Abstract: A wearable electronic device including: a first portion and a second portion. The first portion includes a first conductive area on a first inner surface of the first portion and a third conductive area on a first outer surface of the first portion. The second portion includes one or more second conductive areas on a second outer surface of the second portion and a fourth conductive area on a second inner surface of the second portion, wherein the first portion is connected to the second portion. A circuit unit is disposed in a second space of the second portion, wherein the circuit unit is configured to enable an input/output unit of the circuit unit in response to the first conductive area and the second conductive areas are triggered.

Abstract: A data-compression analyzer can rapidly make a binary decision to compress or not compress an input data block or can use a slower neural network to predict the block's compression ratio with a regression model. A Concentration Value (CV) that is the sum of the squares of the frequencies and a Number of Zero (NZ) symbols are calculated from an un-sorted symbol frequency table. A rapid decision to compress is signaled when their product CV*NZ exceeds a horizontal threshold THH. During training, CV*NZ is plotted as a function of compression ratio C % for many training data blocks. Different test values of THH are applied to the plot to determine true and false positive rates that are plotted as a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. The point on the ROC curve having the largest Youden index is selected as the optimum THH for use in future binary decisions.

Abstract: A level shifter circuit uses standard n-channel and p-channel transistors except for a pair of Lateral-Diffusion Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (LDMOS) transistors that have an added lateral diffusion under the gate between the source and the conduction channel, increasing the breakdown voltage. The source of each LDMOS transistor connects to a drain of a transient differential transistor that has its gate driven by a oneshot that generates a pulse after an input transition. After the pulse ends a holding differential transistor draws a smaller bias current from the LDMOS transistors. The source of each LDMOS transistor connects to the drain and gate of a p-channel sensing transistor that drives gates of mirror transistors generating mirrored currents to cross-coupled n-channel mirror transistors that drive both terminals of a bistable latch that holds the output using a floating ground between driver transistors of a Buck converter switched by the bistable latch.

Abstract: An On-Off Shift Keying (OOK) receiver has non-continuous Automatic Gain Control (AGC) that sets gain at the beginning of each frame and locks the gain setting for the remainder of the frame, preventing OOK data from causing AGC loop instability. An AGC controller initializes to maximum the gain settings for a Low-Noise Amplifier (LNA), Low-Pass Filter (LPF), and a Programmable Gain Amplifier (PGA) in series that power a rectifier generating a voltage output to a 1/0 data decision circuit. A level detector compares the voltage output to two thresholds. When both thresholds are exceeded, the AGC controller steps down gain settings until the voltage output is between the two thresholds, when the gain settings are locked for the remainder of the current frame. A frame detector resets the AGC controller between frames when a long series of 0 data between frames is detected. LNA gain is reduced last.

Abstract: A transient blockchain proxy server consolidates many individual requests to add data to a blockchain by aggregating hashed data from these requests and sending the aggregated hashed data to the blockchain network as a single request. The blockchain network adds a new block to the blockchain with the aggregated hashed data and returns a transaction identifier for the new block to the transient blockchain proxy server, which passes the transaction identifier back to all the requestors who then can directly use the blockchain network to verify the hashed data using the transaction identifier. The transient blockchain proxy server buffers all incoming requests until one of the pending requests reaches a send timepoint that is the blockchain network delay plus a buffer time before a guaranteed time of verification. All incoming requests are then consolidated and sent as a single transaction to the blockchain network. Tiered verification-time services are enabled.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide hierarchical, differential privacy enhancements to federated, machine learning. Local machine learning models may be generated and/or trained by data owners participating in the federated learning framework based on their respective data sets. Noise corresponding to and satisfying a first privacy loss requirement are introduced to the data owners' respective data sets, and noise corresponding to and satisfying a first privacy loss requirement are introduced to the local models generated and/or trained by the data owners. The data owners transmit model data corresponding to their respective local models to a coordinator, which in turn aggregates the data owners' model data. After introducing noise corresponding to and satisfying a third privacy loss requirement to the aggregated model data, the coordinator transmits the aggregated model data to the data owners to facilitate updating and/or re-training on their respective machine learning models.

Abstract: A fiber-optic sensor matt detects movements of a person on the matt that cause microbending of a fiber-optic cable that is arranged into a symmetric pair of radial ring groups within the matt. There are no cross-over points or overlapping of the fiber-optic cable within the symmetric pair of radial ring groups that could cause fiber wear and noisy readings. Microbending of the fiber-optic cable pressed into a mesh modulates the light intensity received, which is analyzed to extract both respiration and heart BallistoCardioGram (BCG) waveforms by convolution with Daubechies dB5 wavelet and scaling functions. The reconstructed level-4 detail waveform is output as the extracted BCG, while the reconstructed level-6 approximation waveform is output as the extracted respiration waveform. Respiration and heart rates and variations can be generated from the extracted waveforms. An integrated Fast Wavelet Transform (FWT) using dB5 wavelet thus generates both respiration rate and heart rate.

Abstract: Computer implemented methods and computerized apparatus are provided for global registration between a first point cloud and a second point cloud obtained by a scanning device on an identical spatial scene at two separate instances. The method comprises extracting a first set of discriminative line-pairs from the first point cloud and a second set of discriminative line-pairs from the second point cloud, wherein a discriminative line-pair is a line-pair having high discriminative power compared to a randomly selected line-pair. In some embodiments, then a plurality of matching line-pair groups between the two sets of discriminative line-pairs are identified in accordance with one thresholding criterion related to between-line relationship, line geometry and line location; and a compass angle criterion related to compass errors of the scanning device. The method further comprises finding most reliable correspondence between the two point clouds by voting and then computing a global transformation matrix.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for automatic generation and update of a knowledge graph from multi-modal sources. The apparatus comprises a conversation parsing module configured for updating a dynamic information word set VD with labelled words generated from extracted from the multi-modal sources; updating a static information word set VS based on extracted schema of relations extracted from the multi-modal sources; and generating pairs of question and answer based on the dynamic information word set VD, the static information word set VS and the one or more sentence patterns; and a knowledge graph container configured for updating a knowledge graph based on the extracted entities of interest and schema of relations. Therefore, an efficient and cost-effective way for question decomposition, query chain construction and entity association from unstructured data is achieved.

Abstract: The invention provides a power converter apparatus for converting an alternating current (AC) power input to a direct current (DC) power output. The apparatus comprises a plurality of n single-phase power converting circuits arranged in parallel, where n is equal to or greater than 2, wherein one of said n single-phase power converting circuits comprises a single-stage AC/DC converter module having an operating AC/DC converter; and each of a remaining n?1 of said single-phase power converting circuits comprises a two-stage converter module having an AC/DC converter as an input stage and a DC/DC transformer as an output stage.

Abstract: A display inspection system for inspecting a light beam emitted from a panel with pixels positioned at several focal planes is provided. The display inspection system includes a focus tunable lens adjustable in a focal distance for focusing at the panel, a first sensing unit for receiving the light beam, a reduced aberration optical system arranged between the focus tunable lens and the first sensing unit for focusing at the first sensing unit, and one or more optical elements placed within a back focal length of the reduced aberration optical system. The reduced aberration optical system comprises a first serial cascade lens group of a first aplanatic lens and a first doublet lens for correcting an optical aberration. The first aplanatic lens and the first doublet lens are co-configured that the back focal length is extended in a manner that the light beam is incident to the first sensing unit.

Abstract: A method for analyzing environmental sounds to identify repeating noises due to power equipment for purposes of controlling noise pollution is disclosed. Ambient sounds are sampled with microphones and the resulting data analyzed by an edge computing device. The samples are compared to stored data with a convolutional neural network by the edge computing device which also performs pitch shifting and cycle shifting to reduce false negatives. Positive results are reported via LoRa and/or 4G to a cloud platform and/or backend server.

Abstract: A method for training a speech-emotion recognition classifier under a continuously updatable and re-trainable ASER machine learning model. The quantified training data is generated by first processing the utterances of a human speech source and the associated texts in an emotion evaluation and rating process with normalization; then, extracting the features of the utterance; quantifying the feature attributes of the extracted features by labelling, tagging, and weighting the feature attributes, with their values assigned under measurable scales. The quantified training data comprises the normalized results of the emotion evaluation and rating process, the extracted features, the quantified emotional feature attributes, and the hash values of the quantified emotional feature attributes.

Abstract: A computer-implement method for exchanging data between a blockchain system and a non-blockchain system is provided. The method includes: adding, by endorser nodes, periodically a plurality of status information of the endorser nodes to a smart contract of a blockchain ledger; receiving, by a first peer node, a transaction from an application; sending, by the first peer node, the received transaction to all endorser nodes; processing, by the endorser nodes, the transaction via the smart contract to obtain a plurality of endorsements; electing, by the endorser nodes, one of the endorser nodes as a target endorser node according to the status information of the endorser nodes; and transferring, by the target endorser node, the endorsed transaction to the non-blockchain system via an API corresponding to the non-blockchain system.

Abstract: A power-converter module has a switching Printed Circuit Board (PCB) with power transistors that generate heat. Ground, an input power supply, and an output power supply to the power transistors connect through metal traces on the switching PCB directly to interposer heat sinks that are soldered between the switching PCB and a system PCB. The metal traces and interposer heat sinks carry both supply or ground currents and heat away from the power transistors. These power and ground currents continue from the interposer heat sinks to the system PCB through direct solder joints between the system PCB and the interposer heat sinks. An interposer PCB has a same thickness as the interposer heat sinks and carries control signals from the system PCB to the switching PCB, bypassing the interposer heat sinks. The interposer heat sinks have an interposer portion soldered between the PCBs and fins beyond the switching PCB footprint.

Abstract: A method for image-capturing of an internal organ by a miniature imaging device, comprising: generating a light at a first light intensity on to a subject area of an internal organ and capturing an image of the subject area by a miniature imaging device configured under default exposure parameter values; computing a second light intensity and optimized exposure parameter values based on brightness of the captured image, an orientation, a position, and a motion of the miniature imaging device; and generating a light at the second light intensity on to the subject area and recapturing the image of the subject area by the miniature imaging device configured under the optimized exposure parameter values. The second light intensity and optimized exposure parameter values are derived by an ex vivo processing unit in wireless data communication with the miniature imaging device.

Abstract: A level-shifting output buffer has cascode transistors with varying rather than fixed gate bias voltages. An adaptive regulator bypasses the I/O pad voltage to a regulator output when the I/O begins switching, but later clamps the regulator output to a middle bias voltage. The regulator output can be applied to a supply terminal of a buffer that drives the gate of the cascode transistor. Since the adaptive regulator follows the I/O pad voltage as switching begins, a voltage boost is provided to the gates of the cascode transistors, allowing for higher currents or smaller cascode transistors and preventing over-voltage stress. The adaptive regulator has an n-channel bypass transistor between the I/O pad and the regulator output, and an n-channel clamp transistor between the regulator output and the middle bias, with a gate driven from the I/O pad by either a p-channel gate-biasing transistor or an n-channel gate-biasing transistor.

Abstract: A start-up routine for a Switched-Mode Power Supply (SMPS) gradually increases the duty cycle while reducing an initial dead time to a final optimal dead time for normal operation. Reliability is improved by the larger initial dead time that reduces ringing in switching transistors during low-voltage conditions early in the start-up sequence. Efficiency is improved by reducing the optimal dead time as voltages approach operating levels. The initial dead time is pre-calculated as a function of the input voltage and initial duty cycle. Optimal dead times are pre-calculated as a function of output voltage and output current. The optimal dead time is adjusted for each iteration of a second loop that also increases duty cycle until the target operating output voltage is reached. Pre-calculated dead times are based on the time required to fully charge and discharge parasitic drain-to-source capacitances in the switching transistors in the SMPS circuit.

Abstract: A Battery Management System (BMS) inspects a battery pack using AC impedance. A controller on the BMS drives a Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) output signal to an on-board excitation regulator such as a synchronous buck converter that modulates a limited energy unit such as a capacitor with a swept frequency of a PWM input signal. The capacitor modulations are applied to a terminal of the battery pack as an AC excitation signal. Synchronous sampling of the battery pack provides responses to the AC excitation signal. An AC excitation signal current and a battery response voltage are processed and Fourier-transformed to generate a Nyquist plot of the excitation-response data. Curve shifts can indicate worn battery cells. The capacitor generating the AC excitation signal draws little energy from the battery pack so AC impedance inspection can occur during all modes: charging, discharging, and idle modes without an external power supply.

Abstract: Described is a method of calibrating a camera. The method comprises obtaining geographical coordinates of a selected physical point location within an image view of the camera and measuring an angle between an x-axis of a real-world coordinate system passing through said selected point location with respect to true north. The method includes using said obtained geographical coordinates, said measured angle, and projection data derived from characteristics of the camera to derive modified projection data for transforming a two-dimensional pixel coordinate system of the camera image view into a three-dimensional geographical coordinate system for point locations within the image view of the camera.