Abstract: A location based situation awareness system comprises: an antenna located on the processing machine, the antenna is configured to generate a wireless field; an interrogator coupled to the antenna; an identification tag located on the mobile device, the interrogator is configured to scan the identification tag in the wireless field; a data collector located on the processing machine, the data collector is configured to collect a real-time data of the processing machine; and a broker server coupled to the interrogator and the data collector, the broker server is configured to update the real-time data of the processing machine into the mobile device having the identification tag in the wireless field.

Abstract: A coefficient access method includes: receiving a coefficient generated from an entropy decoding process, wherein the received coefficient is a part of a transform block (TB); before the received coefficient is stored into an inverse scan (IS) storage device, determining a storage position of the received coefficient according to a transpose flag associated with the TB, wherein the transpose flag indicates whether or not a coefficient transpose process is needed; and after the storage position is determined, storing the received coefficient into the determined storage position in the IS storage device.

Abstract: A lighting device or system is configured to control of one or more parameters of light output, such as ON/OFF status, intensity when ON, color characteristics and position or orientation of light output (e.g. via a motorized luminaire control). The device or system may have other output capability, e.g. display projection or audio. Sensors or other input devices are responsive to the user. Responsive to user input, sensed activity, and/or acquired information, the device or system, controls a light source in accordance with a lighting control function. Operation of the light source and the lighting control function may be modified based on learning by the device or system.

Abstract: A polishing system includes a wafer support that holds a wafer, the wafer having a first diameter. The polishing system further includes a first polishing pad that polishes a first region of the wafer, the first polishing pad having a second diameter greater than the first diameter. The polishing system further includes an auxiliary polishing system comprising at least one second polishing pad that polishes a second region of the wafer, wherein the second polishing pad has a third diameter less than the first diameter, and the wafer support is configured to support the wafer during use of the first polishing pad and the auxiliary polishing system.

Abstract: A lighting device or system is configured to control of one or more parameters of light output, such as ON/OFF status, intensity when ON, color characteristics and position or orientation of light output (e.g. via a motorized luminaire control). The device or system may have other output capability, e.g. display projection or audio. Sensors or other input devices are responsive to the user. Responsive to user input, sensed activity, and/or acquired information, the device or system, controls a light source in accordance with a lighting control function. Operation of the light source and the lighting control function may be modified based on learning by the device or system.

Abstract: Image sensors comprising an isolation region according to embodiments are disclosed, as well as methods of forming the image sensors with isolation region. An embodiment is a structure comprising a semiconductor substrate, a photo element in the semiconductor substrate, and an isolation region in the semiconductor substrate. The isolation region is proximate the photo element and comprises a dielectric material and an epitaxial region. The epitaxial region is disposed between the semiconductor substrate and the dielectric material.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for displaying dynamic information from a remote information source at one or more locations within or outside a premises. The system includes a lighting network configured to enable communication of data to and from a plurality of lighting devices and at least one information display node positioned within or outside the premises and connected to the lighting network. The information display node includes a processor configured to receive dynamic information transmitted over the lighting network from a remote source, memory for locally storing image data, and a projector. The processor is configured to generate display data using a combination of the received dynamic information and the stored image data and the projector is configured to project the display data in a visually perceptible form in proximity to the information display node.

Abstract: The ozone cleaning device contains an electrically conductive member and a reinforced casing member. The casing member is injection-molded and houses the conductive member inside in an airtight manner. The reinforcement of the casing member, and the tight integration between the casing member and the conductive member jointly achieve enhanced structural strength to prevent the ozone cleaning device from being broken. When the ozone cleaning device is held close to a user and an electrical power is delivered to the conductive member, the conductive member is then conducting to the user and the air in between is influenced by the electrical power to produce ozone for cleaning. The present invention therefore achieves enhanced structural strength, usage safety, and prolonged operational life.

Abstract: A residual processing circuit has a single-path pipeline and a single-path controller. The single-path pipeline has an inverse scan (IS) circuit, an inverse quantization (IQ) circuit and an inverse transform (IT) circuit arranged to process a current non-zero residual data block in a pipeline manner. The current non-zero residual data block is at least a portion of a transform unit. The single-path controller controls pipelined processing of the current non-zero residual data block at the single-path pipeline. The single-path controller instructs the IS circuit to start IS processing of a next non-zero residual data block before the IT circuit finishes a first half of IT processing of the current non-zero residual data block.

Abstract: A polishing system for polishing a semiconductor wafer includes a wafer support for holding the semiconductor wafer, and a first polishing pad for polishing a region of the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer has a first diameter, and the first polishing pad has a second diameter shorter than the first diameter.

Abstract: A machine has a bus, an input port connected to the bus to receive inbound network traffic, an output port connected to the bus to convey outbound network traffic and a processor complex connected to the bus. The processor complex is configured as a pipeline with individual processor cores assigned individual network traffic processing tasks. The pipeline includes a first set of processor cores to construct network traffic trees characterizing the inbound network traffic and the outbound network traffic. Each network traffic tree characterizes traffic type and traffic rate. A second set of processor cores enforces network traffic policies utilizing the network traffic trees. The network traffic policies apply traffic rate control by traffic type for the inbound network traffic and the outbound network traffic.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image recognition method including: producing a distribution of first pixel value range by acquiring a distribution of pixel values of a plurality of pixels of a first selected block in a first surveillance image from previous M images; producing a distribution of second pixel value range by acquiring a distribution of pixel values of the pixels of the first selected block from previous N images, wherein N and M are positive integers, and N<M; obtaining a first varying parameter related to the first selected block according to the distribution of first pixel value range and the distribution of second pixel value range; and generating a first recognition signal when the first varying parameter is greater than a first threshold.

Abstract: Image sensors comprising an isolation region according to embodiments are disclosed, as well as methods of forming the image sensors with isolation region. An embodiment is a structure comprising a semiconductor substrate, a photo element in the semiconductor substrate, and an isolation region in the semiconductor substrate. The isolation region is proximate the photo element and comprises a dielectric material and an epitaxial region. The epitaxial region is disposed between the semiconductor substrate and the dielectric material.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a back-end-of-the-line metallization layer. The method is performed by forming a plurality of freestanding metal layer structures (i.e., metal layer structures not surrounded by a dielectric material) on a semiconductor substrate within an area defined by a patterned photoresist layer. A diffusion barrier layer is deposited onto the metal layer structure in a manner such that the diffusion barrier layer conforms to the top and sides of the metal layer structure. A dielectric material is formed on the surface of the substrate to fill areas between metal layer structures. The substrate is planarized to remove excess metal and dielectric material and to expose the top of the metal layer structure.

Abstract: A buffer module and a portable electronic device using the same are provided. The buffer module comprises a buffer component and a base. The buffer component comprises a protrusion. The base has a gas vent and a buffer recess corresponding to the protrusion.

Abstract: A partial decoding circuit with inverse second transform has a transpose buffer, a first-direction inverse residual transform circuit, and a second-direction inverse residual transform circuit. The transpose buffer stores an intermediate inverse residual transform result. The first-direction inverse residual transform circuit processes an inverse quantization output to generate the intermediate inverse residual transform result to the transpose buffer. The second-direction inverse residual transform circuit accesses the transpose buffer to retrieve the intermediate inverse residual transform result, and processes the intermediate inverse residual transform result to generate a final inverse residual transform result, where the final inverse residual transform result of the inverse second transform is further processed by an inverse transform circuit.

Abstract: A residual up-sampling apparatus has a residual up-sampling buffer and a shared residual up-sampling circuit. The residual up-sampling buffer stores an intermediate residual up-sampling result. The shared residual up-sampling circuit employs a same processing kernel to perform a first-direction residual up-sampling operation and a second-direction residual up-sampling operation. The first-direction residual up-sampling operation processes an inverse transform output of an inverse transform circuit to generate the intermediate residual up-sampling result to the residual up-sampling buffer. The second-direction residual up-sampling operation performs transpose access upon the residual up-sampling buffer to retrieve the intermediate residual up-sampling result, and processes the intermediate residual up-sampling result to generate a final residual up-sampling result.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for decoding two-level scanned transform coefficients corresponding to a transform unit (TU) are disclosed. The TU is divided into sub-blocks and the transform coefficients of the TU are scanned across the sub-blocks according to a first scan pattern, and each sub-block is scanned according to a second scan pattern. In one embodiment, the sub-blocks of the transform coefficients received from the variable length decoding are stored in an inverse scan buffer (or TC buffer) and the transform coefficients are retrieved from the inverse scan buffer row-by-row or column-by-column in a selected direction after a corresponding row or column of the transform coefficients is fully received. In a system incorporating an embodiment of the present invention, at least a leading row or a leading column of the transform coefficients is available in the selected direction before a last sub-block of the transform coefficients arrives.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a back-end-of-the-line metallization layer. The method is performed by forming a plurality of freestanding metal layer structures (i.e., metal layer structures not surrounded by a dielectric material) on a semiconductor substrate within an area defined by a patterned photoresist layer. A diffusion barrier layer is deposited onto the metal layer structure in a manner such that the diffusion barrier layer conforms to the top and sides of the metal layer structure. A dielectric material is formed on the surface of the substrate to fill areas between metal layer structures. The substrate is planarized to remove excess metal and dielectric material and to expose the top of the metal layer structure.

Abstract: A machine has a bus, an input port connected to the bus to receive inbound network traffic, an output port connected to the bus to convey outbound network traffic and a processor complex connected to the bus. The processor complex is configured as a pipeline with individual processor cores assigned individual network traffic processing tasks. The pipeline includes a first set of processor cores to construct network traffic trees characterizing the inbound network traffic and the outbound network traffic. Each network traffic tree characterizes traffic type and traffic rate. A second set of processor cores enforces network traffic policies utilizing the network traffic trees. The network traffic policies apply traffic rate control by traffic type for the inbound network traffic and the outbound network traffic.