Abstract: A database stores updated information concerning protected communications services. A base station for a coexisting, and potentially co-channel, non-protected communications service makes an inquiry of the database requesting an identification of geographically relevant protected services along with the database stored information pertinent to each of those identified protected services. The returned information is processed by the base station to determine what channels are available for use by the non-protected service. An available channel is identified by the base station as the working channel for the non-protected service and the base station initiates a process to establish a communications network using the non-protected service and the selected working channel.

Abstract: A method for charging a battery includes measuring the battery's voltage and comparing the battery voltage to a first threshold voltage. The method includes operating the battery in a charging mode if the measured battery voltage is less than the first threshold voltage, wherein operating in the charging mode comprises applying a charging signal to the battery. The charging signal has an oscillating triangular waveform superimposed on a DC bias signal. The method includes measuring the battery's current consumption and comparing the current consumption to a first threshold current. The method includes operating in a maintenance mode if the battery's current consumption is less than the first threshold current, wherein operating in the maintenance mode comprises terminating application of the charging signal to the battery. The method includes measuring, during operation in the maintenance mode, the battery's voltage and comparing the measured voltage to a second threshold voltage.

Abstract: A system on chip (SoC) has a digital domain. An adaptive voltage/frequency scaling circuit includes a critical path replica circuit with respect to that digital domain. The critical path replica circuit generates a margin signal, and the adaptive voltage scaling circuit responds to the margin signal by decreasing bias voltage (and/or increasing clock frequency) applied to the digital domain of the system on chip so as to recover available margin. A fail-safe timing sensor is included within the digital domain of the system on chip. The timing sensor generates a flag signal when timing criteria within the digital domain are violated. The adaptive voltage scaling circuit responds to the flag signal by increasing the bias voltage (and/or decreasing the clock frequency) applied to the digital domain of the system on chip so as to implement a recovery operation.

Abstract: A circuit charges and maintains a battery. The circuit includes a microprocessor for receiving a current sense signal and a voltage sense signal. The microprocessor generates control signals for selectively operating the circuit in a charging mode and in a maintenance mode. The circuit includes a current sense circuit for measuring the battery's current consumption and generating the current sense signal responsive to the measured current consumption. The circuit includes a voltage sense circuit for measuring the battery's voltage and generating the voltage sense signal responsive to the measured battery voltage. The circuit includes a waveform generator circuit for receiving the control signals, and operating in response thereto to apply a charging signal to the battery when in the charging mode and to deactivate the charging signal when in the maintenance mode. The charging signal has an oscillating triangular waveform superimposed on a DC bias signal.

Abstract: Differential coefficients of thermal expansion facilitate close approximation during cooling of a sintered cemented carbide tubular inlay preform (e.g., a first tubular portion) which is vacuum brazed within a corresponding tubular metal hull (e.g., a second tubular portion). Such a tubular inlay preform comprises at least one metal carbide and at least one nonvolatile cement which have previously been compressed and sintered in a predetermined shape. The tubular inlay preform's modulus of elasticity and thermal conductivity substantially exceed the corresponding parameters of the tubular metal hull, whereas the hull's coefficient of thermal expansion exceeds that of the preform. Longitudinal movement of a tubular inlay preform within a tubular hull may be limited by structural features of the hull and/or preform. Additionally, circumferential compression of a tubular inlay preform due to hoop stress in a corresponding tubular metal hull increases as the hull cools after vacuum brazing.

Abstract: A method and system for authentication of a plurality of sites in a land mobile radio (LMR) system and for encryption of messages exchanged by the sites. The plurality of sites are connected by a data network (e.g., IP network). The method includes transmitting by a first site its certificate. The certificate is created by a trusted authority by applying a selected function to the public key, the ID and other relevant information of the first site with the trusted authority's private key to generate a reduced representation and then encrypting the reduced representation with the trusted authority's private key. The method further includes receiving, by the other sites in the LMR system, the certificate transmitted by the first site. The method further includes decrypting, by the other sites, the certificate transmitted by the first site and authenticating the first site, wherein the certificate is decrypted using the trusted authority's public key.

Abstract: A transmission or actuator offering multiple rotational outputs proportionate in speed to that of a common rotational input, each output according to its own ratio. The ratios are continuously variable between positive and negative values, including zero, and may be varied by electromechanical actuators under computer control. The transmission relates the output speeds one to another under computer control, and thus makes possible the establishment of virtual surfaces and other haptic effects in a multidimensional workspace to which the transmission outputs are kinematically linked. An example of such a workspace is that of a robotic or prosthetic hand.

Abstract: An optical die, which is intended to be placed in front of an optical sensor of a semiconductor component, has an optically useful zone having an optical axis and exhibiting a variable refractive index. Specifically the refractive index of the die is variable in an annular peripheral zone lying between a radius Ru enveloping the useful zone and a smaller radius Ro. The index varies as a function of radial distance from a lower value near the smaller radius Ro to a higher value near the radius Ru. The function of the variable refractive index lies between a maximum and minimum profile.

Abstract: The common-mode voltage of a switched-capacitor system is controlled by determining a current common-mode voltage of the switched-capacitor system, converting (in a flow-through conduction cell) the difference between the current common-mode voltage and a desired common-mode voltage into a resultant current, and reinjecting this resultant current into the switched-capacitor system via a resistive path.

Abstract: An electric motor driven barrier operator includes spaced apart frame plates for supporting the motor, an intermediate drive shaft and an operator final output shaft. The motor output shaft, intermediate shaft and final output shaft are mounted on bearings at fixed centers on the frame plates and the motor and intermediate shaft are interconnected by a stretchable flexible drive belt reeved over respective drive pulleys mounted on the motor output shaft and the intermediate shaft. The drive belt may be mounted on the pulleys and replaced without adjusting the position of the motor output shaft, the intermediate shaft or the operator output shaft.

Abstract: For voltage interpolation amplifiers used in digital-to-analog converter architecture, the number of input differential pairs required by the voltage interpolation amplifier may be reduced such that an N-bit voltage interpolation amplifier comprises N+1 input differential pairs connected through a resistor attenuation network to provide a binary-weighted effective transconductance. In comparison to conventional voltage interpolation amplifier designs, the number of input differential pairs and power consumed by the circuit is significantly reduced, thereby creating a more area- and power-efficient voltage interpolation amplifier.

Abstract: A plurality of resistive paths are coupled in parallel to a common node. A high side driver is operable responsive to first control signals to selectively supply current to certain ones of the resistive paths. A low side driver, including a plurality of selectively actuated current sink paths, is provided to sink current from the common node. A control logic circuit actuates a current sink path within the low side driver for each resistive path that is selectively supplied current by the high side driver. A substantially constant low side voltage drop through these sink paths is provided regardless of the number of resistive paths that are supplied current by the high side driver. A switched high side and low side configuration operating in an analogous way is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for cadence detection in a sequence of video fields is based on at least a search for cadence patterns in a sequence of bits representative of the motion in at least a part of the field from one field to another in the field sequence. The signaling of field skip and/or field repeat commands as applied to the fields in the field sequence is considered during the cadence detection operation so as to field skips and repeats.

Abstract: A method and integrated circuit for preserving a battery's charge and protecting electrical devices is disclosed. A maximum and a minimum battery voltage value at the output port are stored in a memory. A steady state battery voltage at the output port is measured and stored in the memory. A processor compares the measured steady battery voltage value to the maximum and the minimum battery voltage values. If the measured steady state battery voltage value is greater than the maximum battery voltage value, an over voltage state is reported by the processor. If the measured steady state battery voltage value is less than the minimum battery voltage value, a low battery voltage state is reported by the processor.

Abstract: Molded polymer elevator buckets are reinforced by tapering the thickness of front and sidewalls and integral arcuate corner parts to improve bucket life without significant weight increase or reduced bucket capacity. Front lip wear indicators may be molded into the front wall section delimited by the lip and/or on the arcuate corner parts.

Abstract: For high resolution resistor string DACs, a resistor string is placed in an array of columns and rows, each resistor tap is connected to a switch network, and a decoder is used to select switches to be closed such that sub-DAC voltage comes from the resistor taps connected to the selected switches. The voltages from each row of the resistor string are fed into a multiplexer, wherein the multiplexer produces an output voltage. A method and apparatus are disclosed for implementing the reflective nature of Gray code to design a DAC such that all the switches in a column of the resistor string may be controlled with only one control signal, thereby reducing extra routing costs, surface area, and dynamic power consumed by the circuit.

Abstract: A process for shortest path routing in computer-aided designs (CAD) is performed using an incremental graph traversal technique. This technique searches the shortest path routing trees in a graph by path exploration limited only to an incremented search region thereby reducing run time complexity. Graph traversal begins in the incremented search region, and propagates successive changes thereafter.

Abstract: A method for engraving an image on a surface of an article selected from a group consisting of brick, ceramic tile, concrete pavers and natural stone articles, comprising providing a laser engraving apparatus comprising a steerable laser beam, steering the laser beam continuously over a first beam path on the surface to provide an engraved image and repeatedly traversing the laser beam over a path substantially parallel to the first beam path and incrementally spaced therefrom to define a perimeter of the engraved image. The method further comprises steering the laser beam within an infill area defined by the perimeter of the engraved image to provide a plurality of engraved segments extending within infill area.

Abstract: A method for fabricating electrical bonding pads on one face of a wafer includes the production of electrically conductive areas and electrical connection branches connecting these conductive areas. A layer of mask material is deposited and openings are produced in this mask layer which extend above said conductive areas and at least some of which extend at least partly beyond the peripheral edges of the underlying conductive areas. Blocks made of a solder material are produces in the openings by electrodeposition in a bath. The mask material is then removed along with the connection branches. The wafer is passed through or placed in an oven so as to shape, on the conductive areas, the blocks into substantially domed electrical bonding pads.

Abstract: A system and method for communicating the current congestion state of a destination virtual output queue to a plurality of source queues in order to allow the source queues to adjust their data rates in real time for each class of service is disclosed. The preferred embodiment method comprises tracking the amount of data for one or more classes of service entering and leaving at least one destination queue associated with an output port; determining the amount of available space in the destination queue; creating a message based at least in part on the determined amount of available space; and transmitting the created message to a plurality of source queues at least one of which is providing data to the destination queue.