Abstract: A process for the verification of an antilock braking system (ABS) in a vehicle to check for correct connection of the component wheel sensors (3, 4, 17, 18, 19, 20), braking pressure modulators (7, 9, 12), and brake cylinders (5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14) is proposed. The method can be used in a new installation of the ABS or when resuming operation after repair of the system. In a first step, the user causes a single sensed wheel to rotate. This actuates a testing mode in the ABS electronic controller (8). The electronic controller (8) then actuates the modulator belonging to the rotated wheel. From the response of the sensed wheel and/or the actuated modulator, the user recognizes whether the matching between the sensor of the rotated wheel and the actuated modulator is correct. This procedure is then repeated with the other sensed wheels.

Abstract: A control device for at least two partial fluid ducts comprises a common fluid supply duct and a common fluid removal duct. The fluid supply duct is connected with the fluid removal duct by at least two partial fluid ducts. A filtering device, a valve device each having a blocking element, and a stop valve are each located in a corresponding partial fluid duct. Each blocking element of the valve device operates in such a way that the blocking element can be moved between a first (open) position, in which the fluid flowing through the partial fluid duct in which it is located is filtered, and a second (closed) position, in which the fluid is filtered in the other partial fluid duct, whereas at the same time the filtering device provided in the partial fluid duct in which it is located is washed by the fluid flowing in the reverse direction. Furthermore, each blocking element can be brought from the first position into the second position and vice-versa by rotating the blocking element.

Abstract: A level shifter is provided with first and second steady-state drivers and transient driver circuitry. Each steady-state driver includes a low enable input, a high enable input and an output. Each steady-state driver outputs from its respective output a low voltage level signal when an enabling voltage level is received at its low enable input and a disabling voltage is received at its high enable input. Furthermore, each steady-state driver outputs from its output a first high voltage level signal, that is higher than a second high voltage level of an input signal, when a disabling voltage level is received at its low enable input and an enabling high voltage level is received at its high enabling input. The high enable input of the first steady-state driver is connected to the output of the second steady-state driver. The high enable input of the second steady-state driver is connected to the output of the first steady-state driver.

Abstract: In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wordline turn on voltage in an SRAM array is suppressed (e.g., maintained at or below 4.5 volts). This is accomplished by connecting a regulated voltage supply output to the wordline. The regulated voltage supply has a transfer function such that the Vccr (the output of the regulated voltage supply) does not exceed a threshold such as 4.5 volts. For example, the transfer function may be:Vccr=Vcc for Vcc<4.5 voltsVccr=4.5 volts for Vcc.gtoreq.4.5 voltswhere Vcc is the power supply voltage.As indicated above, the power consumed in an SRAM array is proportional to the selected wordline voltage. In accordance with the present invention, the power consumption will be generally unchanged when Vcc exceeds 4.5 volts.

Abstract: An intracorporeal ligature tying device enables a surgeon to tie various types of knots within the body cavity of a patient during endoscopic surgery. The tying device comprises: (a) a needle holder having a longitudinal channel running though the length of the needle holder, the needle holder having a proximal end and a distal end; (b) a longitudinal groove located on an outside surface of the needle holder, the groove terminating at a location on the needle holder prior to the distal end of the needle holder, at least a final portion of the groove being covered; and (c) a wire located in the groove, the wire being made from a memory material. The wire is slidably positioned within the groove so that in a retracted position, the wire terminates in the covered portion of the groove, and in an advanced position, an end of the wire extends beyond the covered portion of the groove and forms a hook to aid in tying a ligature within a patient's body.

Abstract: A flotation system for a building (300) is disclosed including a watertight basement (540) having a unitary piece of concrete forming the floor and walls (615) of the watertight basement (540). Rollers (610) are attached to the watertight basement (540). As floodwater rises or recedes, the rollers (610) roll along guide posts (310) located near corners of the watertight basement (540). Attached to the guide posts (310) are a ratchet system (620) for moving the watertight basement (540) along the guide posts (310) and maintaining it at a desired height. One preferred embodiment includes pressurized cylinders (1550) for lifting the building (300) prior to a surge of floodwater. In one embodiment, the floatation system includes pressurized cylinders (1740) for lifting a foundation (1725) and a building structure (1725) off of a concrete slab (1720) prior to a rising floodwater.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a lead frame design for IC packaging to reduce chip stress and deformation and to improve mold filling. The die-pad is split into several sections which are jointed together by flexible expansion joints. The split die-pad allows relative motion between the pad and the chip during die attach cure. It also breaks down the total die pad area (and length) that is rigidly attached to the chip into smaller sections. These two factors reduce the magnitude of coefficient-of-thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch and out of plane deformation of the assembly, resulting in lower chip stress and deformation and improved package moldability.

Abstract: Speech synthesizer systems avoid the need for a multi-path address bus coupling to a CPU by provision of serial interfaces requiring a total of only two or three signal paths to a CPU. By use of a counter circuit or shift register working in cooperation with a modified trigger signal circuit, a serially encoded control signal is internally converted to binary type signals which are coupled via an internal address bus to a speech synthesis unit for production of selected speech segment output signals.

Abstract: A clock recovery circuit is disclosed for recovering the data of a non-return to zero signal received at an optical transceiver. The clock recovery circuit includes an active element mixer for doubling the frequency of the received non-return to zero encoded digital signal. The mixer includes a delay element for delaying the received non-return to zero signal and an exclusive-OR circuit for exclusive-ORing the delayed and received non-return to zero signals. A SAW filter is also provided for recovering a clock from the frequency doubled signal outputted by the mixer.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for scheduling the assignment and writing of cells from cell sources into a outgoing bitstream transmitted from each device of an ATM communications network. The timeslots are organized into fixed length cycles which cycles each have a sequence of N timeslots, where N is an integer >1. Furthermore, each cycle is divided into at least one round comprising a variable length subsequence of the timeslots of the cycle. During each timeslot of a uniform timeslot clock, at least one subset of the sources is identified. Each subset corresponds to a round. One cell from each subset is assigned to, and written into, a respective timeslot of the corresponding round. During each timeslot of the timeslot clock, each of the sources is assigned a priority state depending on how many cells of that source have been previously assigned to timeslots during the current cycle and whether or not that source has a cell available for assignment to a round during that timeslot.

Abstract: A device for filtering a fluid, particularly a molten plastic, with a fluid-supplying canal and a fluid-draining canal is described, whereby two plate-like filters are movably arranged in and across the flow direction of the fluid to be filtered between the fluid-supplying canal and the fluid-draining canal. Hereby the fluid-supplying canal (4) is connected with the fluid-draining canal (5) by a single connecting canal (6).

Abstract: A rate control algorithm for an MPEG-2 compliant encoder is described. The rate control algorithm has embodiments useful for constant bit rate and variable bit rate encoding. In particular, the invention relates to fade detection.

Abstract: A medium-access protocol is disclosed for use in a communication network to provide a two-way broadband communication network.

Abstract: A compressed gas system comprises a pressure generator and a consuming installation, a gas drier disposed between the pressure generator and the consuming installation, and an in-flow line connecting the pressure generator to the gas drier. Desirably, an out-flow line connects the gas drier to the consuming installation. A by-pass line also connects the pressure generator to the gas drier in parallel to the in-flow line. The by-pass line includes a pressure-controlled blocking device, such as a check valve, which allows the passage of gas from the pressure generator to the gas drier only when a predetermined opening pressure has been reached.

Abstract: An antenna is disclosed with a first Z-shaped strip resonant element disposed in a first plane. The first strip resonant element has first and second identical sized and shaped, parallel, longitudinal strip segments. The first strip resonant element also has a third segment which connects diagonally opposite ends of the first and second strip segments. The antenna also has a second Z-shaped strip resonant element disposed in a second plane that is parallel to the first plane. The second strip resonant element has fourth and fifth identical sized and shaped, parallel longitudinal strip segments. The second strip resonant element also has a sixth segment, having identical dimensions and an identical shape as the third segment, which connects diagonally opposite ends of the fourth and fifth segments. The second Z-shaped strip resonant element is disposed in the second plane so that the sixth segment overlies said third segment and so that said first, second, fourth and fifth segments overlie a rectangle.

Abstract: A process for preparing simvastatin from lovastatin or mevinolinic acid in salt form comprises treating either starting material with cyclopropyl or butyl amine, the pyranone ring thereby being opened when lovastatin is the starting material, adding a methyl group to the 2-methylbutyrate side chain, and thereafter closing the open pyranone ring to produce simvastatin. The process is performed without protecting and deprotecting the two hydroxy groups of the open pyranone ring. In a preferred embodiment, the starting material is treated with cyclopropyl amine which produces simvastatin via the novel intermediate lovastatin cyclopropyl amide.

Abstract: A process for forming a lightly-doped drain (LDD) structure in a MOSFET or other semiconductor device. A first polysilicon layer is deposited over a thin gate oxide layer formed on a substrate. The first polysilicon layer is etched to form a first gate region. The substrate is then doped adjacent the gate region to form a drain region having a relatively low impurity concentration. The first polysilicon gate region is removed and a second polysilicon layer is applied to the substrate. The second layer is etched to form a second gate region which will serve as the actual gate region for the MOSFET device. The drain region is then doped a second time to form an LDD structure in which a portion of the drain region underlying the second gate region remains lightly doped while another portion of the drain region exposed to the second doping becomes more heavily doped. The difference in length between the first and second gate regions is used to set the gate/drain overlapped length.

Abstract: A membrane switch including a plurality of upper dot-pads and a plurality of lower dot-pads is provided to enhance the operational sensitivity while avoiding unexpexted actuation of membrane switch is provided. The plurality of upper dot-pads are provided during the print process of the top switch-pad and distributed to surround the top switch-pad. A plurality of lower dot-pads corresponding the plurality of upper dot-pads are provided during the print process of the bottom switch-pad and distributed to surround the bottom switch-pad. Each of the plurality of upper dot-pads has a lower-edge and each of the plurality of lower dot-pads has an upper-edge. As the top membrane is free of an external force, the lower-edge of top switch-pad is spaced from the upper-edge of bottom switch-pad by a first dimension greater than a second dimension by which the lower-edge of each upper dot-pad is spaced from the upper-edge of each lower dot-pad.

Abstract: A process for depositing a layer of uniform thickness on an uneven surface of a substrate is disclosed. The layer could be deposited by plasma or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The uneven surface of the substrate has horizontal surfaces and vertical sidewalls and is located on a movable platform. The platform is tilted and rotated as the layer is deposited so that the ions or the flow of chemical vapor reaches the horizontal surface and the sidewall at a similar incident angle. Thereby, the layer is evenly deposited and has a uniform thickness with proper coverage and planarization.

Abstract: A process for preparing simvastatin from lovastatin or mevinolinic acid in salt form comprises treating either starting material with cyclopropyl or butyl amine, the pyranone ring thereby being opened when lovastatin is the starting material, adding a methyl group to the 2-methylbutyrate side chain, and thereafter closing the open pyranone ring to produce simvastatin. The process is performed without protecting and deprotecting the two hydroxy groups of the open pyranone ring. In a preferred embodiment, the starting material is treated with cyclopropyl amine which produces simvastatin via the novel intermediate lovastatin cyclopropyl amide.