Abstract: A robust data extension, added to a standard 8VSB digital television signal, is used to improve the performance of a digital television receiver. Robust data packets are encoded at a 1/3-trellis rate as compared to normal data packets that are encoded at a 2/3-trellis rate. In addition to delivery of robust data for mobile applications, the redundant robust data packets also improve the performance of the receiver in the normal tier of service. In particular, the robust data packets improve the performance of the receiver equalizer filter in the presence of rapidly changing transient channel conditions such as dynamic multipath for both robust data packets and normal data packets. The robust data packets improve the performance of the carrier recovery loop and the symbol timing recovery loop. Backward compatibility with existing receivers is maintained for 1) 8VSB signaling, 2) trellis encoding and decoding, 3) Reed Solomon encoding and decoding, and 4) MPEG compatibility.

Abstract: An electronic imaging chip containing an array of photodiodes includes a multiplexed column buffer. The multiplexed column buffer serves a plurality of columns in the photodiode array. By multiplexing active amplifier elements, such as the differential gain amplifiers and the bus driver amplifiers, a wider area than one column width is available on the semiconductor chip for layout of the column buffer. In the disclosed embodiment, 4 columns share a common multiplexed column buffer. The area available for layout of the multiplexed column buffer is 4 times as wide as compared to that for a non-multiplexed column buffer.

Abstract: A form fitting nursing tank top/undershirt made with a stretch fabric includes an invisible built in nursing bra. The invisible nursing bra is partly internal and partly external. The external portion of the built in nursing bra is the left and right shoulder straps, which from outside appearances form an integral part of the tank top/undershirt. The internal portion of the built in nursing bra is formed by a soft cup frame attached at the bottom to an elastic chest band and attached at the top to the front of the shoulder straps. In the back of the garment, the elastic chest band is attached to an internal back piece of fabric on the inside of the tank top. The internal back piece of fabric extends upward from the elastic chest band to the shoulder straps at the back, which shoulder straps each include an adjustable length section. Internal nursing flaps are attached at the bottom to the soft cup frame and at the top to the tank top body which forms external nursing flaps.

Abstract: An equalizer for use in a communication receiver includes an infinite impulse response (IIR) feedback filter operated in acquisition and tracking feedback modes on a sample by sample basis to form a hybrid Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) architecture. In acquisition mode, soft decision samples from the filtered received signal are input to the IIR filter. In the tracking mode, hard decision samples from a slicer are input to the IIR filter. Acquisition and tracking operating modes are selected in accordance with a set of decision rules on a sample by sample basis based on the quality of the current hard decision. If the current hard decision is low quality, then the soft decision sample (acquisition mode) is used. If the current hard decision is high quality, then the hard decision sample (tracking mode) is used. In such manner, the DFE is operated in a hybrid mode, i.e., using both soft and hard decisions on a sample by sample basis.

Abstract: An address generator for use in conjunction with a fast Fourier transform processor includes an efficient architecture for computing the memory addresses of input data points, output data points and twiddle coefficients. In particular, multiplication operation in the calculation of memory addresses is minimized. Instead, a cascaded series of adders is used, in which the output of one adder is input to the next adder. At each stage of the cascaded adders, the same input variable is successively added. The cascaded adder structure is used in the writing address generator, the reading address generator and the twiddle coefficient address generator. In addition, a plurality of modulo N circuits is used in series with the cascaded series of adders to generate the twiddle coefficient addresses.

Abstract: A multiple channel diversity receiver includes joint automatic gain control (AGC) signal processing wherein the first and second channels of the multiple channel diversity receiver share at least one joint AGC loop. The maximum difference between the AGC feedback signal in the control loop for the first channel and the AGC feedback control signal in the control loop for the second channel is limited to a selectable maximum differential. The AGC control loop with the stronger first RF signal thus limits the maximum amount that the weaker signal is amplified in the AGC control loop with the weaker second RF signal. By limiting the AGC feedback signal in the control loop of the second channel to a maximum differential with respect to the AGC feedback signal in the control loop of the first channel, the weaker signal is not overly amplified thereby avoiding the undue amplification of noise in the second channel.

Abstract: A semiconductor chip for forming an electronic image in a digital camera includes an offset canceling column buffer for use with active pixel sensors having a small electrical buffer amplifier within each pixel The active pixel sensors are arranged on a semiconductor chip with simultaneous access and reset lines. Each active pixel sensor includes an source follower current amplifier, which introduces small variations in offset voltage, causing pattern noise to be introduced into the output signal of the sensed image. A method and apparatus is disclosed for addressing an array of active pixel sensors in a sequence coordinated with a column buffer for canceling pattern noise. To cancel pattern noise, the current row N in the APS cell array is accessed and sampled. Next, the following row N+1 is accessed thereby resetting the current row. Finally, the previous row N in the APS cell array is accessed a second time and sampled.

Abstract: Original RF carriers are recovered for first and second channels in a diversity receiver and used to de-rotate (demodulate) each of the first and second received signals. The pilot loop filters of each channel are cross coupled to create a joint pilot loop between both channels. The channel with the stronger signal provides a dominant influence on the frequency of the synthesized recovered RF carrier in the channel with the weaker signal. The phase locked pilot loops in both channels will tend to be frequency locked to the frequency of the stronger signal, leaving the respective phase locked pilot loops to make an individual phase adjustment for each channel.

Abstract: In a broadcast digital video network, Internet HTML Web page data is formatted to fit within a standard MPEG-2 data packet structure, and multiplexed along with other MPEG-2 digital video signals for transport within a multiple channel digital video system. The headend server broadcasts a rotating carousel comprising an ensemble of Web pages in HTML format containing both broadcast Web pages and simulcast Web pages and a control map permitting the viewer to navigate among the HTML Web pages. The control map containing the locations of the HTML Web pages in the rotating carousel that correspond to broadcast Web pages and the locations of the HTML Web pages that correspond to broadcast Web pages. The control map is updated and rebroadcast for each broadcast video program, thereby synchronizing the simulcast Web pages to the digital video programs.

Abstract: First and second RF signals in the respective first and second channels of a multiple channel diversity receiver are processed jointly in a joint timing loop filter for baud clock recovery. The channel with the stronger signal determines the frequency of the baud clock for the channel with the weaker signal, leaving the respective PLL's to make individual phase adjustments for each channel. The first and second channels also share a skew corrector for baud clock recovery when the multipath delay between the first and second RF signals is greater than one whole baud clock period. The whole baud skew corrector computes the correlation between the first and second received signals, and if the correlation is low, shifts the first and second signals by one whole baud and recomputes the correlation. The process of shifting the first and second received signals and computing the correlation function is repeated for various whole baud shifts in accordance with a search strategy to find the best (highest) correlation.

Abstract: A form fitting nursing tank top/undershirt made with a stretch fabric includes an invisible build in nursing bra. The invisible nursing bra is partly internal and partly external. The external portion of the build in nursing bra is the left and right shoulder straps which from outside appearances form an integral part of the tank top/undershirt. The internal portion of the built in nursing bra is formed by a soft cup frame attached at the bottom to an elastic chest band and attached at the top to the front of the shoulder straps. In the back of the garment, the elastic chest band is attached to an internal back piece of fabric on the inside of the tank top. The internal back piece of fabric extends upward from the elastic chest band to the shoulder straps at the back, which shoulder straps each include an adjustable length section. Internal nursing flaps are attached at the bottom to the soft cup frame and at the top to the tank top body which forms external nursing flaps.

Abstract: The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is computed in a plurality of parallel processors. A DFT of length N is divided into r partial DFTs of length (N/r), in which the r partial DFTs are calculated in separate parallel processors and then combined in a combination phase to form a complete DFT of length (N). The r partial FFTs are able to be computed in parallel multiprocessors by defining the mathematical model of the combination phase in such manner so as to allow the r parallel processors to operate independently and simultaneously. A second embodiment presents a radix-r fast Fourier algorithm that reduces the computational effort as measured by the number of multiplications and permits the N/r parallel processors to operate simultaneously and with a single instruction sequence.

Abstract: A Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) method and apparatus is implemented using a radix-r butterfly design based on a reduced single phase of calculation, termed a butterfly-processing element (BPE). Butterfly calculations are each executed in the same number of iterations, and comprised of substantially identical butterfly-processing elements. The resulting algorithm, in which a number of parallel processors operate simultaneously by a single instruction sequence, reduces both the computational burden and the communication burden. The use of substantially identical butterfly-processing elements, repeated in combination to form a radix-r butterfly, enables the design of FFT butterflies containing identical structures and a systematic means of accessing the corresponding multiplier coefficients stored in memory. The butterfly-processing element substantially reduces the complexity of the radix-r butterfly, particularly for higher order radices.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatic tuning of fuel injected engines includes an air-fuel ratio sensor, a load device for controlling engine RPM, a digital computer and a display device. The digital computer displays a plurality of throttle positions to an operator who sets the throttle of said engine to correspond to said display of throttle position. The digital computer varies the engine RPM over the operating range of the engine to determine corresponding map values for storage in an injector signal modifier.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide increased speed and decreased computer processing for playing and navigating multimedia content by using two types of data objects for displaying the multimedia content. The first data object type includes rendered multimedia content data. The second data object type provides semantic content corresponding to the rendered multimedia content. The storage medium in which these two types of data objects are contained is referred to as a rendered cache. The semantic content can include locations, sizes, shapes, and target universal resource identifiers of hyperlinks, multimedia element timing, and other content play instructions. The very fast play of content stored in the rendered cache is due to the elimination of the steps of laying out the content, rendering the content, and generating the semantic representation of the content. These steps are required each time the content is played after retrieval from a conventional cache.

Abstract: An active noise suppression system for use in noisy environments includes a dual microphone noise suppression system in which the echo between the two microphones is substantially canceled or suppressed. Noise is cancelled by the use of first and second line echo cancellers, which model the delay and transmission characteristics of the acoustic path between the two microphones. In a first embodiment, a noise suppression system acts as an ear protector, canceling substantially all or most of the noise striking the dual microphones of the ear set. In a second embodiment, a noise suppression system in accordance with the present invention acts a noise suppression communication system, suppressing background noise while allowing speech signals to be heard by the wearer.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide increased speed and decreased computer processing for playing and navigating multimedia content by using two types of data objects for displaying the multimedia content. The first data object type includes rendered multimedia content data for a rendered cache, or rendering instructions for a paint stream cache or a layout cache. The paint stream cache and layout cache can take advantage of increased client processing capabilities. The second data object type provides semantic content corresponding to the rendered multimedia content. The storage medium in which these two types of data objects are contained is referred to as a rendered cache. The semantic content can include locations, sizes, shapes, and target universal resource identifiers of hyperlinks, multimedia element timing, and other content play instructions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for externally modifying the operation of a closed loop electronic fuel injection control system that is normally used with a standard oxygen sensor, which method and apparatus includes replacing the standard oxygen sensor with a wide band oxygen sensor. The signal from the wide band oxygen sensor is processed in a first signal-conditioning module and coupled to the input of the electronic fuel injection control system. The first signal-conditioning module simulates the appearance of a standard oxygen sensor to the electronic fuel injection control system. In a second embodiment, a method and apparatus for externally modifying the operation of a closed loop electronic fuel injection control system that is normally used with a wide band oxygen sensor, includes intercepting the signal from the wide band oxygen sensor in a second signal-conditioning module.

Abstract: An MPEG-2 digital TV headend and settop box includes a method and apparatus for enabling the presentation of electronic program guide (EPG) information. Television program guide information is downloaded from a source of television programming data to the headend of the TV broadcast system. The downloaded EPG data is translated into a plurality of HTML Web pages, which are continuously transmitted as a rotating data carousel in an MPEG-2 data stream. The digital TV settop box further includes a general-purpose web browser responsive to viewer commands to select and display a selected web page from the rotating carousel of HTML web pages. The digital TV settop further includes a data cache for downloading and storing partial HTML web page EPG information in advance, which reduces the necessary bandwidth allocated for the EPG information, and allows the settop box to quickly display the basic information for a channel related program guide.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for preparing multimedia data using digital video data compression. Various embodiments of the invention use pre-rendering and encoding techniques that format the video image data into fat macroblocks. The fat macroblocks include header information that identifies the beginning locations of strips of macroblocks representing slices of the image, and of the macroblocks disposed within the strips. The header information enables macroblocks disposed in a strip of fat macroblocks to be individually addressed thereby providing transmission bandwidth, data processing, and data storage advantages for preparing and transmitting data for updating video images including less than full screen motion. The advantages are achieved in part because updates only require that the first macroblock of each strip of macroblocks be transmitted.