118 results about "Background level" patented technology

A proximity sensor system includes a sensor matrix array having a characteristic capacitance on horizontal and vertical conductors connected to sensor pads. The capacitance changes as a function of the proximity of an object or objects to the sensor matrix. The change in capacitance of each node in both the X and Y directions of the matrix due to the approach of an object is converted to a set of voltages in the X and Y directions. These voltages are processed by digital circuitry to develop electrical signals representative of the centroid of the profile of the object, i.e, its position in the X and Y dimensions. Noise reduction and background level setting techniques inherently available in the architecture are employed.

A computer implemented method to extract a selected subject from its background, by removing the background, including that portion of the background visible through semi transparent areas of the subject, and generating a matte signal containing a record of background levels outside of and within semitransparent subject areas. The observed RGB signal levels of a pixel in the semitransparent transition between a subject and its background, are a mixture of color contributed by the subject, and by the background. The estimated subject color, and the estimated background color, and the observed color of a transition pixel (pixRGB), may be shown as three points in a three dimensional color space.

A hearing compensation system comprises a plurality of bandpass filters having an input connected to an input transducer and each bandpass filter having an output connected to the input of one of a plurality of multiplicative automatic gain control (MAGC) circuits whose outputs are summed together and connected to the input of an output transducer. The MAGC circuits attenuate acoustic signals having a constant background level without the loss of speech intelligibility. The identification of the background noise portion of the acoustic signal is made by the constancy of the envelope of the input signal in each of the several frequency bands. The background noise that will be suppressed includes multi-talker speech babble, fan noise, feedback whistle, florescent light hum, and white noise. For use in the consumer electronics field background acoustic noise may be sensed and used to adjust gain in the various MAGC circuits so as to improve a user's listening experience, whether the user is hearing impaired or not.

A method and apparatus for remote laser-based detection of gas at levels exceeding natural background levels preferably utilizing wavelength modulated tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. In a preferred embodiment, background gas and noise are estimated using statistical moving average and variance calculations. Gas concentration length measurements resulting from the spectroscopy are preferably compared in real-time or near-real-time to the sum of the background and noise estimates and an alarm limit to detect gas presence of concern. Gas levels exceeding this detection threshold are preferably indicated by a prolonged output tone with a pitch indicative of the magnitude of the gas measurement, and gas levels below the detection threshold are preferably indicated by silence.

A camera is configured with multiple microphones to reduce wind noise in audio data collected by the camera. The camera receives motion data, which may comprise data indicating acceleration of the camera, a plurality of video frames received by the camera, or a background level of noise associated with one or more microphones configured on the camera. The camera determines a motion vector from the motion data. The motion vector is parallel to the direction of motion of the camera. The camera selects a subset of one or more microphones in the direction of the motion vector. By recording audio data using the one or more selected microphones, the camera reduces wind noise in the audio data.

A food testing device for testing for the presence of harmful contaminants in a food sample, includes a vessel adapted for holding a liquefied food sample, a liquefier operatively associated with the vessel for converting an unliquefied food sample into a liquefied food sample, at least one test assay dispensable from the device, wherein the test assay includes at least one assay reagent having an affinity for at least one harmful contaminant, and capable of both detecting the presence of the harmful contaminant in the liquefied food sample, and producing a visual cue upon recognition of the harmful contaminant; and a radiation detector disposed proximately to the vessel for indicating the presence of ionizing radiation in the food sample at amounts exceeding normal background levels to detect the presence of a radioactive agent as the harmful contaminant.

A welding system includes a power source configured to generate power and deliver the power to a welding torch. The power is provided in accordance with an electrode negative pulse welding regime that includes a cyclic peak, followed by a stabilization phase, then a return to a background level. The stabilization phase has a generally parabolic current shape, and is performed in a current-closed loop manner until a transition point, where control becomes voltage-closed loop until the background level is reached. Resulting weld performance is improved, with a globular-like transfer mode, reduced shorts and enhanced arc stability.

A computer-aided detection system to detect clustered microcalcifications in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is disclosed. The system performs detection in 2D images and a reconstructed 3D volume. The system may include an initial prescreening of potential microcalcifications by using one or more 3D calcification response function (CRF) values modulated by an enhancement method to identify high response locations in the DBT volume as potential signals. Microcalcifications may be enhanced using a Multi-Channel Enhancement method. Locations detected using these methods can be identified and the potential microcalcifications may be extracted. The system may include object segmentation that uses region growing guided by the enhancement-modulated CRF values, gray level voxel values relative to a local background level, or the original DBT voxel values. False positives may be reduced by descriptors of characteristics of microcalcifications. Detected locations of clusters and a cluster significance rating of each cluster may be output and displayed.

A system to detect subsurface activity. The system employs vibration sensor pairs, with each sensor pair having a shallow sensor and a deep sensor. Outputs of the sensors of a pair are processed together and events are detected based on the relative values detected by the sensors of the pair. When signal energy departs from a detected background level, the relative amplitude and frequency content of vibrations measured at the shallow and deep sensors may be compared. The comparison may be performed, at least in part, using a classifier that discriminates between subsurface activity and surface to activity. The outputs of sensor pairs may be aggregated to make a determination of whether subsurface activity exists and / or its location. Aggregation may involve comparing the outputs of the same sensor pair at multiple time intervals or may involve comparing the outputs of arrayed sensor pairs.

A problem of the present invention is to prevent showthrough of a rear side image to a front side image without using any complicated processing at a time of reading out both sides of a document. To solve the problem, an image processing apparatus in accordance with the present invention reads out image information on the front side and rear side of a document; calculates a first background level from the image information on the front side; calculates a second background level by adjusting the first background level according to the first background level calculated and the density of the image information on the rear side; and removes the background of the front side using the second background level.

Transmission spectrometers require low levels of background light so that the signal to noise ratio is increased, and also require stable performance over wide temperature ranges. Light reflected by the transmission grating can result in increased background levels. One approach to reducing the background level is to orient the transmissive diffraction grating so that light reflected by the grating is reflected out of the diffraction plane. The temperature-induced wavelength drift of a transmission spectrometer can be due to the frame upon which the transmission grating is mounted. The wavelength drift is reduced by allowing the thermal expansion of the grating to be independent of the frame.

An accurate target detection system. The system includes a sensor (22) that receives electromagnetic signals and provides electrical signals in response thereto. A non-uniformity correction circuit (28, 38, 52) corrects non-uniformities in the sensor (22) based on the electrical signals and provides calibrated electrical signals in response thereto. A third circuit (30, 32, 34, 38, 42, 44, 52) determines if a target signal is present within the calibrated electrical signals and provides a target detection signal in response thereto. A fourth circuit (38, 40, 48) selectively activates or deactivates the non-uniformity correction circuit (28, 38, 52) based on the target detection signal. In a specific embodiment, the sensor (22) is an array of electromagnetic energy detectors (22), each detector providing an electrical detector output signal. The non-uniformity correction circuit (28, 38, and 52) includes circuit for compensating for gain, background, and noise non-uniformities (28, 38, and 52) in the electromagnetic energy detectors. The non-uniformity correction circuit (28, 38, and 52) includes a detector gain term memory (28) for storing detector gain compensation values. The detector gain compensation values are normalized by noise estimates unique to each of the detectors. The third circuit (30, 32, 34, 38, 42, 44, and 52) includes a signal enhancement circuit for reducing noise (34, 42) in the calibrated electrical signals. The third circuit (30, 32, 34, 38, 42, 44, and 52) includes a noise estimation circuit (32, 38) that estimates noise in each of the detector output signals and provides noise estimates in response thereto. The noise estimation circuit (32, 38) further includes a noise estimator circuit (38) and a recursive background estimator (32).

A welding system includes a power source configured to generate power and deliver the power to a welding torch. The power is provided in accordance with an electrode negative pulse welding regime that includes a cyclic peak, followed by a stabilization phase, then a return to a background level. The stabilization phase has a generally parabolic current shape, and is performed in a current-closed loop manner until a transition point. Resulting weld performance is improved, with a globular-like transfer mode, reduced shorts and enhanced arc stability.

Transmission spectrometers require low levels of background light so that the signal to noise ratio is increased, and also require stable performance over wide temperature ranges. Light reflected by the transmission grating can result in increased background levels. One approach to reducing the background level is to orient the transmissive diffraction grating so that light reflected by the grating is reflected out of the diffraction plane. The temperature-induced wavelength drift of a transmission spectrometer can be due to the frame upon which the transmission grating is mounted. The wavelength drift is reduced by allowing the thermal expansion of the grating to be independent of the frame.

An embodiment of the current invention includes computer-implemented method for image processing. The method includes receiving a first medical image from a data storage device, the first medical image comprising a plurality of image voxels and representing a plurality of tissue regions of a subject; automatically determining a reference value based on the first medical image, the reference value capable of providing a range of background level of voxel intensity values within at least one non-disease tissue region of the subject; generating a disease threshold based on the reference value; identifying portions of the medical image corresponding to disease-tissue regions according to the disease threshold, each of the portions comprising a plurality of connected image voxels in the medical image; and entering data encoding the disease-tissue regions into a database for subsequent comparisons.

The signal levels of vibration waveform signals outputted by knock sensors are extracted at a filter processing section for each of a plurality of frequency bands. The mean value of the signal levels in the frequency bands at a point in time when variation of the signal levels in the frequency bands is minimum computed, and the mean value is detected as a background level. A knock characteristic parameter, which represents the characteristics of knock, is computed based on the extracted signal levels in the frequency bands. The knock characteristic parameter is compared with the background level to obtain a knock intensity. If the knock intensity is equal to or greater than a knock determination value, it is determined that knock that exceeds a permissible level is occurring. If the knock intensity is less than the knock determination value, it is determined that knock that exceeds the permissible level is not occurring. This configuration permits the background level of the output of the knock sensors to be accurately detected without being influenced by knock or noise.

The invention concerns a method and apparatus for sorting a stream of products by scanning this stream of products with a bundle of concentrated light and analyzing the light originating from the scanned products and a background element, wherein this background element is chosen such that the corresponding detected light signal differs from the light signals originating from the products to be sorted in at least one parameter and wherein one or more control signals are generated by shifting the background level of the observed light signals to a signal level chosen such that, in the thus obtained signal, the signal level of the signal of a scanned product to be accepted distinguishes itself from the signal level of the signal of a scanned product to be rejected.

The invention relates to an intelligent lighting device with multiple luminaires, which are at least partially coupled to each other with a wireless communication device. For this purpose, the luminaires preferably have communication modules with transmitter / receiver devices, via which the luminaires can communicate with each other. It is thereby provided that in accordance with the current operating mode of one of the luminaires at least one of the other luminaires can adopt a different predefined operating mode. Said luminaire can, for example upon the switching on of a luminaire or when one of the luminaires detects a person by means of a sensor device in the area of the luminaire, go into a working level with a predefined light intensity and the other luminaires located in the vicinity of said one luminaire go into a background illumination, i.e. in an illumination with a lower illumination level (background level).

A food testing device for testing for the presence of harmful contaminants in a food sample, includes a vessel adapted for holding a liquefied food sample, a liquefier operatively associated with the vessel for converting an unliquefied food sample into a liquefied food sample, at least one test assay dispensable from the device, wherein the test assay includes at least one assay reagent having an affinity for at least one harmful contaminant, and capable of both detecting the presence of the harmful contaminant in the liquefied food sample, and producing a visual cue upon recognition of the harmful contaminant; and a radiation detector disposed proximately to the vessel for indicating the presence of ionizing radiation in the food sample at amounts exceeding normal background levels to detect the presence of a radioactive agent as the harmful contaminant.

Methods for significantly lowering the carbon-14 content of DNA and histones in vertebrates, especially humans, to about 10% to about 98% below normal background levels and thereby reduce chromosomal damage using dietary supplements based on low radiocarbon nucleotides, amino acids, and other DNA and histone precursors. Administration of the supplements during the earliest and / or most active growth staves of life is particularly beneficial. Components of the low radiocarbon supplements can be produced using the waste carbon dioxide effluent from industrial combustion processes, generally considered a greenhouse gas pollutant. Carbon dating methods can be used to monitor the improvements achieved by the methods and compositions of the invention.

The present disclosure provides a computer implemented method for automatic detection of teeth clenching and / or teeth grinding in a dataset representing the level of biting force vs. time of a subject, the method comprising the steps of a) calculating a threshold level of biting force assigned to time t=t1 based on a background level determined from the dataset at a prior time t=t1−Tback, where Ttrack is a first predefined period of time,b) checking the level of biting,and if the level of biting force at time,t, exceeds the threshold level assigned to time t for a second predefined period of time, Tclench / grind, then assigning an event of teeth clenching to time t,c) if an event of teeth clenching has been assigned to time t, then either waiting a predefined period of time 10 Twait,or waiting until the level of biting is below the threshold for another predefined period of time Tend, d) if no events of teeth clenching and / or teeth grinding have been assigned for a third predefined period of time Tsilence, then repeating steps a)-c),e)if events of teeth clenching and / or teeth grinding have been assigned for a third predefined period of time Tsilence, then repeating only steps b)-c).

A fine A-type zeolite particle having an average primary particle size of 0.1 mum or less and a variation coefficient of 90% or less, wherein a ratio of a peak area above a background level to all peak are in the range of 2theta=20° to 40° in a powder X-ray diffraction spectrum of said fine A-type zeolite particle is 30% or more; a process for preparing the fine A-type zeolite particle, comprising reacting a silica source with an aluminum source in the presence of an organic compound having an oxygen-containing functional group and a molecular weight of 100 or more; and a detergent composition comprising a surfactant and the fine A-type zeolite particle. The fine zeolite particle is suitably used for detergent builders, water treatment agent, fillers for paper, resin fillers, oxygen-nitrogen separating agents, adsorbents, catalyst carriers, soil improvers for gardening, polishing agents, and the like.

A fine A-type zeolite particle having an average primary particle size of 0.1 mum or less and a variation coefficient of 90% or less, wherein a ratio of a peak area above a background level to all peak are in the range of 2theta=20° to 40° in a powder X-ray diffraction spectrum of said fine A-type zeolite particle is 30% or more; a process for preparing the fine A-type zeolite particle, comprising reacting a silica source with an aluminum source in the presence of an organic compound having an oxygen-containing functional group and a molecular weight of 100 or more; and a detergent composition comprising a surfactant and the fine A-type zeolite particle. The fine zeolite particle is suitably used for detergent builders, water treatment agents, fillers for paper, resin fillers, oxygen-nitrogen separating agents, adsorbents, catalyst carriers, soil improvers for gardening, polishing agents, and the like.

A non-intrusive method of determining, in respect of a group of appliances that are arranged to consume a utility, an indication of a background level of consumption of the utility by the group of appliances, the method comprising: receiving a series of utility values representative of a total level of consumption of the utility by the group of appliances; determining, based on the received utility values, an indication of a background level of consumption of the utility; and outputting the determined indication of the background level of consumption of the utility.

A camera is configured with multiple microphones to reduce wind noise in audio data collected by the camera. The camera receives motion data, which may comprise data indicating acceleration of the camera, a plurality of video frames received by the camera, or a background level of noise associated with one or more microphones configured on the camera. The camera determines a motion vector from the motion data. The motion vector is parallel to the direction of motion of the camera. The camera selects a subset of one or more microphones in the direction of the motion vector. By recording audio data using the one or more selected microphones, the camera reduces wind noise in the audio data.

Methods for measuring transporter activity using budding baculoviruses that do not express endogenous transporters on their envelope have a low background level and can measure the target activity with a high sensitivity. Such methods can be used to measure functional changes due to transporter SNPs over a more extensive range of substrates, and can be applied to tailor-made therapies.

A method for calibrating the scan amplitude of an electron beam lithography instrument by determining the position of a feature within the scan. The method is effective at the operating frequency of the scan and using a limited bandwidth video signal including the steps of determining the reference feature to be an edge over which the video signal rises abruptly from a background level to a white level. The method turns the beam on only over a short region of the scan and represents the degree of overlap between the beam on portion of the scan and the white part of the feature as the total video signal accumulated in that scan.

The invention discloses a fringe illumination Fourier domain iteration updating super-resolution microscopic imaging method based on total internal reflection. The method comprises the following steps: splitting a parallel illumination laser beam into two parallel beams with equal intensity and consistent polarization direction, and exciting two oppositely propagated evanescent waves to interfereso as to generate a fine evanescent wave fringe illumination fluorescent sample; receiving a fluorescence signal on the imaging image surface by using a detector to obtain a low-resolution image mixedwith high-frequency and low-frequency information of the fluorescence sample; changing the spatial displacement and direction of the evanescent wave illumination fringes for multiple times, and shooting the fluorescence signal modulated by the fringe intensity again to obtain a series of low-resolution images mixed with high-frequency and low-frequency information of the fluorescence sample as original images; and finally, carrying out Fourier domain iteration updating processing on the original image, and carrying out continuous iteration to finally reconstruct a super-resolution image of the fluorescent sample. According to the method, the transverse resolution of about 100 nm can be achieved, the background level can be reduced, the contrast ratio can be improved, the unknown aberration of the system can be corrected, and in-vivo imaging can be achieved.