Abstract: In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure, a process for fabricating a light pipe (LP) is described. The process may be configured to etch a first portion of a LP funnel in a dielectric layer of a semiconductor structure using a web etching process, wherein the dielectric layer is above a photodiode region. The process may also be configured to etch a second portion of the LP funnel in the dielectric layer subsequent to the etching of the first portion of the LP funnel, wherein the second portion of the LP funnel is etched below the first portion of the LP funnel using a dry etching process.

Abstract: In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure, a process for fabricating a light pipe (LP) is described. The process may be configured to construct a semiconductor structure having an etch-stop layer above a photodiode region and a first dielectric layer above the etch-stop layer. The process may be configured to etch a LP funnel through the first dielectric layer. And the process may be further configured to stop the etching of the LP funnel upon reaching and removing of the etch-stop layer.

Abstract: Spectrum-sensing algorithms and methods may be provided for use in cognitive radios and other applications. The spectrum-sensing algorithms and methods may include receiving an input spectrum having a plurality of channels, performing a coarse scan of the plurality of channels of the input spectrum to determine one or more occupied candidate channels and vacant candidate channels, where the coarse scan is associated with a first resolution bandwidth and a first frequency sweep increment, performing a fine scan of the occupied candidate channels and the vacant candidate channels to determine actually occupied channels and actually vacant channels, where the fine scan is associated with a second resolution bandwidth and a second frequency sweep increment, and storing an indication of the actually occupied channels and the actually vacant channels.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a heat exchanger which has approximately U-shaped ribs formed on both sides of a body of a side support, thereby preventing a deterioration of heat exchange capacity by reinforcing strength and securing bonding areas of sealing members and stably supporting radiation fins since the ribs press edges of the radiation fins.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention may provide for a long delay generator for the spectrum sensing of cognitive radio systems. The long delay generator may include an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), memory element, and Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). The memory element may utilize shift register bank or Random-Access Memory (RAM) cells. The long delay generator may provide for a selectable delay by digitizing the received signal, delaying the received signal in the digital domain, and reconstructing the delayed signal as an analog. The analog delayed signal may then be compared or otherwise correlated with the original input signal using an analog auto-correlation technique to determine whether a meaningful signal type has been identified or otherwise detected.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention may provide for digital wavelet generators utilized in providing flexible spectrum-sensing resolutions for a Multi-Resolution Spectrum Sensing (MRSS) technique. Embodiments of the invention may provide for either multi-point or multi-rate digital wavelet generators. These digital wavelet generators may utilizing the same hardware resource optimally, and the various wavelet bases may be generated by changing the memory addressing schemes or clock speeds.

Abstract: Spectrum-sensing algorithms and methods may be provided for use in cognitive radios and other applications. The spectrum-sensing algorithms and methods may include receiving an input spectrum having a plurality of channels, performing a coarse scan of the plurality of channels of the input spectrum to determine one or more occupied candidate channels and vacant candidate channels, where the coarse scan is associated with a first resolution bandwidth and a first frequency sweep increment, performing a fine scan of the occupied candidate channels and the vacant candidate channels to determine actually occupied channels and actually vacant channels, where the fine scan is associated with a second resolution bandwidth and a second frequency sweep increment, and storing an indication of the actually occupied channels and the actually vacant channels.

Abstract: An optimistic, latch-free index traversal (“OLFIT”) concurrency control scheme is disclosed for an index structure for managing a database system. In each node of an index tree, the OLFIT scheme maintains a latch, a version number, and a link to the next node at the same level of the index tree. Index traversal involves consistent node read operations starting from the root. To ensure the consistency of node read operations without latching, every node update operation first obtains a latch and increments the version number after update of the node contents. Every node read operation begins with reading the version number into a register and ends with verifying if the current version number is consistent with the register-stored version number. If they are the same, the read operation is consistent. Otherwise, the node read is retried until the verification succeeds. The concurrency control scheme of the present invention is applicable to many index structures such as the B+-tree and the CSB+-tree.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention may provide for digital wavelet generators utilized in providing flexible spectrum-sensing resolutions for a Multi-Resolution Spectrum Sensing (MRSS) technique. Embodiments of the invention may provide for either multi-point or multi-rate digital wavelet generators. These digital wavelet generators may utilizing the same hardware resource optimally, and the various wavelet bases may be generated by changing the memory addressing schemes or clock speeds.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention may provide for a long delay generator for the spectrum sensing of cognitive radio systems. The long delay generator may comprise of an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), memory element, and Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). The memory element may utilize shift register bank or Random-Access Memory (RAM) cells. The long delay generator may provide for a selectable delay by digitizing the received signal, delaying the received signal in the digital domain, and reconstructing the delayed signal as an analog. The analog delayed signal may then be compared or otherwise correlated with the original input signal using an analog auto-correlation technique to determine whether a meaningful signal type has been identified or otherwise detected.

Abstract: A parallel logging and recovery scheme for highly available main-memory database systems is presented. A preferred embodiment called parallel redo-only logging (“PROL”) combines physical logging and selective replay of redo-only log records. During physical logging, log records are generated with an update sequence number representing the sequence of database update. The log records are replayed selectively during recovery based on the update sequence number. Since the order of replaying log records doesn't matter in physical logging, PROL makes parallel operations possible. Since the physical logging does not depend on the state of the object to which the log records are applied, the present invention also makes it easy to construct a log-based hot standby system.

Abstract: An optimistic, latch-free index traversal (“OLFIT”) concurrency control scheme is disclosed for an index structure for managing a database system. In each node of an index tree, the OLFIT scheme maintains a latch, a version number, and a link to the next node at the same level of the index tree. Index traversal involves consistent node read operations starting from the root. To ensure the consistency of node read operations without latching, every node update operation first obtains a latch and increments the version number after update of the node contents. Every node read operation begins with reading the version number into a register and ends with verifying if the current version number is consistent with the register-stored version number. If they are the same, the read operation is consistent. Otherwise, the node read is retried until the verification succeeds. The concurrency control scheme of the present invention is applicable to many index structures such as the B+-tree and the CSB+-tree.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a heat exchanger which has approximately U-shaped ribs formed on both sides of a body of a side support, thereby preventing a deterioration of heat exchange capacity by reinforcing strength and securing bonding areas of sealing members and stably supporting radiation fins since the ribs press edges of the radiation fins.

Abstract: An aluminum radiator includes a core including a plurality of tubes through which a heat exchange medium flows and fins arranged between the tubes; and a header tank including a pair of header spaced apart from each other and having both ends coupled to the tube, a tank coupled to the header by a brazing and having a heat exchange medium passage formed therein, and end caps coupled to both opening portions of the tank, wherein the tube satisfies an inequality 10 mm?T?20 mm, where T denotes an outside width of the tube, and the tank has an inside height (H) of 41 mm or less and satisfies an inequality 1.5?H/T?2.5.

Abstract: A differential RF input signal drives the plus and minus terminals of a center tapped primary winding, which couples the differential RF input signal to the plus and minus terminals of a center tapped secondary winding. From the secondary winding, the coupled, differential RF signal drives a double-balanced mixer core operating in response to a differential local oscillator signal. The output of the mixer core is a differential IF signal representative of the differential RF input signal down-converted at the local oscillator frequency. A step reduction in gain associated with the RF input signal may be implemented using bypass circuitry coupled across the primary of the transformer, wherein a relatively small resistance or impedance is coupled across the primary to effectively reduce the load of the differential amplifiers driving the primary.

Abstract: A technique for switching all-optical packet switching is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by receiving at least one data packet over a network, disassociating a payload portion from a first header in the data packet, forming a second header based on a first information in the first header, associating the payload portion with the second header to form a modified packet and switching the modified packet based on a second information contained in the first header.

Abstract: A butane fuel supply container for a cooking stove, the container has a thin side wall held rigid by the vapor pressure of the fuel, but the side wall can be finger deformed when the can has been depressurized or hand crushed with the exit valve of the container open, the vapor therein being expelled as the container is deformed or crushed. The vapor tube has a vapor entrance in the vapor pocket above the pool of liquid fuel when the container is correctly oriented in the stove. The vapor tube passes vapor through a valve at the dome of the container.

Abstract: A differential RF input signal drives the plus and minus terminals of a center tapped primary winding, which couples the differential RF input signal to the plus and minus terminals of a center tapped secondary winding. From the secondary winding, the coupled, differential RF signal drives a double-balanced mixer core operating in response to a differential local oscillator signal. The output of the mixer core is a differential IF signal representative of the differential RF input signal down-converted at the local oscillator frequency. A step reduction in gain associated with the RF input signal may be implemented using bypass circuitry coupled across the primary of the transformer, wherein a relatively small resistance or impedance is coupled across the primary to effectively reduce the load of the differential amplifiers driving the primary.

Abstract: An input amplifier stage couples its output power to a second gain stage through a transformer. The transformer coupling allows for the removal of a diode voltage drop at a second gain stage, thereby allowing the collector of the transistor in the second stage to have a larger voltage swing.

Abstract: A parallel logging and recovery scheme for highly available main-memory database systems is presented. A preferred embodiment called parallel redo-only logging (“PROL”) combines physical logging and selective replay of redo-only log records. During physical logging, log records are generated with an update sequence number representing the sequence of database update. The log records are replayed selectively during recovery based on the update sequence number. Since the order of replaying log records doesn't matter in physical logging, PROL makes parallel operations possible. Since the physical logging does not depend on the state of the object to which the log records are applied, the present invention also makes it easy to construct a log-based hot standby system.