Abstract: An embodiment of an integrated circuit includes first and second semiconductor layers and a contact region disposed in the second layer. The first semiconductor layer is of a first conductivity, and the second semiconductor layer is disposed over the first layer and has a surface. The contact region is contiguous with the surface, contacts the first layer, includes a first inner conductive portion, and includes an outer conductive portion of the first conductivity. The contact region may extend deeper than conventional contact regions, because where the inner conductive portion is formed from a trench, doping the outer conductive portion via the trench may allow one to implant the dopants more deeply than conventional techniques allow.

Abstract: A computing method and circuit for computing a modular operation with at least one operand having a binary representation. Iteratively for each bit of this operand, doubling the value of an intermediate result stored in a first memory element by shifting the bits of the intermediate result towards the most significant bit and, while the most significant bit of the intermediate result is one, updating this intermediate result by subtracting a modulus stored in a second memory element.

Abstract: A disposable infusion device comprises a base, a cannula arranged to extend from the base to beneath the patient's skin to deliver a liquid medicament to the patient, and a source arranged to provide the cannula with a liquid medicament. The source comprises a piston pump.

Abstract: A wearable liquid medicament delivery assembly comprises a band arranged to at least partially encircle and be secured to a body extremity of a wearer and a liquid medicament delivery device carried by the band. The device includes a reservoir arranged to hold the liquid medicament, a piercing member arranged to penetrate the skin of the wearer to deliver the liquid medicament, and a pump that pumps the liquid medicament from the reservoir to the piercing member to thereby cause the liquid medicament to be delivered to the wearer.

Abstract: A method of controlling the spark lead of an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder fitted with a spark plug; the method including the steps of: determining a standard spark lead value; determining an engine knock index in the cylinder; calculating a correction factor as a function of the engine knock index; determining a modified spark lead value by applying the correction factor to the standard spark lead value; and controlling the spark plug using the modified spark lead value. The correction factor is calculated by statistically analyzing a number of engine knock indexes to calculate a cumulative distribution; comparing the cumulative distribution with at least one target value; and modifying the current correction factor value as a function of the comparison between the cumulative distribution and the target value.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transponder and a method for controlling by pulse trains a switch for modulating the load of this transponder in an electromagnetic field from which it extracts its power supply, the duty ratio of the pulses being controlled according to the transponder supply voltage.

Abstract: The apparatus and methods herein provide quantitatively controllable light sources and expanded dynamic range endoscopy systems that can improve the quality of images and the ability of users to distinguish desired features when viewing tissues by providing methods and apparatus that improve the dynamic range of images from endoscopes, in particular for example with endoscopes that have dynamic range limited because of small image sensors and small pixel electron well capacity, and other optical system constraints. The apparatus and methods herein, for example, combine light sources with quantitatively variable spectral output and quantitatively variable wavelength dependent intensity distribution with image sensors and controllers to create an expanded dynamic range endoscopy system.

Abstract: A semiconductor device with vertical current flow includes a body having a substrate made of semiconductor material. At least one electrical contact on a first face of the body. A metallization structure is formed on a second face of the body, opposite to the first face. The metallization structure is provided with metal vias, which project from the second face within the substrate so as to form a high-conductivity path in parallel with portions of said substrate.

Abstract: An embodiment of an apparatus includes a communication circuit and a transducer array coupled to the communication circuit. The communication circuit is operable to generate first and second information signals, and the transducer array is operable to generate in response to the first information signal a first sonar signal having a first frequency, and to generate in response to the second information signal a second sonar signal having a second frequency. The transducer array may generate the first and second sonar signals simultaneously to increase the transmission bandwidth. Where such an apparatus is a buoy, then the buoy may relay signals from an above-surface vessel to an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), and may relay signals from the UUV to the vessel. Therefore, the buoy allows the vessel to control the UUV without a cable linking the buoy and the vessel, and thus allows one to eliminate such a cable.

Abstract: A voltage booster for generating a boosted voltage, including a charge pump adapted to generate the boosted voltage starting from a supply voltage by a transfer of electric charge controlled by at least one oscillating signal having an oscillation frequency; an oscillator for providing the oscillating signal; and a regulation circuit arranged to receive and perform a comparison of a voltage related to the boosted voltage and a reference voltage, and adapted to provide at least one regulation signal indicative of a result of said comparison, wherein said regulation signal is fed to the oscillator to control said oscillation frequency. The regulation circuit is adapted to cause the at least one regulation signal take one among a plurality of discrete values, depending on the result of the comparison, so that the oscillation frequency of the at least one periodical signal accordingly can take one among a plurality of discrete oscillation frequency values.

Abstract: A wear leveling solution is proposed for use in a storage device based on a flash memory. The flash memory includes a plurality of physical blocks, which are adapted to be erased individually. A corresponding method starts with the step for erasing one of the physical blocks. One of the physical blocks being allocated for storing data is selected; this operation is performed in response to the reaching of a threshold by an indication of a difference between a number of erasures of the erased physical block and a number of erasures of the selected physical block. At least the data of the selected physical block being valid is copied into the erased physical block. The selected physical block is then erased.

Abstract: A system and method for actuating a hatch door. One embodiment includes a vertical launcher system that has a hatch door disposed in a plane at the top of a hold. The hatch door includes a leading edge and a trailing edge at opposite ends of the hatch door. When an actuator arm for maneuvering the hatch door is extended, the leading edge is lifted away from the plane by the actuator arm while the trailing edge remains in the plane and slides across the top of the plane toward the point where the leading edge was first lifted away. Such a sliding hatch mechanism allows for quick opening and closing of a hatch door while providing more efficient use of mechanical energy for breaking ice build up or prevent intrusion.

Abstract: Disclosed is a full color liquid crystal display, including a lower substrate and an upper substrate facing each other, partition spacers uniformly arranged between the lower substrate and the upper substrate to form a plurality of spaces while maintaining a cell gap between the lower substrate and the upper substrate, a lower transparent electrode and an upper transparent electrode respectively provided to the lower substrate and the upper substrate in the spaces defined by the partition spacers so as to face each other, subpixels having liquid crystals which are able to reflect or absorb respective specific light wavelengths and which are separately received in the spaces defined by the partition spacers, a plurality of such subpixels constituting a single pixel to exhibit full color.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of dynamic topology power converters are provided. One method includes monitoring at least one variable of the power converter and based on the at least one monitored variable, using a converter topology selected between at least a full-bridge converter topology and a half-bridge converter topology to achieve an efficient operation at a then current operational load.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a detector, direction finder, receiver, and range finder. The detector is operable to detect a target, and the direction finder is operable to determine a first direction to the target from the apparatus. The receiver is operable to receive a second direction to the target from a remote object, and the range finder is operable to determine from the first and second directions a range of the target from the apparatus. For example, the apparatus may be a first fighter jet, and the remote object may be a second fighter jet. By using directional information from both the first and second jets, a computer system onboard the first jet may compute a range to the target from the first jet more quickly and more accurately than by using directional information from only the first jet.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and pressure vessels for solid-state microcellular processing of thermoplastic rolls and sheets. In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method for making a gas impregnated interleaved roll, which method comprises: providing a pressure vessel having an internal pressure chamber and a rotatable shaft horizontally positioned within the pressure chamber; placing an interleaved roll about the rotatable shaft and within the pressure chamber, wherein the interleaved roll is made from a thermoplastic material sheet interleaved together with a gas-channeling material sheet; pressurizing the pressure chamber to a selected pressure; rotating the rotatable shaft having the interleaved roll thereabouts (thereby rotating the interleaved roll) while under pressure for a selected period of time; and depressurizing the internal chamber to yield the gas impregnated interleaved roll.

Abstract: An embodiment of an inductor assembly includes a core, a first conductor, and a second conductor. The core includes first and second members, a first group of one or more forms extending between the members, a second group of one or more forms extending between the members, and an isolating region that magnetically isolates the first group of forms from the second group of forms. The first conductor is wound about a first one of the forms in the first group, and the second conductor is wound about a second one of the forms in the second group. Such an inductor assembly may allow both coupled and uncoupled inductors to be disposed on a common core, thus potentially reducing the cost and size of the inductors as compared to the coupled inductors being disposed on one core and the uncoupled inductors being disposed on another core.

Abstract: A mission system includes a peer vector machine having a host processor and pipeline accelerator and including bridge objects that provide communication via signal objects, message objects, and mission objects.

Abstract: A system and method allows for dynamic, parameterized linking of database views or tables. The database tables are related in a parent-dependent relationship, with dependent tables being linked to parent tables through a parameter. When a new record in the parent table is scrolled to, dependent tables automatically run queries and return records with matching parameters. The parameters include field values. Several table views may be combined in a single database table set. Multiple dependent tables may be linked to an individual parent table in a parallel manner. Dependent tables may also be cascaded through intermediate parent tables, each table in the cascade acting as a dependent to its parent and acting as a parent table to its dependent table(s). Database table sets may be saved and may be transmitted, for example via email.

Abstract: A system and method are provided in which a first chip in a stacked multi-chip module configuration is affixed via one or more adhesion layers to a first portion of a partitioned interposer unit. Planar partitions of the interposer are physically bonded via multiple solder “bumps,” which possess high tensile strength but low resistance to horizontal shear force or torque. A second chip is affixed via one or more adhesion layers to the second portion of the partitioned interposer. The chips may thus be separated by horizontally and oppositely shearing or twisting the first and second portions of the partitioned interposer away from one another.