Abstract: The invention relates to a method of demodulating a signal (I, Q) that has a main component and harmonics. According to the invetion, this method includes the following of a selection of one of the harmonics, and a demodulation of the selected harmonic. The invention enables the elimination of a parasitic component introduced by the demodulation into the demodulated signal SD without altering the data carried by the signal SD.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having an n by m array of cells (32) is described, where n and m are positive integers with n at least two. Individual cells (32) have perimeter regions (34) surrounding the cells, the perimeter regions between adjacent cells being common to the adjacent cells. The method includes the steps of determining the required width or widths of the perimeter regions and calculating the optimal aspect ratio of each cell to substantially minimize the total area of an n by m array of cells subject to the determined width or widths of the perimeter regions. Then, a semiconductor device having an n by m array of active having an aspect ratio substantially in accordance with the calculated ratio is made. The invention has application to a number of types of structure, including a double diode structure.

Abstract: An antenna arrangement comprises a patch conductor (102) having a feed conductor (106) connected to a first point and a grounding conductor (108) connected between a second point and a ground plane (104). An example of such an arrangement is a conventional planar inverted-F antenna. A problem with such antennas is that their impedance is inductive, making them difficult to feed. The present invention incorporates a slot (702) in the patch conductor (102) between the first and second points, which enables the inductive component of the antenna's impedance to be substantially reduced. Suitable positioning of the slot (702) on the patch conductor (102) also enables an impedance transformation to be achieved. The antenna described above may have a substantially reduced volume compared with known planar antennas with minimal reduction in performance.

Abstract: A dual band patch antenna (700) comprises a conventional patch conductor (106) having a resonant circuit (702, 704) connected between the patch conductor and a ground conductor (102). The resonant circuit (702, 704) modifies the behavior of the antenna (700) in the vicinity of its resonant frequency, thereby providing a dual band antenna in which both bands can be used simultaneously. The total radiating bandwidth of the dual band antenna is significantly greater than that of an equivalent antenna having no resonant circuits. Additional resonant circuits can be employed to provide a multi-band antenna.

Abstract: An antenna arrangement comprises a folded structure (100) comprising first and second sections (102, 104) defining a transmission line. The sections may be meander-line elements or other physically-shortened electric elements, for example a helical element. Respective feed points (103, 105) are provided at the free ends of the sections (102, 104), thereby enabling independent connections to be made for different modes, such as transmit and receive. Top-loading and additional short-circuit elements may be provided to improve performance and reduce antenna volume. The impedances of the sections (102, 104) may be arranged to differ by adjusting conductor width or by fabricating one of the sections as a plurality of conductors connected in parallel. Discrete components may be included within the antenna structure, to provide enhanced design possibilities, while multi-band operation is enabled by fabrication of additional folded structures within the same volume.

Abstract: The invention proposes a protective casing (12) for an electronic appliance (10) of the type which has a shell (18) in which there is produced an opening (20) closed off by a body (22) made from transparent material with a general flat shape, of the type in which at least one internal peripheral annular fixing area (30) of the transparent body (22) is fixed to a facing area (32) of the periphery of the opening (20) by fixing and/or positioning means (34) with the interposing of a first decorative cladding (38) between the peripheral fixing area (30) of the transparent body (22) and the fixing and/or position means (34), characterized in that the peripheral fixing area (30) is inclined with respect to the overall plane of the transparent body (22). The invention also proposes a method and tool for manufacturing such a casing.

Abstract: A method of, and receiver for, recovering data bits from a spread spectrum signal, in which a digitally sampled chip sequence is derived from a received spread spectrum signal, a matched filter (34) filters the digitally sampled chip sequence in a matched filter, a circuit (36) obtains a running average of the output from the matched filter over successive bit periods, and means are provided for noting, in successive bit periods, which of the matched filter output samples corresponds to the maximum value in the running average and determines the sign of the sample in a stage of the matched filter synchronised with the maximum value and assigns a data bit value in accordance with the sign.

Abstract: A radio communication system in which secondary stations can request services from a primary station using random access or dedicated signalling methods. The primary station partitions a single uplink channel between random access and dedicated signalling transmissions, thereby enabling the advantages of both types of transmissions to be provided on a single channel without the need for the duplication of hardware otherwise required to handle two different types of channel.

Abstract: In a CELP coder a comparison between a target signal and a plurality of synthetic signals is made. The synthetic signal is derived by filtering a plurality of excitation sequences by a synthesis filter having parameters derived from the target signal. The excitation signal which results in a minimum error between the target signal and the synthetic signal is selected. The search for the best excitation signal requires a substantial computational complexity. To reduce the complexity a preselection of a small number of excitation sequences is made by selecting a small number of excitation sequences resembling the most a backward filtered target signal. With this small number of excitation sequences a full complexity search is made. Due to the reduced number of excitation sequences involved in the final selection the required computational complexity is reduced.

Abstract: A reproducing arrangement (1; 14) is adapted to reproduce compressed data (KD) included in data blocks (DB) of a data stream (DS) in a normal speed reproducing mode and in a multi-speed reproducing mode. The compressed data (KD) included in each data block (DB) are decompressible independently of one another and the sequence of the encoded data blocks (KB) in the data stream (DS) corresponds to the sequence of reproduction of the decoded data (KD) in the normal speed reproducing mode. In the multispeed reproducing mode of the reproducing arrangement (1;14) encoded data (KD) are read from only a part of the data blocks (DB) of the data stream (DS) and supplied to decoding means (7) of the reproducing arrangement (1;14), whose computing capacity is therefore also adequate for the multi-speed reproducing mode.

Abstract: In a CELP coder a comparison between a target signal and a plurality of synthetic signals is made. The synthetic signal is derived by filtering a plurality of excitation sequences from a one dimensional codebook by a synthesis filter having parameters derived from the target signal. The excitation signal that results in a minimum error between the target signal and the synthetic signal is selected. In order to reduce the complexity of the search for the best excitation signal, the selection is done in two stages. First a preselection of a small number of excitation sequences is made by selecting only every L.sup.th codebook entry for preselecting a plurality of excitation sequences. Thereafter, with this small number of excitation sequences, a fill complexity search is made in which all excitation sequences surrounding the preselected ones are involved in the selection.

Abstract: In a CELP coder, a comparison between a target signal and a plurality of synthetic signals is made. The synthetic signal is derived by filtering a plurality of excitation sequences by a synthesis filter having parameters derived from the target signal. The excitation signal which results in a minimum error between the target signal and synthetic signal is selected. The search for the best excitation signal requires a substantial computational complexity. To reduce the complexity, a preselection of a small number of excitation sequences is made using a reduced complexity synthesis filter. With this small number of excitation sequences, a full complexity search is made. Due to the reduced number of excitation sequences involved in the final selection, the required computational complexity is reduced.

Abstract: The power supply device may be used for portable apparatuses that can be powered either by primary cells or by a rechargeable battery, without using removable adapter pieces. It also allows adaptation to different types of chargers for rechargeable batteries. It uses two series (6, 7) of battery contact pins (21, 22) for identifying the battery chargers, double pins (11, 12 and 13, 14) for connection to the primary cells (10), and composite pins (31, 32) used for the primary cells as well as for the rechargeable batteries (20). The strips of certain contact pins are lodged in notches so as to constitute error-eliminating means.

Abstract: A method of powering-up a battery powered equipment by a phased activation of a function, for example the gain of a power amplifier (44), to increase the current consumption in a manner which avoids an excessive transitory drop in the supply voltage from the battery (42). Such a transitory drop may inhibit the powering-up operation and also may cause the battery to be exchanged prematurely because it appears that the battery is no longer usable. The phased activation of the function may be effected in a pre-planned phase sequence or by using a control loop monitoring the supply voltage.

Abstract: A data receiver comprises a receiver for receiving a data signal and providing a base band output, a demodulator coupled to an output of the receiving means receiver for providing a data output, and a clock recovery circuit coupled to an output of the demodulator for recovering symbols represented by the data output. The clock recovery circuit is operable to determine a time difference between rising and falling edges in the data output and their nominal reference points, and to determine respective clock reference points for the rising and falling edges from the time difference between the rising and falling edges.

Abstract: During a communication operation in a transponder system, consisting of a write/read station (1) and at least one transponder (2), a selection data block (SDB) is transmitted from the station (1) to at least one transponder (2) and, in response to the received selection data block (SDB), at least one transponder (2) transmits an identification data block (IDB) to the station (1). In response to the identification data block (IDB), the station (1) transmits an acknowledge data block (QDB) to the transponder (2) identified in the identification data block (IDB), the bit configuration of the acknowledge data block (QDB) being formed while using only a part (PM1) of the identification data block (IDB) associated with the transponder (2).

Abstract: A lighting system and method comprising at least two electroluminescent panel regions. Each electroluminescent panel region comprises a pair of electrodes with a phosphorous layer therebetween. The lighting system also comprises a lamp driver comprising a voltage supply source for supplying an AC voltage to the electrodes of each of the electroluminescent panel regions so as to cause the phosphorous layer of each electroluminescent panel regions to emit visible light. The lamp driver is configured to alternately charge the electrodes of a first electroluminescent panel region while simultaneously discharging the electrodes of a second electroluminescent panel region and vice versa, preferably at the same rate. The compression of the electrodes of one electroluminescent panel region are thus offset by the decompression of the electrodes of another electroluminescent panel region, thereby substantially canceling noise.

Abstract: In a data carrier (1) with an integrated electronic component (3) and with a transmission coil (12), short turn portions (21, 22, 23, 24, and 25) of the transmission coil (12) are formed by connection lines which are provided on the integrated electronic component (3) in the area of a component surface (4) of the integrated electronic component (3) and which are preferably formed by conductor tracks.

Abstract: A patch antenna with at least one patch resonator (10, 20) for the microwave range is described, which antenna is in particular suitable for an embodiment as a multilayer antenna with short-circuit conductor (14, 24) and for SMD mounting on a printed circuit board. The antenna furthermore has a bandwidth sufficient for use in mobile telecommunication also when substrates (11, 21) having the same dielectric or permeability value are used. This is achieved essentially in that the feed terminal comprises at least a first metallization piece (17) which extends on a first side face (112) of the resonator between the ground metallization (12) and the pattern (13) of metal patches, while the input impedance of the antenna is adjustable through a change in the dimensions of this metallization piece.

Abstract: In an acoustic echocanceller (6), an estimate of an echo signal is determined by an adaptive filter (10) and is subtracted from the input signal by a subtracter (14). The spectrum estimator (12) determines the frequency spectrum of the estimate of the echo signal, and the filter (16) filters the output signal of the subtracter (14) with a filter having a transfer function dependent on the spectrum determined by the estimator (12). The use of this combination results in a substantial improvement of the suppression of the echo signal.