Abstract: There is provided a conductive fiber capable of being sewn, woven or knitted, using conventional methods, into a conductive mesh for use with various wearable electronic devices and/or sensors that make direct contact with the skin. The conductive fiber, when combined with a non-slip fiber, facilitates comfortable electrical communication between different electronic devices and the skin.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for editing a source video that has already been taken to stabilize images in the video. To eliminate jerky motion from a video, changes in shots are first detected. Then, any jerkiness within the video of that shot is classified and the video is segmented further into smaller segments based on this classification. The jerkiness within the selected segments is removed. The corrected shot, comprising a plurality of frames, is then added to the preceding shot until all shots of the video have been appropriately corrected for jerkiness. To help the user identify the shots being edited, keyframes or snapshots of the shots are displayed, thereby allowing the user to decide whether processing of the shot is desired and which shots should be incorporated into the final video.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed that provide a single layer bit stream syntax with advanced DCT data partitioning designed to combat bit error and packet losses during transmission. The bit stream syntax may be used as a single layer bit stream or may be used to de-multiplex video packets into base and enhancement layers in order to allow unequal error protection. One advantage of this syntax is that the de-multiplexing and merging of received video packets is made simple while allowing for flexible bit allocation for the base and enhancement layers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (10) for testing a series of contacts (Cij), which are provided with connection conductors (G, H) for supplying electric current to the contacts (Cij). The known device is less suitable for testing large numbers of contacts (Cij), at least because it is expensive and the testing operation is tedious. A device (10) according to the invention includes a (semiconductor) body (1) on which the contacts (Cij) are present in the form of an array (A) , connection conductors (G, H) which are provided with a selection device. (S) enabling maximally two contacts (C11, C11′) to be selected, the connection conductors (G, H) being formed within maximally two separate metal layers (2, 3). Such a device (10) is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, and it also enables a large number of contacts (Cij) to be (semi-) quantitatively tested at a high speed.

Abstract: Storing of data items in a memory (31) is provided wherein the data items are divided into successive data pieces of decreasing significance, and the data pieces are stored in respective parts of the memory (31), and when applying a data piece to the memory (31) in case all candidate memory parts are assigned to other data pieces: if the significance of the applied data piece is lower than a lowest significance of the other data pieces, discarding the applied data piece; if the significance of the applied data piece is higher than the lowest significance, storing the applied data piece in one of the candidate memory parts at expense of a given other data piece which has a lower significance than the significance of the applied data piece. Advantageous use of the invention is made in applications using a device of fixed storage capacity for storing compressible data, such as video, images, audio, speech.

Abstract: A patient monitoring system includes a plurality of patient monitors, each for monitoring the physiological condition of a local patient connected with respective patient monitor, whereby the patient monitors provide a data-communication with each other. Each patient monitor comprises a display adapted for displaying information representative of the physiological condition of the local patient. The display of at least one of the patient monitors comprises an overview area for displaying status information from one or more of the other patient monitors.

Abstract: In a location method based on distance measurements, the distance between a mobile station and a base station is measured by finding the one-way propagation time between the two radio stations. This one-way propagation time is obtained by sending a location signal and measuring its time of arrival. In order to mitigate inaccuracy due to use of measurements corresponding to reflected radio paths which are longer than direct radio paths, a method is proposed to ensure that the distance calculation will be done by using the first time of arrival of the location signal. The first time of arrival corresponds to a propagation through the shortest radio path, which is likely to be the direct path. The first time of arrival is determined by using a location signal which includes a plurality of identical messages, and by combining these messages on reception in order to obtain a signal of higher energy of which the shortest path is detected.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tuner with at least a first and a second frequency band and with means for effecting a switch-over between the frequency bands, which tuner comprises a signal input terminal for the supply of a frequency information signal. The invention is characterized in that the tuner comprises a band selection circuit which is provided for the selection and control of one frequency band at a time, and in that the tuner comprises a frequency search function for tuning to a frequency, which function in a first step is designed to test the tuning possibility of the frequency in the first frequency band and, if tuning in the first frequency band is not possible, in a second step is designed for testing the tuning possibility of the frequency in the second frequency band.

Abstract: A low-pressure gas discharge lamp having a gas discharge vessel containing a gas filling with a chalcogenide of the elements of the 4th main group of the periodic systems of elements and a buffer gas, and having inner or outer electrodes and means for generating and maintaining a low-pressure gas discharge.

Abstract: Data (D) is compressed in dependence on a compression parameter (CPAR). An example of such data compression is coding a sequence of pictures in accordance with a standard defined by the Moving Pictures Experts Group. In the process of compressing the data (D), the following three steps are repetitively carried out. In a prediction step (PRD), it is predicted, on the basis of an initial value (VALint) of the compression parameter (CPAR), which amount of compressed data Xprd will have been obtained at a future instant of time (Tfut). In an adaptation step (ADP), the initial value (VALint) is adapted on the basis of a difference (&Dgr;X) between the predicted amount of data (Xprd) and a desired amount of data (Xdes), so as to obtain an adapted value (VALadp) of the compression parameter (CPAR). In an application step (APL), the adapted value (VALadp) of the compression parameter (CPAR) is applied until a subsequent prediction step (PRD) followed by a subsequent adaptation step (ADP) is carried out.

Abstract: A receiver for receiving digital signals comprises a front end (18) for receiving RF signals and converting them into an input signal for an de-interleaver 22 for obtaining a de-interleaved signal. The output of the de-interleaver is connected to a decoder (24) which can be a Reed-Solomon decoder. The decoder (24) is able to use erasure information which indicates possible positions of errors in the de-interleaved signal for increasing the number of errors the decoder (24) can correct. In order to improve the error correcting capabilities of the receiver, this receiver comprises error prediction means (26) which predict the position of errors in the next codewords due to error bursts from the errors found in the present codeword. Such a predicted error is handled as an erasure by the decoder (24).

Abstract: Disclosed is a communication system comprising a main station, a transmission medium, and terminals. The terminals transmit requests to the main station have reservations granted to them on the transmission medium. Each request indicates a number of reservations. Upon receiving a request, the main station adds the number of reservations indicated to an allocation counter associated with the requesting terminal. The invention enables the requesting method to be less vulnerable to data losses. It consists in a resetting of the request counter and allocation counter, for example when an anomaly is detected in the transmission of the data.

Abstract: A detector (30) is described for detecting a digital signal (Bio) out of an input information signal (Ai) which represents a runlength limited sequence, the runlength having a minimal value m. The detector (30) generates (60, 62) a preliminary binary signal (Bi) out of the input information signal (Ai). A composed sequence of subsequent bits is identified (86) within the preliminary binary signal (Bi) which subsequently includes at least a first neighboring bit of a run of length greater or equal than m+1, one or more further runs of length m and at least a second neighboring bit of a run of length greater or equal than intl. A set of sequences are generated (84, 86). These sequences can be obtained from said composed sequence by changing polarities of binary values within the composed sequence without violating the runlength constraint. The set includes the composed sequence obtained from the preliminary binary signal.

Abstract: At least one quantity which is characteristic of the temperature-dependent magnetic properties of magnetizable material which interacts with the magnetic fields of a magnetic resonance imaging device is determined in order to compensate the temporally varying strength of the main magnetic field of a main magnet of such a device. On the basis of this quantity a compensation signal is formed for the correction of the influence of the varying field strength on the imaging result.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp starter circuit that incorporates the series arrangement of a glow-switch and a semiconductor switch. The semiconductor switch is coupled to a solid state timer. The solid state timer renders the semiconductor switch non-conductive after it has timed a predetermined maximum operation interval. The duration of lamp ignition attempts is thereby limited.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus has a protection device which includes a random number generator for producing a random number unique to the electronic apparatus. The random number is stored as a personality data in a memory when the electronic apparatus is switched on for the first time. Subsequently, a comparator compares the random number with the personality data stored in the memory and prevents operation of the electronic apparatus device and/or memory access when the comparison result indicates that the random number and personality data are different. The random number generator is formed by a voltage divider of resistors having large tolerances and/or being chosen randomly, where the voltage divider output is converted to a digital value.

Abstract: This invention relates to a transflective liquid crystal display device (11, 21), comprising a plurality of pixels, each comprising a liquid crystal layer (12, 22), being sandwiched between front and back electrode means (13, 23; 14, 24) as well as front and back polariser means (17a, 27a; 17b, 27b). Said display device is characterized in that an optical &lgr;/4 layer (16a, 26a) at least partly is arranged between said front polariser (17a, 27a) and said liquid crystal layer (12, 22), and said liquid crystal layer (12, 22) is a liquid crystal layer having a twist angle essentially within a range ±80-100 °, such as 90 °. The invention further relates to methods for generating a quarterwave foil for use in a liquid crystal display as defined above.

Abstract: A system and method that detects and identifies an event from a sequence of images received. The system comprises a control unit that receives and processes the sequence of images from the camera. The control unit identifies at least one stationary image prior to the event and one stationary image subsequent to the event. The control unit compares one or more representations corresponding to one or more edges in the first stationary image with one or more representations corresponding to one or more edges in the second stationary image to determine whether an object has been deposited or removed during the event.

Abstract: A method of driving a plasma display panel showing images having frames composed of odd and even fields. The plasma display panel has scan electrodes and address electrodes perpendicular to the scan electrodes. In the method, first the odd and then the even scan electrodes, or vice versa, are addressed in the frame and subsequently sustained. This method saves time, which may be used to speed up the plasma display device.

Abstract: A pipeline/subranging architecture is used to provide a circuit for analog to a digital conversion. A course analog to digital converter, a fine analog to digital to converter, combining logic circuitry and a digital to analog converter are used, together with a voltage to current converter and a current to voltage converter. A residual signal is formed as the difference between the input signal and an output signal of the coarse analog to digital conversion, the latter output signal having been converted to analog form by the analog to digital converter. The residual signal is then scaled appropriately and applied to the fine analog to digital converter. A final output signal is based on the output signals of the coarse digital to analog converter and the fine digital to analog converter.