Abstract: A robotic integrated circuit placement system includes a test board comprising a socket for holding an integrated circuit, a tester coupled to the test board, a chip tray having a plurality of slots for storing respective integrated circuits including the integrated circuit, and a robotic arm system. The robotic arm system includes a robotic arm having a stepper motor for controlling a position of an end of the robotic arm, a camera, and a controller coupled to the robotic arm and adapted to operate the robotic arm automatically. The controller performs image processing on images acquired by the camera, and moves the integrated circuit between the chip tray and the socket using the robotic arm in response to the image processing.

Abstract: A contour-cutting machine for cutting a foam block, such as a polyurethane foam block into foam rows, such as pillows, has high productivity. The contour-cutting machine has multiple cutting tools that can be operated simultaneously to cut the foam block. Each cutting tool has a blade that cuts through the foam block. For example, an upper cutting tool and a lower cutting tool mounted over a pillar one above each other can be positioned at a predefined distance from each other and locked together. Each cycle of the process makes two cuts with the two cutting tools in the foam block.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are described for automated predictive virtual assistant intervention. A server computing device captures clickstream data corresponding to web browsing sessions of a user at a client computing device, and generates predicted needs of the user based upon the clickstream data. The server computing device identifies virtual assistant messages for the user based upon the predicted needs of the user, and displays the identified virtual assistant messages in a virtual assistant application on the client computing device.

Abstract: A robotic arm system includes a robotic arm having at least one stepper motor and operable to move an end of the robotic arm in X-, Y-, and Z-dimensions, a camera attached to the robotic arm, and a controller coupled to the robotic arm and to the camera. During configuration, the controller moves the end of the robotic arm to a reference point to obtain initial reference coordinates and a reference image, and to a target location to obtain initial target coordinates. During operation, the controller moves the robotic arm according to the initial reference coordinates, adjusts a position of the robotic arm to an actual reference location using the camera to determine actual reference coordinates, and moves the robotic arm to an actual target location using the initial target coordinates and a difference between the initial reference coordinates and the actual reference coordinates.

Abstract: A multiuser communication system comprises multiple transmitters and a multiuser receiver that detects multiple transmissions via iterative soft interference cancellation. An initial acquisition module and single user decoder module are also described. The multiuser receiver acquires and subtracts known users in the residual signal before acquiring new users in the residual signal, which is performed iteratively until no new users are detected or a stopping criterion is met. To aid receiver acquisition, the transmitters insert discrete tones into the transmitted signals. These allow the multiuser receiver to obtain initial estimates of the frequency, time, gain, and/or phase offset for each user. To improve the quality of cancellation the receiver refines estimates of gain, time, frequency and phase offsets for each user after each iteration, and calculates time varying SINR estimates for each user. The multiuser receiver may be satellite based, may be a distributed receiver, or process users in parallel.

Abstract: A robotic integrated circuit placement system includes a test board comprising a socket for holding an integrated circuit, a tester coupled to the test board, a chip tray having a plurality of slots for storing respective integrated circuits including the integrated circuit, and a robotic arm system. The robotic arm system includes a robotic arm having a stepper motor for controlling a position of an end of the robotic arm, a camera, and a controller coupled to the robotic arm and adapted to operate the robotic arm automatically. The controller performs image processing on images acquired by the camera, and moves the integrated circuit between the chip tray and the socket using the robotic arm in response to the image processing.

Abstract: A robotic arm system includes a robotic arm having at least one stepper motor and operable to move an end of the robotic arm in X-, Y-, and Z-dimensions, a camera attached to the robotic arm, and a controller coupled to the robotic arm and to the camera. During configuration, the controller moves the end of the robotic arm to a reference point to obtain initial reference coordinates and a reference image, and to a target location to obtain initial target coordinates. During operation, the controller moves the robotic arm according to the initial reference coordinates, adjusts a position of the robotic arm to an actual reference location using the camera to determine actual reference coordinates, and moves the robotic arm to an actual target location using the initial target coordinates and a difference between the initial reference coordinates and the actual reference coordinates.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the communication system includes a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program; plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the communication system includes a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program; plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application.

Abstract: A multiuser communication system comprises multiple transmitters and a multiuser receiver that detects multiple transmissions via iterative soft interference cancellation. An initial acquisition module and single user decoder module are also described. The multiuser receiver acquires and subtracts known users in the residual signal before acquiring new users in the residual signal, which is performed iteratively until no new users are detected or a stopping criterion is met. To aid receiver acquisition, the transmitters insert discrete tones into the transmitted signals. These allow the multiuser receiver to obtain initial estimates of the frequency, time, gain, and/or phase offset for each user. To improve the quality of cancellation the receiver refines estimates of gain, time, frequency and phase offsets for each user after each iteration, and calculates time varying SINR estimates for each user. The multiuser receiver may be satellite based, may be a distributed receiver, or process users in parallel.

Abstract: In certain aspects, a semiconductor die includes a first cell and a second cell. The first cell includes first transistors, and a first interconnect structure interconnecting the first transistors to form a first circuit. The second cell includes second transistors, and a second interconnect structure interconnecting the second transistors to form a second circuit. The first circuit and the second circuit are configured to perform a same function, and a length of the first cell in a first lateral direction is greater than a length of the second cell in the first lateral direction.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the communication system includes a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program; plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application.

Abstract: In certain aspects, a semiconductor die includes a first cell and a second cell. The first cell includes first transistors, and a first interconnect structure interconnecting the first transistors to form a first circuit. The second cell includes second transistors, and a second interconnect structure interconnecting the second transistors to form a second circuit. The first circuit and the second circuit are configured to perform a same function, and a length of the first cell in a first lateral direction is greater than a length of the second cell in the first lateral direction.

Abstract: A multiuser communication system comprises multiple transmitters and a multiuser receiver that detects multiple transmissions via iterative soft interference cancellation. An initial acquisition module and single user decoder module are also described. The multiuser receiver acquires and subtracts known users in the residual signal before acquiring new users in the residual signal, which is performed iteratively until no new users are detected or a stopping criterion is met. To aid receiver acquisition, the transmitters insert discrete tones into the transmitted signals. These allow the multiuser receiver to obtain initial estimates of the frequency, time, gain, and/or phase offset for each user. To improve the quality of cancellation the receiver refines estimates of gain, time, frequency and phase offsets for each user after each iteration, and calculates time varying SINR estimates for each user. The multiuser receiver may be satellite based, may be a distributed receiver, or process users in parallel.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the communication system includes a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program; plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the communication system includes a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program; plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application.

Abstract: An integrated circuit compensates for circuit aging by measuring the aging with an aging sensor and controlling a supply voltage based on the measured aging. The operating environment for the aging sensor can be set to reduce impacts of non-aging effects on the measured aging. For example, the operating environment can use a temperature inversion voltage. An initial aging measurement value which is the difference between an initial aged measurement and an initial unaged measurement can be stored on the integrated circuit. A core power reduction controller can use the measured aging and the stored initial aging measurement value to update a performance-sensor target value and then perform adaptive voltage scaling using the using the updated performance-sensor target value.

Abstract: A method in a signal generating unit, SGU, generates a signal to be used in a Near-Field Communication, NFC, reader. The SGU is configured to communicate with an NFC controller unit, NFC-CU, and with an NFC-Wired Interface unit, NFC-WIU. The NFC-CU and the SGU are included in an NFC device, and the NFC-WIU is connected to the NFC device. The SGU receives a first signal that includes data encoding information indicating a first unique identifier supported by the NFC-CU, from the NFC-CU, and a second signal that includes data encoding information indicating a second unique identifier supported by the NFC-WIU, from the NFC-WIU. The SGU generates a third signal to be used in the NFC reader to generate a collision sequence, based on the first signal and the second signal. An SGU configured to perform the method, and a NFC device that includes the SGU are also provided.

Abstract: A multiuser communication system comprises multiple transmitters and a multiuser receiver that detects multiple transmissions via iterative soft interference cancellation. An initial acquisition module and single user decoder module are also described. The multiuser receiver acquires and subtracts known users in the residual signal before acquiring new users in the residual signal, which is performed iteratively until no new users are detected or a stopping criterion is met. To aid receiver acquisition, the transmitters insert discrete tones into the transmitted signals. These allow the multiuser receiver to obtain initial estimates of the frequency, time, gain, and/or phase offset for each user. To improve the quality of cancellation the receiver refines estimates of gain, time, frequency and phase offsets for each user after each iteration, and calculates time varying SINR estimates for each user. The multiuser receiver may be satellite based, may be a distributed receiver, or process users in parallel.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the communication system includes a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program; plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application.