Abstract: Automatic assistance to unaided voice communication is provided by activating and deactivating a wireless communication link as needed (300). A communication device, associated with a particular individual, monitors to determine whether unaided communication occurring with another individual is satisfactory according to a predetermined criteria (310, 320, 330). The communication device automatically switches to provide aided communication, when the unaided communication is not satisfactory. Preferably, an open communication link is established between the communication device and one associated with the other individual when sound reception characteristics or separation characteristics do not meet a particular criteria (340, 350, 360, 370).

Abstract: A surface mountable flexible interconnect and component carrier (10) for connecting to a main circuit board consists of a flex circuit (12) with solder pads (14) on one side for receiving an electronic component (15). There is an array of solderable pads (16) on the other side of the flex circuit, and each of the pads in the array has a solder bump (18) fused to it. The array of solderable solder pads (16) is electrically connected to the solder pads (14) for receiving the electronic component (15) by means of electrically conductive vias in the flexible film. A rigid carrier (20) is used to hold the flex circuit in position prior to placement on the circuit board. An opening (26) in the rigid carrier is strategically located so that the electronic component can be soldered to the solder pads.

Abstract: A user interface control software system (125) has software components organized into distinct partitions (210, 220, 230, 240) with a defined interface governing communications between components of different partitions. Preferably, the software components are organized into a core partition (210), a device specific partition (240), a feature enabler partition (220), and a signaling partition (230). The core partition (210) has software components that perform input handling, application interaction management, application control management, and output handling. The device specific partition (240) has software components for interfacing with user interface hardware in a manner specific to a particular type of communication device. The feature enabler partition (220) has software components that implement procedures for interacting with the user to perform a particular task. The signaling partition (230) manages procedures relating to a signaling protocol that requires user interaction.

Abstract: An automatic digital level control adjuster (310) processes an analog input signal (305) to adjust its signal level, based on input (311) from a digital module (330) that is clocked by a clock signal (325) derived from the analog signal (305). Preferably, the input (311) from the digital module (330) changes at a rate dependent on the clock signal (325), and such changes are made during crossovers of the analog signal across a predetermined zero reference threshold.

Abstract: A surface mountable electronic device (1) includes a mount (2), an electrical component (3) supported by the mount and two external terminals (5, 5a) electrically coupled to the component, the external terminals being mounted on the mount at diagonally opposite corners. The device is orientation dependent relative to solder pads (6) on a substrate (7) in that the device can be rotated through 90° about a central axis (8) in either direction and still allow alignment between the external terminals of the device and the substrate solder pads.

Abstract: A DC offset correction method and apparatus. Several DC offset correction schemes including a digital binary search scheme (100), a digital slow averaging scheme (200) and an analog integration (50) scheme are provided. A controller (160) selects one or more of the correction schemes in accordance with the desired characteristics provided by each scheme.

Abstract: A method of interconnecting electrical terminations (12) of an integrated circuit die (30) to corresponding circuit traces (22) of a circuit carrying substrate (20). The die is placed in a cavity (24) in the substrate such that the electrical terminations on the die are aligned with corresponding circuit traces on the substrate, and so that the surfaces of the die and substrate are coplanar. A film (40) is vacuum laminated over the substrate and the die with heat and pressure. The film is then heated so that it flows to fill the spaces (34) between the die and sidewalls of the cavity, and is then cured. Excess film is then removed everywhere except that which is in the space between the die and the cavity walls. Electrical interconnections (100) are then plated up between the terminations and the circuit traces to bridge the distance between the terminations and the circuit traces.

Abstract: A smart switch produces a signal responsive to movement of said switch between a first state and a second state. The said switch has a first state position and a second state position. The switch can be moved from said first state to said second state responsive to a force applied to said switch. The switch includes a transducer, such as a load cell, that is responsive to said force for producing a transducer signal indicative of the force applied to said switch. The transducer signal is indicative of the amount of movement of said switch from said first state to said second state.

Abstract: A non-predictive tone-coded-squelch (TCS) frequency determination method of scanning a plurality of radio frequency channels in a radio receiver and determining the presence of a standard tone-coded squelch frequency on the radio frequency channel (205) that includes determining a mathematical average of a plurality of subaudible tone samples from a radio frequency channel (211, 217) and then removing out-lying samples that differ from the mathematical average by some predetermined amount (219). A determination is made if the number of remaining samples is at least some predetermined percentage of the total samples taken (223) and a predictive tone-coded squelch detector is used to monitor for a standard tone-coded squelch frequency nearest to the a frequency corresponding to the mathematical average of the remaining samples (225) if the number of remaining samples is at least some predetermined percentage of the total samples taken.

Abstract: A radio communication system (100) has distributed operational control. Multiple autonomously operable computer workstations (120) are linked to a radio communication database (175) via a computer network (130). A local database (211), corresponding to a view of the radio communication database (175), is stored on each computer system (120). A radio system console operator interface (206) is configured according to information in the local database (211), and is operated to perform operational control of a portion of the radio communication system (100). Data consistency of the information stored in the local database (211) is automatically maintained.

Abstract: A mixer circuit (400) for use with a multi-stage receiver (200) accepts a single ended or differential (i.e. balanced) input (401). A voltage to current converter (402) comprised of a single RF transistor coupled to the input (401) provides a single current node (404) having a current proportional to a received input. A switching network (408) employees a plurality of stages (406). Each stage (406) is connected to the current node (404) and further has a control line (A, B, C, D). A clock signal generator connected to the control lines (A, B, C, D) of the switching network stage (406), generates clock signals having a frequency equal to the frequency of the received RF input signal. The switching network (408) under control of the clock signals switches the current at a frequency y equal to the frequency of the received RF input signal to generate baseband I and Q signals. If the mixer (500) is differential, the balanced signal inputs (520) will be 180° out of phase, one to another.

Abstract: A mounting apparatus (100) suitable for retaining an antenna (112) includes a base (102) having magnetic sources (104) and (106) capable of providing varying magnetic forces. Magnet (104) retains the base against a metal surface (410), while an electronically controlled magnet (106) provides additional retention of the base (102) against the metal surface (410) when activated, thereby preventing movement of the base and antenna (112).

Abstract: A communication device receives control information during transmission of streaming data, such as speech data, over a wireless channel (300). The communication device identifies a portion of the streaming data, such as representing a pause in speech, as compressible data or white space data (310, 320). Continuous transmission of the streaming data is interrupted to request and receive control information on the wireless channel, using the channel space made available by not transmitting the identified portion of data or by transmitting it in a more compressed format (330, 340).

Abstract: A method for generating a wavelet filter provides improved selectivity with minimal computational intensity in digital data systems (300,400). The process begins by generating an initial wavelet formed of low pass and high pass analysis filter bank (302). The next steps include obtaining an upper triangular matrix which, when multiplied by the initial wavelet, produces a product retaining the symmetry and enhancing the number of zero moment(s) of the initial wavelet (304); and obtaining a lower triangular matrix which, when multiplied by the initial wavelet, produces a product retaining the symmetry and the zero moment of the initial wavelet (306). By multiplying the upper and lower triangular matrices with the initial wavelet, an updated wavelet filter with improved selectivity is produced (308, 318).

Abstract: A variable inductor is made from two elements separated by an insulating layer. The first element is elastic and serves as a coil shaped support for the inductive element. This elastic element is made with a memory and can be made to change its size by the application of heat. The inductive element is formed over the coil shaped support by layering a thin layer of a highly conductive material such as gold over the insulator layered on the elastic element. As heat is applied to the coil or as an electric current is applied to the elastic element, the size of the coil shaped support is changed which changes the inductive value of the inductive element formed by the conductive layer.

Abstract: A level shifter for use in an integrated circuit that translates a binary input signal having a low voltage level to a binary output signal having a different voltage level. The level shifter (10) includes an input stage (20) that receives the input signal and provides control signals to a low state voltage translation circuit (30) and a high state voltage translation circuit (40). The low state voltage translation circuit (30) controls the level shifter (10) when the input signal is low and provides a bias signal to a bipolar device (Q2) adapted to pull the external output signal low. The high state voltage translation circuit (40) controls the level shifter (10) when the input signal is high and includes a voltage reducing circuit (44) operating as a current mirror with a pull-up PMOS transistor (P13) to couple an internal high voltage power supply to the output node (Vout).

Abstract: A receiver (100) provides dual band features by providing two signal paths (106, 108) off an antenna (102), one for UHF operation (106) and one for VHF operation (108). The two signals paths (106, 108) feed into a single broadband input (124) of a direct conversion receiver (114). The UHF path (106) utilizes UHF front end circuitry (110) while the VHF path (108) is implemented with a loading/isolator circuit (120) and a matching circuit (122). The loading/isolator circuit (120) loads the antenna (102) and isolates UHF signals while the matching circuit (122) provides a match between the loading isolator circuit (120) and the direct conversion recover (114). Selectable matching circuitry (126, 128) and selectable VCO circuitry (132, 134) configures the direct conversion receiver for the UHF or VHF mode of operation.

Abstract: A device having battery-save circuitry includes a power-on reset circuit (603), an OR-gate (604) coupled to the power-on reset circuit (603), a current-boost timer circuit (602) coupled to the OR-gate (604), a reference oscillator (403) with a start-up current mode enabled by the current-boost timer circuit (602), and a low current secondary reference oscillator (613). A method of operating the device includes operating the device in a battery-save mode and an active mode. A first clock signal is used as a microprocessor clock signal while operating the device in the battery-save mode, and a second or third clock signal is used as the microprocessor clock signal while operating the device in the active mode.

Abstract: A portable radio (306) provides a selectable and/or automatic battery conditioning mode of operation (400). Battery conditioning is achieved by discharge state (410) that discharges the battery down to a predetermined threshold using existing radio circuitry (308).