Abstract: Base station transmitter signals are combined more effectively through the use of anti-phase pilots between pairs of transmission paths. At the combiner, the pilots will cancel when the amplitude, phase, and delay of the two transmission paths entering the combiner are matched. As a result, the pilots will not appear at the output except when the alignment is incorrect. By detecting the residual pilot at the combiner output, the information is used to adjust the alignment of one of the transmission paths to match the other. The adjustments to the amplitude, phase, and delay are performed on the input signal, after the pilot injection.

Abstract: A detail enhancement system uses a detail filter bank including multiple detail filters covering different frequency ranges. An input video signal representing a digital image is processed in the detail filter, wherein detail signals are extracted by the detail filters at different frequency ranges. Shoot suppression blocks and coring blocks are provided for each detail filter to prevent overshoot/undershoot artifacts and small ringing artifacts, respectively. The overall detail signal is amplitude scaled, and added back to the input signal as an enhancement, to generate a detail enhanced output signal.

Abstract: A “water free,” proton conducting membrane for use in a fuel cell is fabricated as a highly conducting sheet of converted solid state organic amine salt, such as converted acid salt of triethylenediamine with two quaternized tertiary nitrogen atoms, combined with a nanoparticulate oxide and a stable binder combined with the converted solid state organic amine salt to form a polymeric electrolyte membrane. In one embodiment the membrane is derived from triethylenediamine sulfate, hydrogen phosphate or trifiate, an oxoanion with at least one ionizable hydrogen, organic tertiary amine bisulfate, polymeric quaternized amine bisulfate or phosphate, or polymeric organic compounds with quaternizable nitrogen combined with Nafion to form an intimate network with ionic interactions.

Abstract: An RF power amplifier having reduced memory effects is disclosed. This is achieved by a novel design of the DC supply feed network to achieve low impedance across video frequencies, whilst maintaining the correct RF output matching. One or more transmission zeros are provided in the bias circuit transfer function, which are positioned in the video bandwidth so as to provide low and relatively constant impedance across the video bandwidth. Also, a parallel DC feed line may be employed to reduce impedance across the video bandwidth. The reduction in memory effects allows improved performance of predistortion linearization techniques and an implementation in a feed forward amplifier employing predistortion linearization is also disclosed.

Abstract: A water heater security system includes a woven, flexible strap disposed around a water heater to maintain the water heater in a fixed relationship with an adjacent wall. The system includes a pair of wall brackets and may include a buckle assembly. The strap may be formed with two or four ends at least one of which is adjustably attachable to one of the wall brackets or buckle. The buckle can be stamped from metal and bent back on itself to form a slide channel with two sidebars and a crossbar. A slide is disposed within the channel. Side flanges can be formed on the buckle portions or the slide.

Abstract: A temperature compensated apparatus for filtering light is comprised of a holographically recorded grating defined in a photosensitive layer for providing optical filtration for light incident on the grating with a predetermined angle of incidence, and an angulation means responsive to temperature for tilting the grating relative to the angle of incidence of the light as a function of temperature of the grating so that changes in the filtration by the grating compensate for changes in temperature of the grating to maintain effective filtration of the light approximately constant.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for detecting, commanding and controlling diverse home devices currently connected to a home network. An interface is provided for accessing the home devices that are currently connected to a home network. According to the method, a device link file is generated, wherein the device link file identifies home devices that are currently connected to the home network. A device link page is created, wherein the device link page contains a device button that is associated with each home device that is identified in the device link file. A hyper-text link is associated with each device button, wherein the hyper-text link provides a link to an HTML page that is contained on the home device that is associated with the device button, and the device link page is displayed on a browser based home device.

Abstract: A resonator structure is presented comprising a closed loop resonator having a distributed Bragg reflector for confining the light within the guiding core. In one embodiment the light is confined from both the internal and the external sides of the device forming a guiding channel (defect) or just by the external side forming a disk resonator. Although the perfectly circular shape is generally preferred, the resonator could be of any closed loop shape such as an ellipse, etc. Although not mentioned explicitly throughout the text, the Bragg reflectors can of any type of distributed reflector such as, for example, a photonic bandgap crystal where the Bragg reflector is constructed by series of holes in a dielectric material. The resonator structure can be used in various applications, such as optical filters, lasers, modulators, spectrum analyzers, wavelockers, interleave filters, and optical add drop multiplexers.

Abstract: A method for edge direction detection at a selected pixel on a center-line between two lines of an image includes defining two vectors using certain pixels on the two lines. A vector norm is defined which gives an indication of the correlation of between pixels of one vector and pixels of the other vector. If a vertical vector norm value indicates a low correlation in the vertical direction, then it can be assumed that the selected pixel is in a non-vertical edge area. Vector norm values associated with small angles from the vertical direction are used to determine candidate directions for the non-vertical edge. If a candidate direction is verified as being a preferred direction, then a direction-fine tuning process is performed in which vector norm values associated with big angles from the vertical direction are calculated in order to find a more accurate direction for the non-vertical edge.

Abstract: Interlaced video signals are processed by mixing spatially interpolated video signals with temporally interpolated video signals. The respectively interpolated signals are mixed in dependence on a degree of motion at the given location in the video picture, as defined by a motion decision parameter. In order to dependably determine whether motion is to be taken into account in a current frame, motion decisions of previous frames are taken into account. That is, to define the motion decision parameter and to exclude false determinations, the motion decision parameter is computed recursively, by taking into account motion decision parameters of the associated previous fields.

Abstract: A motion decision value provides a dependable estimate whether motion occurs in a given region of a video image in an interlaced video sequence. The motion detection is particularly applicable in the conversion from interlaced video to progressive video. An input first is fed to an absolute value former which computes a frame difference signal from a difference between the first field and the second field in one frame. A point-wise motion detection in the frame difference signal is then followed by a region-wise motion detection that combines the point-wise motion detection signal with an adjacent point-wise motion detection signal delayed by one field. The motion decision value is then computed from the region-wise motion detection signal and output for further processing in the video signal processing system, such as for choosing whether the spatially interpolated video signal value or the temporally interpolated video signal value should be used for the output.

Abstract: A system and method for post filtering signal peak reduction adapted for use in a multi-carrier communication system incorporating a source of a multi-carrier communication signal band limited in plural bands corresponding to the plural carriers. A first signal path receives as an input the band limited multi-carrier communication signal. A second parallel signal path includes a peak reduction calculation circuit for calculating a peak reduction correction signal and a plurality of filters providing a plurality of parallel filtering operations on the peak reduction correction signal corresponding to the plural bands to which the communication system is limited. The filtered peak reduction correction signals and delayed input signal are combined to provide peak adjusted output signals without violating the band limits of the communication signal or the modulation scheme of the communication signal.

Abstract: A snap-hook that has a hook, forming a portion of an eye loop, and a lever that is pivotally movable relative to the hook. The lever forms a remaining portion of said eye loop with respect to the hook. A thumb tab is connected to the lever, and is positioned in a slot defined in the hook. The thumb tab is slidable in the slot relative to the hook, forming a release mechanism, such that the sliding movement of the thumb tab in the slot causes the lever to pivot relative to the hook to open said eye loop. The snap-hook has essentially broad, opposing, front and back sides, and relatively narrower edges, such that the back side of the snap-hook can be placed into the palm of a user's hand to hold the snap. The thumb tab is located on the front side of the snap-hook to allow simpler holding of the snap-hook and operation of the release mechanism with one hand while essentially eliminating swiveling of the snap-hook in the hand.

Abstract: A multi-leaf collimator is disclosed which alleviates the problems of inter-leaf leakage and pixellation. The collimator comprises a first multi-leaf collimator set, a second multi-leaf collimator set at an acute angle to the first, and a third multi-leaf collimator set at an acute angle to the second. Each multi-leaf collimator set will usually include a pair of leaf banks mutually opposed to each other. The acute angle between the first and the second multi-leaf collimator set is preferably the same as the acute angle between the second and the third set. A suitable angle is about 60°.

Abstract: A tortilla press utilizing a single sensor provides improved efficiency and accuracy. The press has a belt driven by a motor and a platen driven by a hydraulic cylinder. The motor is controlled by an AC inverter. A programmable logic controller (PLC) controls the AC inverter and hydraulics associated with the hydraulic cylinder of the platen. The PLC coordinates the movement of the belt and the movement of the platen. A sensor detects detectible elements on the belt and sends a signal to the inverter to initiate stopping of the belt. The inverter detects the zero hertz from the motor once the motor and belt have stopped and sends a signal to the PLC indicating that the belt has stopped. The PLC in turn passes a command that sends a signal to bring the platen down.

Abstract: High-functionality bowl structure comprising a hollow containment body capable of containing food to be cooked or warmed, the said hollow containment body having a base, the peculiarity of which is that it comprises a thermal base fixed to the said base and capable of transmitting heat from an external heat source into the said hollow containment body.

Abstract: A plurality of light sources, each radiating a color of light; a corresponding plurality of reflectors are arranged and configured so that the reflector reflects light from a predetermined one of the plurality of light sources. The reflected light from the plurality of reflectors is mixed to generate a composite light from the plurality of light sources. A sequenced or stacked array of the light sources and dichroic reflectors mixes the reflected light from the reflectors. Each reflector is positioned on a common optical axis with an aligned corresponding one of the plurality of light sources to provide a light source and reflector pair. Each reflector is coated with a dichroic filter material which reflects the color of light radiated by the corresponding light source of the pair, and which transmits light radiated by all preceding light sources in the sequenced array.

Abstract: An apparatus provides automatically controlled facial rejuvenation treatments and is comprised of a scanner for scanning a patient's face, a treatment robot, including a plurality of dermatological devices for treatment of facial skin, and a computer coupled to the scanner and robot for determining a treatment protocol of the patient's face based on a scanned input of the patient's face and for generating a plurality of commands for the treatment robot for movement and/or control of the plurality of dermatological devices for the automated treatment of the skin of the patient's face. A dermatological laser, needle injector, and/or air injector are used. The needle injector injects a minute amount of substance at a multiplicity of points within a computer-identified treatment area on the patient's face.

Abstract: The sender of a multicast in a computer network attaches an official release time to the message being multicast, asking every receiver to process the message at or after the official release time. A receiver may receive a cancellation notice after receiving the multicast message but before its official release time. The official release time is chosen so that the multicast can succeed or be cancelled by the official release time with the probability at or above a user selected level under reasonably bounded numbers of occurrences of permanent and temporary faults and reasonably bounded durations of temporary faults. This multicast protocol is formulated to suit the environment where it is not worth it for a node to wait for a reply from another node beyond a certain time-period, called the timeout period.