Patents Issued in September 14, 2004
  • Patent number: 6791471
    Abstract: Wireless communication between vehicles may permit position information about one vehicle to be communicated directly to another vehicle. Such an information exchange between vehicles may increase the awareness of an operator of a vehicle to other vehicles in the surrounding environment and may help a vehicle operator operate the vehicle more safely. Vehicles may share through the use of wireless communications position, direction, speed, or other information, such as the deployment of safety devices or the presence of particular types of vehicles (e.g., an emergency vehicle or school bus). The vehicle that receives a wireless communication compares the position, direction, and speed of incoming information from another vehicle to the vehicle's own speed, direction, and position to determine whether action is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Electric Data Systems
    Inventors: Lawrence C. Wehner, Mary K. DePrez, Michael A. Crowder
  • Patent number: 6791472
    Abstract: A mobile communications device comprising a location sensing system, producing a location output; a memory, storing a set of locations and associated events; a telecommunications device, communicating event and location information between a remote system and said memory; and a processor, processing said location output in conjunction with said stored locations and associated events in said memory, to determine a priority thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Inventor: Steven M. Hoffberg
  • Patent number: 6791473
    Abstract: A Smart Parking Meter System makes it possible to track whether or not a vehicle occupies parking meter stalls and whether or not the time has expired. The system uses a wireless communication protocol which may be of the type known under the trade mark “Bluetooth” and provides the portability of embedded systems and the convenience of personal digital assistants with the powers of the C and Java programming languages. There are two main components to the Smart Parking Meter System, the handheld device, or the PDA, and the actual parking meters. Each device has the Smart Parking Meter System application installed in it, as well as the wireless modules, such as Bluetooth to use as a communication medium. The parking meters also have a motion sensor to detect any movement within it view range. The handheld device is able to extract all the parking states for each parking meter within a block or street depending on user configuration of system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Telecommunications Research Laboratory
    Inventors: Sami Kibria, Joseph Chai-Wan Wu, Jose Alejandro Rueda, Nicholas Christopher Wade Thiessen, Christopher Troy Kavanagh, Paul Serge Card
  • Patent number: 6791474
    Abstract: A vehicle detecting system and method for use on a specific location such as an airport, including a sensor string nominally perpendicular to the direction of vehicle travel at the location. The sensor string includes at least one magnetic field sensor and a transmitter for transmitting signals from the at least one sensor to a monitoring point. A plurality of sensors is preferred. The transmitter includes a control unit for receiving the signals and a sender for sending the signals to the monitoring point. The preferred magnetic field sensor is a magnetoresisteive sensor having a field range of at least ±5 gauss. A preferred location for the sensor string is in a groove in the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Lenz, Erick C. Nehls, III, Howard B. French, Gordon F. Rouse
  • Patent number: 6791475
    Abstract: A plurality of roadside wireless devices are provided on a roadside of an entry of a toll area. A first roadside wireless device, which communicates with a vehicle-mounted device over wireless communication, sends unique information obtained from the vehicle-mounted device to a second roadside wireless device located, downstream to the first roadside wireless device, along a moving direction of the vehicle. The second roadside wireless device checks if unique information on the vehicle-mounted device obtained from the vehicle-mounted device matches the unique information on vehicle-mounted device notified from the first roadside wireless device to judge if the moving direction is a direction of entry into a toll area and charges the vehicle-mounted device for toll only when it is judged that the moving direction is the direction of entry into the toll area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Yamashita
  • Patent number: 6791476
    Abstract: A flat panel display system for an aircraft display includes a graphics rendering computer for rendering of anti-aliased graphical imaging data derived from aircraft sensors for full-field imaging on a cockpit display screen. A comparator processor independently generates, from the same sensor data, a selected subset or “points of light” of the display screen image and compares the points of light data to the data generated by the rendering computer for the same display screen pixel locations. The minimized processing requirements and simplified design of the comparator processor enable ready FAA certification of the comparator processor, whereas the extreme complexity and processing operations required of the rendering computer make FAA certification thereof unusually time consuming and expensive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc.
    Inventor: Geoffrey S. M. Hedrick
  • Patent number: 6791477
    Abstract: A locator device includes a pocket-sized casing that contains a keyless remote entry circuit for remotely operating a vehicle security system. A GPS receiver circuit is located in the casing and automatically identifies a vehicle waypoint whenever the vehicle is turned off. The locator device then determines from any current location and with a single button press the direction and/or distance back to the vehicle waypoint. Many other novel applications are also performed by the locator device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Waypoint West, LLC
    Inventors: Philip D. Sari, Mark Kuning, Lester D. Hutter, Adam Hamer
  • Patent number: 6791478
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an integrated circuit (IC) device for a wireless keyboard array that concentrates the circuital functionalities of an oscillation circuit, a transmission/receiving circuit, an array detector, a signal processor, a coder, a decoder, an array decoder, et cetera, to be manufactured as a wireless keyboard array IC to enable the keyboard simultaneously to simultaneously conduct the code transmission and the receiving of the decoding as well as output the signal data keyed in from the keyboard to a keyboard controller by the method of serialization and via the emitting circuit and receiving circuit, then the keyboard controller transmits the signal data into a computer for increasing the practical value of the economic efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Inventor: Chih-Jen Lo
  • Patent number: 6791479
    Abstract: A logic state detection system for detecting the state of at least one state changing device includes a scanning circuit and a current detection circuit. The scanning circuit selectively activates at least one output line electrically connected with the at least one state changing device. Current passes through the scanning circuit to the at least one output line that is activated. The current detection circuit determines whether the state changing device is in a conducting or a non-conducting state as a function of the current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Alen Kraus, Charles Thomas Clark
  • Patent number: 6791480
    Abstract: An electronic computer keyboard is constructed to provide the minimum keystroke resistance sufficient to prevent accidental switch closures otherwise resulting from the weight of the operator's fingers resting on the keys. This forces the operator to move his or her hands over the keyboard with locked wrists. It also eliminates the need of the operator to hold his or her hands up to prevent inadvertent key depressions thereby reducing stress and fatigue on the operator's shoulders, forearms, wrists and hands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Inventor: Alan K. Uke
  • Patent number: 6791481
    Abstract: A combination CD-ROM and MP3 recorder/player playing a CD-ROM decodes 16-bit ISO standard code words into an audio wave form converts this wave form to sound while encoding and digitizing the wave form into 24-bit MP3 format digital data. To conserve power the MP3 data is buffered in a solid state memory, preferably of the FLASH or DRAM type, before being written to a hard disk. Both reading of the CD/ROM and encoding the read contents as MP3 data, and interchange of MP3 data with other recorder/players, can be accomplished at greater than real-time play rates, permitting that, most typically, some 1200+ musical works can transferred expediently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Echo Mobile Music, LLC
    Inventors: William Christopher Altare, Anton N. Handal
  • Patent number: 6791482
    Abstract: On a compression side, from an inputted analog signal 101, points 102a to 102f where a differential absolute value is at a predetermined value or smaller are detected as sample points, and a pair of discrete amplitude data on the sample points and timing data indicative of a time interval between sample points is obtained as compressed data. On an expansion side, amplitude data and timing data that are included in the compressed data are used to obtain expansion data by determining interpolation data for interpolating two pieces of amplitude data, based on the two pieces of amplitude data on two successive sample points and timing data therebetween. Thus, when a signal on a time base is compressed and expanded, the operation can be performed on a time base without frequency conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Inventor: Yukio Koyanagi
  • Patent number: 6791483
    Abstract: A parallel/serial conversion circuit is provided, which comprises a parallel/serial conversion section for converting first parallel data to first serial data and converting second parallel data to second serial data, and a shift clock signal generation section for generating a shift clock signal. The parallel/serial conversion section converts the first parallel data to the first serial data by shifting the first parallel data in response to the shift clock signal. The parallel/serial conversion section converts the second parallel data to the second serial data by shifting the second parallel data in response to the shift clock signal. A combination of the first serial data and the second serial data indicates bit separation, a logic value ‘0’, or a logic value ‘1’. The shift clock signal generation section generates the shift clock signal by combining the first serial data and the second serial data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinji Hattori
  • Patent number: 6791484
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for system offset calibration using an overranging ADC is provided. The overranging ADC is configured to convert an analog signal into an intermediary digital signal. The conversion range of the overranging ADC is extended beyond the full dynamic range of the ADC system. The intermediary digital signal has more bits than the digital output signal. A digital fine offset adjustment circuit is configured to provide the digital output signal by digitally subtracting a fine offset from the intermediary digital signal and decoding the intermediary digital signal. The digital output signal has approximately no offset, and has approximately no loss in dynamic range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Bumha Lee, Brian D. Segerstedt, Christina P. Phan
  • Patent number: 6791485
    Abstract: A densitometer using a light-to-frequency converter is disclosed. The converter outputs an oscillating signal with frequency characteristic of the incident light intensity. Digital controls may be input to the converter to set the frequency range of the output. The period count or frequency count of the converter output may be numerically divided to obtain a quotient within a small range. A lookup table is addressed according to the period count or frequency count, and return an offset scaled logarithm. The lookup table output is processed numerically to obtain a scaled density value. The converter may be adapted to process analog voltage inputs rather than light inputs. The logarithmic conversion then becomes applicable to a variety of fields besides densitometry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Inventor: Allen Joseph Rushing
  • Patent number: 6791486
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device forming an electromagnetic reflector comprising a deployable support frame (100) carrying at least one cloth element (200) designed, in the deployed state, to form a reflective surface, the device being characterized by the fact that the deployable support frame (100) comprises at least one deployable arm (120) that is telescopic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Etienne Lacroix Tous Artifices S.A.
    Inventors: Philippe Mourry, Lionel Garon, Jean-Luc Pinchot
  • Patent number: 6791487
    Abstract: Imaging methods and systems for concealed weapon detection are disclosed. In an active mode, a target can be illuminated by a wide-band RF source. A mechanically scanned antenna, together with a highly sensitive wide-band receiver can then collect and process the signals reflected from the target. In a passive mode, the wide-band receiver detects back-body radiation emanating from the target and possesses sufficient resolution to separate different objects. The received signals can then be processed via a computer and displayed on a display unit thereof for further analysis by security personnel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Donald R. Singh, Vassilios Morellas
  • Patent number: 6791488
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the distance between an agricultural machine and a surface such as the ground, wherein at least one sensor contactlessly determines the distance between the sensor and the surface. The sensor uses electromagnetic waves to penetrate through the field vegetation. The sensor may be a radar, a microwave or a laser sensor. The electromagnetic wave is emitted in a vertical direction toward the ground and reflected back to the sensor. The determined distance is used for automatically maintaining a working height of a front attachment, such as a cutterbar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Norbert Diekhans, Helmut Homburg, Jochen Huster, Manfred Pollklas
  • Patent number: 6791489
    Abstract: An RFID system using encoded digital information utilizing pulsed linear frequency modulation (LFM). The LFM waveform is sent from an aircraft or satellite and is received by a transponder. The LFM waveform is demodulated using both, an AM and an FM receiver. The demodulated data is compared to preprogrammed criteria tables, and after validation is decoded and utilized. Algorithms in the transponder are used to determine the frequency deviation and for calculating the direction of the slope of the LFM input signal. The valid RF signal is stored in a delay element, encoded with the transponder data using phase modulation (PM), and frequency modulation (FM). The tag transmission is synchronized to the input LFM waveform. The transmit/receive chopping signal prevents unwanted oscillations and is capable of randomization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventors: David L. Richardson, Andrzej Sobski, Kenneth D. Gorham, Scott A. Stratmoen
  • Patent number: 6791490
    Abstract: A SCUBA diving flag/float assembly is used to support a GPS antenna on the surface of the water for use by divers in performing underwater navigation. An associated GPS receiver is integrated with a dive flag line take-up mechanism such as a spool or SCUBA diving line reel. The dive flag line and cable interconnecting the GPS receiver to the GPS antenna is integrated within a single assembly, or in an alternate embodiment, braided together forming a single tether. Alternate embodiments include optional sensors such as a flowmeter, compass, tiltmeter, depth gauge and diver techniques to compensate for navigational errors due to a water current pushing a dive flag/float away from a diver. Alternatively, a GPS receiver may be mounted on or in the dive flag/float assembly and navigational information relayed to the diver under the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Inventor: Joseph David King
  • Patent number: 6791491
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for attenuating interference in a positioning receiver of an electronic device, in which method a signal transmitted by satellites of a positioning system is received through a second antenna. The electronic device further comprises at least a mobile station and a first antenna to be used at least as a transmission antenna of the mobile station. In the method the strength of at least one interference signal generated in the electronic device is determined, a compensation signal corresponding to the strength of the determined interference signal is produced, and said compensation signal is combined to a signal received through a second antenna. The combined signal is directed to the positioning receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventor: Olli Talvitie
  • Patent number: 6791492
    Abstract: A GPS positioning system comprises a fixed station and a mobile station. The mobile station has: positional positioning means; imaging means; direction detecting means; and arithmetic processing means. The positional positioning means measures positional coordinates by receiving radio weve from a satellite. The imaging means is arranged in a predetermined position for the GPS positional positioning means. The direction detecting means detects a photographing direction during photographig by the imaging means. The arithmetic processing means forms landscape data in which imaging data that is an output from the imaging means is associated with orientation data that is an output from the direction detecting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignees: Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Koji Miyasaka, Masakazu Mori, Yuji Kobayashi, Kazuyuki Sakaki, Kenichi Takasu
  • Patent number: 6791493
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for passively determining agile-frequency-emitter location and computer-readable medium bearing instructions therefor. Unless a specified accuracy threshold is met or exceeded, phase, frequency, and baseline position are measured during a single receiver dwell and processed. An array of gains and phase difference ambiguity integers for all phase difference measurements are computed. An emitter DOA unit vector or COS(AOA) is estimated and an LBI phase difference is predicted. If the rank of the set of baseline-frequency product differences is greater than 1, each DOA unit vector is projected and scaled by the measured frequency corresponding to the baseline measurement. Otherwise, if the rank is 1, the product of the COS(AOA) and baseline length is formed and scaled by the measured frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventor: Conrad Rose
  • Patent number: 6791495
    Abstract: A modular mobile terminal for a satellite system is disclosed in which the satellite system has a ground station and a network such as a telephone network coupled to the ground station. Each of the mobile terminals has a radome layer and a support layer having a plurality of circuit traces formed thereon. An element module is coupled between the support layer and the radome layer. Each element module comprises a housing and a radiating patch having a feed therethrough. A dielectric layer is coupled adjacent to the radiating patch. A ground plane is disposed adjacent to the dielectric layer on the opposite side of the dielectric layer as the radiating patch. A plurality of circuit chips is coupled to the ground plane. The support layer of the array has a plurality of circuit traces formed thereon. A plurality of interconnections between the circuit chips and the plurality of traces connect the traces and the circuit chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: The DirectTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald C. D. Chang, Urban A. Von Der Embse, Kar W. Yung, John I. Novak, III
  • Patent number: 6791496
    Abstract: A slot fed microstrip antenna (100) having an improved stub (118) provides enhanced efficiency through more efficient coupling of electromagnetic energy between the feed line (117) and the slot (106). A dielectric layer (105) disposed between the feed line (117) and the ground plane (108) provides a first region (112) having a first relative permittivity and at least a second region (113) having a second relative permittivity. The second relative permittivity is higher as compared to the first relative permittivity. The stub (118) is disposed on the high permittivity region (113). The dielectric layer can include magnetic particles, which are preferably disposed underlying the stub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventors: William D. Killen, Randy T. Pike, Heriberto Jose Delgado
  • Patent number: 6791497
    Abstract: A slot spiral miniaturized antenna is described. The antenna includes a conductive layer formed on a first side of a dielectric substrate. A slot arranged in the form of a spiral curve and having a slow-wave structure is formed in the conductive layer. The antenna also includes a planar balun formed on a second side of the substrate. The balun is in the form of a conductive layer strip positioned beneath a section on the conductive layer defined by an area between two neighboring parts of the slotline. The conductive layer strip has a shape that replicates a pattern of the two neighboring parts of the slotline. The conductive layer strip provides a balanced feed to the slot at a feedpoint that is defined by a place wherein a projection of said conductive layer strip on the second side intercepts the slotline. Electromagnetic coupling between the conductive layer strip and the slotline without electrical contact causes the exciting of the slotline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Mark Winebrand, Vladimir Rojanski
  • Patent number: 6791498
    Abstract: A wireless terminal having antenna diversity comprises a transceiver coupled to a plurality of antenna feeds and a ground conductor (902), the antenna feeds being coupled directly to the ground conductor (902). In one embodiment the ground conductor is a conducting case (902). The coupling may be via parallel plate capacitors (504) formed by a respective plate (506) and a surface (908) of the case (902). The case (902) acts as an efficient, wideband radiator, eliminating the need for separate antennas. Slots (912) may be provided to increase the radiating bandwidth of the terminal and improve its diversity performance. Good diversity performance is obtained in a range of environments, whether the terminal is hand-held or free-standing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Kevin R. Boyle, Peter J. Massey
  • Patent number: 6791499
    Abstract: Antenna elements for a wireless unit provided in a housing body are sandwiched between a housing base and a housing cover. The size and thickness of the apparatus housing are thus reduced, and the structure of installing the antenna elements is simplified into an economically advantageous structure. The antenna elements are provided, with the surfaces of their antenna patterns all exposed from the side walls of the housing body. It is hence possible to realize an antenna unit with stable and high performance without being electromagnetically influenced by components installed in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nakamura, Hiroyuki Minaguchi, Toshiyuki Hirota
  • Patent number: 6791500
    Abstract: An antenna and a wireless mobile communication device incorporating the antenna are provided. The antenna includes a first conductor section electrically coupled to first feeding point, a second conductor section electrically coupled to a second feeding point, and a near-field radiation control structure adapted to control characteristics of near-field radiation generated by the antenna. Near-field radiation control structures include a parasitic element positioned adjacent the first conductor section and configure to control characteristics of near-field radiation generated by the first conductor section, and a diffuser in the second conductor section configured to diffuse near-field radiation generated by the second conductor section into a plurality of directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Yihong Qi, Perry Jarmuszewski, Adam D. Stevenson
  • Patent number: 6791501
    Abstract: The present invention includes an antenna rod, an antenna base which attaches the antenna rod so as to be capable of swiveling, a joint assembly which consists of a cylindrical member in an axial direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the rod at one end of the antenna rod, a pair of pivotal support portions provided so as to confront an upper portion of the antenna base so as to mount the joint assembly on a pivot in a swiveling manner, and a torsion spring which is provided with respect to the joint assembly and automatically returns the joint assembly to a predetermined swiveling position by giving the elasticity of itself even if a swiveling position of the joint assembly is changed due to an external force applied to the antenna rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignees: Harada Industry Co., Ltd., Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Maeda, Junichi Kohinata, Masaki Shinkawa, Morihiro Inomata, Yasuyuki Shigefuji, Hitoshi Otsuka
  • Patent number: 6791502
    Abstract: A stagger tuned meanderline loaded antenna is disclosed. The antenna meanderlines are configured for manipulating the antenna's current null, which enables a combination of loop mode and monopole mode current distribution. The antenna quality factor can be adjusted substantially independent of antenna gain to achieve an extended Chu-Harrington relation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Bae Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc
    Inventors: John T. Apostolos, Richard C. Ball
  • Patent number: 6791503
    Abstract: A reception antenna system for electrical connection to the positive and negative sides of a transmission feedline employed in television and other telecommunications includes a reflector having a conductive surface. The system includes an even group of electrically open-ended radial pairs, having positive and negative ends, of hollow, substantially scalene triangular conductive loops, each loop of each pair being internally symmetric about a radius of the reflector, each pair of the group disposed at an uniform offset from the surface of the reflector, the offset defined by insulative mounting elements. Upon the reflector are elements for electrically connecting one negative end and one of the open-ended loop pairs to an adjacent negative end of another of the loop pairs to thereby define at least two loop pairs, each of which two pairs define a single conductive array which is electrically, but not radiationally, discreet from the reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Inventor: Louis Kocsi
  • Patent number: 6791504
    Abstract: A tunable antenna system includes an antenna, a tuning mechanism, and a key that relates points of adjustment in the tuning mechanism to different installations of the antenna. The antenna can be tuned for a given installation by applying the key to the antenna without specialized knowledge or equipment. The system also includes a set of tunable antennas, each being tunable within a different range of electrical lengths. The number of antennas in the set is sufficient to cover a total range of electrical lengths for a given set of installations. Fewer antennas are needed to provide a tuned antenna for each installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: R. A. Miller Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul E. Miller, Robert M. Lynas, John Jeremy Churchill Platt
  • Patent number: 6791505
    Abstract: A radio technology can be used for developing compact antenna assemblies for various uses. The compact antenna assembly includes and oscillatory circuit including a reactive component (8) and an inductance coil. The reactive component (8) is embodied in the form of a condenser provided with a pair of metallic plates (11). A space between the plates is filled with a material (9) containing particles (10) of conducting material separated by a dielectric filling material. The distance between the plated (11) is chosen such that it is less than &lgr;/4, where &lgr; is wave length actuating signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Antennas LLC
    Inventor: Georgy Mikhailovich Zaitsev
  • Patent number: 6791506
    Abstract: The present invention provides a dual band single center feed dipole antenna by providing a conventional half-wave dipole antenna single band dipole antenna and loading the single band dipole antenna with two open circuit stubs or arms. The two open circuit stubs form a second half-wave dipole that resonates at a second frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Centurion Wireless Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Shanmuganthan Suganthan, Vladimir Stoiljkovic
  • Patent number: 6791507
    Abstract: An N-element rotational-symmetric array antenna can generate N fixed pencil-beams simultaneously with an omnidirectional beam. An N×N Butler matrix can be used to feed the array antenna, using fewer than N input ports of the Butler matrix to produce the pencil-beams. One or more of the modes generated by the Butler matrix can be individually accessed to produce one or more corresponding omnidirectional beams. The N×N Butler matrix can be driven by a feed network that provides both power dividing and beam-steering, which permits simultaneous generation of the N pencil-beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Martin Johansson, Bjorn Johannisson, Bo Hagerman
  • Patent number: 6791508
    Abstract: A spiral antenna having a horizontal member that terminates wires for conducting and radiating signals provides increased efficiency over the HF transmission range in a smaller size construction. A load having a parallel RLC circuit is provided at about the center of the horizontal member. The wires are provided in an elliptical pattern with the spacing between wires provided arithmetically. The wires are further configured symmetrically around a vertical support member. A balun transformer is also provided for impedance matching with a feed line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Sonja A. Berry, James R. Gilbert
  • Patent number: 6791509
    Abstract: In a helical antenna having an antenna pattern of a helical shape, the antenna pattern extends along a cylindrical body formed by an insulating film member which is rolled into a cylindrical shape. A circuit board is placed opposite to one of axial ends of the cylindrical body. The circuit board is formed with a circuit pattern connected to the antenna pattern by soldering. The cylindrical body has a specific part which is not provided with the antenna pattern and is fixed to the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Junichi Noro
  • Patent number: 6791510
    Abstract: In an inflatable structure provided with an array antenna or the like, a membrane of a multi-layer inflatable structure is provided with an airtight layer for forming an airtight space inside and a rigidizing layer provided outside the airtight layer, and the rigidizing layer is composed of a triaxial woven fabrics of reinforcing fibers, to thereby achieve a light mass and a high level of precision, and enable adaptation to a demand for increased size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignees: Sakase Adtech Co., Ltd., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
    Inventors: Akihito Watanabe, Hiroaki Tsunoda, Yumi Senbokuya
  • Patent number: 6791511
    Abstract: A display device for a motor vehicle is proposed, which is used to display a virtual image on the windshield of a motor vehicle. The image is displayed by way of an image-forming unit which is arranged in an upper area of the windshield or in a region of the vehicle roof. The generated image is guided via a first aspherical mirror and a second aspherical mirror onto the windshield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Eschler, Reinhold Fiess
  • Patent number: 6791512
    Abstract: This invention is an image display device comprising an LCD in which plural pixels are two-dimensionally arranged; a digital image processing circuit for controlling in the LCD for each pixel to display an image on the basis of image signals; a wobbling optical element, which is composed of a liquid crystal cell or a birefringence, for sequentially refracting optical paths of beams emitted from the display element to perform pixel-staggering; and a mask circuit for masking end areas in the horizontal direction, where the wobbling optical element performs pixel-staggering by a length longer than a pitch of the pixels so that pixel density is thin, so as to be displayed in black; and a control signal generator for judging whether any subject pixel is a pixel to be masked on the basis of a start signal, a vertical synchronization signal, a horizontal synchronization signal, a clock and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Naoto Shimada
  • Patent number: 6791513
    Abstract: An extending type of display apparatus of which the screen can be extended by connecting a plurality of display units each having the same configuration to each other, in which the display unit comprises a plurality of display elements arrayed in a matrix, a controller for controlling each display state of each display element, a memory for storing therein each address information for each of the display elements, a signal transmitting section for signal transaction between controllers, and a power transmitting section for supplying power, and the controller executes signal transaction with controllers of any other display units adjacent to the controller through the signal transmitting section, recognizes a size of the screen obtained by connecting a plurality of the display units to each other as well as a position of the unit in the screen, and generates each address information according to the position of the unit to be stored in a memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignees: Daichu Denshi Co., Ltd., Fourie, Inc.
    Inventors: Osamu Ogino, Takahiko Motoshima, Shinsuke Nishida
  • Patent number: 6791514
    Abstract: In a plasma display, a plurality of first display electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes are arranged in parallel with one another and in which a plurality of addressing electrodes are arranged to intersect the first and the second display electrodes. When a sustaining discharge is generated between the first and the second display electrode by applying an anode potential to one of the first and the second display electrode and a cathode potential to the other thereof, a potential lower than the anode potential and higher than the cathode potential is applied to the first and the second display electrode adjacent to the first and the second display electrode between which the sustaining discharge is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display Limited
    Inventors: Noriaki Setoguchi, Tomokatsu Kishi
  • Patent number: 6791515
    Abstract: An image display apparatus for displaying gray-scale images by writing display information to an image display area of a panel. The display information includes values of a plurality of sub-fields that constitute one field. The image display apparatus converts an input image signal into a piece of display information so that a difference between sub-fields in correspondence with each other in adjacent high gray-scale levels becomes less. The image display apparatus displays a gray-scale image in accordance with the piece of display information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Kawahaea, Kunio Sekimoto
  • Patent number: 6791516
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for expressing a gray level with a decimal value in a plasma display panel that is capable of enhancing a picture quality. In the method and apparatus, a sustaining pulse is applied only to any one electrode of a sustaining electrode pair to thereby express a gray level with a decimal value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Seong Ho Kang
  • Patent number: 6791517
    Abstract: A PDP and a driving method thereof are disclosed in which luminous efficiency can be improved. The PDP includes a scan/sustain electrode formed at a peripheral portion of a discharge cell, a common sustain electrode formed to oppose the scan/sustain electrode at the peripheral portion of the discharge cell, a first trigger electrode formed to be adjacent to the scan/sustain electrode, and a second trigger electrode formed to be adjacent to the common sustain electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Sung Chun Choi
  • Patent number: 6791518
    Abstract: A timing controller for a liquid-crystal display panel includes a data enable signal detection circuit which detects a data enable signal applied to the timing controller, and a timing generating circuit which controls a display timing of image data to be displayed on the liquid-crystal display panel on the basis of the data enable signal detected by the data enable signal detection circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Fujitsu Display Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Yasutake Furukoshi
  • Patent number: 6791519
    Abstract: A sound and vision system includes a display device (1) and an acoustic transducer, such as a loudspeaker or a microphone. The display device includes display cells (9) having opposite electrodes (7, 8) and includes a conductive line (11) connected to the electrodes in order to address the display cells. The acoustic transducer is formed by the display cell itself and the conductive line is electrically coupled to the display cell/acoustic transducer in order to convey signals, as a result of which the acoustic transducer is an integral part of the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Ronaldus Maria Aarts, Mark Thomas Johnson
  • Patent number: 6791520
    Abstract: A method for measuring an image-sticking defect in a liquid crystal display device includes steps of irradiating light from a backlight to the liquid crystal display device, displaying a first full white state on a liquid crystal display screen of the liquid crystal display device to which the light is irradiated, measuring first luminance values of a plurality of designated points on the liquid crystal display screen, calculating an average luminance value of the first full white state using the first luminance values, displaying a full black state on the liquid crystal display screen, measuring second luminance values of the plurality of designated points on the liquid crystal display screen, calculating an average luminance value of the full black state using the second luminance values, forming a gray scale using the average luminance value of the first full white states and the average luminance value of the full black state, displaying a second full white state on the liquid crystal display screen, and
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyoung Rack Choi
  • Patent number: 6791521
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has a circuit for selecting voltage levels based upon display data from an externally-supplied gray-scale voltage varying periodically. The circuit includes a plurality of series combinations of processing circuits. Each of the series combinations is associated with one of video signal lines coupled to pixels, and each of the processing circuits of a respective one of the plural series combinations is associated with a respective one of N display data lines for supplying the display data and with a respective one of plural time control signal lines for supplying time control signals varying in synchronism with the gray-scale voltage. Each of the processing circuits is disposed between two adjacent ones of the N display data lines. The time control signals uniquely determine one level of the gray-scale voltage in combination with the time control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu Isami, Iwao Takemoto, Toshio Miyazawa, Katsumi Matsumoto