Abstract: A method of operating a traffic sensor to define ranges of centers of traffic lanes from the traffic sensor is described. The method comprises a) providing a set of lane center variables representing the ranges of the centers of the traffic lanes from the traffic sensor; b) initializing each lane center variable in the set of lane center variables to have an associated starting range value; and then, c) updating the set of lane center variables by, for each vehicle in a plurality of vehicles, i) detecting the vehicle, ii) determining an associated lane center variable having an associated lane center range value closest to the vehicle; iii) estimating a vehicle displacement from the associated lane center range value, and iv) calculating a new lane center range value for the associated lane centre variable using the associated lane center range value and the vehicle displacement.

Abstract: A sensor for obtaining vehicular traffic data is described. The sensor includes a housing having a front surface. The sensor also includes an antenna plate having an antenna ground surface and a radiating surface. The antenna plate is disposed within the housing for transmitting radiation to a vehicle through the front surface and for receiving the radiation reflected back from the vehicle through the front surface. A transceiver circuit plate is disposed within the housing for electrically driving the antenna plate. The transceiver circuit plate has a component side for supporting circuit components and a circuit ground side for grounding the circuit components. The antenna ground surface is between the radiating surface and the transceiver circuit plate. A processor unit drives and processes electrical signals from the transceiver circuit plate to obtain vehicular traffic data.

Abstract: A method of extracting a radial velocity characteristic of a target from coherent pulse bursts comprising the steps of applying to data a ‘best fit’ model of the echo returns from a target in the presence of clutter to obtain a residue (error) value and minimising the error value by a predetermined method to give the best fit value for the target radial velocity. The method enables more information to be retrieved from coherent bursts than conventional methods and therefore greatly enhances performance of radiation pulse echo detection.

Abstract: Memory devices used to control delay line circuitry, and that may be implemented in one embodiment to provide a self-tuning delay line device using empirical calibration technique/s to achieve a desired signal delay. The memory control device may be implemented to store electrical characteristics of the delay line circuitry during testing to enable self-calibration of the delay line circuitry.

Abstract: The invention is a consumable guide tube comprising a thin first elongated strip, a second elongated strip and a plurality of insulators. The thin first elongated strip has a front face and a back face and the front face has at least one longitudinal channel. The second elongated strip has a front face and a back face and the front face of the second elongated strip is configured to be coupled to the front face of the thin first elongated strip. The plurality of insulator modules are deposited on the back face of the thin first elongated strip and on the back face of the second elongated strip. Preferably, the thin first elongated strip is a low carbon cold rolled steel strip, and the second elongated strip is a low carbon hot rolled steel strip. The guide tube can also be configured to comprise two or more longitudinal channels.

Abstract: A radio frequency communications network system and protocol for allowing the dissemination of data to be shared by devices within a network. The invention is particularly useful when the devices are out of transmission range of each other. The network includes repeater devices located between the devices to manage a data transfer in the network. The invention also provides for data transfer management in the presence of collisions between conflicting data transmissions.

Abstract: A communications system and protocol for a radio communications network including a number of transceiver devices. The protocol ensures that network variables to be shared by all devices are correctly received and updated by all devices. The protocol also provides for accurately detecting the transition from one time slot to another, in a given data transaction.

Abstract: A total activity measure for a current picture to be encoded in a set of consecutive pictures of a video sequence is calculated first. Based on the total activity measure of the current picture and an activity-to-complexity ratio of a previously encoded picture of the same type in the set of consecutive pictures, a complexity measure of the current picture is estimated. With the estimated complexity measure of the current picture, an instantaneous complexity measure for the set of consecutive pictures is updated. A target bit budget is allocated to the current picture depending on the estimated complexity measure and the instantaneous complexity measure. The current picture is encoded according to the target bit budget, and the activity-to-complexity ratio for the current picture is computed based on the total activity, actual bits consumed by the current picture, and the average quantization step size of the current picture.

Abstract: A method for a 3:2 pull-down film source detection. First, a source is received. Then, field differences of two fields of the same type in the source and an average field difference according to the field difference corresponding to at least one prior field in the source are calculated. The source is established as a 3:2 pull-down film source by checking whether a 3:2 pull-down signature is in the source according to the field difference and the average field difference, and a bad editing point is detected according to an interlaced frame information of the source.

Abstract: A frequency synchronization apparatus and method for OFDM systems. The frequency synchronization apparatus is comprised of a digital mixer, a first synchronizer and a second synchronizer. The digital mixer acquires a baseband signal by means of a local frequency and adjusts the local frequency in response to an integer frequency offset and a fractional frequency offset. The first synchronizer takes a sequence of received samples derived from the baseband signal in a time domain to estimate the fractional frequency offset. The fractional frequency offset is fed back to the digital mixer. After that, the second synchronizer takes a sequence of demodulated symbols derived from the baseband signal in a frequency domain. The second synchronizer yields the integer frequency offset through a coarse search stage and a fine search stage. Then, the integer frequency offset is fed back to the digital mixer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a portable seating device (e.g., portable stadium seat) that includes a seat and a backrest movably interconnected with the seat, and that is generally positionable in both stowed and deployed positions. The backrest also may be selectively movable toward and/or away from the seat, at least when the device is in the deployed position. One embodiment of the device may include a base that is interfacable with a supporting surface on which the device is to be supported, and a mechanism for rotatably interconnecting the seat with the base. Accordingly, the seat may be rotatable relative to the base. Another embodiment of the device may include a stand having a first end that is detachably interconnectable with the seat and/or base, and a second end that may be spaced from the base and interfacable with the supporting surface on which the device is to be supported.

Abstract: An organic light emitting diode (OLED)/polymer OLED (PLED) displays and operation with a precharge latency. Particularly, precharging operation of such a display device with a precharge switch latency. According to the operation, a capacitive aspect of a display element is precharged, and the display element is activated so as to conducting a current therethrough. The precharging is terminated after the activation of the display element. Then a current is supplied and conducted through the display element for exposure of the display element. In this operation, a precharge droop that may occur during the transition between precharge and exposure can be avoided or minimized.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a stereo video display with non-stereo video source includes a memory, a read/write controller and a motion analyzer. The memory stores a current frame, a previous frame of the current frame, and a next frame for the current frame that is in preparation. The current frame and the previous frame are for a dextral image and a sinistral image of a stereoscopic image respectively. The read/write controller controls the addresses to write the current frame and the next frame into the memory, and the reading order of the current frame and the previous frame.

Abstract: A write protection mechanism may be implemented that is external to a non-volatile memory device and/or that is external to controller/s that interface with the non-volatile memory device, thus providing increased security over unauthorized and/or undesirable write cycles to the memory device. Write protection security may be further enhanced by providing a write protection control signal that is external to the non-volatile memory and attached memory controller/s, thus preventing accidental or intentional override.

Abstract: A packaging structure and an assembly method are disclosed. A packaging structure includes a substrate, a die, conductive wires, and conductively filled material. The substrate includes a conductive structure, and the conductive wires are insulator-coated. The die is mounted on the substrate, and the conductive wires are connected between the die and the conductive structure. The conductively filled material is formed among the conductive wires. In the assembly method, the die is firstly mounted on the substrate, followed by connecting the conductive wires between the die and the conductive structure, and finally forming the conductively filled material among the conductive wires.

Abstract: A signal source identification system and associated method are disclosed that utilize wavelet-based signal processing to facilitate signal source identification. In particular, the wavelet-based signal processing enables the extraction of fingerprint type signatures for signal sources using wavelet packet processing, and supplementary signal processing can be used to further enhance the accuracy of the system. This signal source identification system can be used for identifying signal sources within a received data signal, used for providing security features by verifying the identify of a transmitting device, and/or used in other environments where it is desirable to identify or differentiate among signal sources. Other features and variations can be implemented, if desired.

Abstract: A TV decoder. The decoder comprises a converter producing a plurality of first bits by sampling a base-band TV signal within a sampling period, and transmitting the first bits in groups, wherein the first bits in each one of the groups undergo parallel transmission through a plurality of first signals, and a demodulator receives the first bits and produces a plurality of second bits controlling the first signals, wherein the second bits are sequentially transmitted through a second signal input to the converter.

Abstract: A novel heat exchanger includes a thermal reservoir and a tube, the tube having straight sections and corrugated bends, and being in thermal contact with the thermal reservoir. The thermal reservoir has a first plate and a second plate fixed to the first plate. The first plate has a channel formed therein with straight sections to receive the straight sections of the tube, and curved sections for receiving the corrugated sections of the tube. The second plate has a channel formed therein as well that is complementary to the channel of the first plate. The heat exchanger is heated by one or more cartridge heaters. In a particular embodiment, two thermal reservoirs are fixed to one another and the cartridge heaters are disposed in channels formed therebetween. Optionally the thermal reservoirs can be heated or cooled by thermoelectric chips, and can include one or more heat sinks.

Abstract: A dual-band bandpass filter with stepped-impedance resonators uses only one circuit to generate dual-band effect. It adopts the principle of stepped-impedance resonator, which contains a connecting section and two coupling sections. The impedance and electrical length of the connecting section and coupling sections conforms to a selected condition to generate two passbands at desired frequencies. A multi-layer broadside-coupled parallel lines structure may be applied to increase coupling-amount between the parallel lines so that the dual-band bandpass filters have broader bandwidth and less loss.

Abstract: Voltage fluctuations, especially due to a resonant effect of a power distribution system, result in serious timing skews in a high-speed digital system. Adding extra resistive loadings for coupling out the noise into external terminations will reduce a quality factor of the power distribution system, which will effectively minimize the noise accumulation. The external coupled resistive terminators are preferably formed on positions of a microstrip resonator where relatively high noise fluctuations occur. Each of the external coupled resistive terminators may be formed of a resistor, a transmission line with a resistor at one end, a lossy transmission line with an open circuit at one end, or a quarter-wavelength lossy transmission line. Simulation results indicate that the maximum voltage fluctuations are suppressed from 750 mV to 150 mV at a resonant frequency and about 50% for an overall range of the operating frequencies.