Abstract: An input protection circuit (110) for an optocoupler (20) is provided. The input protection circuit (110) includes a first voltage limiter (D1) with a first terminal that is electrically coupled to an input terminal of an amplifier circuit (120), wherein the input terminal of the amplifier circuit (120) is configured to receive a PWM signal and the amplifier circuit (120) is configured to provide a voltage to the optocoupler (20).

Abstract: A self-balancing electric vehicle may include a platform having first and second foot placement sections rigidly coupled to each other, and a pair of coaxial, motorized wheels independently mounted between the first and second foot placement sections. The first and second wheels may be coupled to the platform via spring suspensions. Rider presence and turning intentions may be determined based on strain induced in the platform by the rider. The strain may be detected by one or more strain gauge systems. One of the strain gauge systems may be configured for use in a steering control circuit, and may include a strain gauge sensor mounted diagonally with respect to a long axis of the platform, such that the strain gauge detects only twist-induced strain.

Abstract: System for generating a distally traveling synthetic esophageal motion within a subject's esophagus. Includes: elongated member sized and configured for nasal or oral placement into the esophagus; series of stimulators mounted/mountable on and distributed along a length of elongated member, for stimulating portions along an esophageal length spanning between esophagus LES and UES, and include at least two longitudinally spaced electrodes, chargeable to opposite polarities; and signal generator for generating and sending sequences of stimulating signals to stimulators, to evoke a plurality of local esophageal contractions as distally traveling synthetic esophageal motion along the esophageal length. Also disclosed is an implant suitable for use in generating a distally traveling synthetic esophageal motion within a subject's esophagus, for example, suitable for use in the disclosed system.

Abstract: The present application describes a vending machine, communicatively coupled with a server. The vending machine comprises a Vending Machine Controller (VMC), a Data Exchange (DEX), a Vivid Transaction System (VTS), a payment device and a microcontroller. The microcontroller selects one of the DEX and the VTS, by changing a jumper setting on a GPIO. The microcontroller communicates with the VMC, the DEX and/or the VTS and the payment device in order to facilitate transaction associated with the vending machine. The microcontroller extracts at least one of inventory data and transaction data from the DEX or VTS associated with the vending machine and transmit at least one of the inventory data and the transaction data to the server for further processing and analysis. The microcontroller receives recommendation information pertaining to at least one of inventory and transaction associated to the vending machine from the server based upon the processing and analysis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a printed circuit board assembly including a substrate having a plurality of conductive layers vertically sandwiched between a first cap-insulation layer and a second cap-insulation layer. The substrate has a first part, a second part and a third part. For protecting the conductive layers from moisture, each of the areas of the conductive layers corresponding to the second part is smaller than the area of the first cap-insulation layer corresponding to the second part for at least a first predetermined percentage, and each of the areas of the conductive layers corresponding to the second part is smaller than the area of the second cap-insulation layer corresponding to the second part for at least the first predetermined percentage.

Abstract: A detection method for detecting a programming operation of a flash memory includes issuing a program command of the programming operation to the flash memory, by a controller, issuing a first read status command to the flash memory, by the controller, before a page program time of the flash memory has been reached, and determining whether the programming operation is performed in the flash memory according to a first memory status corresponding to the first read status command provided by the flash memory.

Abstract: A method of controlling a viscosity of fuel in a fuel control system with a vibratory meter is provided. The method includes providing the fuel to the vibratory meter, measuring a property of the fuel with the vibratory meter, and generating a signal based on the measured property of the fuel. The method also includes providing the signal to a temperature control unit configured to control the temperature of the fuel provided to the vibratory meter.

Abstract: The technology disclosed relates to simplifying updating of a predictive model using clustering observed points. In particular, it relates to observing a set of points in 3D sensory space, determining surface normal directions from the points, clustering the points by their surface normal directions and adjacency, accessing a predictive model of a hand, refining positions of segments of the predictive model, matching the clusters of the points to the segments, and using the matched clusters to refine the positions of the matched segments. It also relates to distinguishing between alternative motions between two observed locations of a control object in a 3D sensory space by accessing first and second positions of a segment of a predictive model of a control object such that motion between the first position and the second position was at least partially occluded from observation in a 3D sensory space.

Abstract: A data storage device includes a flash memory, a voltage detection device, and a controller. The flash memory is arranged to store data. The voltage detection device is arranged to detect a supply voltage received by the data storage device. The controller is configured to receive write commands from a host, and perform a prohibition mode when the supply voltage is outside a predetermined range, wherein the write command is arranged to enable the controller to write the flash memory, and the controller is further configured to disable all of the write commands received from the host in the prohibition mode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a data storage device that includes a flash memory and a controller. The flash memory has a plurality of blocks, and each of the blocks has a plurality of pages arranged sequentially along a first direction. The controller determines whether an X-th page of a temporary block of the blocks can be successfully read when the data storage device resumes operation after a power-off event, and writes dummy data and a temporary-block table into the (X+1)-th page of the temporary block when the X-th page can be successfully read, wherein the X-th page is the page that was read last from the temporary block before the power-off event occurred, the temporary-block table records the information of all the pages in the temporary block, and X is a positive integer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a data storage device including a flash memory, a plurality of counting control arrays and a controller. The flash memory includes a plurality of chips, each chip has a plurality of pages arranged to be assembled into a super block according to a predetermined order, and each of the super blocks includes the pages of the different chips. The controller keeps the value of a first field of a first counting control array corresponding to a first chip required to be read and writes a second value into the other fields except for the first field of the first counting control array when the first field is a first value, and writes the first value into the first field and keeps the values of the other fields of the first counting control array when the first field is the second value.

Abstract: An aquatic body cover for use with a monofin. The body cover having a sleeve portion dimensioned to cover a region of a human body extending from a waist to an ankle of the human body and hold the legs substantially together. The body cover further including a foot portion integrally formed with an end of the sleeve portion, wherein the foot portion comprises a first bootie and a second bootie, the first bootie and the second bootie being dimensioned to separately cover each foot of the human body and allow for movement of one foot with respect to the other.

Abstract: The technology disclosed relates to manipulating a virtual object. In particular, it relates to detecting a hand in a three-dimensional (3D) sensory space and generating a predictive model of the hand, and using the predictive model to track motion of the hand. The predictive model includes positions of calculation points of fingers, thumb and palm of the hand. The technology disclosed relates to dynamically selecting at least one manipulation point proximate to a virtual object based on the motion tracked by the predictive model and positions of one or more of the calculation points, and manipulating the virtual object by interaction between at least some of the calculation points of the predictive model and the dynamically selected manipulation point.

Abstract: A data storage device includes a flash memory and a controller. The flash memory includes a memory array. The controller performs a programming operation for the flash memory. After the controller issues a program command of the programming operation to the flash memory, the controller issues a first read status command to the flash memory before a page program time of the flash memory has been reached, and the controller determines whether the programming operation is performed in the flash memory according to a first memory status provided by the flash memory.

Abstract: A method for reading data from a storage unit of a flash memory, performed by a processing unit, including at least the following steps: A first read command is received from a master device via a first access interface. It is determined whether data requested by the first read command has been cached in a first buffer, which caches continuous data obtained from a storage unit. A second access interface is directed to read the data requested by the first read command from the storage unit and store the read data in a second buffer and the first access interface is directed to read the data requested by the first read command from the second buffer and clock the read data out to the master device when data requested by the first read command has not been cached in the first buffer.