Abstract: A camera system and method for operating that system. The camera system comprises a stationary camera having a wide angle view, a remotely controllable camera having a relatively smaller angle view for providing images in substantially full resolution, and a processor. The processor monitors the wide angle view of the stationary camera, receives information concerning a selected desired subject within the wide angle view, generates an electronic pan-tilt-zoom view of the selected desired subject based on the wide angle view of the stationary camera, controls the remotely controllable camera for providing a view that overlaps the electronic pan-tilt-zoom view of the desired subject, and processes the electronic pan-tilt-zoom view of the desired subject in accordance with the resolution of the remotely controllable camera.

Abstract: A user interface system is disclosed for use in a video display system that is capable of simultaneously displaying a main multimedia document and a plurality of additional multimedia documents on a display screen. The video display system displays the main multimedia document on a central portion of the display screen. The user interface system receives a user instruction that selects a format for displaying the plurality of additional multimedia documents. The plurality of additional multimedia documents may be displayed in a collage format in which the individual additional multimedia documents are located around the periphery of the main multimedia document. The plurality of additional multimedia documents may also be displayed in one or more horizontal lines or in one or more vertical lines. The user interface system is capable of receiving user instructions to control the display of the plurality of additional multimedia documents.

Abstract: An LED luminary system for providing power to LED light sources to generate a desired light color comprises a power supply stage configured to provide a DC current signal. A light mixing circuit is coupled to said power supply stage and includes a plurality of LED light sources with red, green and blue colors to produce various desired lights with desired color temperatures. A controller system is coupled to the power supply stage and is configured to provide control signals to the power supply stage so as to maintain the DC current signal at a desired level for maintaining the desired light output. The controller system is further configured to estimate lumen output fractions associated with the LED light sources based on junction temperature of the LED light sources and chromaticity coordinates of the desired light to be generated at the light mixing circuit.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improved system and method for providing frequency domain synchronization for a single carrier signal such as a vestigial sideband signal. The system comprises a synchronization circuit that is capable of obtaining a coarse frequency estimate of the single carrier signal and a fine frequency estimate of the single carrier signal. The system also comprises a three state machine for obtaining an accurate frequency estimate from three separately obtained frequency estimates. The system also comprises a DC estimator circuit that is capable of providing a time domain DC estimate. The system provides a pilot carrier recovery circuit for single carrier signals that has a linear transfer function.

Abstract: An improved technique of interfacing a computer lighting device to a control computer is disclosed, wherein a hardware device is interposed between the control computer and the lighting device. The hardware device handles certain functions in hardware, thereby permitting the microprocessor at the lighting device to incur substantially less processing load.

Abstract: A programmable cell comprises an externally loadable electrically erasable (EE) transistor cell that is configured to be independent of the currently active state of the programmed cell. When all of the EE cells are loaded with a new configuration, the contents of all of the EE cells are loaded into the corresponding programmable cells, preferably within one clock cycle. Because the entirety of the programmable cells can be pre-loaded with the new configuration, the time to effect a reconfiguration is one clock cycle. Because an EE cell is significantly smaller than a conventional four to six transistor storage cell, the area required to implement this single-clock-cycle reconfiguration capability is substantially less than traditional dynamically reprogrammable memory configurations. In an alternative embodiment, multiple EE cells can be associated with each programmable cell, thereby allowing a multiple-configuration capability.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a plurality of blocks of cells, and a plurality of layers with conductors for signal and power routing. Power and ground connections for individual cells are supplied by power and ground conductors in a first layer of conductors at the cell level. Power and ground conductors at the block level are supplied by power and ground conductors at the top level of the layers which are connected to the first layer power and ground conductors by stacked vias. Intervening layers of conductors can be used for signal routing. This routing technique improves circuit density as compared to prior techniques where the block level power and ground conductors were in a second, lower level of conductors instead of a top level. A layout method is also disclosed in which the conductors for signal routing are defined in dependence on the placement of the block level power and ground conductors.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for creating and testing a channel decoder with built-in self-test. The method and apparatus consist of simulating any specified channel decoder architecture and operation. The simulated channel decoder is then modified for built-in self-test (BIST). A production test signal is created as a product of the modified channel decoder simulation. A channel decoder patterned after the modified channel decoder simulation is manufactured. The manufactured channel decoder is then tested using the production test signal and BIST.

Abstract: A communications network for transmitting at least one information packet between a source node and a destination node of the network. The network includes an information cluster transmittable between the source node and the destination node and for having attached thereto an information packet. The information packet is attachable to the information cluster at the source node when the information cluster is at the source node and detachable from said information cluster at the destination node when the information cluster is at the destination node.

Abstract: Centrally controlled wireless networks require reliable communications between the central controller and each of the stations within the wireless networks. The structure of a wireless network is often dynamic, or ad-hoc, as stations enter and exit the network, or are physically relocated. The selection of the central controller for the network may also be dynamic, either because the current central controller desires to exit the network, or because the communication between the current central controller and one or more of the stations is poor. This invention discloses a method and apparatus for assessing the quality of the communication paths among all stations in the network. This assessment is useful as a continual monitor of the quality of the network, and can be utilized to select an alternative central control station based upon the quality of communication paths to and from this station. Additionally, the quality assessment can be utilized to establish relay communication paths, as required.

Abstract: For use in a video display system capable of displaying a video program, there is disclosed a system and method for accessing a multimedia summary of a video program. The system is capable of displaying information on a display page that identifies the topics and the subtopics of the video program and an entry point for each of the topics and subtopics. In response to a viewer selection of an entry point the system displays the corresponding portion of the video program. The system also comprises a speaker visualization display unit that is capable of displaying information on a speaker visualization display page that identifies each speaker in a video program and a plurality of time segments that show when each speaker in the video program is speaking. In response to a viewer selection of a time segment the system displays the corresponding portion of the video program. The system also locates additional information of interest to the viewer and notifies the viewer when the additional information is located.

Abstract: For use in a video display system capable of displaying a video program, there is disclosed a system and method for creating a multimedia summary of the video program using transcript data and audio-video segments of the video program. The system comprises a multimedia summary generator that is capable of obtaining a transcript of the text of the video program and audio-video segments of the video program. The multimedia summary generator identifies topic cues and subtopic cues in the transcript of the video program. The multimedia summary generator also identifies audio-video segments that are associated with the topic cues and subtopic cues. The multimedia summary generator creates the multimedia summary by assembling the topic cues and the subtopic cues and their associated audio-video segments. Entry points are provided in the multimedia summary for each topic and subtopic so that a viewer of the multimedia summary can directly access each topic and subtopic.

Abstract: Method and system for sending out-of-band (OOB) service information from a point of deployment (POD) module to a set-top box in transport streams (TS) are disclosed by an arrangement in which the OOB service information is transmitted between the point of deployment (POD) module and a set-top box using the transport stream channel. The method includes constructing OOB TS packets using the OOB service information in the data module, buffering them and sending the OOB TS packets between two consecutive transport stream packets of an original in-bound (IB) transport stream.

Abstract: A non-IP (Internet Protocol) network is provided with UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) proxy enabling and interfacing logic. The UPnP enabling logic provides the modules required to effect the UPnP addressing, discovery, and description processes for each of the devices on one or more non-IP networks. Each of the non-IP networks may use the same or different network technologies, such as USB, Bluetooth, IEEE 1394, Home API, HomeRF, Firefly, X-10, and so on. During the UPnP control and event phases, the system provides the appropriate control transformation and event proxy processes to communicate commands to each non-UPnP-compatible device in the network, corresponding to the UPnP control commands received from a UPnP control object, and to communicate event status messages to and from the non-UPnP-compatible devices and the UPnP control object.

Abstract: For use in a video signal processor, there is disclosed a system and method for locating program boundaries and commercial boundaries using audio categories. The system comprises an audio classifier controller that obtains information concerning the audio categories of the segments of an audio signal. Audio categories include such categories as silence, music, noise and speech. The audio classifier controller determines the rates of change of the audio categories. The audio classifier controller then compares each rate of change of the audio categories with a threshold value to locate the boundaries of the programs and commercials. The audio classifier controller is also capable of classifying at least one feature of an audio category change rate using a multifeature classifier to locate the boundaries of the programs and commercials.

Abstract: A light source includes an array of LED components in each of a plurality of colors such as red, green, and blue in the entrance aperture of a tubular reflector which has an exit aperture, an optic axis extending between the apertures, and a reflective circumferential wall extending between the apertures to reflect and mix light from the array of LED components. At least a portion of the circumferential wall of the reflector body has a polygonal cross-section taken normal to the optic axis, and at least a portion of the cross-section taken parallel to the optic axis includes segments of a curve joined one to the next to form a plurality of facets for reflecting light from the LED components to said exit aperture. Preferably, the segments of the curve included in the cross-section of the reflector body taken parallel to the optic axis are contiguous, linear trapezoidal facets.

Abstract: Starting of a gaseous discharge lamp is controlled in response to both lamp voltage and duration of time during which igniting pulses are applied. An upper and a lower threshold voltage are utilized to determine whether the lamp is in an unstable starting mode, a cold starting mode, or a steady-state operating mode.

Abstract: High lumen output quartz metal halide lamps are provided which comprise a vacuum outer fill, and a silicon nitride CVD coating on the outside of the quartz arc tubes (discharge tubes). Instead of nitrogen filled outers, vacuum lamp outers are used to reduce energy loss (since heat conduction loss is reduced) and to increase lumen output. Additionally, only the outside of the arc tubes is coated with silicon nitride, without coating the metal components. This reduces or blocks sodium diffusion through the quartz walls. The silicon nitride coating also retards migration of the trace hydrogen from the lamp outer into the arc tube. At least about a 10% increase, and preferably a 15% increase in lumen output is realized by using a vacuum lamp outer instead of the nitrogen fill outer conventionally used for the traditional quartz fill lamps. The heat conduction loss is reduced and the lamp efficiency is increased significantly.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for correcting the color of objects appearing in a video image. The apparatus comprises: 1) a frame buffer for receiving and storing a first video frame from an incoming baseband video signal; 2) a memory for storing known pixel data corresponding to a plurality of known icons, the known pixel data comprising true color data values associated with the plurality of known icons; and 3) a color correction controller for comparing captured pixel data from the stored first video frame with the known pixel data stored in the memory and detecting a first actual image of a first known icon appearing in the stored first video frame. The color correction controller also compares a first true color data value associated with the first known icon and a first actual color data value associated with a first actual color in the first actual image of the first known icon.

Abstract: A method and device for controlling a cooling fan within an electronic device based on the temperature within the electronic device and the audio output level of the electronic device and/or the ambient noise level.