Abstract: A recording arrangement receives reception information including program, picture and/or sound information in a receiving channel of a television program. A detector detects the received program information which characterizes the start and end times of the television programs. A recorder is adapted to record the picture and/or sound information on a record carrier from a recording start time till a recording end time. A recording controller which, when a user of the recording arrangement has defined the recording start time and the receiving channel for a recording, is adapted to propose the end determined by the detector as the recording end time for the recording of the television program that can be received in the receiving channel.

Abstract: Described herein is a DC/DC down converter which includes a synchronous rectifier, a switching element at its input side, an inductance at its output side and an auxiliary circuit which includes an auxiliary switching element, an auxiliary rectifier and an auxiliary inductance, the auxiliary circuit being coupled to the connection between the synchronous rectifier, the switching element at the input side and the inductance at the output side.

Abstract: Consistent with an example embodiment, using two simple antennas with different frequencies of operation combined into an antenna arrangement a directional radiation pattern is obtained for both frequencies of operation. This is achieved by placing the antennas such that the first antenna acts as a director for the second antenna at the frequency of operation of the second antenna and the second antenna acts as a reflector for the first antenna at the frequency of operation of the first antenna. In another example embodiment, in the case of a monopole antenna the first antenna is shorter than the second antenna and can thus operate as a director while the second antenna is longer than the first antenna and can thus act as a reflector.

Abstract: A zoom lens comprising, from the object side to the image side, a front lens group (72), a controllable lens group, and a rear lens group (74), the controllable lens group comprising a voltage-controlled electrowetting device, which device contains a first fluid (A) and a second fluid (B) having different refractive indices, with at least two first fluid-second fluid interfaces (40,42). The curvatures, and thus the lens power, of these interfaces can be changed independently by supplying a voltage (V1, V2) to electrodes (22,32) of the device, so that no mechanical movement of lens elements is needed.

Abstract: A multi-processor unit includes a first domain for processing data according to first configuration information and having multiple first domain processors each connected to communication apparatus and each performing a different function of the first processing. The first domain processors include a first domain control processor for controlling the first processing of the first domain. The multi-processor unit also includes a second domain for second processing of the first processed data depending on a second domain configuration and having multiple second domain processors each connected to the communication apparatus and each performing a different function of the second processing. The second domain processors include a second domain control processor for controlling the second processing of the second domain.

Abstract: A positioning system, apparatus and method include a transmitter (2), a receiver (4) and a plurality of reflectors (6). A signal is transmitted from transmitter to receiver both directly and via the reflectors (6). A location server (8) calculates the unknown position of the transmitter or receiver by identifying signal components (40) with reflectors (6).

Abstract: Physical barriers (210) are present between neighbouring pixels (200) on a circuit substrate (100) of an active-matrix electroluminescent display device, particularly with LEDs (25) of organic semi conductor materials. The invention forms these barriers (210) with metal or other electrically-conductive material (240), that is insulated (40) from the LEDs but connected to the circuitry within the substrate (100). This conductive barrier material (240) backs-up or replaces at least a part of the drive supply line (140,240) to which the LEDs are connected by a drive element T1. This transfers the problem of line resistance and associated voltage drop from within the circuit substrate (100), where it is severely constrained, to the much freer environment of the pixel barriers (210) on the substrate (100) where the conductive barrier material (240) can provide much lower resistance. Very large displays can be made with low voltage drops along this composite drive supply line (140,240).

Abstract: A communications system comprises at least one beacon device capable of wireless message transmission and at least one portable device capable of receiving such a message transmission. The beacon is arranged to broadcast a series of inquiry messages each in the form of a plurality of predetermined data fields (INQ) arranged according to a first communications protocol, such as Bluetooth. For the delivery of additional data via broadcast, the beacon adds to each inquiry message prior to transmission an additional data field (BCD) carrying audio data, with the portable device receiving the transmitted inquiry messages, reading the audio data from the additional data field, and reproducing the audio to a user.

Abstract: A communications arrangement 10 is disclosed which comprises first and second communications devices MT, AP, said first device MT being adapted to enter into a page scan state in which it is receptive to transmissions on a particular page scan frequency fps and said second device AP being adapted to transmit a page train A which is centered around an estimate of said page scan frequency fps. The arrangement is characterized in that in that, under predetermined circumstances following prior communication between said devices MT, AP, said second device AP is adapted to transmit a page train A? which has been modified to start on a frequency f(k) shifted to correspond to said estimate and preferably also truncated to avoid transmission of at least one predetermined frequency sub-train A2 of the original page train A.

Abstract: An arrangement is disclosed for performing a handoff of a slave unit (MT) from a currently wireless connected first master unit (AP1) of a shared resource network to a further master unit (AP2) of the shared resource network, the arrangement including: a) holding in the first master unit information about the topology of the shared resource network; and b) activating during a handoff a paging procedure in one or more further master units (AP2-4) based on the topology, in the paging procedure the or each further master unit pages the slave unit.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a reconfigurable finite impulse response (FIR) filter that processes data tap values with canonical sign digit (CSD) coefficients. The FIR filter according to the present invention includes a shift group associated with at least one of the data tap values and at least one of the CSD coefficients. Each shift group includes a plurality of parallel paths. Each parallel path shifts the data tap value according to a bit pair of the coefficient to produce a weighted product. An adder is also included that combines the weighted products from each of the shift groups.

Abstract: A radio communication system includes a communication channel for the transmission of data packets from a primary station to a secondary station. In operation, on detection of a data packet, the secondary station transmits an acknowledgement signal to the primary station to indicate the status of the received data packet, and resets a timer. While the timer is running, the secondary station modifies a characteristic of uplink transmissions. In one embodiment the modification includes the secondary station transmitting a negative acknowledgement for each time at which a data packet could have been transmitted if no indication of a data packet is received. In another embodiment the modification includes the secondary station altering a parameter relating to transmission of channel quality information to the primary station.