Abstract: A touch sensitive apparatus includes a touch plate to which several pickup sensors and at least one excitation transducer are coupled. Each of the sensors is configured to sense bending waves in the touch plate, and the excitation transducer is configured to induce bending waves in the touch plate. The apparatus may further include active buffer circuits, wherein each of the active buffer circuits is coupled to one of the sensors. A controller is coupled to the sensors via the active buffer circuits and to the excitation transducer via a non-actively buffered connection. The controller is configured to compute a location of a contact on the touch plate responsive to sense signals received from the sensors. The apparatus may be used to perform a variety of calibrations, including touch plate and sensor calibrations. Changes in touch sensing apparatus calibration and performance may be detected and tracked over time.

Abstract: Systems and methods determine the position of a touch on a surface of a device, such as a touch-sensitive device, by using position-dependent electrical charges. In such a method, the position of a touching implement is determined on the sensing surface of a device. The method includes generating signals on the surface of the device to create a position-dependent electrical charge on the touching implement; and measuring the position-dependent electrical charge to indicate a coordinate on the sensing surface for establishing the position of the touching implement.

Abstract: An untethered stylus is configured to cooperate with a location sensing device that generates a drive signal. The stylus includes transceiver circuitry disposed in a housing, which is configured to receive the drive signal and transmit a stylus signal for reception by the location sensor. Energy circuitry is disposed in the housing and energized by the drive signal. A reference frequency generator, disposed in the housing and coupled to the transceiver circuitry and energy circuitry, is configured to generate a number of reference frequencies based on a source frequency of the drive signal, the reference frequencies indicative of a number of stylus states and synchronized to the source frequency of the drive signal. The transceiver circuitry is configured to mix the reference frequencies with the stylus signal.

Abstract: An untethered device, configured to inductively couple to a source device, includes a tunable resonant circuit having a resonance frequency and configured to generate a supply voltage for the untethered device in response to a varying magnetic field produced by the source device. The tunable resonant circuit includes an inductive coil comprising a center tap and a capacitive circuit coupled to the inductive coil. The capacitive circuit includes an anti-series arrangement of varactor diodes that behave as a capacitance when placed in reverse bias. A frequency control circuit is coupled to the tunable resonant circuit and includes a control voltage source coupled to the center tap of the inductive coil. The control voltage source produces a control signal to place the varactor diodes in reverse bias and to change the capacitance of the capacitive circuit, thereby effecting a change in the resonance frequency of the tunable resonant circuit.

Abstract: A capacitive touch sensing system includes a touch surface and sets of substantially parallel electrodes arranged in relation to the touch surface. Each electrode set includes a primary electrode electrically connected to at least two sub-electrodes. The primary electrode is capable of producing greater capacitive coupling to a touch in proximity with the touch surface in relation to capacitive coupling of the at least two sub-electrodes. The sub-electrodes of the electrode sets are arranged in an interleaved pattern configured to increase an effective area of capacitive coupling associated with each electrode set.

Abstract: The present invention provides a multiple region vibration-sensing touch sensor that incorporates at least two sets of vibration sensors on a single touch plate, each set of vibration sensors defining distinct touch regions. The vibration sensors detect vibrations indicative of a touch to the touch plate, and are configured to communicate signals representing the detected vibrations to controller electronics for determining information related to the touch input. Touches within each touch region can be distinguished.

Abstract: A touch sensor is provided that includes an array of discrete electrodes disposed over a touch sensitive area, the electrodes being elongated in a first direction and having a variable width measured in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction. A touch location can be determined by simultaneously applying an electrical signal to a plurality of positions on the touch sensor, the touch location along the first direction being determined by comparing a capacitive coupling between the touch implement and the plurality of positions in the touch sensor, and the touch location along the second direction being determined by comparing a resistive coupling between the touch implement and the plurality of positions in the touch sensor.

Abstract: A system for the characterization of webs that permits the identification of anomalous regions on the web to be performed at a first time and place, and permits the localization and marking of actual defects to be performed at a second time and place.

Abstract: Systems and methods for calibrating a web inspection system.

Abstract: An untethered device is configured to inductively couple to a source device. The source device includes a driver circuit configured to generate a varying magnetic field and comprising a drive coil circuit. A phase detector is coupled to the driver circuit and configured to detect a phase of an input impedance of the driver circuit in response to the source device inductively coupling with the resonant circuit of the untethered device. A controller is coupled to the phase detector and the driver circuit, and is configured to adjust a frequency of a source voltage applied to the driver circuit in response to an output signal of the phase detector. The controller adjusts the source voltage frequency so that the phase of the input impedance as indicated by the output signal of the phase detector is substantially zero.

Abstract: A system for preferentially marking defects on a web is described. The system includes a web of material to be converted into individual sheets of a plurality of different grade levels, a database storing anomaly data of anomalies on the web, wherein an anomaly is a potential defect in at least one of the plurality of different grade levels, a marker that associates a unique mark with at least one of the grade levels, and a controller to retrieve the anomaly data from the database and to signal the marker as to where to make a mark, wherein the marker applies the mark associated with at least one of the grade levels for which the anomaly may cause a defect. The system may provide advantages, such as that a converter of various products from a single web roll may determine which regions of the web satisfy each grade level.

Abstract: An untethered device is configured to inductively couple to a source device. The source device includes a driver circuit configured to generate a varying magnetic field and comprising a drive coil circuit. A phase detector is coupled to the driver circuit and configured to detect a phase of an input impedance of the driver circuit in response to the source device inductively coupling with the resonant circuit of the untethered device. A controller is coupled to the phase detector and the driver circuit, and is configured to adjust a frequency of a source voltage applied to the driver circuit in response to an output signal of the phase detector. The controller adjusts the source voltage frequency so that the phase of the input impedance as indicated by the output signal of the phase detector is substantially zero.

Abstract: A capacitive touch sensing system includes a touch surface and sets of substantially parallel electrodes arranged in relation to the touch surface. Each electrode set includes a primary electrode electrically connected to at least two sub-electrodes. The primary electrode is capable of producing greater capacitive coupling to a touch in proximity with the touch surface in relation to capacitive coupling of the at least two sub-electrodes. The sub-electrodes of the electrode sets are arranged in an interleaved pattern configured to increase an effective area of capacitive coupling associated with each electrode set.

Abstract: Capacitance measuring circuits and methods apply electrical charge pulses to ramp voltage signals across a voltage threshold, and use the number of pulses to determine the capacitance. Capacitances at multiple locations can be measured by storing a pulse counter value in a register associated with each voltage signal channel as that voltage signal crosses the threshold. Effects of electrode resistance on the capacitance measurements can be mitigated by using charge pulses to ramp the voltage signals and waiting for signal quiescence between pulses.

Abstract: Time-sloped capacitance measuring circuits use the time to ramp voltage signals between reference levels to determine an unknown capacitance, where the ramping time is determined by the cumulative whole number of clock cycles counted during voltage signal ramping over multiple ramp cycles. Measurement resolution can be improved by adjusting a starting voltage level for subsequent voltage signal ramps by an amount that compensates for incremental voltage ramping during a terminal clock cycle of a previous voltage signal ramp.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric transducer that includes at least two poled piezoelectric regions disposed in a side-by-side arrangement and connected in series with the poling directions reversed through the series connection, meaning that the “north pole” of one region is connected to the “south pole” of an adjacent region. The at least two regions can be within the same piece of piezoelectric material, or can be separate pieces of piezoelectric material. Transducers of the present invention may be particularly suited to detecting vibrations such as bending waves in a plate. For example, transducers of the present invention may be affixed to a surface of a plate and used to detect vibrations caused by or affected by touches to the plate to determine information related to the touches, such a touch position.

Abstract: A manufacturing system includes rollers having synchronization marks to indicate complete rotations. Synchronization mark readers read the synchronization marks of the plurality of rollers and output roll synchronization signals. An encoder outputs a position signal indicative of a down-web distance of the web. An inspection system inspects the web and outputs anomaly data identifying positions of anomalies on the web. A synchronization unit receives the position signal from the encoder and the plurality of roll synchronization signals from the synchronization mark readers and converts the occurrence of each of the roll synchronization signals into down-web positions within a coordinate system associated with web process line. An analysis computer processes the anomaly data and the synchronization signals to identify repeated anomalies and to determine which of the rollers caused the repeated anomalies.

Abstract: Systems and methods for calibrating a web inspection system.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for sequential insertion processing of speech recognition results and, more particularly, server-based automated processing of speech recognition results. In addition, the use of formed document templates to facilitate the server-based automated sequential insertion of speech recognition results is disclosed. The formed document templates can include embedded dictionaries with related processing rules, including processing rules including positioning information.

Abstract: First program code is executed at a content recipient so as to identify a content provider having posted content of interest to the content recipient. Second program code is executed at the content recipient so as to automatically access the content provider and initiate receipt by the content recipient of the posted content.