Abstract: Various embodiments of this disclosure may describe a bandpass sigma-delta modulator (BP ??M) comprising an electromechanical filter, a quantizer coupled to the electromechanical filter, and a feedback circuit coupled between the quantizer and the electromechanical filter. Other embodiments be also be disclosed or claimed.

Abstract: An electrical connector with a first coupling device with a first connection for a first electrical cable and a second coupling device with a second connection for a second electrical cable and wherein both coupling devices are interlocking for electrical contact. The second coupling device includes a first component to contact the first coupling device by interlocking, a second component that includes the second connection, and a coupling device for electrical coupling of the first component with the second component, wherein both components are flexible relative to each other in radial and/or axial direction.

Abstract: Briefly, one or more embodiments of an amplifier, including example applications, are described.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide single or multi-port, flexible, cost-effective, built-in self-test capabilities for network communications equipment, such as for example switches, and programmably generate, and subsequently analyze, one or more sequences of test packets, wherein the test packets simulate at least two flows of traffic. Such test packets can have programmable headers, payloads, and duty cycle. A line card embodying the present invention may generate its own traffic pattern, which may be similar or identical, to traffic patterns observed on Internet backbones. These traffic patterns may contain a bimodal distribution of control packets interspersed with data packets wherein the control packets and data packets are relatively short and long respectively. A plurality of test packet generators/receivers can be deployed in a network communications device having a plurality of ports. In such a configuration, test generator/receiver is associated with each of the plurality of ports.

Abstract: Methods, medium, and machines which compress, enhance, encode, transmit, decode, decompress and display digital video images. Real time compression is achieved by sub-sampling each frame of a video signal, filtering the pixel values, and encoding. Real time transmission is achieved due to high levels of effective compression. Real time decompression is achieved by decoding and decompressing the encoded data to display high quality images. A receiver can alter various setting including, but not limited to, the format for the compression, image size, frame rate, brightness and contrast. In a Doppler improvement aspect of the invention, Doppler velocity scales are incorporated into grayscale compression methods using two bits. Variable formats may be selected and Doppler encoding can be turned on and off based on the image content. Frames or sets of pixels may be distinguished by automated analysis of the characteristics of an image, such as the presence of Doppler enhanced pixels.

Abstract: The invention presents new methods of compression, transmission, and decompression of video signals providing increased speed and image quality and for protecting against camcorder piracy. Methods based on selecting an anchor frame, wavelet transformation with decimation and time stamping can provide one-pass encoding of signals in which the amount of bits of information needed to be transmitted can be substantially reduced, thereby increasing the speed of transmission of digital signals over networks. Decompressing signals, along with interpolation methods to re-create portions of images of lesser importance in visual perception, can provide coordinated video and audio presentations of high quality in real-time over all kinds of networks and frame interpolation resulting in a displayed frame rate significantly higher than 30 fps. The use of randomly selected anchor frames can render reconstructed transmitted images of poor quality for pirates who do not have access to identities of anchor frames.

Abstract: A catheter introducer system is provided with a catheter sheath having a valve providing for a friction fit around a catheter. The friction fit is selectively adjustable to vary between a first configuration for longitudinal movement of the catheter through the valve and a second configuration for holding the catheter longitudinally in place. The valve may include a chuck to grip the catheter radially. The chuck may include an annular base and an opposed annular clamp, and a washer disposed between the base and the clamp. At least one of the base and the clamp may include a beveled surface that forces the washer radially inwardly as the base and the clamp are drawn together. The system also includes one or more dilators layered within the sheath. One or more of the dilators may include a preformed arcuate portion configured to access a targeted branched vessel. The layered dilators and sheaths are typically softer and more hydrophilic proceeding from the innermost dilator out to the sheath.

Abstract: A method and firmware for method of generating a digital dimming waveform for an inverter includes steps of receiving programmable parameters as input to firmware in an inverter voltage microcontroller including a soft start duration, a restrike voltage, a restrike duration, a recovery duration, a sustaining voltage, a dimming duty cycle, and an inverter frequency; and generating by firmware in the inverter voltage microcontroller a first portion of a pulse-width modulated digital switch control signal having a frequency equal to the inverter frequency and a duty cycle that varies from a first value to a second value during a time interval equal to the soft start duration.

Abstract: A bulk acoustic wave, BAW, resonator device comprising first and second metal layers (10, 20) and an intervening piezoelectric layer (30), the first metal layer (10) comprising spaced first and second portions (12, 14), wherein the first and second portions (12, 14) are each arranged as a plurality of interconnected fingers (16, 18), and wherein each of the plurality of fingers (16) of the first portion (12) is acoustically coupled to at least one of the fingers (18) of the second portion (14). In one embodiment the fingers of the first portion (12) are interlaced with the fingers (18) of the second portion (14), thereby providing direct coupling. In another embodiment the acoustic coupling between the fingers of the first and second portions is provided indirectly by further portions (15) of the first metal layer (10).

Abstract: A computation node according to various embodiments of the invention includes at least one input port capable of being coupled to at least one first other 5 computation node, a first store coupled to the input port(s) to store input data, a second store to receive and store instructions, an instruction wakeup unit to match the input data to the instructions, at least one execution unit to execute the instructions, using the input data to produce output data, and at least one output port capable of being coupled to at least one second other computation node. The node may also include a router to direct the output data from the output port(s) to the second other node. A system according to various embodiments of the invention includes and external instruction sequencer to fetch a group of instructions, and one or more interconnected, preselected computational nodes.

Abstract: An efficient person search method utilizing human communications characteristics such as close social network, user-dependent hot list, and high skewness in access popularity. This method makes use of hot lists in the routing process and clusters people of the same community together in the search graph, thereof creating a “small-world” effect to minimize the hop counts routing would have to go through in a Peer-to-Peer environment.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described for determining locations of a number of communication devices in a network. A method for determining locations of a number of communication devices in a network may include one or more of solving an objective function to determine a first set of locations of one or more of the number of communication devices. The method may further include re-solving either the objective function or a modified variant of the objective function, to determine a second set of locations of the communication devices; comparing the first set of locations with the second set of locations; and determining the locations of the communication devices based at least in part on the comparing.

Abstract: A gateway adapted to establish a connection between itself and a WWAN, wherein the gateway has a WWAN interface adapted to receive data from and transmit data to the WWAN on behalf of devices of a LAN, is described herein. The gateway may further determine whether the WWAN interface is associated with a service agreement that provides for use of the gateway. If so, the gateway may operate the WWAN interface in accordance with the service agreement.

Abstract: A portable trommel has a chassis, including support wheels at one end thereof for movement of the trommel. A trommel is rotatably mounted on the chassis and has an input and an output end. A hopper and an input conveyor, for supplying material to be screened to the input end of the trommel, are mounted on the chassis adjacent the input end of the trommel. An output or fines conveyor, for collecting material passing through the trommel screen, is mounted on the chassis, below the trommel. A stockpiling conveyor is mounted on the chassis and has a lower end adapted to receive screened material from the fines conveyor and an upper end for discharging screened material to form a stockpile. The stockpiling conveyor can be in two parts, which can be folded into a retracted position for storage and transportation, and further can be mounted for rotation about a vertical axis to enable an arcuate storage pile to be formed.

Abstract: A starting contour is defined surrounding around an elementary object delimited by a natural contour in a video image. On the basis of the starting contour, an original active contour is defined, formed by a set of nodes distributed on this starting contour, each node being formed by a point belonging to this starting contour and by an elastic energy function representative of the distance separating this node from a neighbouring node. With regards to a set of reference values representative of the contour of this object, the active contour is subjected to a convergent deformation under a blocking condition, by displacing at least one of the nodes of the original active contour toward the natural contour of the elementary object to generate a current active contour iteratively subjected to this convergent deformation.