial capture comprises (a) a porous substrate; and (b) borne on the porous substrate, a polymer comprising interpolymerized units of at least one monomer consisting of (1) at least one monovalent ethylenically unsaturated group, (2) at least one monovalent ligand functional group selected from acidic groups, basic groups other than guanidino, and salts thereof, and (3) a multivalent spacer group that is directly bonded to the monovalent groups so as to link at least one ethylenically unsaturated group and at least one ligand functional group by a chain of at least six catenated atoms.
US09958360B2
Aspects of the subject technology relate to an energy audit device configured for identifying one or more sources of thermal energy loss. In some implementation, the audit device includes one or more processors, a memory coupled to the processors, a location module coupled to the processors, and one or more environmental sensors. In practice, the processors can be configured to perform various operations including: receiving a first set of environmental measurements, receiving a second set of environmental measurements, and identifying one or more thermal energy leaks at a building location based on the first and second sets of environmental measurements.
US09958352B2
The invention is a pressure-measuring cell comprising a measuring cell body, a measuring membrane arranged on the front face of the measuring cell body by means of a joining structure, wherein the measuring cell body and the measuring membrane each have at least one measuring electrode, which electrodes form a measuring capacitor, and at least one support element provided on the measuring membrane and/or the measuring cell body within the joining structure.
US09958345B2
A rotating body non-contact power-feeding device comprises: a power receiving-side substrate with a power receiving-side circuit component mounted thereat, which is fixed to a rotating shaft supported via a bearing and rotates as one with the rotating shaft; and a power transmitting-side substrate with a power transmitting-side circuit component mounted thereat, which is fixed to a holding unit holding the bearing so that a substrate surface thereof faces opposite a substrate surface of the power receiving-side substrate and is connected with a power source, wherein: a power transmitting-side coil is formed with a conductive pattern so as to achieve a flat-plane spiral pattern with a plurality of turns at a substrate surface facing opposite the power receiving-side substrate and the power transmitting-side circuit component is mounted at another substrate surface, at the power transmitting-side substrate that includes a substrate front surface and a substrate back surface, a power receiving-side coil is formed with a conductive pattern so as to achieve a flat-plane spiral pattern with at least one turn at a substrate surface facing opposite the power transmitting-side substrate and the power receiving-side circuit component is mounted at another substrate surface, at the power receiving-side substrate that includes a substrate front surface and a substrate back surface; and the power transmitting-side coil and the power receiving-side coil are magnetically coupled with each other so as to allow power to be contactlessly fed from the power transmitting-side substrate to the power receiving-side substrate.
US09958334B2
The invention relates to a method for producing a high temperature sensor, in particular a high temperature sensor for measuring the exhaust gas temperature of motor vehicles, comprising a sensor element and a protective tube which at least partially surrounds the sensor element. Said protective tube is closed on the hot side of the high temperature sensor by a shaping method, in particular molding.
US09958330B2
A sensor to detect information on a subject by using an electromagnetic wave includes a transmitting unit having a generating element and a first antenna, a polarization converting unit, and a receiving unit having a second antenna and a detecting device. The generating element generates an electromagnetic wave, and the first antenna emits the electromagnetic wave generated by the generating element as first polarization. The polarization converting unit converts the first polarization into second polarization by changing a polarization direction of the first polarization. The second antenna receives the second polarization, and the detecting device detects the electromagnetic wave received by the second antenna. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit are disposed on the same substrate.
US09958310B2
A method for determining frequency components of a discrete time signal, comprising steps as follows: transforming the discrete time signal into the frequency domain by means of a fast Fourier transformation, wherein a frequency spectrum is obtained as a sequence of frequency sample values, detecting peaks in the frequency spectrum, introducing at least one additional frequency support point in the vicinity of a detected peak, determining a frequency amplitude at the at least one additional frequency support point by means of the Goertzel algorithm, and determining the position of the peak maximum of the detected peak by applying both the frequency sample values delivered by the fast Fourier transformation as well as also the frequency amplitude at the at least one additional frequency support point.
US09958309B2
A probe (14) of a material level measuring apparatus (10) inserts into a container (20). The material level measuring apparatus (10) transmits an electromagnetic wave signal. When the electromagnetic wave signal touches a surface of a material (30), a first reflected signal is generated. When the electromagnetic wave signal touches a bottom of the probe (14), a second reflected signal is generated. According to the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal, a first time-passing difference value (t1) and a second time-passing difference value (t2) are obtained. According to the first time-passing difference value (t1), the second time-passing difference value (t2) and a predetermined empty container time-passing difference value (t3), a first material level and a second material level are obtained. According to the first material level and the second material level, a third material level is obtained.
US09958300B2
Methods and apparatus for fast sweeping a spectral bandwidth in order to distinguish among signals received from effectively wavelength division multiplexed (WDMed) and time division multiplexed (TDMed) optical components on a single fiber. For some embodiments, a method for interrogating optical elements having characteristic wavelengths spanning a sweep range is provided. The method generally includes introducing a pulse of light, by an optical source, into an optical waveguide to interrogate at least a first set of optical elements having different characteristic wavelengths by performing a sweep of wavelengths over a period of the pulse, wherein the period is less than a round-trip time for light reflected from an optical element closest to the optical source to reach a receiver and processing the reflected light to determine a parameter based on the times at which signals are received.
US09958299B2
A cable (10) includes a cable body (11) that is formed from a plurality of wires (14) that are integrally bundled; and a pair of sockets (12) to which both end portions of the cable body (11) is separately affixed; at least one of the plurality of wires (14) being a fiber-containing wire (16), which is formed by an optical fiber (17) that extends in a cable length direction (D) and that is protected by a protective tube (18); wherein the optical fiber (17) protrudes from the protective tube (18), in the cable length direction, further outside than the socket (12); and each of the pair of sockets (12) is provided with a spool (30) that removably holds the optical fiber (17) and imparts an initial tensile strain to the optical fiber (17).
US09958293B2
A sensor assembly is provided having a first sensor (pedal travel sensor) and a second sensor (motor position sensor). The first sensor having a first coil and a first coupler. The second sensor having a second coil and a second coupler. A shield element is positioned at least partially between the first coupler and the second coupler so as to prevent unwanted interaction between the first coil and the second coil. In one embodiment, the shield element is made of ferrite. In other embodiments, the shield element includes at least one layer of ferrite and at least one layer of aluminum, wherein the shield element include a layer of aluminum sandwiched between two layers of ferrite. More specifically, the shield element is a flux field directional material (FFDM).
US09958292B1
A sensor package includes a lead frame, a sensor component, and first and second capacitors. The lead frame has a sensor mounting area and first and second leads. The sensor mounting area, the first lead, and the second lead are characterized by a first side and a second side. The sensor component is attached to the first side of the sensor mounting area of the lead frame. The first capacitor is interconnected between the first and second leads, with the first capacitor being attached to the first side of each of the leads. The second capacitor is interconnected between the first and second leads, with the second capacitor being attached to the second side of each of the leads. The first and second capacitors are arranged in stacked relation with one another on opposing sides of the leads, and the sensor component and capacitors are located in a single housing.
US09958281B2
Provided are service providing apparatus and method for supporting creation of a route, and more particularly, to service providing apparatus and method for supporting creation of a route which supports creation of a personal route for only a user by selecting a transportation up to a destination and positions for getting on and off. According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure expandability of route provision by supporting an optimal route which is known by a user to be directly created by the user when there is no user's desired route among recommended routes, providing the created personalized route together with the recommended route to support the personalized route to be guided as the optimal route, and simultaneously, providing various routes using the public transportation.
US09958269B2
Some embodiments of the invention relate to a method for determining the position data of a geodesic surveying instrument by comparing of a reference data set extracted from data of an image of the surroundings of the surveying instrument position with position-referenced data sets which consists of data of a corresponding type, and determining the position data using the position reference of the selected position-referenced data set that has a comparatively important level of match with the reference data set.
US09958256B2
A system to digitally scan an object in three dimensions is disclosed. The system includes a server system, a memory system, a website and a scanner that scans an object and transfers any number of scanner data to the memory system, the scanner data resides on the digitally scan an object in three dimensions non-transitory storage media and includes any number of object dimensions such as length, width and height of the object, a three-dimensional object file and any number of raw video or any number of images of the object. The system includes a corresponding method for digitally scanning an object in three dimensions and a non-transitory computer storage media having instructions stored thereon which, when executed, execute the method for digitally scanning an object in three dimensions.
US09958254B2
Calibrating a scanning interferometry imaging system includes: configuring the scanning interferometry imaging system for operation with an interference objective using light having a narrowband wavelength spectrum; using the scanning interferometry imaging system to direct measurement light and reference light along different paths and to overlap the measurement and reference light on a detector, the measurement and reference light having the narrowband wavelength spectrum; scanning an optical path length difference between the measurement light and the reference light at the detector while acquiring intensity data using the detector, the detector acquiring the intensity data at a frame rate and the scanning being performed at a scan speed; determining information about the scan speed based on the acquired intensity data, geometric information about the scanning interferometry imaging system, and the narrowband wavelength spectrum; and calibrating the scanning interferometry imaging system based on the information about the scan speed.
US09958252B1
Apparatus, systems, and methods of operating a fiber laser having polarization-preserving fibers can be applied as a sensor to detect a physical quantity. In various embodiments, polarization-preserving fibers can provide a laser cavity having an interferometer disposed in the laser cavity. In various embodiments, a fiber optical parametric oscillator can include an interferometer disposed in the cavity of the optical parametric oscillator. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US09958241B2
The invention relates to ammunition for firearms, as smooth and a rifled barrel. The projectile with rigid attached to the housing stabilizing fletching block, plates of fletching block have a continuation on the housing, centering the projectile in the barrel. In the offered variant, on the friction and heat of the bullet and the barrel takes about 1% of the shot energy, besides low vibration. The rest of energy escapes to destination, and that's good. Erasing minimal of the barrel. Application of the projectile in the shotgun and rifle barrels increases the service life of barrels. Use of such projectiles increases the initial speed, and with the sleeve-nozzle and a second charge, allows to increase the speed and specialization of the projectile. At the expense of the aerodynamic and gyroscopic effects, increases the lethal effect over long distances, due to the greater energy saved, improve the close grouping of shots and flat trajectory.
US09958240B2
Apparatus for positioning the blade retaining pin of a broadhead arrow tip employing retracting blades retained by a pin, the apparatus employing various screws adapted to completely or partially remove the pin, to press the pin back into place flush with the tip as well as to install a new pin.
US09958234B2
A battery compartment for a reflex sight is accessed via a pivoting lid that can be unlatched, opened, and closed by hand without tools and without removing the sight from its weapon. A button carried by the lid actuates a switch within the sight for changing a setting of the sight. Also disclosed is a reflex sight having mounting structures for accessories, such as an impact guard, a rain hood, or a rear iron sight for example. Positioning mechanisms for an LED or other aiming point display device of an aiming sight are also disclosed.
US09958233B2
Example implementations relating to a deep concealment holster assembly are disclosed herein that may be utilized, in whole or in part, with unstructured clothing, such as without support of a separate waist belt, for example, without sacrificing holster's overall functionality and/or concealability.
US09958224B2
A pistol frame disassembly bed (“PFDB”) that offers a steady platform for disassembling and reassembling pistols, in a safer and controlled manner. The PFDB is in the overall configuration of a box with a pistol bed having a bed depression for holding a pistol frame, a trigger mechanism housing aperture, and a drawer. The top surface of the PFDB incorporates the pistol bed which is a three-dimensional depression in relation to the top of the PFDB. The pistol bed is in the shape of a side of a pistol frame (receiver) to accommodate a suitable type of pistol.
US09958216B2
The application relates to a heat exchanger and a connecting system for the heat exchanger. This subject matter includes a housing formed by a top part and a bottom part and a first connecting element and a second connecting element connected to these top and bottom parts. Specific embodiments of the subject matter are shown in which the connecting elements connect the housing top part and bottom part by a positive and/or material connection. The advantages of each embodiment over prior approaches are too numerous to include in this abstract, but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art when reviewing the full specification.
US09958211B2
Disclosed is a technology based upon the nesting of tubes to provide chemical reactors or chemical reactors with built in heat exchanger. As a chemical reactor, the technology provides the ability to manage the temperature within a process flow for improved performance, control the location of reactions for corrosion control, or implement multiple process steps within the same piece of equipment. As a chemical reactor with built in heat exchanger, the technology can provide large surface areas per unit volume and large heat transfer coefficients. The technology can recover the thermal energy from the product flow to heat the reactant flow to the reactant temperature, significantly reducing the energy needs for accomplishment of a process.
US09958203B2
An apparatus 20 for microwave vacuum-drying organic materials such as foods and bioactives has a plurality of microwave generators 50 actuated so as to cause interference between their respective microwave streams and evenly distribute the microwave energy across the vacuum chamber 34. The microwave-transparent window 36 in the chamber is arranged so the organic material to be dried is moved across it on a conveyor belt 60 and the microwave energy passing into the chamber 34 immediately encounters the organic materials, thus attenuating the energy and reducing arcing.
US09958202B2
An inerted plate dryer for drying solvent based coating is disclosed. The dryer uses two tiers of substantially parallel heating plates that are located not more than 10 cm apart. A moving web with solvent based coating is passed through the dryer, and runs closer to one of the heating plates. The method of using such inerted plate dryer is also disclosed.
US09958198B2
A method and system for use with a volume containing a cargo having a thermal mass includes, at least one temperature sensor associated with the cargo to provide at least one temperature associated with the thermal mass, a refrigeration unit associated with the volume, and a controller to control the refrigeration unit in response to the at least one temperature associated with the thermal mass and a temperature set point, wherein the controller models a temperature characteristic of the thermal mass.
US09958197B2
A traveling harness system is provided for an appliance to maintain electrical connections between the appliance and a drawer, while allowing the drawer to move. Wiring harness guides formed in the drawer force the wiring harness to maintain a predictable and desirable loop radius to reduce stress on the wiring harness, which prevents the wiring harness from prematurely wearing.
US09958194B2
A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a compressor, a condenser such as an indoor heat exchanger, first expansion means, and an evaporator such as an outdoor heat exchanger that are connected by refrigerant pipes to form a refrigeration cycle. The evaporator is a heat exchanger including a plurality of plate-like heat transfer fins arranged in parallel and subjected to water slip or water repellent treatment, and a heat transfer tube provided in contact with the plurality of heat transfer fins such that refrigerant flows therein. The refrigeration cycle apparatus further includes a drain pan disposed below the evaporator, an evaporator fan for producing an air current flowing to the evaporator, such as an outdoor fan, and a heating unit disposed at a position below the heat transfer fins and on a leeward side of the heat transfer fins.
US09958182B1
An auxiliary drain pan for installation vertically below a humidifier. The pan has a base and a peripheral wall around the base and a first opening formed in the base adapted to form an anti-backflow connection with a conduit from the humidifier for directing liquid from the humidifier through the first opening and a first drainage connector, the anti-backflow connection preventing a reverse flow of liquid from the first opening into the humidifier. A second opening is formed in the pan in fluid communication with the first opening to receive the reverse flow of liquid from the first opening. The pan has a structure for supporting the base and having connecting features for connection with a vertical surface in an installed position, with the base secured in a substantially horizontal position in the installed position.
US09958181B2
An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes vanes, vane shafts and, which are disposed at the ends of the vanes, vane bearings and, which hold the vane shafts and, and motors, each of which is mounted on a corresponding one of the vane shafts and each of which causes a corresponding one of the vanes to rotate. Each of the vane shafts is provided with a rib, and each of the vane bearings, which hold the corresponding vane shafts, is provided with a hook portion. When one of the vane shafts moves by a reference movement amount in a direction toward the corresponding vane shaft, the corresponding rib and the corresponding hook portion engage with each other, so that movement of the vane shaft is restricted.
US09958176B2
A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system has an input configured to receive at least one of a first heating setting, a first ventilation setting, a first cooling setting, a first humidity setting, and a first air quality setting, at least one of an image sensor and a microphone connected to at least one component in the HVAC system, the image sensor and/or microphone being configured to capture data from a first zone, and a controller connected to the input and at least one of the image sensor and the microphone, the controller configured to control at least one of the first heating setting, the first ventilation setting, the first cooling setting, the first humidity setting, and the first air quality setting in response to receiving the data from at least one of the image sensor and the microphone.
US09958175B2
To provide an air-conditioning apparatus that is safer and has small conveying power for such as water at the indoor unit side can be made small. It is characterized in that a compressor 10 and a heat source side heat exchanger 12 are accommodated in a heat source apparatus 1, an intermediate heat exchanger 15 and a pump 21 in a relay unit 3, a use side heat exchanger 26 in an indoor unit 2, respectively, and when a controller 60 makes the compressor 10 stop based on the thermo-off due to decrease in the heat load in the use side heat exchanger 26 or an operation stop instruction, the controller 60 makes the pump 21 stop after the compressor 10 is stopped or almost at the same time as the stop.
US09958171B2
An air-conditioning apparatus according to the present invention includes at least indoor heat exchangers. In response to a request to increase heat exchange performance from the indoor heat exchanger, the air-conditioning apparatus decreases a heat exchange capacity of an outdoor heat exchanger and controls an opening degree of an expansion valve corresponding to the indoor heat exchanger to decrease a flow rate of a refrigerant that flows through the indoor heat exchanger.
US09958164B1
An electronic modulating oven valve provides advantages over prior art designs. Additionally, for at least some embodiments, a dual passage valve operating in a modulating manner has been found to be desirable for oven and possibly other applications.
US09958159B2
A combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a hanger and a combustor liner fixed to the hanger such as, for example, by an annular weld joint. The combustor liner has an inner surface extending along an axis and is operable to define either a radial outer boundary or a radial inner boundary of the combustion chamber. The combustor assembly also includes a heat shield at least partially overlapping and confronting the inner surface of the combustor liner along the axis, with the heat shield releasably engaged with the hanger.
US09958158B2
The burner preferably exclusively burns substantially explosible solid fuels and preferably has instant ON-OFF thermostat control, wastes no energy preheating the enclosure or external air supply, achieves stable combustion the moment the powder-air mix is ignited in our burner, is used in the upward vertical mode except for oil burner retrofits, burns a solid fuel in a single-phase regime as if it were a vaporized liquid or gas, is designed to complete combustion within the burner housing itself rather than in a large, high temperature furnace enclosure which it feeds, has an ultra-short residence time requirement, is a recycle consuming burner with self-contained management of initially unburned particles, is much smaller, simpler and lower cost, has a wider dynamic range/turndown ratio, is more efficient in combustion completeness and thermal efficiency, and operates with air-fuel mix approximately at the flame speed.
US09958154B2
A charge electrode configured to impart a time-varying charge to a flame and a shape electrode located outside the flame may be driven synchronously by a voltage source through time varying voltage(s). The flame may be flattened or compressed responsive to an electric field produced by the shape electrode acting on the charges imparted to the flame.
US09958138B2
A trim assembly for a vehicle is provided herein. The trim assembly includes a substrate and a housing forming a cavity therebetween. A conductive layer is coupled to the housing and has first and second portions each including an electrically conductive material. The first portion is separated from the second portion by an electrically insulative gap.
US09958133B2
An optical lens includes: a first lens surface which defines a space for housing a light emitting diode (LED) light source; a second lens surface formed in a convex shape; and a third lens surface formed continuously from a rear edge portion of the second lens surface, which is on a side opposite an illumination target side. The first lens surface includes a first light-entering surface through which a portion of light from the LED light source enters, and a second light-entering surface through which another portion of the light enters. The third lens surface totally reflects, to a substrate, at least a portion of the light. An angle between the third lens surface and a principal surface of the substrate on a virtual plane which includes an optical axis is smaller than an angle between the second light-entering surface and the principal surface on the virtual plane.
US09958132B2
An optical element includes a lens includes a surface of incidence on which light is incident from a light source, a first optical surface recessed toward the light source, and a second optical surface extending from the first optical surface, and a cover arranged on the lens to cover at least a part of the first optical surface.
US09958121B2
A swivel-type night light includes a housing, a socket mechanism, a bulb mechanism, a switch, a fixed seat, an intermediate seat, a connecting seat, a bottom ring, a positive blade, a negative blade, a positive conducting plate, a negative conducting plate, and a conducting member. The positive blade has a first tongue contacting with the positive conducting plate. The negative blade has a second tongue contacting with the negative conducting plate. A bulb is mounted on the bulb mechanism and is electrically connected with the conducting member by an internal thread. The fixed seat is rotatable relative to the connecting seat through 360 degrees. A plastic ring is arranged between the positive conducting plate and the negative conducting plate to prevent the positive conducting plate and the negative conducting plate from contacting with each other.
US09958114B2
A linear lighting device may include: an installation rail including a housing and a power supply terminal, the housing being fixed to an installation object surface and having an accommodating space formed therein, the accommodating space having an open side in one surface thereof, the power supply terminal being disposed in the accommodating space of the housing in a length direction thereof; at least one linear lighting module including a power connection terminal and a light emitting device, the power connection terminal being electrically connected to the power supply terminal, the light emitting device being electrically connected to the power connection terminal, the linear lighting module being detachably coupled to the accommodating space of the housing; and a light transmissive cover detachably coupled to the housing so as to close the open side of the accommodating space of the housing.
US09958112B1
A mounting system for attaching items on railing spindles includes a plurality of rails, a fastener, and a rail hook for attaching accessories. The mounting system is configured to removably mount the rails to railing spindles without causing damage to the railing spindles, wherein the fastener is comprised of a first element configured to engage a surface of a flanged aperture on a second rail, and a second element configured to engage a first and second major surface of a first rail through aligned apertures of the first rail. The rail hook is then selectively attachable to the plurality of rails, wherein a plurality of accessories may be attached to the rail hooks for attaching items to railing spindles.
US09958110B2
This invention relates to the configuration of a mounting base and a method of mounting objects to hard surfaces using the combination of at least one anchoring screw, bolt, rod, or assembly; one mounting base; and one chemical bonding material to perform the anchoring function.
US09958107B1
An expandable socket for attachment to a portable media player or a portable media player case. The expandable socket generally includes a platform, a skin coupled to the platform, a button coupled to the skin opposite the platform, and a biasing element. The skin includes an outer wall, an inner wall spaced radially inward of the outer wall, and a cavity defined by the inner wall, wherein the skin is deformable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The biasing element is arranged within the cavity of the skin between the platform and the button, such that the biasing element is at least partially surrounded by the inner wall of the skin. The biasing element is configured to bias the skin into the expanded configuration.
US09958104B2
A motor lead extends alongside an electrical pump assembly for supplying electrical power to the motor. The motor lead has electrical power wires positioned side-by-side in a sub assembly. Each of the electrical power wires has an electrical conductor encased in an insulation layer, which in turn is encased in a lead sheath. A metallic band armor wraps around the sub assembly. A thermal barrier layer is located between an inward facing side of the sub assembly and the pump assembly. The thermal barrier layer is formed of thermal insulation material and has a width at least equal to a width of the sub assembly. The motor lead is free of any thermal barrier layers on the outward facing side of the sub assembly to as to allow heat within the sub assembly to dissipate outward.
US09958078B2
A valve including a flow control assembly having an adaptive, floating closure member is provided. In one embodiment, a ball valve includes a floating closure member having a shoulder enclosed within a recess of the valve body. The recess is larger than the shoulder of the closure member and allows axial movement of the closure member with respect to the valve body and along a flow path through the valve. Additional valve systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.
US09958075B2
A water tap body has a mechanical mixing valve which is operable selectively to allow water to flow only from a first water inlet to a water outlet of the mixing valve, to allow water to flow only from a second water inlet to the water outlet, and to allow a mix of water to flow to the water outlet. The water tap body also has a mechanical selector valve which is operable selectively to allow water to flow only from a first water inlet to a water outlet and to allow water to flow only from a second water inlet to the water outlet of the mechanical selector valve. The water outlet of the mechanical mixing valve is in fluid communication with a first tap body outlet. The water outlet of the mechanical selector valve is in fluid communication with a second tap body outlet.
US09958074B2
The multi-way valve comprises an upper valve body, a lower valve body and a rotary valve core. A valve seat ring is located in the rotary valve core and comprises a body. A first annular boss is arranged on an outer wall of the body, and a second annular boss is arranged on an inner wall. The upper surfaces of the first annular boss and the second annular boss are respectively flush with the upper surface of the body to form a sealing surface which fits with a sealing surface of the upper valve body in a sealed manner. An annular gap is formed between the lower surface of the first annular boss and the rotary valve core, so that liquid in the chamber and an oil incoming channel respectively acts on the lower surface of the first annular boss or the second annular boss to form a sealing load.
US09958070B2
An edge of a moisture barrier membrane, such as of a roof assembly, is attached and sealed using a moisture-impermeable sealing tape. The membrane has a fibrous surface and a non-fibrous surface. The tap is secured to a surface to which the edge of the membrane is to be attached, and positioned to underlie and extend along the edge of the membrane. The tape has a first edge width carrying a field of discrete touch fastener elements, and a second edge width carrying a layer of adhesive. The fibrous surface of the moisture barrier membrane is engaged against the field of touch fastener elements, such that the moisture barrier membrane overlaps the first edge width of the tape, and then the sealing tape is folded over the edge of the moisture barrier membrane, such that the adhesive engages the non-fibrous surface of the moisture barrier membrane.
US09958069B2
A piston unit of a working cylinder has first and second coupling partners. The first coupling partner is a piston. The second coupling partner is a piston rod. The piston rod is inserted axially into the piston. Each of the coupling partners has an annular groove, the groove of the piston rod is an external groove, the groove of the piston is an internal groove. The grooves of the coupling partners lie opposite one another. The unit has a spring-loaded coupling ring. The coupling ring, when deformed in a tensioning direction, is fully accommodated by the groove of one coupling partner and which, when deformed in a release direction, engages in the grooves of both coupling partners. The engagement of the coupling ring in the grooves produces a form-locking connection between the partners. The piston rod is oversized in relation to the piston and provides an additional frictional connection.
US09958061B2
A method for controlling a variator system of a machine is disclosed. The method includes storing a plurality of work cycle patterns associated with an operation of the machine in a memory module of a control system, and determining operating parameters of the machine based on inputs from a plurality of machine sensors. The method further includes classifying the current work segment as one of the plurality of predetermined work segments and determining an error value based on an actual output speed and a desired output speed of the variator. The method further includes determining a closed-loop gain value corresponding to the current work segment and the error value. The method further includes implementing the determined closed-loop gain and the determined current range to the actuator to adjust position of a swash plate of the variator, to control an output speed of the variator.
US09958059B2
A vehicle includes an engine and driven wheels each having an associated friction brake. A brake pedal is operable to engage the friction brakes. The vehicle includes a transmission having an input shaft driveably connected to the engine, an output element driveably connected to the driven wheels, and a gear mechanism adapted to establish at least one torque flow path between the input shaft and the output element. The transmission further includes a shift element that interrupts the torque flow path when disengaged. A gear selector is disposed in the passenger cabin and includes at least one forward-drive position, a reverse position, and a neutral position. At least one vehicle controller is configured to, in response to the gear selector being in the forward-drive position, a speed of the vehicle being zero, the vehicle being within a first predefined distance of a stoplight, and the brake pedal being depressed, disengage the shift element to put the transmission in neutral idle.
US09958044B2
Provided are a power transmission switching mechanism allowing reduction in size and weight in a simple configuration with a minimized piece-part count, and a transmission provided therewith. The power transmission switching mechanism includes a sleeve that moves in an axial direction of a rotation shaft, a hub section provided integrally with a gear for holding a sleeve axially slidably and unrotatably, and a dog spline installed to a pulley piston fixed to the rotation shaft for meshing the sleeve. In a state in which the sleeve is held to the hub section, the rotation shaft is disengaged with the gear and a relative rotation thereof is allowed. Meanwhile, when the sleeve axially moves from the hub section, the rotation shaft engages with the gear and both thereof rotate integrally.
US09958040B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a tensioner and a rocking lever that have simple configurations and that enable an increase in the volume of a space provided inside a plunger, the tensioner and the rocking lever being capable of preventing a stopper pin from being damaged or falling out. A plunger pin hole 121 is formed in a plunger 120 of a tensioner 100. In a tensioner body 110, a body pin hole 113 is formed in a tip protruding portion 112 provided so as to protrude from a side of an opening of the plunger housing hole 121. One of lips 154 provided on opposite sides, in a width direction, of the pressing surface 153 of a rocking lever 150 so as to protrude from the pressing surface 153, has a thinned portion 155 thinned in the width direction.
US09958034B2
A multi-stage transmission for a vehicle is provided that has at least nine forward shifting stages and one reverse shifting stage with a relatively small number of parts and a configuration such that an engine may be operated at desired operation points, thereby increasing fuel efficiency of the vehicle, and the engine may be operated more quietly, thereby improving the quietness of the vehicle.
US09958026B2
A damping structure includes a first frame on which a driving portion is mounted, a second frame provided at a position facing the first frame in a state being connected with the first frame, a projecting portion provided projectively from one frame toward the other frame of the first and second frames, and a damping member compressively held between the projecting portion and the other frame. The damping member has rigidity lower than rigidities of the first and second frames and of the projecting portion and has a loss factor, measured by a mechanical impedance method in the state being compressed between the projecting portion and the other frame, of 0.05 or more.
US09958022B2
An energy dissipating device which is capable of dissipating energy through its plastic axial deformation without undergoing buckling comprises at least three hysteretic elements, being interconnected in series in such a way, that at least one hysteretic element will be subjected to compression while at least another hysteretic element is subjected to tension when an external load is applied to the energy dissipating device.
US09958021B2
A brake pad retainer is provided for a disc brake for a commercial vehicle. A pad retaining bracket is supported by pad retaining springs on both sides of a brake disc on a brake pad arranged in a brake caliper. The pad retaining bracket tensions a mounting opening of the brake caliper in the direction of the axis of the brake disc and is maintained at least on one side by a bolt-shaped securing element in a securing eye of the brake caliper. The brake pad retainer is designed such that the securing element is formed from an eccentric bolt having a shaft and at least one eccentric section which is positioned so that it is axially offset with respect the shaft.
US09958020B2
A disc brake, in particular for a motor vehicle, includes a brake-application device having a brake lever. An adjustment device, which is coupled to the brake-application device, in particular to the brake lever, is provided in order to adjust for the wear of brake pads and a brake disc. A wear sensor detects a wear value of brake pads and the brake disc. A brake control unit controls the disc brake. The disc brake has a clearance-monitoring device having a control device, which is connected to the wear sensor and the brake control unit. A corresponding method for monitoring a clearance of a disc brake is provided.
US09958019B1
This application relates generally to a reversible force or torque transfer device. This device may be used in many different applications. The example used for the illustrative purposes of this patent is a wrench. The present invention devises a reverse mechanism that can resist any amount (up to the shear strength of the material) of randomly generated forces that may cause this effect.
US09958013B2
An assembly comprises a component and a spherical bearing mounted in a bore of the component. The spherical bearing comprises an outer race received within the component bore, an inner spherical member mounted for rotation within the outer race and a releasable retaining element for releasably retaining the outer race in the component bore. The outer race and the component comprise interengaging indexing formations whereby said outer race may be mounted within said component bore in a plurality of angular positions relative to the longitudinal axis (A) of the component bore.
US09958003B2
The present invention relates to a hybrid drive shaft using friction-stir welding and a fabrication method thereof, and more particularly to a drive shaft comprising a metal tube, a composite material layer formed inside the metal tube, and a metal yoke connected to both ends of the drive shaft by means of friction-stir welding so as to make the components simple and lightweight and to enhance the durability, and a fabrication method thereof. The fabrication method comprises the steps of: shaping a composite material sheet; bonding the cylindrical composite material layer to the inside of a metal tube; maintaining the inside of the metal tube in a vacuum state for a given duration; heating the metal tube maintained in the vacuum state in an autoclave; and adjoining a connection member for connecting other parts to the ends of the metal tube.
US09957996B2
A fastener for use in connection with a tubular boss has a shaft with at least one rib along the length thereof and at least one thread segment extending at least partially around the shaft. The shaft is inserted into the boss in first position, and rotated to a second position wherein the at least one thread segment engages at least one column formed in the tubular boss. The shaft can be integrally formed with a first molded part to be fastened to a second molded part with an integrally formed tubular boss. Various locking features for locking the shaft in the boss are also disclosed.
US09957992B2
A trailing end of a leading metal strip is joined to a leading end of a trailing metal strip by first overlapping the leading end of the trailing strip with the trailing end of the leading strip and then clinching the ends together at the overlap by pressing at least one punch of a joining tool into one of the strips at the overlap sufficiently to complementarily deform both of the strips. The thickness of the leading and trailing ends is measured and a depth of engagement of the punch into the strips is controlled in accordance with the measured thickness.
US09957983B2
A linear actuator contains a housing having a first end and a second end. A hollow piston is positioned within the housing to slidably engage with an inner wall of the housing. A sealed gas chamber is formed within the hollow piston and contains stored gas for driving the piston upon activation of the actuator.
US09957982B2
An electromagnetic switching valve, for which the maximum opening is set to be small, is disposed on piping between a lift cylinder and a hydraulic pump motor. A pilot check valve, for which the maximum opening is set to be larger than the electromagnetic switching valve, is disposed on piping, different from the piping, between the lift cylinder and the hydraulic pump motor. In addition, during lowering operations, first, the electromagnetic switching valve is opened, and then after the same is opened, the pilot check valve is opened after a prescribed time has passed. Thus, the shock generated when lowering an object to be raised/lowered is reduced and a fork is operated quickly.
US09957980B2
The present application relates to a stator of an axial turbomachine compressor. The stator includes a circular wall, such as an internal shroud, with a guiding surface in order to guide the primary flow of the turbomachine. The stator further includes a circular row of stator vanes, each of them including an airfoil which extends radially in the primary flow of the turbomachine, and a securing portion. The securing portion of the vane includes a lattice which has rods and which is secured and/or sealed in the shroud in order to fix the vanes to the shroud via the lattices. The stator includes a joint of abradable material which is arranged inside the internal shroud, and in which the lattice is secured in order to ensure retention, a fixing between the vane and the internal shroud. The vane is produced by means of additive production.
US09957979B2
The application is directed to non-destructive manipulation, removal and installation of a centrifugal pump impeller in a manner effective to maintain the original manufacture balanced condition of the impeller and other pump components. Tools are used at the drive end and the wet end of the centrifugal pump for manipulating, removal and installation of a pump impeller.
US09957974B2
A receiving apparatus for the partial reception of a flange which is or can be connected to a vacuum pump, and having at least one fastening section for fastening to a recipient, at least one support section on which the flange lies in an assembly state and at least one receiving opening bounded by the support section, wherein the flange can be inserted into the receiving opening and can be pulled out of the receiving opening from an access side of the receiving apparatus with a receiving apparatus fastened to the recipient.
US09957973B2
The present disclosure provides a subsonic rotor and/or stator blade profile of an axial turbomachine compressor, such as a turbojet. The blade comprises a leading edge with an S-shaped lateral profile in its mid-plane. Specifically, the profile includes, from its inner end to the outer end, a first convex portion including the foremost point of the blade, and a second concave portion including the rearmost area of the blade. This profile enables the fluid flow between 20% and 80% of the blade's length to be redistributed. This so-called “sweep” profile increases the performance of the stage with such blades because it reduces blade tip vortex losses as well as secondary losses.
US09957970B2
To achieve energy saving in the cooling towers as a whole in a heat source system including a plurality of cooling towers connected in parallel to a common chiller. In a heat source system, a plurality of cooling towers are connected in parallel to a common chiller. The cooling towers cool cooling water used and thereby heated in the chiller, and supplies the cooled cooling water to the chiller. A cooling tower control device for controlling the cooling towers starts all the cooling towers at the start of the heat source system.
US09957966B2
An inflator includes a box and a compressor unit installed in the box. The box is composed of a cover and a base, which are respectively provided with upper and lower airflow-guiding members, which can quickly guide the air current generated by a cooling fan of the compressor unit to enter the motor's housing via two openings of the housing and to flow out of the motor's housing via downstream through holes of the housing, thus dissipating the heat generated by a rotor assembly in the motor, so that heat is not easy to accumulate in the motor, so that maximum power output of the motor can be achieved, and the performance and service life of the motor can be increased.
US09957955B2
There is provided a high efficiency ocean thermal difference power generating system by using liquid-vapor ejector and motive pump comprising: an evaporator for changing transferred refrigerant liquid into refrigerant vapor with high temperature and high pressure by the thermal exchange with surface seawater; a vapor-liquid divider which is installed at the outlet part of the evaporator and divides the refrigerants to liquid-state refrigerant and vapor-state refrigerant respectively; a distributor which is installed at the inlet of the evaporator and distributes the refrigerants flowed into the evaporator to multi-paths; a turbine for generating electric power by using the high pressure refrigerant vapor transferred from the liquid-vapor divider or the evaporator; a motive pump for increasing the pressure of the refrigerant liquid distributed from the distributor or the liquid-vapor divider; a liquid-vapor ejector for mixing the low pressure refrigerant vapor which passed the turbine and the high pressure refrigerant liquid which passed a motive pump, thereby proceeding expansion and compression; a condenser for condensing the refrigerants which was mixed in the liquid-vapor ejector by the thermal exchange with deep seawater; and a refrigerant circulation pump for increasing the pressure of the refrigerants which was condensed in the condenser up to the evaporation pressure and for circulating.
US09957948B2
An ignition unit produces an ignition in a combustion chamber of a combustion engine in the following manner. The ignition unit comprises a radiofrequency resonator that radiates a plasma-creating radiofrequency field into the combustion chamber. The ignition unit further comprises a microwave resonator that radiates a plasma-boosting microwave field into the combustion chamber. In an embodiment, the microwave resonator has an output surface to which the combustion chamber is exposed when the ignition unit is fitted on the combustion engine. The radiofrequency resonator may comprise an electrode that is at least partially embedded in the microwave resonator. The electrode may have a tip that is located at a distance from the output surface so that the microwave resonator provides a barrier between the tip and the output surface.
US09957946B2
An ignition device includes a spark plug, a measurement value detector, an electrical breakdown determiner, an AC voltage applying section, and a first changing section. The measurement value detector includes primary and secondary coils, and detects at least one measurement value among an ignition coil, a primary current, a primary voltage, a secondary current, and a secondary voltage. The electrical breakdown determiner determines whether a discharge has become an electrical breakdown state based on the measurement value. The AC voltage applying section applies an AC voltage of a first predetermined frequency that causes voltage resonance to the primary coil. The first changing section changes the frequency of the AC voltage to a second predetermined frequency that can maintain the electrical breakdown state and is lower in frequency than the first predetermined frequency when it is determined that the discharge has become the electrical breakdown state.
US09957945B2
Disclosed is an inventive method for controlling a corona ignition device of an internal combustion engine. A corona discharge, which ignites fuel in a combustion chamber of the engine, is generated by applying a voltage to the corona ignition device. An actual value that is characteristic of the nitrogen oxide concentration of the exhaust gas is compared with a setpoint value, and, if the actual value deviates from the setpoint value by more than a specified threshold value and the actual value is greater than the setpoint value, the voltage is reduced after the comparison.
US09957943B2
A crank permission system includes first and second permission modules and a crank module. The first permission module selectively generates a first permission signal, based on a first gear range engaged within a transmission, when an ignition system transitions to crank. The second permission module selectively generates a second permission signal, based on (i) the first gear range stored when the ignition system last transitioned to off and (ii) a second gear range of the transmission requested by a driver using a transmission range selector, when the ignition system transitions to crank. The crank module begins cranking an engine via a starter, in response to the generation of at least one of the first and second permission signals, when the ignition system of the vehicle transitions to crank.
US09957940B2
A fluid conditioning system includes a first filter mount having a first filter inlet port and a first filter outlet port, a first motor, a first pump operatively coupled to the first motor, a second filter mount having a second filter inlet port, a second pump, and a controller operatively coupled to the first motor. The controller is configured to operate the first pump at a flowrate that is higher than a flowrate of the second pump. An outlet of the first pump is fluidly coupled to the first filter inlet port via a first filter inlet conduit, and an inlet of the first pump is fluidly coupled the first filter outlet port via a first filter outlet conduit. An inlet of the second pump is fluidly coupled to the first filter outlet port via the first filter outlet conduit.
US09957933B2
A boost switching device (115) for generating a boosted high voltage (Vh) includes a slew rate selection circuit (115s), decreases a selection value (k) to suppress noises when the temperature of the boost switching device (115) is low, and increases the selection value (k) to suppress a temperature increase when the temperature thereof is high. An internal average temperature of an in-vehicle engine control apparatus (100) is detected by an environmental temperature detection device (139), reference data (400) provided in a calculation control circuit unit (130) is used to calculate a relationship between a permissible engine rotational speed (Nk) at which the split injection can be continued at a current measured environmental temperature (Tx) and the selection value (k), and an appropriate selection value (k) corresponding to a current engine rotational speed (Ne) is determined.
US09957926B2
A cooling system may include an intercooler configured to heat-exchange a coolant and air, a radiator configured to cool a coolant heated in an engine through heat-exchange with air, a low temperature radiator configured to cool the coolant of the intercooler, a thermostat selectively fluid-connected to the radiator or the intercooler to supply the coolant from the radiator or the intercooler to the engine, a first control valve configured to selectively supply the coolant which has passed through the intercooler to the radiator, a second control valve configured to selectively supply the coolant which has passed through the engine to the intercooler or the first control valve, and a controller configured to control operations of the thermostat, the first control valve, and the second control valve according to a temperature of the coolant of the engine and a temperature of intake air.
US09957917B2
A nozzle including a frame having a plurality of deflecting elements arranged in an array, the array extending about a longitudinal axis, and a skin positioned over the frame.
US09957916B2
The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine. An object of the invention is to allow an effect produced by an anodic oxide film to be exerted while suppressing a decrease in the combustion rate. A piston 10 includes a cavity portion 20 and a tapered portion 26 that is formed so as to surround the cavity portion 20 on an outer side thereof. The diameter of the tapered portion 26 decreases progressively in the downward direction from the top face side of the piston. A squish portion 28 is formed on an outer side of the tapered portion 26. An anodic oxide film 30 is formed on a surface (tapered face) of the tapered portion 26 and a surface (squish face) of the squish portion 28. The anodic oxide film 30 is not formed on the surface (cavity face) of the cavity portion 20.
US09957915B2
The cylinder head includes: an intake port; a low-temperature cooling water channel for circulating low-temperature cooling water; a high-temperature cooling water channel for circulating cooling water of a higher temperature than the cooling water flowing through the low-temperature cooling water channel; and a gas channel for recirculating a portion of blow-by gas or EGR gas to the intake port. The low-temperature cooling water channel is configured to include a first water jacket that covers at least one portion of the wall surface of the intake port on an intake-air upstream side relative to an opening end opening at a wall surface of the intake port from the gas channel.
US09957909B2
The present disclosure relates to injection valves. The teachings thereof may be embodied in various valves, fuel injectors, and methods for controlling valves. An example method for setting operational parameters of a fuel injector may include: determining a measurement-specific maximum current value; applying a voltage pulse to the coil drive of the fuel injector; detecting a time curve of the current intensity of a current flowing through the coil drive; ending the voltage pulse when the detected current intensity reaches the maximum current value; and storing the time curve of the detected current intensity. The method may include generating a plurality of differential curves each based on two stored time curves of the detected current intensity for successive measurements; determining a peak current for driving the actuator of the fuel injector based at least in part on the plurality of differential curves; and operating the coil at the determined peak current.
US09957906B2
Methods and systems are provided for estimating a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) flow based on outputs of an intake manifold oxygen sensor. For example, during engine operation when exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and fuel canister purge are disabled, PCV flow may be estimated based on a difference between a first output of the sensor with boost enabled and a second output of the sensor with boost disabled. Then, during subsequent operation wherein EGR is enabled, PCV flow is enabled, and purge is disabled, a third output of the sensor may be adjusted based on the estimated PCV flow.
US09957904B2
When the starting timing of a negative valve overlapping (NVO) period exists at the delayed-angle side of the starting timing of a first NVO period, fuel injection into a cylinder is not started; when the starting timing of an NVO period exists between the starting timing of the first NVO period and the starting timing of the second NVO period, fuel injection into the cylinder is started at a given timing that includes the exhaust top dead center; when the starting timing of an NVO period exists between the starting timing of the second NVO period and the starting timing of the third NVO period, fuel injection into the cylinder is started at a given timing that does not include the exhaust top dead center, and that exists at both the advanced-angle and delayed-angle sides of the exhaust top dead center.
US09957896B2
A device for axially arresting a sealing ring made of an abradable material in contact with a periphery of an aircraft turbomachine module rotor, the device having a first reference central axis, and including: a support including a support opening defining a circular track centered on a second axis at a distance from the axis; and an axial stop part including an extraction passage centered on a third axis at a distance from the axis, and defining a complementary circular track around its periphery, cooperating with the track to allow the part to rotate about the axis, between an axial stop position for the sealing ring, and a position to extract the ring through the extraction passage.
US09957893B2
A combustor (10) according to the invention includes: a combustor basket (14) in which compressed air and fuel are mixed with each other and the mixture is combusted; a transition piece (17) in which a tip portion of the combustor basket (14) is inserted with a gap (C) therebetween; a spring clip (19) that seals the gap between the combustor basket (14) and the transition piece (17); a throttle section (21) that is provided in an opening portion (Ck) of the gap (C) that is opened to the transition piece (17) on the tip side of the combustor basket (14), and narrows an opening area of the opening portion (Ck), compared to the base end side; and cooling device (22) for cooling the throttle section (21).
US09957886B2
Systems and methods are provided for varying a compression ratio in an engine having a pressure reactive piston. The pressure reactive piston may include a piston crown, and a spring positioned within the piston crown, wherein the spring includes a first ring, a second ring comprising a plurality of apertures, a rolling element positioned within each of the plurality of apertures, and a third ring. The first ring, the second ring, and the third ring of the spring may be arranged concentrically and the second ring may be positioned between the first ring and the third ring.
US09957880B2
A compression-ignition, opposed-piston engine using a low reactivity fuel as an ignition medium manages trapped temperature and trapped combustion residue within, and fuel injection into, the combustion chambers of the engine, and controls the compression ratio of the engine in order to realize reductions in emissions as well as improved fuel consumption efficiencies.
US09957876B2
Methods and systems are provided for controlling the temperature and ratio of gases within a gas mixing tank reservoir and selectively charging/discharging gases from the reservoir to one or both of an intake system or an exhaust system. In one example, a method (or system) may include storing exhaust gas and/or compressed intake air into a gas mixing reservoir, and increasing or decreasing flow of coolant to the reservoir based on engine operating conditions. The stored gases may be discharged to an intake system and/or an exhaust system based on requests from a controller, and coolant flow to the reservoir may be adjusted based on the composition of the gases stored within the reservoir.
US09957874B2
Methods and systems are provided for cooling an engine. In one example, a method for an engine, includes, after an engine shutdown request is received, adjusting an engine cooling fan based on an engine temperature and an elevation of a fuel tank relative to the engine. In this way, fuel vapor generation may be prevented during an engine hot soak.
US09957870B2
An exhaust-gas mixing pipe for admixing additive into an exhaust-gas stream of a combustion engine. The housing wall has multiple rows, arranged over a circumference U, of openings through which gas can flow into the interior of the pipe, wherein the at least one opening of a row forms in each case one stage M characterized according to its size by the average opening cross section Q of the openings, wherein the sum of all the opening cross sections Q of all the openings of all the rows of the exhaust-gas mixing pipe is equal to SQ. In that context, at least one first-order stage M1, is provided, wherein stage M1 has openings having an average opening cross section Q1. At least one second-order stage M2, is provided, with openings having an average opening cross section Q2, where Q2>=f Q1, where 5<=f<=25.
US09957864B2
A system and method of inducing proper operation of a diesel engine exhaust after-treatment system employing SCR technology monitors components to detect a fault condition representing one of a DEF level fault, a DEF quality fault, and a tampering fault, activates a trigger event indicator in response to detecting the fault condition. The trigger event indicator provides an indicium to an operator of the presence of the fault condition. The system and method also activates an inducement event indicator in response to activating the trigger event indicator. The inducement event indicator provides an indicium to the operator that the engine will be shut down if the fault condition is not addressed within a predetermined time period. The system and method causes shutdown of the engine when the fault condition is not addressed within the predetermined time period.
US09957856B2
A hydraulic valve brake for a hydraulic valve drive of an internal combustion engine is provided. The valve brake includes a housing with a housing wall and with a housing base, and includes a piston which moves axially in the housing and one end side of which, together with the housing wall and the housing base, delimits a hydraulic pressure chamber and the other end side of which actuates a gas exchange valve. The housing wall is perforated in the region of the pressure chamber by one or more overflow openings, the opening cross sections of which are controlled by a control edge, which delimits the end side at the pressure chamber side, of the piston. In this case, it is the intention for the axial distance (h) between the control edge of the piston, when the latter is fully retracted into the housing, and the housing base to be set by a spacer of predetermined thickness (d).
US09957849B2
A camshaft adjuster having a drive element, an output element and a spring, wherein the drive element and the output element can rotate relative to each other, wherein the spring is secured by a spring bearing of the drive element and a spring bearing of the output element, wherein the spring supports the relative rotation between the drive element and the output element, wherein the spring bearing has a radius that is larger than the radius of the spring and, as a result of this ratio of the radii, a two-line contact between the spring and the spring bearing is formed.
US09957848B2
A cam follower for operable attachment to a valve lifter assembly for use with a variable cam lobe camshaft in a variable valve timing system includes a housing with a central cavity and a mushroom head with a stem pivotably connected to the housing in the central cavity, the mushroom head having a radiused surface for contacting a cam lobe surface. The cam follower is used in combination with a variable cam surface of an axially displaceable camshaft to obtain improvements in idling speed and volumetric efficiency.
US09957840B2
A gas turbine engine has a propulsor including a fan and a liner positioned upstream of the fan. The liner has a backing plate, a cellular structure with cells extending from the backing plate, and a perforated sheet with a depth defined as a distance between the perforated sheet and the backing sheet. The depth is selected to achieve a desired ratio of the depth relative to a gap?. A depth to gap ratio is substantially in a range of 0.035 to 0.08. A method is also disclosed.
US09957833B2
A turbomachine stage, particularly a turbine stage or a compressor stage of a gas turbine, is disclosed. The turbomachine stage has a, conical in particular, housing in which is arranged a moving vane arrangement with multiple moving vanes which have an exterior shroud band with at least one radial sealing flange. The sealing flange has a recess arrangement with at least one radial recess in which, centrally in particular, a radial projection is arranged. There is arranged on the housing a sensor arrangement with at least one capacitive sensor for detecting a radial clearance to a peripheral surface of the sealing flange.
US09957827B2
The present disclosure relates generally to a sliding seal between two components. The sliding seal includes a first seal section and an adjacent second seal section, each including a base and two extending legs defining respective first and second ends of the seal. At least the first seal section includes a first plurality of slots extending from the first end to the base and a second plurality of slots extending from the second end to the base.
US09957825B2
A brush seal land is disclosed. The brush seal land may comprise a first portion configured to be coupled to a turbine disc of an aircraft engine and a second portion having a contact surface. The brush seal land may comprise a concave annular structure. The second portion may deflect through a clearance area in response to contact with a brush. The second portion may not deflect in response to contact with a brush after the second portion has deflected through a clearance area in response to contact with the brush. The contact surface comprises tungsten carbide. The brush seal land may comprise INCONEL. The brush seal land may be configured to be coupled to an annular member extending from the turbine disc. The brush seal land may reduce abrasion to an annular member extending from the turbine disc by a brush.
US09957815B2
A flow path component for a gas powered turbine includes a flow path component body having cross sectional profile having a leading edge and a trailing edge. The leading edge is connected to the trailing edge by a first side and by a second side opposite the first side. A serpentine cooling passage includes a plurality of segments, each of the segments being generally radially aligned. A first subset of the segments is disposed along one of the first side and the second side of the cross sectional profile, and a second subset of the segments spans the flow path component body from the first side to the second side. A cavity is positioned internal to the flow path component body. The cavity is at least partially shielded from one of the first side and the second side by at least one of the plurality of segments.
US09957797B2
The present invention relates to a method, and an arrangement for mounting bolts in a material. The method comprises: storing actual data representing the actual positions of bore holes having been bored in the tunnel wall by a drill rig (300), a control unit (800) instructing a bolting device (200) to mount bolts in the bore holes based on the stored actual data.
US09957792B2
In one embodiments, a method includes drilling a wellbore in a formation with a drilling tool. The method further includes receiving electromagnetic radiation using an opto-analytical device coupled to the drilling tool. The method also includes detecting a characteristic of cuttings associated with drilling the wellbore based on the received electromagnetic radiation.
US09957791B2
A method for determining a stimulated rock volume includes determining a position of a plurality of seismic events from seismic signals recorded in response to pumping fracturing fluid into a formation penetrated by a wellbore. The signals generated by recording output of a plurality of seismic receivers disposed proximate a volume of the Earth's subsurface to be evaluated. A source mechanism of each seismic event is determined and is used to determine a fracture volume and orientation of a fracture associated with each seismic event. A volume of each fracture, beginning with fractures closest to a wellbore in which the fracturing fluid was pumped is subtracted from a total volume of proppant pumped with the fracture fluid until all proppant volume is associated with fractures. A stimulated rock volume is determined from the total volume of fractures associated with the volume of proppant pumped.
US09957790B2
A method for optimizing wellbore pipe tripping operation includes entering into a computer parameters related to a maximum safe pipe movement speed within the wellbore along at least one selected depth interval along the wellbore. A maximum safe pipe movement speed is calculated. An actual pipe movement speed is measured along the at least one selected depth interval. In the computer, a display is generated of the measured pipe movement speed along with the maximum safe pipe movement speed over the at least one selected depth interval.
US09957789B2
The present invention relates to a downhole system (200) comprising a casing (3) having an inner wall. Furthermore, the downhole system comprises a wireless unit (1) which is movable within the casing, comprising driving means (7) in the form of wheels and at least one battery pack (8) comprising at least one battery for powering an electrical motor (5) driving a pump (6) driving the wheels to rotate along the inner wall of the casing, wherein the downhole system further comprises a well head (110) having a sound detection device (16) for detecting vibrations in the casing, e.g. caused by the driving means or an operation performed by the wireless unit.
US09957786B2
A method of deploying a multi-zone completion assembly in a wellbore is disclosed. The method includes: placing an outer assembly below a surface location, wherein the outer assembly includes an activation device. The method further includes placing an inner assembly in the outer assembly, the inner assembly including a lower opening tool spaced from an upper opening tool. The method further includes activating the lower opening tool using the activation device The method further includes activating the upper opening tool independent of the lower opening tool using the activation device.
US09957784B1
An improved latch structure for a two piece ball and sleeve bypass plunger comprises a single retaining ring installed in a groove formed in the inside diameter of the sleeve portion of the bypass plunger. The cross section profiles of the groove and the associated retaining ring are smaller in the radial direction. The depth of the groove in the sleeve is substantially reduced to provide increased wall thickness and robustness of the sleeve along the diameter of the sleeve, thereby extending the useful life of the bypass plunger.
US09957775B2
A process for plugging a wellbore, e.g. an oil or gas well, comprises installing a choke device (1) into the wellbore in order to increase the back pressure to allow better control when introducing cement to plug the wellbore. The device (1) has a cylindrical shape with a central through bore (6). On the external profile is a shoulder (4) which, when the device is installed in a wellbore, comes to rest against a nipple in the wellbore. The device (1) may free fall for all or part of the way down but would normally be pumped down at least for the last part of its delivery. In the bore (6) is a pump out ball (10) which blocks the through bore until the device reaches the nipple and stops, at which point pressure increases and the ball is ejected. Cement and other liquid may then be pumped through the choke device to the distal region of the well.
US09957769B2
This invention relates to an undersea riser bearing designed to operate at higher temperatures over an extended time frame while maintaining performance advantages of high capacity laminate (HCL) elastomeric composite bearings.
US09957763B2
A ball release tool includes a body providing a first end and a second end, and defining a flow passageway extending between the first and second ends. A ball is releasably coupled to the body at the second end. One or more flow ports are defined in the body and in fluid communication with the flow passageway, wherein pressure of a fluid introduced into the flow passageway is increased to release the ball from the body.
US09957756B2
A roller cone drill bit assembly with a bearing shaft having an outer bearing surface and defining a rotational axis. The outer bearing surface includes a necked portion having a varying radius with respect to the rotational axis. A roller cone is coupled about the bearing shaft and includes an outer cutting structure and an inner bearing surface. The inner bearing surface includes a necked portion proximate to and closely conforming to the necked portion of the outer bearing surface.
US09957744B2
A device to apply a rotational force to a spring of a rollup or overhead garage door counterbalancing mechanism. The device has a rotatable driven member mounted in a housing. The housing and the driven member have slots with an open end adapted to receive the shaft of the overhead garage door counterbalancing mechanism. A coupling member is configured to mount to the driven member and connect the driven member to the winding cone of a garage door spring to apply rotational force to the spring. The housing with the driven member may be connected to the body of an existing power tool in place of the original tool head, or, the housing may be permanently combined with a motor and transmission to provide a special purpose tool.
US09957741B2
A device for restricting movement of a door includes a door member, a floor member, and a connecting member. The door member is fixedly mounted to a door and includes a first opening having a first predetermined shape. The floor member is fixedly mounted to a floor and includes a second opening having a second predetermined shape. The connecting member includes a first leg and a second leg. The first leg extends in a first direction and has a first end removeably engaging the first opening. The second leg extends in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and has a second end removeably engaging the second opening simultaneously when the first end removeably engages the first opening thereby preventing rotation of the door.
US09957732B1
A compression latch having a body including a cup having a well defining a first side of the compression latch, an exterior portion defining a second side opposite the first side, and a raised portion defining a peripheral rim surrounding the cup, the peripheral rim providing an uppermost surface of the cup is disclosed. The compression latch has a T-shaped handle mounted to the body, the T-shaped handle being foldable and reversible and having a cam lock mounted thereon, the cam lock having a keying element on one side of the handle and a rotatable locking cam on the second side of the handle, wherein when the T-shaped handle is folded in a first position, the keying element is exposed and does not protrude beyond the uppermost surface of the cup and when the T-shaped handle is reversed and folded in a second position, the rotatable locking cam is exposed and does no protrude beyond the uppermost surface of the cup.
US09957728B2
An umbrella base is provided that includes a first support, a second support and a control device, which can include a foot pedal. The second support is rotatably coupled with the first support. The foot pedal is coupled with the first support, e.g., at a pivot. The foot pedal has at least one lateral member. The lateral member projects downward from an arm. The lateral member is located on the same side of the second support as the foot pedal. Movement of the foot pedal downward causes lateral members to disengage from the second support permitting the second support to rotate.
US09957725B2
A multipurpose cleaning trowel is provided. The cleaning trowel includes a base having a first side, a second side, a flexible section, a blade section, and a mounting section positioned between the flexible section and the blade section. The cleaning trowel further includes a handling device removably secured to the first side of the base at the mounting section and a cleaning pad receiving region. A cleaning pad is removably secured to the base. The handling device is interchangeable between a fixed handle and a swivel base.
US09957705B2
A helical drain for a toilet is disclosed. The present invention relates to a novel toilet drain configuration. Specifically, the novel toilet drain configuration comprises a helical loop trapway. The drain of the present invention exits the toilet bowl and forms a substantially vertical tubular loop running generally parallel to the width of the bowl or stool, or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bowl or stool, before being connected to a sewer. The drain of the present invention functions like a P-trap syphon in removing the contents of the bowl. The diameter of the looped tubular portion of the drain may vary by approximately 20 percent or less in the direction of the sewer connection. Sensors may be placed on the drain to monitor drain contents, fluid levels, and drain performance. The drain may be fitted with valves to control the flow of fluids and gases through the drain.
US09957704B2
The disclosure provides a bidet nozzle assembly, which includes a nozzle housing; a nozzle, the nozzle having a distal end and a proximal end, the nozzle including a channel through to the distal end and to the proximal end, the channel having a first channel opening at the distal end and a second channel opening at the proximal end; a nozzle insert, the nozzle insert located at the first channel opening of the distal end of the nozzle, the nozzle insert having at least one nozzle hole; and a nozzle cap.
US09957702B1
An odor elimination device for a toilet is provided. The device includes a “U”-shaped piece, a “Z”-shaped piece, and a plurality of sealing gaskets. The “U”-shaped piece is configured to be connected with a water inlet of the toilet, and the “Z”-shaped piece is configured to be connected with an exhaust tube. The “U”-shaped piece has a central orifice configured to be connected to the toilet and has two rectangular, parallel outlets separated by a recess in communication with the central orifice. The “Z”-shaped piece has two rectangular, parallel inlets configured to fit into the corresponding outlets of the “U”-shaped piece and are sealed by gaskets at a hollow vertical structure of the “Z”-shaped piece. A back face of the hollow vertical structure is configured to be connected to the exhaust tube via an outlet tube. The sealing gaskets sealing the “U”-shaped piece between the toilet and the flush tank.
US09957700B2
A faucet that includes a base, a spout, a valve body, a first flow control valve, a second flow control valve, and an electric heater. The valve body includes a first end section, a second end section having an outlet, and a center section provided between the end sections and including first and second inlets configured to receive cold and hot water, respectively. The first flow control valve is located within a first waterway of the valve body to control the flow of cold water, and the second flow control valve is located within a second waterway of the valve body to control the flow of hot water. The electric heater extends through the valve body and is configured to heat a surface defining at least a part of one of the first and second waterways of the valve body to an elevated temperature sufficient to kill organisms therein.
US09957695B2
An exhaust system of a work machine is equipped with a first exhaust system, a second exhaust system, and a third exhaust system. The first exhaust system and the third exhaust system are arranged to be in parallel with respective one ends directed in the same direction. In a plan view, the second exhaust system is arranged with the other end side directed in the same direction as the one end sides of the first exhaust system and the third exhaust system to be in parallel with the first exhaust system and the third exhaust system between the first exhaust system and the third exhaust system and, in a side view, is arranged above the first exhaust system and the third exhaust system.
US09957693B2
A suctioning device for suctioning impurities from the bottom of large artificial water bodies is provided. The suctioning device includes a flexible sheet configured to provide a structural frame; a plurality of first brushes depending from the sheet; a plurality of middle brushes; a plurality of lateral brushes; a plurality of suction points; a plurality of wheels configured to provide secondary support when the brushes are worn out; a plurality of collectors configured to gather the suctioned water into external suction lines; a plurality of internal suction lines configured to conduit the suctioned bottom water flow from the plurality of suction points to the plurality of collecting means; and a coupling device connecting the internal suction lines and the collectors, wherein a rate of the bottom water flow entering the suctioning device is the same or higher than a rate of water flow suctioned by an external pumping system.
US09957683B2
A method of forming a sheet pile wall comprising cold reforming a Z-shape pile or a U-shape pile and connecting a plurality of reformed steel piles so as to form a sheet pile wall having at least one engagement section, the engagement section when viewed in a cross section being a recess that has a narrowed neck portion.
