226 results about "Solid state sensor" patented technology

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for reducing the potentially harmful effects of electromagnetic waves on an implantable medical device. In one embodiment of the present invention, an implantable medical system comprising a dual threshold magnetic sensor capable of detecting an elevated magnetic field is disclosed. The sensor can comprise a solid-state sensor capable of detecting a static magnetic field in excess of about 1500 Gauss. The magnetic sensor can be operatively coupled to electronics that are capable of altering the operation of the system upon detection of an elevated magnetic field by the magnetic sensor.

The invention is a reusable miniature camera head (10) that can be attached to and detached from an object. The camera head comprises: a housing (18), a lens system (12), a solid-state sensor (14), components of an electronic driver (16), and an internal electrical connector (20) located at the proximal end of the housing and having a plurality of sockets (22) or pins (110) on its external face. The object has an external connector (24) for receiving the camera head. The internal and external electrical connectors comprise a plurality of pins or sockets arranged in matching patterns on opposing faces thereby allowing the camera head to be attached to or disconnected by engaging the two connectors. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the object to which the camera head is attached is an endoscopic or laparoscopic device, the solid-state sensor is a Charge Coupled Device (CCD), and the housing does not contain a printed circuit board.

A current sensor assembly includes a sensor coil, an electrostatic shield coil, a core, a housing, and a magnetic shield. The sensing coil, electrostatic shield coil, core, housing, and magnetic shield can be of toroidal symmetry and arranged coaxially about a pair of primary current conductors. The conductors can be either asymmetric or symmetric with respect to the geometric center of the remaining sensor assembly. The core and a secondary winding make up a current sensor. The core is cylindrically shaped and fabricated of non-magnetic material. The secondary winding is wound over the cylindrical core to form a toroidally shaped winding. When assembled into the current sensor assembly, the core and windings are disposed around two single turn primary windings through which AC currents to be measured flow. Alternatively, the conductor can be flat and the sensor can be a solid state sensor that includes an electrostatic shield. The conductor can have a magnetic flux concentrator positioned about the conductor in the same region where the sensor is located.

Eddy current detection probes and related methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, the eddy current detection probes are hybrid probes, including a solid state sensor and a detection loop. In some embodiments, the eddy current detection probes include a drive coil and a detection loop, with the detection loop having a sensitive axis that is not parallel to principal axis of the drive coil. In some such embodiments, the sensitive axis of the detection loop is perpendicular to the principal axis of the drive coil.

A bar code reading device processing two-dimensional electronic representations in the decoding of bar code symbols, which can automatically discriminate between code symbologies such as PDF 417 code symbology and UPC code symbology. The bar code reading device may further have improved reprogramming features and improved menuing features.

A secure erase system for a solid state memory device is disclosed. A memory area provides a data block for storing data and a key block for storing at least one key. A translation unit maps a logical address to a physical address associated with the memory area. An encryption unit encrypts plaintext data to be written to the memory area with the associated key and decrypts the encrypted data to be read by a host with the associated key. The key associated with a logical erase group to be secure erased is deleted after receiving a command requesting to erase the data associated with the logical erase group.

A system and method for managing a cache includes monitoring a temperature of regions on a secondary storage based on a cumulative cost to access pages from each region of the secondary storage. Similar temperature pages are grouped in logical blocks. Data is written to a cache in a logical block granularity by overwriting cooler blocks with hotter blocks.

A solid state storage system includes a controller configured to divide memory blocks of a flash memory area into first blocks and second blocks corresponding to the first blocks, newly allocates pages of the second blocks when an external write command is requested. The controller is also configured to allocate selected sectors in the allocated pages according to sector addresses and execute a write command.

In one embodiment, a rescue device is employed to disinfect a computer infected with a virus. The rescue device may comprise solid state memory. The rescue device may be removable from the computer and reusable for update and / or upgrade over a computer network. The rescue device may comprise a bootable partition, a virus scanning engine and a virus pattern file.

A data storage device includes a solid state data storage medium, a set of related data blocks and a controller. The set of related data blocks are non-contiguously stored on the data storage medium and have an original write sequence. The controller, responsive to a defragmentation request, maps the physical block addresses of the set of related data blocks to contiguous logical block addresses in the original write sequence while maintaining the non-contiguous physical block addresses of the set of related data blocks on the data storage medium.

A solid-state roller on a pointing device with enhanced features. The solid-state design described herein allows the sensor to be placed on any shape of surface, such as one that has curvature in two directions. In one embodiment, a trench or downward curve contains sensors for detecting finger movement. The user's finger can thus bend about a knuckle in a curved motion to activate the sensor, requiring little or no movement of the finger up and down. The solid-state sensors can be of one of a number of designs. In one embodiment, multiple electrodes are contacted by a finger as it moves. Each electrode is coupled to a capacitive detection circuit, for detecting the change in capacitance as the electrode is contacted by the finger.

The invention discloses a storage system and a method based on a solid state medium. The storage system comprises at least one identification method of cold-hot data, the identification method is used for identifying the state of a logic page, and the state at least comprises a cold data state and a hot data state; the identification method comprises the following steps: if the logic page is updated for one or multiple times by a host in a preset time, judging that the logic page is in the hot data state; otherwise, if the logic page is not updated by the host for a long time, and the updating is carried out for one or multiple times to the storage physical address of the logic page by the action of a garbage recycle and abrasion balancing unit, judging that the logic page is in the cold data stage. According to the storage system and the method based on the solid state medium, the performances (reading and writing speeds and bandwidth) of the solid state storage can be improved, and the purpose of achieving maximal service life of the solid state storage system is realized by the reduction of the written data.

One or more embodiments are directed to managing data in a solid state memory supporting data versioning. A file system residing at an information processing system reserves a plurality of logical pages from a solid state memory. Each logical page in the plurality of logical pages is associated with a plurality of physical pages in the solid state memory. Each logical page in the plurality of logical pages is assigned to one group in a plurality of groups. A request is sent to a flash translation layer for an operation to be performed by the flash translation layer on a group in the plurality of groups.

An imager having a switching circuit that couples pixel columns to different sample and hold circuits to reduce the noticeability of column-wise fixed pattern noise. A controller randomly couples a pixel column to a sample and hold circuit, therefore fixed pattern noise emanating from a particular sample and hold circuit is not always associated with a single pixel column. Therefore the visual perception of fixed pattern noise associated with a particular sample and hold circuit is reduced.

Embodiments of radiographic imaging systems and / or methods can monitor the state of calibration of a digital x-ray detector, the detector including a solid state sensor with a plurality of pixels, an optional scintillating screen and at least one embedded microprocessor. In one embodiment, a method can use a computer or the embedded microprocessor or both, for setting a calibration operating mode of the portable detector; taking a plurality of dark images in the calibration mode; determining a dark difference image between pixel readings between two of the plurality of dark images; identifying pixels in the dark difference image that differ by over a threshold amount from at least some surrounding pixels in the dark difference image as defective pixels.

In a solid state image sensor having micro lenses, the micro lens and a bonding pad electrode are formed on a planarizing layer. Thus, it is no longer necessary to etch the planarizing layer for exposing the bonding pad under the planarizing layer, by use of a photolithography, and therefore, it is possible to avoid dissolution, deform and detachment of the micro lens, which would have otherwise been caused in the prior art by dissolving a photoresist which was used in the photolithography.

An intensified solid-state imaging sensor includes a photo cathode for converting light from an image into electrons, an electron multiplying device for receiving electrons from the photo cathode, and a solid-state image sensor including a plurality of pixels for receiving the electrons from the electron multiplying device through a plurality of channels of the electron multiplying device. The solid-state image sensor generates an intensified image signal from the electrons received from the electron multiplying device. The plurality of channels are arranged in a plurality of channel patterns, and the plurality of pixels are arranged in a plurality of pixel patterns. Each of the plurality of channel patterns is mapped to a respective one of the plurality of pixel patterns such that electron signals from each of the plurality of channel patterns is substantially received by the single respective one of the plurality of pixel patterns.

An optical reader for reading decodable indicia is provided. In one embodiment, the optical reader can include an image sensor. In one aspect, the optical reader can be configured to read bar codes such as 1D bar codes. Particular methods and apparatus for reading decodable indicia are described.

A power supply control device for supplying power to a number of electrical devices from a single mains supply electrical outlet switch means adapted to connect an electrical supply from the supply electrical outlet to each of the controlled electrical outlets in response to the state of a master electrical device, a state sensor adapted to detect a functional state of the master electrical device, said sensor being adapted to distinguish at least three functional states of the master device. The master device may be personal computer with peripheral devices connected to the controlled outlets.

A projectile navigation system operable within an extremely high G-shock loading environment during the launch phase may include a set of Kalman filters configured to repeatedly calculate a navigational solution by solving a set of non-linear equations of motions of the projectile utilizing a current parameter vector, position, velocity, and attitude of the projectile. The system may include a suite of solid state sensors to calibrate the Kalman filter equations. If desired, the system may also include a satellite based positioning-determining (SBPD) attitude determination system configured to update the state of the host projectile by making real time attitude measurements of the projectile, and a parameter estimator configured to estimate and update a parameter vector of the host projectile. An external guidance and control processor may be used to generate guidance and control signals, enabling real time navigation of the host projectile.

A system for monitoring the state of calibration of a digital x-ray detector having a solid state sensor with a plurality of pixels, a scintillating screen and at least one embedded microprocessor, the system having means for capturing a digital image and a computer operable during normal diagnostic use of the detector, in cooperation with at least one embedded microprocessor, for performing pixelwise computations on the image and calculating a misregistration metric indicative of movement of the solid state sensor relative to the scintillating screen. A defect metric indicative of abnormal properties of pixels in the solid state sensor is calculated. It is then determined whether one or both of the misregistration metric and the defect metric exceeds a respective, preselected threshold value. The user of the system is alerted to conduct a calibration of the detector when either one or both of the respective threshold values have been exceeded.

There is provided a solid state image sensor including a photoelectric conversion unit formed and embedded in a semiconductor substrate, an impurity region that retains an electric charge generated by the photoelectric conversion unit, and a transfer transistor that transfers the electric charge to the impurity region. A gate electrode of the transfer transistor is formed in a depth direction toward the photoelectric conversion unit in the semiconductor substrate, from a surface of the semiconductor substrate on which the impurity region is formed. A channel portion of the transfer transistor is surrounded by the gate electrode in two or more directions other than a direction of the impurity region, as seen from the depth direction.

A bar code reading device processing electronic representations in the decoding of bar code symbols, which includes an illumination assembly and a solid state image sensor. The bar code reading device may have improved reprogramming features and improved menuing features.

A solid state storage system is disclosed including a memory area having a plurality of chips. The solid state storage system includes a micro controller unit (MCU) configured to utilize the number of deletions for logical blocks corresponding to logical block addresses when performing wear leveling on the memory area. The allocation of the logical block addresses can be performed using an interleaving process and a multi-plane method. The solid state storage system performs global wear leveling by which the lifespan of the cells of the chips can be uniformly managed.

Embodiments of the present invention provides a system controller interfacing point-to-point subsystems consisting of solid state memory. The point-to-point linked subsystems enable high bandwidth data transfer to a system controller. The memory subsystems locally control the normal solid state disk functions. The independent subsystems thus configured and scaled according to various applications enables the memory storage system to operate with optimal data bandwidths, optimal overall power consumption, improved data integrity and increased disk capacity than previous solid state disk implementations.

Solid state image sensor suitable for enhancing sensitivity of charge coupled devices (CCDs) using phase shift of light, and method for fabricating the same, the solid state image sensor including a plurality of photodiodes for generating image charges from incident lights, a plurality of charge coupled devices provided between the photodiodes for transmitting the image charges in one direction, a first flat layer formed on an entire surface of the photodiodes and the charge coupled devices, a plurality of color filter layers formed on the first flat layer to be in correspondence to the photodiodes, a plurality of black layers formed on the first flat layer between the color filter layers, a plurality of phase shift layers selectively formed on the color filter layers to be in correspondence to the photodiodes alternately, a second flat layer formed on an entire surface including the phase shift layers, and a plurality of microlenses formed on the second flat layer to be in correspondence to the photodiodes.

Methods for data recovery and memory systems are provided. According to at least one such method, when defective data is read from a memory location, the data is recovered by an XOR operation on the remaining good data and associated RAID data to reconstruct the defective data. The defective data is excluded from the XOR operation.

A read-threshold calibration method in a solid state storage system including measuring a threshold voltage distribution of solid state storage elements; determining a threshold voltage; decoding data according to the determined threshold voltage; filtering the threshold voltage distribution of solid state storage elements with a predetermined filter length when the decoding fails; changing the filter length; and repeating the determining, decoding, filtering, and changing steps with the changed filter length until the decoding is successful.

A power supply control device for supplying power to a number of electrical devices from a single mains supply electrical outlet switch means adapted to connect an electrical supply from the supply electrical outlet to each of the controlled electrical outlets in response to the state of a master electrical device, a state sensor adapted to detect a functional state of the master electrical device, said sensor being adapted to distinguish at least three functional states of the master device. The master device may be personal computer with peripheral devices connected to the controlled outlets.