106 results about "Proximity measure" patented technology

Apparatuses and methods to sense proximity of an object and operate a proximity sensor of a portable device. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving an ambient light sensor (ALS) output, and altering, based on the ALS output, an effect of a proximity sensor output on control of a proximity determination. The ALS sensor and the proximity sensor may be located adjacent to an earpiece of a portable device. In some cases, the proximity determination may be a proximity of an object to the proximity sensor, and altering the effect may include changing the proximity of the object from a proximity greater than a first threshold to a proximity less than the first threshold. Other apparatuses and methods and data processing systems and machine readable media are also described.

A proximity measuring apparatus (70) comprises an interrogator (80) for generating an interrogation signal encoded with a reference signature code comprising concatenated codes and emitting it as interrogating radiation. It also incorporates a transponder (90) for receiving the interrogating radiation, demodulating it to extract its signature code and then remodulating it after a delay period to provide a signal for reemission as return radiation therefrom. The interrogator (80) receives return radiation at its antenna (260) and demodulates it to extract its signature code and then correlates the code with the reference code to determine mutual correlation thereof. The interrogator (80) incorporates a computer (290) for controlling a scan direction of the antenna (260) and for measuring time delay between emission of the interrogating radiation therefrom and receipt of corresponding return radiation. The computer (290) computes distance and relative bearing of a transponder (90) providing the return radiation from the scan direction and the time delay. The apparatus (70) may be used for improving road vehicle safety.

One or more acoustic transducers of a device may be adjusted based on automatic detection of device proximity to the user. In a mobile telephone, when the user is using the receiver and holding the telephone against his / her ear, if the telephone detects that the user has moved the telephone further from his / her ear, the telephone will raise the receiver volume. Similarly, if the user is using the speaker, the telephone will adjust the speaker volume as user distance from the telephone changes. In another embodiment the telephone may fade between the receiver and the speaker. Volume is not the only acoustic property that could be adjusted according to user proximity. Frequency response is another property that could be adjusted, such as using appropriate electronic filtering, or by turning on another transducer that is not otherwise being used.

Systems and methods for word sense disambiguation, including discerning one or more senses or occurrences, distinguishing between senses or occurrences, and determining a meaning for a sense or occurrence of a subject term. In a collection of documents containing terms and a reference collection containing at least one meaning associated with a term, the method includes forming a vector space representation of terms and documents. In some embodiments, the vector space is a latent semantic index vector space. In some embodiments, occurrences are clustered to discern or distinguish a sense of a term. In preferred embodiments, meaning of a sense or occurrence is assigned based on either correlation with an external reference source, or proximity to a reference source that has been indexed into the space.

A global positioning system (GPS) is used to detect locations (dynamic locations) associated with meeting participants and the proximity between participants is used to create one or more location clusters. Next, the availability of suitable meeting locations (static locations) are identified and an optimum meeting location, given the participant clusters and their proximity to the available meeting locations, is determined. Additionally, the center of mass associated with each of the clusters is also used to determine optimal meeting locations. Lastly, participants are notified regarding the optimized location for the meeting.

A method of comparing the closeness of a target tree to other trees located in a database of trees, said method comprising the steps of: (a) calculating a constraint in respect of each tree in the database based on an estimated number of edit operations and a characteristic of the target tree; (b) calculating a constrained tree edit distance between the target tree and each tree in the database using the constraint obtained in step (a); and (c) comparing the calculated constrained tree edit distances. The method can also be applied to matching a target tree representable structure to its closest tree representable structure.

A system and method are provided to alert two mobile communications users in the event they come in close proximity to one another. The present system uses a distributed algorithm denoted as the Strips algorithm, in which a pair of moving friends with mobile telecommunications devices makes an agreement about a static buffering region between them. After the agreement is made, the users do not need to follow each other's location until one of them enters the buffering region for the first time. By doing so, they invalidate the agreement. Consequently, they replace a location update message between them, determine if they got within the vicinity of each other, and otherwise make a new agreement on a new buffering region. When one of them enters the buffering region for the first time, a message is sent to both friends alerting them of the proximity of the other.

The present invention provides methods, compositions and kits for identifying molecules such as proteins or nucleic acids that are found in proximity to each other in vitro or in vivo. For example, the present invention provides for the modification of one or more molecules that are complexed with, or in proximity to, a target biomolecule, wherein the modification of the one or more complexed or proximal molecules is detected.

A method of modification of a semiconductor layout is provided. The layout comprises objects of semiconductor material with corners and edges. The method comprises a step of receiving (61) a set of proximities, triggers and design rules, the proximities indicating relations between neighboring edges and / or corners, the triggers defining boundaries for the modification within which boundaries the proximities are valid, the design rules describing physical requirements for the semiconductor layout. The method further comprises a step of generating (62) a set of constraints, based on the received proximities, triggers and design rules, each constraint in the set of constraints defining a limit within which the semiconductor layout may be modified without changing the proximities. Then the set of constraints to obtain a modified semiconductor layout is solved (63).

A method of comparing the closeness of a target tree to other trees located in a database of trees, said method comprising the steps of: (a) calculating a constraint in respect of each tree in the database based on an estimated number of edit operations and a characteristic of the target tree; (b) calculating a constrained tree edit distance between the target tree and each tree in the database using the constraint obtained in step (a); and (c) comparing the calculated constrained tree edit distances. The method can also be applied to matching a target tree representable structure to its closest tree representable structure.

A system for automatic proximity-based preloading of relevant information in portable devices pre-loads a portable device such as a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or portable computer before the occurrence of a trip or event, with information relevant to the user's current or upcoming tasks. The system locates and loads into the portable device only the information required by the user for near term projects, meetings, or trips. The system is generally comprised of an information catalog, a proximity estimator, a relevance estimator, an information retriever, and a device loader. The information catalog contains a list of the information sources and items to which the user has access and from which the system of the invention will retrieve data to be loaded into the mobile device. The proximity estimator determines the proximity of various relevant information items to the user's tasks based on distance, time, and / or association. The relevance estimator combines these proximity measures into a single relevance score. The most relevant information is retrieved by the information retriever and loaded onto the portable device by the device loader.

Character recognition includes detecting a union of characters, preprocessing the union of characters, comparing the preprocessed union of characters with one or more template symbols, and applying a decision rule to either reject a template symbol or decide that the template symbol is included in the union of characters. Such preprocessing involves representing the union of characters as one or more curves, and parameterizing the curve(s); and, regarding various classes of transformation, forming one or more shapes for the curve(s). The comparing operation involves forming one or more geometric proximity measures, and determining for every shape the values of those measures between the shape and correspondingly determined shapes for the template symbols. Applying a decision rule involves selecting one or more template symbols in consideration of the values.

In accordance with the present invention, a method for determining a centerline through a region of interest in a 3D image dataset is provided. The method includes identifying the boundaries of the region of interest and identifying the endpoints of the region of interest. For those points within the boundaries, a penalty value which is a function of the proximity of the point to a boundary is determined. A centerline is then identified by the path connecting the endpoints which has the minimum penalized distance wherein the penalized distance reflects the actual accumulated pathlength and the penalties associated with the points along the path. From the centerline, branches of a complete skeleton can be established by determining branch endpoints and then finding the minimum penalized distance from each endpoint the centerline or another intersecting branch.

Overlay network peers may be grouped so that each peer in a peer group has a similar transport network proximity measure with respect to the peers in other peer groups. A first set of transport network distances may include distances between a peer group and peer group neighbors of the peer group. A second set of distances may include distances between a peer and the peer group neighbors of the peer group. The peer may decide to join the peer group if the first set of distances is near to the second set. A first peer group may query a second peer group for the second peer group's neighboring peer groups. The distance between the first peer group and each of the second peer group's neighbors may be measured. Overlay network connections may be established between the first peer group and the closest of the second peer group's neighbors.

A system for determining proximity of a surgical device relative to nerve structure includes at least one surgical device having a sensor assembly operably coupled to a processing unit and configured to transmit at least one electrical signal generated by the processing unit through nerve structure to elicit a measurable response there from. The processing unit is configured to calculate a signature property value of nerve structure based on the measurable response and to determine proximity of the nerve structure to the surgical device based on the measurable response. The processing unit is further configured to test the nerve function after completing the surgical procedure.

A touch screen controller produces a first signal (DATA) representative of a self capacitance (Cselfj) of a touch screen (13A) during a presence scanning mode and representative of mutual capacitances (Cmij) of the screen during a location scanning mode. The first signal is calibrated during the presence scanning and during the location scanning to produce a second signal (ΔDATA) which may represent either self-capacitance changes (ΔCselfj) caused by proximity of an element (22) during presence scanning or mutual capacitance changes (ΔCmij) caused the element during location scanning. The second signal is operated upon during presence scanning to determine to determine proximity of the element relative to the screen and during location scanning to produce a magnitude map of the mutual capacitance changes.

Computer-implemented systems and methods for synthesis of concept definitions and concept relationships from a domain of data, utilizing different semantic processing protocols such as formal concept analysis and faceted classification synthesis from existing domain concepts that have a confidence gradient built into them. A cognitive or an input agent provides an input of an active concept which is matched against existing domain concepts. The resultant pool of relevant domain concepts is then used to derive virtual concept definitions using a semantic processing protocol. The derivation is then overlaid with a concept of relative proximity of an attribute from another within an attribute set. An additional layer of coherence is given by the relative proximity measure. The end result is a pool of related virtual concept definitions in a tree structure.

A method for providing an order includes receiving an identifier for a customer order, which is to be provided at a merchant location, and a customer mobile device identifier through a network at a tracking device. The identifier for the customer order is associated with the customer mobile device identifier. A location of a customer mobile device that is associated with the customer mobile device identifier is determined. A distance between the customer mobile device and the merchant location is determined. The identifier for the customer order along with arrival information for the customer that is based on the distance between the location of the customer mobile device and the merchant location is then provided for display. A merchant at the merchant location may then make determinations about how to provide the customer order based on the customer arrival information.

A collar to be worn on an object or a large or small animal has been designed incorporating (D)GPS technology. The operation of the device includes programming the three dimensional boundary into the memory of the device and simply installing the collar on the animal. As the animal approaches the preprogrammed boundary, a first alarm sounds when the subject is within an arbitrary user defined distance, and a second more drastic alarm such as a shock correction is applied when the subject approaches a second position closer to the boundary. Means to easily program the device are also included in the system. The device has the capability to call or transmit important information such as location, speed, identity, and medical parameters, etc. to a station automatically or when polled. All necessary analog and digital circuitry, microprocessor, programming, communications hardware are integrated into the collar. The device also has applications in land, air and sea navigation, farming, construction, tracking stolen vehicles, and keeping track of children. This device could also be embedded in a specialized lawnmower that would know where your yard ended and your neighbor's began, and traverse around all obstacles in the yard. Important Military applications would include warning and directing soldiers of front line boundaries, minefield mapping and 3-D direction around MOA's for aircraft.

The invention features a rectangular 3-D modeling grid called a display environment that may be mapped to one or more sensor(s) to provide a heads up display device the ability to generate and view an Augmented Reality first; person view of custom 3-D objects. Location sensors create the positioning and perimeter of the display environment. The Display Environment may Sbe navigated by the combination of the display device's physical movement sensed by motion sensors and the display device's physical location based on its proximity to synchronized location sensors. Sensors on the display device recognize when the device is moving with respect to the Display Environment to initiate re-rendering of its 3-D model being displayed. Movement of the display device enable first person 3-D model illustrative and perspective views which may also be used to design 3-D models with customizable scale, orientation, positioning physics, and artificial intelligence.

A method and system provide for conducting of trades. A request is transmitted from one party, about an item the party is willing to trade. Rules are specified about what will be acceptable. Responses are received from other parties concerning requests which are responsive to the rules. A trade is conducted with one or more parties responding in accordance with the rules.

Systems and methods pertaining to nearness calculations of points in n-space. Among the embodiments is associating points of interest with point records in a data store, and efficient retrieval of subsets of those point records which meet arbitrary criteria. Criteria can limit retrieval to neighbors of a reference point (i.e., point records associated with points of interest whose home cells that share at least one interface with another designated home cell. Computationally expensive, at-retrieval range calculations are avoided by performing complimentary calculations at-storage and saving them with related records. The invention is appropriate for use with data storage mechanisms which limit inequality or range operations, or for which such operations result in inefficiencies. When used to model neighboring points on a planetary surface in 3-space, the invention does not suffer from polar distortion (where spherical coordinate systems have difficulty).

Systems, apparatus and methods for proximity determination between transceivers, such as mobile devices, are presented. Proximity may be a logical combination of geographic proximity, radio proximity and / or cellular proximity. Proximity may be determined using a low overhead coarse test followed by a more intensive accurate test. Proximity may be determined indirectly via one or more intermediary transceivers having a predetermined relationship.

A method is provided of determining a relationship between a first animal and a second animal, which method comprises the steps of: (i) generating a proximity profile comprising information in relation to the frequency and duration of incidences of proximity for a candidate first animal in relation to the one or more candidate second animals; and (ii) analysing the proximity profile to determine whether the interaction between the candidate first animal and any of the candidate second animals is indicative of a relationship between the animals. Also provided is a system for use in such a method.

A system for guiding of the visually handicapped includes a continuous electrical conductor, in the nature of a wire or strip, having a substantially uniform conductivity embedded within a walkway to be traversed by the handicapped person. The system also including a proximity for detecting the conductor in which the detector may be in a shoe of the user or a tip of a walking cane. The system further includes a signalling element, in the nature of a vibrator, in electrical communication with the detector such that, through the presence of such vibration, the visually handicapped person is able to determine his proximity to the electrical conductor to determine that he is proceeding in a proper direction within or along the walkway. The signalling element is preferably provided with a switch, for example, a mercury switch, so that the shoe or cane circuit will become energized only upon the occurrence of movement or motion of the shoe or cane within which the proximity detector is located. The approach by a user to a location of interest along the walkway, such as an intersection, bathroom, or Braille telephone, may be indicated through the provision of a pattern of irregularity of the conductivity within the continuous electrical conductor. Different patterns of irregularity may indicate different advisories to the user.

A speech receiving unit receives a user ID, a speech obtained at a terminal, and an utterance duration, from the terminal. A proximity determining unit calculates a correlation value expressing a correlation between speeches received from plural terminals, compares the correlation value with a first threshold value, and determines that the plural terminals that receive the speeches whose correlation value is calculated are close to each other, when the correlation value is larger than the first threshold value. A dialog detecting unit determines whether a relationship between the utterance durations received from the plural terminals that are determined to be close to each other within an arbitrarily target period during which a dialog is to be detected fits a rule. When the relationship is determined to fit the rule, the dialog detecting unit detects dialog information containing the target period and the user ID.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for identifying a particular region in an image based on a user specification and information in the image, such as color and texture information. Initially, the user specifies a region using a single closed contour. The user input specifies the region of interest in the image. The present invention thereafter identifies a region that is (i) near the user input; (ii) about the same size as the initial region; (iii) the most likely boundary based on proximity to the initial boundary, region dissimilarity across the boundary, and similarity in region change along the boundary; and (iv) includes all points of homogeneous sub-regions that are initially mostly included. The present invention identifies the region accurately segmented and appropriately measured. By using local color information, edge information, and the user input, the present invention is capable of segmenting extremely complex regions including regions with highly irregular contours and regions composed of several visually different sub-regions or textures, or both.

A method and system is provided for estimating proximity and accurately calculating the straight line distance between the communicating Bluetooth enabled portable communication devices. Particularly, the invention provides a method and system for capturing the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values form at least one target communication device (204) by the reference communication device (202); calculating the constant values of properties of communication environment of the devices by utilizing captured received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values; and deriving accurate straight line distance between the reference communication device (202) and the target communication device (204) by utilizing calculated constant values of properties of communication environment of the devices.

To compensate for color-calibration sensor drift, a measurement of bare-print-medium tonal value is taken in immediate time juxtaposition to each color test pattern; measured bare-medium tone is then used to correct color-patch readings. A line sensor or the like, on the scanning printhead carriage, is used for the reading. Preferably two such readings are taken, one at each end of each test pattern; ideally separate scans of the bare medium are taken without any test-pattern patch to develop longterm and short-term drift profiles, for refining the corrections. To compensate for calibration error due to runout in the carriage track—particularly for wide-bed printers—sensor response to bare medium is used to represent variations in carriage-to-medium spacing along the track; these variations are corrected in later sensor use.