Abstract: The present invention relates to a baseband transmitter using a precision voltage reference and field effect transistor switches in an arrangement such that output amplitude variations due to power supply and transistor "on" voltage variations are virtually eliminated. The present invention results in a transmitter suitable for the generation of transmit signals conforming to different rate and/or frequency constraints. The data rate and output pulse characteristics of the transmitter are selected by a single 1-of-N switch selection. A common amplifier is provided for different data rates.

Abstract: In order to have with an integratable solid state relay a galvanic isolation between the control and the switch similar to that of a mechanical relay the control is performed via DC/DC-converters in a classical voltage-doubler circuit configuration. The switch function is provided by a pair of complementary MOS-transistors (Tr.sub.1 and Tr.sub.2) the gate/source capacitances (C.sub.gs) of which are used as charging capacitances of the DC/DC-converters. In order to have a perfect blocking of the MOS-switches two DC/DC-converters (C.sub.1,C.sub.2,D.sub.1,D.sub.2,C.sub.gs ; C.sub.3,C.sub.2,D.sub.3,D.sub.5,C.sub.gs) are provided which are controlled by two signals in the phase opposition so that for both switching states the same noise margin capability and the same switching-over times result. The circuit arrangement includes only diodes, MOS-transistors and capacitances (C.sub.1,C.sub.2,C.sub.3) of very small value which can be integrated without any difficulties.

Abstract: A continuous speech recognition system includes a plurality of processors doing template comparisons of speech data. Each processor has an associated memory shared with the other processors by direct memory access (DMA) through a shared data bus. The DMA circuitry is distributed between the processors to eliminate redundancy, since if each processor had a full DMA circuit, one of the circuits would be idle when the processors communicated.

Abstract: In a handsfree telephone system of the type described in our application No. 584,579, filed in the U.S. on Feb. 29, 1984, the method used to avoid howling due to feedback from the loudspeaker to the microphone is to increase the attenuation to speech in the quiescent direction as compared with that in the active direction. This involves monitoring successive speech samples in the two directions with each sample compared with a preset threshold, which also takes account of the system's noise levels. This is effected under processor control, as in the adjustment of the attenuation, since the system uses digital speech transmission.It has now been found that it is not necessary to monitor all speech samples to derive adequate information about the occupancy conditions of the two speech directions. In the present systems only one speech sample in four is used. This enables one microprocessor to serve two lines alternately.

Abstract: A two-dimensional acousto-optic deflection arrangement including a source (10a) of electromagnetic radiation, means (18) for modulating the source, means for collimating the output of the source into a beam, and an acousto-optic deflection means (12a) situated in the path of said beam, the deflection means comprising a rectangular body of acousto-optic material provided on two adjacent surfaces with electro-acoustic transducers arranged to launch orthogonal bulk acoustic waves into the material transverse the direction of propagation of radiation through the material whereby the focussed radiation can be scanned in two dimensions over an area illuminated by a source (20) secondary illumination. Typically the scanned area comprises a thermo-optically addressable liquid crystal display device (17).

Abstract: In a loudspeaking telephone arrangement, there are separate channels for outgoing speech (A-Tx) and incoming speech (A-Rx), and the channels are sampled at intervals. The results of these samplings, which represent the amplitudes of the speech in those channels are each compared by a microprocessor with a preset threshold. The background noise level is also sampled and the result used to adjust the speech channel threshold. Each channel has an attenuator, and that is adjusted so that attenuation is reduced in the presence of speech and increased in the absence thereof. The adjustment on the basis of background noise enables the current state of the channels to be taken into account.

Abstract: A cellular mobile radio-telephone system incorporates hand-off equipment for effecting a hand-off of communication links coupled to a mobile subscriber transceiver as the transceiver travels from one cell to an adjoining cell. The hand-off equipment includes a filter which smoothes voice channel signals received from the mobile transceivers so as to permit a more precise determination as to when a reduction in signal amplitude indicates the need for a hand-off. The operation of the filter includes long and short term averaging of a sequence of signal samples. Circuitry is also provided for predicting a time of signal fade-out based on differences in the amplitude of successive samples or groups of samples. Also disclosed is circuitry for commanding a change in transmitter gain in a transceiver as a function of signal fade-out.

Abstract: The present invention consists of a multirate data receiver which will recover data at any of N data rates with no predetermined restrictions on the value of N. The data rate at which the receiver operates is selected by a single 1-of-N switch selection. An equalizer section is constructed for each of the N data rates but are all controlled by the same (common) automatic adjustment circuitry, which controls gain and frequency compensation. The output from one of the equalizer sections is selected by an analog multiplexer constructed of field effect transistor (FET) switch circuits. The recovered waveforms from the equalizer sections are processed by common circuitry to recover the transmitted data. Clock recovery may be accomplished, for example, by a digital phase locked loop constructed such that the characteristics of the loop filters and divide-by-M feedback counters are easily modified by logical signals controlled by the 1-of-N switches.

Abstract: A mechanical locking device including a rotatable stem-shaped locking member for latching together a first part having a locking opening therein and a second part, by cooperation of the locking member with the opening during a rotation of the locking member, the locking member being shaped so as to be able to be pushed axially through a resilient locking hole in the second part and so as to be thereafter unable to move axially either in a forward or rearward direction, in which the first part is a rack for mounting electrical equipment is described.

Abstract: There is disclosed a communications system in which digital information is conveyed over a line and each station on the line has a hybrid circuit. The invention includes an apparatus having means for cancelling an unwanted echo signal between receive and transmit channels at each station. An analog to digital converter in the receive channel has a control input to receive a timing signal. A subtractor circuit has a first input coupled to the output of the digital to analog converter through a filter and receives signals from a canceller sample and hold circuit having an input coupled to the transmission port. The adaptive echo simulator is a transversal filter which has varying coefficient capability and which coefficients are varied by means of multiplexers included in coefficient generators.

Abstract: An improved circuit for performing high speed arithmetic computations is described, and includes a mechanism for dynamically deleting faulty data bits in a configuration for minimizing propagation delay paths. The invention is particularly applicable to an associative processor wherein the data word length and rate of flow of data may vary from one instruction to the next. In accordance with the invention, data propagation delay time is minimized as is the number of required circuit interconnections, thereby making the invention easily manufacturable on an LSI chip. The advantages of the circuit design are multiplied in an associative processor, since such processors are highly reconfigurable and must be able to exclude unwanted bits from an arithmetic operation, to change data word sizes and to delete failed bits.

Abstract: A clock extraction circuit for PCM NRZ signals which delivers substantially constant power and comprising at least one energy storage device charged by a constant current and discharged into a full wave amplifying circuit, the amplifying circuit delivering power to a filter which filters out the clock signal. This arrangement uses a passive tank circuit and ensures the clock signal from the NRZ data does not die out during periods of little or no clock content in the data stream.

Abstract: When television signals are transmitted digitally over PCM networks, it is sometimes necessary to reduce the bit rate of video signals, such as chrominance signals, on the transmission path from the rate given by the sampling frequency without significantly impairing the picture quality. To accomplish this, the transmitting portion of the novel transmission system includes a transmit filter (FIG. 2) which, at every other sample value in the horizontal and vertical directions of the picture, transmits a numerical value (C) which has the same number of bits as the sample values and depends on this sample value and the sample values of surrounding picture elements, and the receiving portion includes a receive filter (FIG. 3) in which the values of the picture elements to be inserted between the transmitted picture-element values are calculated from the values received for the surrounding picture elements.

Abstract: A line switch for a digital telephone switching system utilizes distributed processing. The line switch comprises one or more switch modules. Each switch module is coupled to a central office switching system via one or more PCM lines which utilize common channel signaling. Each switch module comprises groups of line circuits, each line circuit being coupled to a subscriber line. Three separate distributed processor functions are provided in each line switch module. A first processor is utilized to communicate with the central office switching system is provided to control clock generation and rate conversion circuits. Each group of line circuits includes a third processor to control the operations of the line circuits and to gather information from the line circuit.A test bus is routed to the line circuits. The third processor may be utilized to automatically measure and adjust various transmission parameters.

Abstract: A terminal station for communication with one or more similar remote stations via mains wiring includes a piezo-electric coupler (22) whereby carrier signals are transmitted to and received from the line (24). The coupler is driven by an oscillator (21) modulated in correspondence with an input signal and tuned to the resonant frequency of the coupler.

Abstract: A digital to analog converter is employed in the digital line circuit of a telephone system and operates to convert a digital signal indicative of an analog speech signal back into a replica of the analog signal. The converter operates with an interpolated input digital signal to detect by means of a sign bit, the characteristic of an input digital word as being indicative of a positive or negative level. An error correcting signal is provided by the converter which is added to the next digital word to provide a compensated word having a sign bit determined by the remainder and the sign bit of the previous digital word. This word is then processed in sequence to produce an output pulse stream from the sign detector indicative of successive positive or negative values as defined by the input digital words, each of which are modified according to the error correcting signal.

Abstract: A circuit for adapting a telephone subscriber line to operate as a multiparty line is described wherein a plurality of conventional single line subscriber subsets are provided telephone service on the subscriber line such that each subscriber has privacy at all stages of call progress. In accordance with another feature of the present invention, frequency selective ringing is not required to prevent ringing from occuring at other subscriber subsets on the multiparty line when a party is called. The circuit of the present invention controls the switching of battery polarity at the central office to connect and disconnect subscribers from the line. The invention further provides automatic telephone number identification when calls are initiated by varying a unique identity tone for billing purposes. The invention also uniquely provides for user transparent reverting calling such that no special dialing procedure is required to make reverting calls and complete privacy is maintained, even on reverting calls.

Abstract: A line switch for a digital telephone switching system utilizes distributed processing. The line switch comprises one or more switch modules. Each switch module is coupled to a central office switching system via one or more PCM lines which utilize common channel signaling. Each switch module comprises groups of line circuits, each line circuit being coupled to a subscriber line. Three separate distributed processor functions are provided in each line switch module. A first processor is utilized to communicate with the central office switching system and to coordinate the operations within the line switch module. A second processor is provided to control clock generation and rate conversion circuits. Each group of line circuits includes a third processor to control the operations of the line circuits and to gather information from the line circuit. A busing arrangement is provided within the line switch such that both control information and PCM voice data are routed throughout the line switch.

Abstract: The microwave resonator includes an enclosed resonator housing and a hollow central conductor having one end fastened to a bottom of the resonator housing and extending toward a top wall of the resonator housing. The other end of the central conductors is spaced from the top wall and includes an adjustable bellows assembly disposed coaxial of a longitudinal axis of the central conductor. A non-rotating, axially movable drive shaft is disposed coaxial of the axis of the central conductor within the central conductor. One end of the drive shaft is fastened to the bellows assembly and the other end of the drive shaft is coupled to a drive means disposed in the bottom wall to cause axial movement of the drive shaft to adjust the axial length of the bellows assembly and, hence, the axial length of the central conductor to adjust the resonant frequency of the microwave resonator.

Abstract: A line switch for a digital telephone switching system utilizes distributed processing. The line switch comprises one or more switch modules. Each switch module is coupled to a central office switching system via one or more PCM lines which utilize common channel signaling. Each switch module comprises groups of line circuits, each line circuit being coupled to a subscriber line. Three separate distributed processor functions are provided in each line switch module. First one processor is utilized to communicate with the central office switching system and to coordinate the operations within the line switch module. A second processor is provided to control clock generation and rate conversion circuits. Each group of line circuits includes a third processor to control the operations of the line circuits and to gather information from the line circuit.The second processor is used to select which of a plurality of sources may be used to provide clock signals within the line switch module.