Abstract: At least one circuit element may be formed on a front side of a ringed substrate, and the ringed substrate may be mounted on a mounting chuck. The mounting chuck may have an inner raised portion configured to receive the thinned portion of the substrate thereon, and a recessed ring around a perimeter of the mounting chuck configured to receive the outer ring of the ringed substrate therein. At least one solder bump may be formed that is electrically connected to the at least one circuit element, while the ringed wafer is disposed on the mounting chuck.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a method implemented in electronic circuitry includes: receiving a first signal having a sinusoidal waveform; receiving a second signal having a sinusoidal waveform; generating a composite signal responsive to the first and second signals; determining an orthogonality adjustment coefficient based on a duty cycle of the composite signal; and applying the orthogonality adjustment coefficient to generate an adjusted second signal that is substantially orthogonal to the first signal.

Abstract: An automated system includes transducers, at least one computing device, and at least one automated apparatus. The transducer(s) is/are driven and sensed using drive-sense circuit(s). A drives and senses drive and sense a transducer via a single line, generates a digital signal representative of a sensed analog feature to which the transducer is exposed, and transmits the digital signal to the computing device. The computing device receives digital signals from at least some of drive-sense circuits and process them in accordance with the automation process to produce an automated process command. The automated apparatus executes a portion of an automated process based on the automated process command.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a formulation may include one or more of a lipid-soluble vitamin C compound, derivative, or analog, a cinnamic acid derivative, one or more lipid-soluble vitamin E compounds, and a lipid-based carrier. In some embodiments, the cinnamic acid may include one or more of p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, sinapinic acid, combinations thereof, and cis and trans isomers thereof. In some embodiments, the vitamin E compounds may alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocotrienols.

Abstract: A weight distributing trailer hitch and associated method are described. The weight distributing trailer hitch can include a hitch portion for interfacing with a hitch receiver associated with a vehicle. The weight distributing trailer hitch can also include a ball portion to facilitate coupling with a tongue of a trailer. In one embodiment, the weight distributing trailer hitch can further include a spring bar vertically pivotal relative to the hitch portion, and an adjustment mechanism actuatable to selectively adjust a tilt angle of the spring bar relative to the hitch portion to vary preload on the spring bar and adjustably distribute weight of the trailer relative to the vehicle. In another embodiment, the weight distributing trailer hitch can further include a spring bar for distributing weight of the trailer relative to the vehicle, and a load measurement device to determine a magnitude of a downward force on the hitch ball.

Abstract: A method for collecting particles or gaseous chemicals is provided. The method includes providing liquid to a tube of a droplet generator, heating, with a heater of the droplet generator, the tube to provide vapor to a gas flow channel inside the tube, passing a gas flow containing the particles or gaseous chemicals through the gas flow channel inside the tube to obtain droplets including the particles or gaseous chemicals, and passing the droplets including the particles or gaseous chemicals to a wall of a collecting device such that the droplets including the particles or gaseous chemicals hit the wall. The temperature inside the gas flow channel is higher than a temperature inside the collecting device.

Abstract: An e-pen includes e-pen sensor electrodes (including a first and a second e-pen sensor electrode) and drive-sense circuits (DSCs) (including a first DSC and a second DSC. The first DSC drives a first e-pen signal having a first frequency via a first single line coupling to the first e-pen sensor electrode and simultaneously senses, via the first single line, the first e-pen signal. Based on e-pen/touch sensor device interaction, the first e-pen signal is coupled into at least one touch sensor electrode of the touch sensor device. The first DSC process the first e-pen signal to generate a first digital signal representative of a first electrical characteristic of the first e-pen sensor electrode. Similarly, the second DSC drives a second e-pen signal having a second frequency via a second single line coupling to the second e-pen sensor electrode and simultaneously senses, via the second single line, the second e-pen signal.

Abstract: A network based media distribution platform includes a server connected to the network, the server including at least one data repository, and a non-transitory medium with a set of machine readable instructions executable therefrom coupled to the server, the instructions causing the server to (a) receive media content from a creator using a media capture device or system to create and upload content, (b) buffer the content for distribution over the network to one or more creator channels accessible to consumers operating media playback devices or systems connected to consumer platform, (c) authenticate the media content to the content creator using at least token data, (d) register the media content and creator authentication data on a connected blockchain storing information in distributed ledger form, and (e) distribute the content to creator channel(s) accessible to the consumers operating the network-connected playback devices or systems connected to the consumer platforms.

Abstract: A winch system may include a winch bar and a winch. The winch may have a base, a spool that is rotatable relative to the base, and a drive hub fixed to the spool such that when the drive hub rotates, the spool also rotates. The winch bar may include a winch engagement portion at an end of a shaft, where the winch engagement portion includes a protrusion configured to engage a socket of the drive hub, where the winch engagement portion includes a first contact surface for contacting an outer surface of the drive hub, where the winch engagement portion includes a second contact surface for contacting the outer surface of the drive hub, and where the first contact surface is substantially parallel to the second contact surface.

Abstract: A handheld touch apparatus for providing a variety of tactile sensations to the fingers and thumb of a hand of a user. The touch apparatus includes a multi-faceted block body having an outer surface defined by a plurality of planar faces joined together by radiused edges that meet together to form rounded corners. The block body is sized for holding within the palm of the user's hand and for being supported, rotated and manipulated by the fingers and thumb of the same hand. The touch apparatus further includes tactile features extending from the planar faces of the block body and that are selectively movable relative to their associated planar faces. The tactile features are contained within the volume of an imaginary sphere defined by the rounded corners and isolated from the tactile features on adjacent planar faces by the radiused edges of the block body.

Abstract: A microphone assembly includes an acoustic transducer configured to generate an analog signal in response to pressure changes sensed by the acoustic transducer. The analog signal includes frequency components below a threshold frequency. The microphone assembly also includes an integrated circuit electrically coupled to the acoustic transducer and configured to determine a characteristic of frequency components below the threshold frequency, determine whether the characteristic of the frequency components corresponds to a fall event, and generate an output signal in response to a determination that the characteristic of the frequency components corresponds to the fall event. The microphone assembly also includes a housing having an external device interface with electrical contacts. The acoustic transducer and the integrated circuit are disposed within the housing. The integrated circuit is electrically coupled to contacts of the external device interface.

Abstract: Data about operating parameters external to a vehicle can be input to a neural network that outputs at least one profile defining at least one of a cleaning protocol or a cooling protocol for a vehicle sensor, wherein the operating parameters include one or more of current weather conditions, future weather conditions, images indicative of a current weather condition, city infrastructure, duration of a route to be traversed, a time period to traverse the route, and vehicle location. Operation of at least one of a cleaning device or a cooling device can be initiated according to the at least one of the cleaning protocol or the cooling protocol when the operating parameters to the at least one profile.

Abstract: Technology disclosed includes a robotic workstation for unstacking/stacking a multi-layer stack of boards and includes an end effector configured to pick up, move and release a layer of boards. The end effector includes first and second pick up and release members, each being (i) disposed below first and second support members, (ii) transversely arranged with respect to the first and second support members and (iii) attached to both of the first and second support members. The robotic workstation also includes a robotic manipulator connected to an attachment plate of the end effector and capable of moving the end effector. The robotic manipulator is under control of a controller executing stored instructions that perform operations including picking up the layer of boards by orienting the end effector such that each board of the layer of boards is transversely oriented with respect to the first and second pick up and release members.

Abstract: Embodiments provided herein relate to enforcing a device restriction policy. A device restriction policy may be stored that maps one or more portions of a household with particular household occupants of a plurality of household occupants. A request may be received to activate the device restriction policy on a household occupant. The device restriction policy may be activated against the household occupant based on the received request. One or more electronic devices may be disabled that are located in a portion of the household linked with the household occupant based on the received request and the device restriction policy.

Abstract: Nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) sensor devices that utilize thin electrically conductive membranes, which can be, for example, graphene membranes. The NEMS devices can have a trough shape (such as a serpentine shape arrangement) of the electrically conductive membrane. The thin, electrically conductive membrane has membrane-structures disposed upon it in an array of cavities. These membrane structures are between the thin, electrically conductive membrane and the main membrane trace. Such an arrangement increases the sensitivity of the NEMS sensor device. The electrically conductive membrane can be controllably wicked down on the edge of the oxide cavity to increase the sensitivity of the NEMS sensor device. Such NEMS sensor devices include NEMS sensor devices that are well suited to applications that measure magnetic fields that, operate below 10 kHz, such as brain-computer interfaces.

Abstract: A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to identify a current location of the vehicle in a map of a stopping area, collect data to calibrate a sensor while the vehicle is moving in the stopping area, calibrate the sensor based on the collected data, and actuate one or more vehicle components to move the vehicle to a stopping location in the stopping area based on the location of the vehicle in the map and data collected by the calibrated sensor.

Abstract: A computing system is described for securely verifying system firmware and recovery firmware to ensure system integrity without relying on a manufacturer's proprietary verification process, hardware-specific keys, or inherent write-protection features of system memory. In aspects, the computing system utilizes a security processor that maintains firmware management parameters that define a process for verifying firmware and recovery firmware independent of an integrated circuit manufacturer's Mask ROM (read-only-memory) verification process. The security processor ensures that the firmware or recovery firmware is signed appropriately and consistent with previously executed versions, or if different, produces verification results (e.g., generated hash values) that are consistent with expected results embedded in the firmware, at compile time.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for attribute-based shift allocation. For example, shift owner profiles having first attributes and shifter profiles having second attributes may be generated for shift owners and shifters, respectively. In response to receiving an indication to initiate an opening of a shift associated with a shift owner, the shift may be opened. At least a portion of shift data defining the shift may be automatically generated based on the indication and/or first attributes of the shift owner. A subset of the shifter profiles may be identified that have respective one or more second attributes that at least partially match the shift data. The shift may be published to the subset and allocated to at least one shifter that selects the shift. Trained machine learning model(s) modifiable based on shift feedback may be used to improve profile generation, shift opening and generation, shift publishing, and shift selection.

Abstract: Devices and methods for providing a power transistor structure with a shallow source region include implanting a dopant of a first dopant polarity into a drift region on a source side of a gate structure to form a body region, the body region being self-aligned to, and extending under, the gate structure, and producing a shallow body region wherein the source side hybrid contact mitigates punch through of the shallow self-aligned body region and suppresses triggering of a parasitic bipolar. A retrograde body well, of the first dopant polarity, may be disposed beneath, and noncontiguous with, the shallow self-aligned body region, wherein the retrograde body well improves the electric field profile of the shallow self-aligned body region. A variety of power transistor structures are produced from such devices and methods.

Abstract: An atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for formation of silicon oxide at a temperature greater than 500° C. is performed using at least one organoaminodisilazane precursor having the following Formula I: wherein R1 and R2 are each independently selected from hydrogen, a linear or branched C1 to C10 alkyl group, and a C6 to C10 aryl group with a proviso that R1 and R2 cannot be both hydrogen; R3 is selected from hydrogen, a linear or branched C1 to C10 alkyl group, and a C6 to C10 aryl group; and either R1 and R2 are linked to form a cyclic ring structure or R1 and R2 are not linked to form a cyclic ring structure.