Abstract: A wire cable assembly, such as those used in electric or hybrid electric vehicles, having a plurality of shielded wire cables spliced together. The center conductors are joined together and enclosed in an inner insulator. The shield conductors of the cable are joined by an electrically conductive sleeve enclosing the inner insulator and attached to the shield conductors of the shielded wire cables. The sleeve separates the outer insulating layers of the shielded wire cables. The sleeve is encased by an outer insulator that is sealed to the outer insulating layers of the shielded wire cables. A method of splicing shielded wire cables together is also presented.

Abstract: A wire cable assembly, such as those used in electric or hybrid electric vehicles, having a plurality of shielded wire cables spliced together. The center conductors are joined together and enclosed in an inner insulator. The shield conductors of the cable are joined by an electrically conductive sleeve enclosing the inner insulator and attached to the shield conductors of the shielded wire cables. The sleeve separates the outer insulating layers of the shielded wire cables. The sleeve is encased by an outer insulator that is sealed to the outer insulating layers of the shielded wire cables. A method of splicing shielded wire cables together is also presented.

Abstract: A method of and system for adjusting audio volume in a conference call environment are disclosed. The method comprises associating respective gain factors with each source of a plurality of incoming audio streams. The method further comprises automatically adjusting the volume of each incoming audio stream in accordance with the associated gain factor. In accordance with example embodiments, the method may be performed either at a telephony endpoint such as a VoIP telephone or at a conference bridge.

Abstract: In one embodiment, techniques for optimizing voice quality for a media stream provided to participants in a conference are provided. A first path is provided that provides an unmixed path of media from a first user to participants in the conference. A second path includes a mixed path of media from multiple users. The mixed path may include media from a first user and a second user that is mixed. The mixed path may include a transcoding from a first compression to a second compression, and back to the first compression (or another compression). A floor control module may switch between the first path and the second path to optimize voice quality.

Abstract: A crimping apparatus and methods are provided that apply a press force and a part of the press force is separately applied as a core crimp force for crimping a terminal to a wire conductor. A die assembly includes a die defining a cavity that includes an independently moveable core plate and a ram assembly includes a ram in force connection with a load pin and a core plate. When the ram applies the press force, the core crimp force will be separately applied from the ram through the load pin and core plate to produce a core crimp portion that connects the wire conductor to the terminal. The applied core crimp force is subsequently transferred from the core crimp portion to the core plate to the load pin and into the ram.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of buffering a media stream is provided. The method may comprise receiving a plurality of IP packets of the media stream, each packet providing a fragment of a portion of the media stream. Thereafter, the portion of media stream may be buffered in a jitter buffer using the fragments provided by the received packets. Further, the portion of the media stream may be buffered in a replay buffer using the fragments provided by the received packets. The replay buffer may be larger than the jitter buffer and a first received fragment and a second received fragment may be combined. The second received fragment may have been discarded by the jitter buffer. A media stream may then be played back using media from the replay and/or jitter buffer.

Abstract: A crimping apparatus and methods are provided that apply a press force and a part of the press force is separately applied as a core crimp force for crimping a terminal to a wire conductor. A die assembly includes a die defining a cavity that includes an independently moveable core plate and a ram assembly includes a ram in force connection with a load pin and a core plate. When the ram applies the press force, the core crimp force will be separately applied from the ram through the load pin and core plate to produce a core crimp portion that connects the wire conductor to the terminal. The applied core crimp force is subsequently transferred from the core crimp portion to the core plate to the load pin and into the ram.

Abstract: A plurality of cameras are adapted to utilize Ethernet network protocol for the physical layer and UDP/IP for the network and transport layers permitting multiple compressed signals representing different degrees of image resolution, compression type of compressed bit rate to be simultaneously transmitted. These multiple video streams may be combined into one composite stream for network transmission or may be maintained as separate and distinct video or still frame streams throughout the network. The digitizer, compressor and network interface can be integral to a camera or can be a separate unit. Video or images networked in this manner may be selective viewed on an operator console or may be received by a network server for storage, analysis and subsequent retrieval.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of buffering a media stream is provided. The method may comprise receiving a plurality of IP packets of the media stream, each packet providing a fragment of a portion of the media stream. Thereafter, the portion of media stream may be buffered in a jitter buffer using the fragments provided by the received packets. Further, the portion of the media stream may be buffered in a replay buffer using the fragments provided by the received packets. The replay buffer may be larger than the jitter buffer and a first received fragment and a second received fragment may be combined. The second received fragment may have been discarded by the jitter buffer. A media stream may then be played back using media from the replay and/or jitter buffer.

Abstract: A method of and system for adjusting audio volume in a conference call environment are disclosed. The method comprises associating respective gain factors with each source of a plurality of incoming audio streams. The method further comprises automatically adjusting the volume of each incoming audio stream in accordance with the associated gain factor. In accordance with example embodiments, the method may be performed either at a telephony endpoint such as a VoIP telephone or at a conference bridge.

Abstract: In one embodiment, techniques for optimizing voice quality for a media stream provided to participants in a conference are provided. A first path is provided that provides an unmixed path of media from a first user to participants in the conference. A second path includes a mixed path of media from multiple users. The mixed path may include media from a first user and a second user that is mixed. The mixed path may include a transcoding from a first compression to a second compression, and back to the first compression (or another compression). A floor control module may switch between the first path and the second path to optimize voice quality.

Abstract: Peer-to-peer endpoint devices discover a localized IP address realm that minimizes the traversal of the Network Address Translators. Each endpoint device sends a query from its corresponding local address realm to its corresponding destination endpoint device using the corresponding available address for the destination endpoint device. The available address has a value outside the address realm of the endpoint device sending the query. The query also specifies a unique identifier that is identifiable solely by the endpoint device. The destination endpoint device receives the query, having traversed one or more NATs and at least two address realms, and sends a response that specifies the unique identifier for the query source, a unique identifier for the destination endpoint device, and multiple alias addresses for reaching the destination endpoint device. The query source selects one of the alias addresses that is determined reachable by the query source.

Abstract: An enhanced, digitized security system provides wireless, portable monitoring and control capability for a system having a plurality of cameras in a network and connected to a suitable hub. The portable module is also in wireless communication with a server. The permits remote installation and aiming of the cameras, remote viewing, remote database access and remote capture of information for transmission to the database server such as images, video, and other security data for archiving and management. A transmitter is associated with the hub for transmitting the signals via a wireless network to a portable, handheld receiving station, wherein any of the cameras on the network may be accessed and displayed on the portable station display screen. The portable station also includes a transmitter for transmitting control information back to the hub for controlling each of the cameras, permitting full control of the cameras for adjusting contrast, hue, brightness, pan, tilt and zoom, and focus.

Abstract: A plurality of cameras are adapted to utilize Ethernet network protocol for the physical layer and UDP/IP for the network and transport layers permitting multiple compressed signals representing different degrees of image resolution, compression type of compressed bit rate to be simultaneously transmitted. These multiple video streams may be combined into one composite stream for network transmission or may be maintained as separate and distinct video or still frame streams throughout the network. The digitizer, compressor and network interface can be integral to a camera or can be a separate unit. Video or images networked in this manner may be selective viewed on an operator console or may be received by a network server for storage, analysis and subsequent retrieval.

Abstract: Continuous streaming video is conditioned for display at a remote monitor adapted for receiving and playing a streaming video file of a discrete length. The continuous streaming video has no known beginning of data signal and no known end of data signal, and an arbitrary beginning of data signal is assigned to the streaming video in mid-stream and an arbitrary end of data signal is assigned to the streaming video for identifying the length of the video stream and for making it compatible with the display platform. The continuous streaming video may be time stamped, and the beginning of data signal may be arbitrarily assigned a zero value for identifying an artificial beginning of the file. Specifically, the each time stamp received may be calculated by resetting each time stamp received time stamp with a value of the current time stamp minus first time stamp received, whereby the first time stamp received is set to zero and additional time stamps are counted from the first time stamp received.

Abstract: An enhanced, digitized security system provides wireless, portable monitoring and control capability for a system having a plurality of cameras in a network and connected to a suitable hub. The portable module is also in wireless communication with a server. The permits remote installation and aiming of the cameras, remote viewing, remote database access and remote capture of information for transmission to the database server such as images, video, and other security data for archiving and management. A transmitter is associated with the hub for transmitting the signals via a wireless network to a portable, handheld receiving station, wherein any of the cameras on the network may be accessed and displayed on the portable station display screen. The portable station also includes a transmitter for transmitting control information back to the hub for controlling each of the cameras, permitting full control of the cameras for adjusting contrast, hue, brightness, pan, tilt and zoom, and focus.

Abstract: A system and method is provided to allow a video conference participant to establish and direct a video conference through a control network separate from the conference network that sustains the conference. A video conference switching system host machine responds to control signals conveyed by a control network to the switching system from a participant-accessible control system. The host machine generates adaptor conference signals that are interpreted to appropriately configure a crosspoint switch in correspondence with the control signals. The switching system may operate in continuous presence or video follows audio modes. In continuous presence mode, the host machine generates adaptor conference signals that are interpreted to convey to the participants a combination video signal composed from the individual video signals. In the video follows audio mode, detected voice signals result in a switch configuration according to a video follows audio protocol or rule set.