Abstract: A multiyear calendar in the form of a multipage, book-like assembly with a standard page and 14 leaves on top thereof, each leaf rotatable along an edge seam to expose another leaf below. The standard page has a two dimensional array which graphically presents the basic information of the day and date for any given month in any given year. Each of the leaves lists the years for which it is used and a vertical array of 12 symbols each designating a month of the year and usable, in conjunction with the standard page, to determine the first day of each month.

Abstract: Data driver systems are provided that have programmable modes of operation to thereby facilitate selection of output signal forms and reduction of output ports in signal conditioning systems (e.g., analog-to-digital converters). The systems effectively reduce pin count by sharing pins between different drivers and selectively configuring the drivers in driver and high output-impedance states.

Abstract: An operational amplifier provides independent trimming of Vos for both high and low common mode input voltages. The amplifier includes complementary input pairs, and employs a steering circuit which provides a tail current Itail to one pair when Vcm is less than a threshold voltage Vth, and provides Itail to the other pair when Vcm>Vth. The input pairs drive a load stage which includes one or more trim inputs that enable Vos to be varied with one or more trim signals applied to the trim inputs. A first trim signal generating circuit provides a first trim signal only when Vcm<Vth, and a second trim signal generating circuit provides a second trim signal to a trim input only when Vcm>Vth. This allows the input offset voltages at high and low Vcm to be adjusted independently.

Abstract: Methods and structures are provided that enhance the accuracy of the service attitude of an inclined-orbit spacecraft and, thereby, facilitate reduction of service error between a communication service area and the spacecraft's payload beam. The enhancement is realized by configuring a beacon-receiving antenna to have a beacon-receiving field-of-view that substantially matches a beacon-station window. Preferably, the beacon-receiving field-of-view is elongated and tilted to enhance its match with the beacon-station window in both size and orientation. The goals are also realized by configuring the beacon-receiving antenna to have a beacon-receiving field-of-view that is substantially smaller than the beacon-station window and successively steering a beacon-receiving boresight to successive beacon-receiving attitudes that maintain the beacon station within the beacon-receiving field-of-view over each solar day.

Abstract: An improved system for labeling the spine of a binder is disclosed. The system includes an improved flexible label leader to load labels into a binder slot. The leader includes a first end portion having an adhesive section for adhering a binder label thereto. It also includes a second end portion for pulling the label adhered to the first end portion into a binder slot and a middle portion between the first and second end portions that resides in said binder slot. The adhesive section of the first end portion in detachable from the remainder of the leader.

Abstract: Phase-locked loop methods and structures are provided for generating modulated communication signals with nonconstant envelopes. These methods and structures realize the improved communication performance of nonconstant-envelope modulations with the upconversion advantages of phase-locked loops. The structures include transmitters in which a phase-locked loop is augmented with first and second feedforward paths that substantially restore phase and amplitude information to a transmit signal that is generated by a voltage-controlled oscillator of the phase-locked loop. The first feedforward path is configured to realize a path transfer function of s/Kv wherein the voltage-controlled oscillator has a transfer function of Kv/s. The second feedforward path extracts an envelope-correction signal from the modulated intermediate-frequency signal and a variable-gain output amplifier amplifies the transmit signal with a gain that responds to the envelope-correction signal.

Abstract: A system for handling stiff but flexible discs, particularly semiconductor wafers, including fail safe mechanisms that prevent the disc from being dropped if power to the unit is interrupted. Also, the electronics controlling operation resumes functioning at the point in the operation cycle existing when power was interrupted. A wafer hand assembly member is slipped under a wafer, or between parallel stacked but spaced wafers, and one or more fingers are rotated 90° to a position perpendicular to the plane of the stiff hand assembly member. The hand assembly also has one or more posts positioned perpendicular to the surface of the hand assembly. The finger(s) and post(s) or rear barrier constitute three upright projections or points forming the corners of a triangle with the wafer to be grasped there between.

Abstract: Simple, inexpensive boost structures are realized with diode, switch and buffer circuits that operate in a charge mode and a boost mode to thereby generate a boost signal Sboost. The boost structures are especially suited for use in switched-capacitor systems.

Abstract: A directional borehole drilling system employs a controllable drill bit, which includes one or more conical drilling surfaces. Instrumentation located near the bit measures present position when the bit is static, and dynamic toolface when the bit is rotating. This data is processed to determine the error between the present position and a desired trajectory, and the position of one or more of the bit's cones is automatically changed as needed to make the bit bore in the direction necessary to reduce the error. The controllable drill bit preferably comprises three cone assemblies mounted about the bit's central axis, each of which includes a leg with “toed-out” axle. In response to a command signal, a cone translates along the axle to cause it to bear more of the bit weight, thus excavating more deeply over the commanded toolface sector and causing the bit to bore in a preferred direction.

Abstract: A one-time end-user-programmable fuse array circuit suitable for providing a digital input to a programmable analog element such as a DAC. An end-user-specified digital bit pattern is conveyed to a programming circuit, which programs an array of data fuses in accordance with the specified pattern. A validation means indicates whether the states of the data fuses match the specified pattern. The programming circuit blows a “lock” fuse when the data fuses match the specified pattern, which prevents any additional data fuses from being programmed. The specified pattern and the states of the data fuses are multiplexed to a programmable analog element. Initially, the end-user can vary the pattern to achieve a desired result from the programmable element. When the desired result is achieved, the data fuses are blown, the resulting pattern is validated, and the lock fuse is blown—thereby providing a permanent trim signal.

Abstract: Pipelined ADC systems are provided with gain-matching structures that substantially eliminate gain errors between preceding and succeeding converter stages. These structures include reference signal-conditioning elements which mimic at least one of main signal-conditioning elements in the succeeding converter stages. The reference signal-conditioning elements control reference signals which maintain a match between the full-scale range of a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in a succeeding stage and the “gained-up” step size of a DAC in a preceding stage. This match substantially eliminates the gain errors.

Abstract: A power-on reset system insensitive to the ramp up rate of supply voltage VDD includes two power-on reset circuits. The first reset circuit asserts a reset signal RS1 when supply voltage VDD ramps up to its rated voltage. The second reset circuit produces a first reference voltage VR1 and a second reference voltage VR2 which is delayed with respect to VR1, and asserts a reset signal RS2 when VR1 is greater than VR2. A logic gate asserts a reset signal RS3 when either RS1 or RS2 is asserted; RS3 is the output of the power-on reset system, and is asserted whether one or both of reset signals RS1 and RS2 is asserted. Both reset circuits are preferably arranged to operate with supply voltages of 2 volts or less.

Abstract: Static read/write memory structures are provided that include predetermined latent-state patterns which can be retrieved with a latent-state retrieve process that differs somewhat from a conventional write process. The patterns are realized with threshold-voltage differences and they significantly enhance flexibility of memory allocation without increasing memory area nor significantly altering conventional read/write processes.

Abstract: A lock with sensor comprises a housing defining a chamber and a latch mechanism located within the chamber of the housing. The latch mechanism is movable relative to the housing between a retracted position wherein the latch mechanism is substantially within the housing and an extended position wherein the latch mechanism extends at least partially outside of the housing. A sensor mechanism is provided and has a fixed switch portion located within the chamber and a movable switch activator portion, the switch activator portion being mounted so as to move with the latch mechanism and thereby activate and deactivate the switch portion respectively.

Abstract: An N-phase switching voltage regulator includes N current sensing elements which carry respective phase currents. The voltages present at the switch node sides of the sensing elements are summed and presented to an amplifier which also receives the regulator's output voltage, to produce an output which is proportional to the regulator's total output current Iout. The invention also provides a means for direct insertion of total inductor output current information into a regulator's voltage-mode control loop, to provide active voltage positioning (AVP) for the output voltage. A voltage based on total inductor output current is summed with the regulator's reference voltage; this sum and Vout are applied to the voltage control error amplifier, the output of which is processed to operate the regulator's switches. This enables the regulator's output to have a desired droop impedance and to provide AVP of Vout as a function of total filtered inductor output current Iout(fltr).

Abstract: Methods and structures are provided that enhance attitude control during gyroscope substitutions by insuring that a spacecraft's attitude control system does not drive its absolute-attitude sensors out of their capture ranges. In a method embodiment, an operational process-noise covariance Q of a Kalman filter is temporarily replaced with a substantially greater interim process-noise covariance Q. This replacement increases the weight given to the most recent attitude measurements and hastens the reduction of attitude errors and gyroscope bias errors. The error effect of the substituted gyroscopes is reduced and the absolute-attitude sensors are not driven out of their capture range. In another method embodiment, this replacement is preceded by the temporary replacement of an operational measurement-noise variance R with a substantially larger interim measurement-noise variance R to reduce transients during the gyroscope substitutions.

Abstract: A hiccup-mode short circuit protection circuit and method for a linear voltage regulator using a FET pass transistor uses the capacitance of the pass transistor's gate as a timing element. The regulator's output voltage is monitored, and when it droops below a voltage indicative of a short-circuit condition, the regulator's drive signal is disconnected from the pass transistor. While the short-circuit condition persists, a first current is provided to charge the pass transistor's gate capacitance. When the gate voltage rises above a first predetermined threshold, a second current is provided to further charge the gate capacitance. When the gate voltage rises above a second predetermined threshold, the gate capacitance is discharged. The gate capacitance is cyclically charged and discharged in this way unless the output voltage rises to indicate that the short-circuit condition has cleared, in which case the regulator's drive signal is restored to the pass transistor's gate.

Abstract: Methods and structures are provided that enhance the accuracy of the service attitude of an inclined-orbit spacecraft and, thereby, facilitate reduction of service error between a communication service area and the spacecraft's payload beam. The enhancement is realized by configuring a beacon-receiving antenna to have a beacon-receiving field-of-view that substantially matches a beacon-station window. Preferably, the beacon-receiving field-of-view is elongated and tilted to enhance its match with the beacon-station window in both size and orientation. The goals are also realized by configuring the beacon-receiving antenna to have a beacon-receiving field-of-view that is substantially smaller than the beacon-station window and successively steering a beacon-receiving boresight to successive beacon-receiving attitudes that maintain the beacon station within the beacon-receiving field-of-view over each solar day.