Abstract: A multiple disk system comprises plural physical drives organized as plural groups of disks. Each group is accessed as a plurality of logical volumes. One of the logical drives is considered a primary volume and one or more other logical volumes are considered as secondary volumes, which together constitute a mirroring group. Data contained in a memory records such organization. The data is consulted to select a secondary volume when the disk group containing a primary volume fails.

Abstract: A storage system includes a storage controller and storage media for reading data from or writing data to the storage media in response to block-level and file-level I/O requests. The storage controller includes suitable interfaces for receiving the read/write requests and effecting the reading of data to or the writing of data to the storage media.

Abstract: According to the invention, visualization and analysis of multidimensional data is performed in an automated environment. Embodiments according to the present invention are especially effective for analyzing the course of clinical procedures, but it is not only limited to these types of applications. The present invention can also be applied to healthcare risk analysis for many factors, analyses of industrial production control, and any analyses using multidimensional data. The present invention provides systems, methods and software that can be used to distribute and share the results of analyses.

Abstract: A network is protected against interruption of service while one or more faulty switches or optical fiber transmission lines are repaired or replaced, by an interconnecting configuration of small N×N optical input/output switches, where N is 2 or greater than 2. The switches are configured among protection and working transmission lines. The small number of fibers for each switch improves repair and installation connection reliability and permits configurations that flexibly meet differing requirements. Also the fault is monitored with a fault check signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for performing an inverse modified discrete cosine transform (IMDCT) on at least one block of spectral coefficients representing an information signal in the frequency domain. The IMDCT provides an IMDCT output including at least one block of processed samples in the time domain. The new and novel method of the present invention includes converting spectral coefficients in the block of spectral coefficients to provide a block of frequency domain processed complex samples and processing the block of frequency domain processed complex samples into the block of processed samples in the time domain.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing gain control in a manner that is designed to maximize the use of the dynamic range of signal processing circuitry, e.g., an A/D converter, while minimizing signal clipping are described. In one embodiment a power reference level used for automatic gain control purposes is periodically adjusted. An exemplary state machine of the present invention has an analysis state which collects signal statistics, e.g., signal clipping and threshold statistics, for a period of time corresponding to a fixed number of samples. During the analysis state, the number of samples that equal or exceed either the minimum or maximum valid values (e.g., clip points), supported by the signal processing circuitry, are accumulated. Statistics are also accumulated on the number of data samples that exceed thresholds, e.g., +/−tail thresholds, corresponding to points near the outer portion of the range supported by the signal processing circuitry.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing digital resampling circuits which create one or more bitstreams which include samples at desired rates, from an input bitstream having a fixed sample rate, are described. The resampling circuits of the present invention achieve the desired sample rates by performing digital interpolation on samples included in the input signal. The interpolation is performed using a filter, e.g., an all-pass infinite impulse response filter which produces an output as a function of a controllable signal delay.

Abstract: A layer of material is transformed from a first state to a second state by the application of energy from an energy beam. For example, large direction- and location-controlled p-Si grain growth utilizes recrystallization of amorphous silicon from superpositioned laser irradiation. The superpositioned laser irradiation controls cooling and solidification processes that determine the resulting crystal structure. Specifically, a first laser beam of a first pulse duration is used to melt an amorphous silicon (a-Si) film and to create a temperature gradient. After an initial delay, a second laser beam with shorter pulse duration is superpositioned with the first laser beam. When a-Si is irradiated by the second laser beam, the area heated by the first laser beam becomes completely molten. Spontaneous nucleation is initiated in the supercooled liquid-Si when the liquid-Si temperature drops below the nucleation temperature.

Abstract: Edge detection methods and apparatus which utilize the dc dct differential data included in encoded images, e.g., an MPEG-2 encoded video stream, are described. Use of the dc dct differential data allows efficient methods for detecting the presence of edges within encoded images. The edge detection methods and apparatus of the present invention can be used where differential coding of the DC DCT coefficients is employed. Accordingly, the edge detection methods of the present invention are applicable to MPEG-2 encoded images as well as other differentially encoded images.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for encoding image data to facilitate subsequent insertion of local image data. Also methods and apparatus for inserting image data, e.g., at local broadcast stations, without having to fully decode a received encoded bitstream. The encoding methods involve treating images to be encoded as a plurality of distinct, non-overlapping image regions or segments for encoding purposes. Image segments which are designated for use for local data insertion are not used as reference data for motion compensated prediction purposes when generating motion vectors to represent image areas, e.g., the area representing the main picture, which are outside the local data insertion segments. Because image segments which may be replaced are not used as reference data for image segments which will not be replaced, unintentional prediction errors which might otherwise result from replacing one or more image segments as part of a local data insertion operation are avoided.

Abstract: An improved hot wire gas flow sensor is disclosed having a housing with a passageway in series with a passageway through which the gas flow is measured. The housing includes both a hot wire and cold wire disposed within the passageway. A current circuit maintains the temperature differential between the hot wire and cold wire preferably in the range of 30° C. to 100° C. by varying the current flow through the hot wire. Current limiting circuitry is then utilized to limit the current flow through the hot wire and thus the temperature of the hot wire in order to prevent possible combustion of the gas in the passageway. Additionally, a current augmenting circuit augments the current flow through the hot wire for a limited period of time following the electrical energization of the flow sensor in order to provide rapid heat up of the hot wire in the hot wire sensor.

Abstract: A video compression method of estimating a motion vector representative of a difference between a reference frame and a current frame is described. Typically, both the reference frame and the current frame include background and foreground data. In the method a block of the current frame is selected for analysis, and a determination is made whether the block selected is a foreground block or a background block. If the block is a foreground block, then it is compared with predetermined search points in the reference frame. On the other hand, if the block is a background block, it is compared with predetermined search points in only a portion of the reference frame.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for implementing a reduced cost HDTV/SDTV video decoder are disclosed. The described joint video decoder is capable of decoding HDTV pictures at approximately the resolution of standard definition television pictures and can be used to decode HDTV and/or SDTV pictures. The described video decoder may be used as part of a picture-in-picture decoder circuit for providing picture-in-picture capability without providing multiple full resolution video decoders. The reduction in decoder circuit complexity is achieved through the use of a plurality of data reduction techniques including the use of a preparser, downsampling, and truncating pixel values.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method for classifying high-dimensional sparse datasets. A raw data training set is flattened by converting it from categorical representation to a boolean representation. The flattened data is then used to build a class model on which new data not in the training set may be classified. In one embodiment, the class model takes the form of a decision tree, and large itemsets and cluster information are used as attributes for classification. In another embodiment, the class model is based on the nearest neighbors of the data to be classified. An advantage of the invention is that, by flattening the data, classification accuracy is increased by eliminating artificial ordering induced on the attributes. Another advantage is that the use of large itemsets and clustering increases classification accuracy.

Abstract: A receiver arranged to receive and store broadcast data transported by elementary stream of a multiplexed and modulated digital television signal in a rewritable memory during a low power consumption mode for later recall by a user of the receiver. For recall, the receiver is fully energized, and the receiver is further arranged to transfer the broadcast data stored in the rewritable memory to a receiver storage device for further processing of the data under control of the user.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for simulating, in reduced resolution video decoders, the biasing effect associated with MPEG's specified rounding of pixel values including a fractional component of 0.5 to the next highest integer value are described. In one embodiment, the biasing effect is simulated by generating luminance and chrominance DC DCT coefficient bias values from, e.g., motion vector offset data. The DC DCT bias values are then added to the DC DCT coefficients of the luminance and chrominance blocks, respectively, which correspond to the same image block to which the motion vector data used to generate the bias values corresponds. In another embodiment, pixel values are directly adjusted to simulate the biasing effect associated with MPEG compliant rounding. In such an embodiment, luminance and chrominance pixel biasing values are generated as a function of, e.g., motion vector offset information. The bias values are added to the pixel values generated through the use of motion compensated prediction.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing signed saturation of binary numbers to arbitrary powers of two are described. Given an n-bit signed binary word, the methods and apparatus of the present invention perform a signed saturation to k-bits where the value of k can vary such that 1<k<n. Through the use of hardware circuits of the present invention the signed saturation operation is implemented in a more efficient manner than software implementations which utilize multiple compare operations. The signed saturation circuits of the present invention can be incorporated into processors, e.g., CPUs, to provide a hardware implementation within a CPU for a signed saturation processor instruction, e.g., either a SISD OR SIMD saturation command or instruction. The signed saturation circuits can accept the data value upon which the operation is to be performed, and, optionally, a value k indicating the number of bits to which individual data value are to be saturated.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a first SOVA decoder that generates a first path reliability value from a channel value, a parity symbol and a first a priori likelihood value. A first decorrelation unit generates a first extrinsic symbol reliability value by decorrelating the channel value and the first a priori likelihood value from the path reliability value. A first symbol reliability saturation unit saturates the first extrinsic symbol reliability value to generate a first saturated extrinsic symbol reliability value. A first interleaver interleaves the first saturated extrinsic symbol reliability value to generate a second a priori likelihood value. A second interleaver interleaves the channel value to generate an interleaved channel value. A second SOVA decoder generates a second path reliability value from an interleaved parity symbol, the second a priori likelihood value, and the interleaved channel value.

Abstract: A system and method for providing advertisements to a wireless remote display terminal. The terminal may display Internet web sites and other data while a viewer is also watching a television channel or performing other tasks. For example, a home entertainment center can include a television and an additional remote display terminal. Viewers can access information related to the television program on the remote display terminal. When the remote display terminal is turned on, a personalized advertisement is displayed to the viewer during the initialization process. The advertisement revenues can help offset the cost of the remote terminal to the viewer. The advertisements can be targeted to particular users by matching the advertisements to personal information obtained by surveys, past viewing and Internet history or third party sources such as magazine subscriptions.