Abstract: A system and method for interrogating a passive acoustic transponder, producing a transponder signal having characteristic set of signal perturbations in response to an interrogation signal, comprising a signal generator, producing an interrogation signal having a plurality of differing frequencies; a receiver, for receiving the transponder signal; a mixer, for mixing the transponder signal with a signal corresponding to the interrogation signal, to produce a mixed output; an integrator, integrating the mixed output to define an integrated phase-amplitude response of the received transponder signal; and an analyzer, receiving a plurality of integrated phase-amplitude responses corresponding to the plurality of differing frequencies, for determining the characteristic set of signal perturbations of the passive acoustic transponder.

Abstract: Eyewear characterized as flip-up sunglasses include a combination of a spring loaded hinge and a magnetic seat. The spring loaded hinge relieves a user the task of properly placing a flip-up portion in a holding mechanism. In combination with the spring, the magnetic seat allows the flip-up lenses to be held against the spring force and provides a simple release action which may be quickly accomplished by merely breaking a magnetic contact bond. As such, the action of flipping up and flipping down a sunglasses lens or lenses becomes comfortable and simple. The glasses are particularly useful for users who frequently switch between looking into shadows and lighted areas which would otherwise require removing sunglasses and replacing them.

Abstract: A signal-aligning circuit includes a phase-adjusting circuit, a first control circuit, a second control circuit, and a tuning circuit. The first control circuit outputs a first voltage signal reflecting a phase difference between a first input signal (reference signal) and a second input signal (adjusted signal) and having a static phase offset due to asymmetries in the first control circuit. The second control circuit is a replica of the first control circuit, and receives the reference signal at two inputs thereof and outputs a second voltage signal reflecting the same static phase offset. The tuning circuit compares the first and second voltage signals and tunes a bias current in the first and second control circuits, whereby the static phase offsets of the first and the second control circuits becomes zero when the adjusted signal is phase-aligned with the reference signal in the steady state.

Abstract: A line interface couples a data transceiver to a transmission line via a transformer, the data transceiver transmitting signals in a first frequency range and receiving signals in a second frequency range. The line interface includes an input port for receiving an input signal voltage from an analog front end (AFE) chip, an output port, a line driver for amplifying the input signal voltage and supplying a transmit signal to the output port, a line port for sending the transmit signal and receiving a receive signal, termination resistors coupled between the output port and the line port, a receive signal port for supplying the receive signal to the AFE chip, a receive amplifier formed on the AFE chip coupled to the receive signal port, and a bridge network resistively coupling the line port and the output port to the receive signal port, the bridge network having a low-pass filter characteristic.

Abstract: A new subband feedback cancellation scheme is proposed, capable of providing additional stable gain without introducing audible artifacts. The subband feedback cancellation scheme employs a cascade of two narrow-band filters Ai(Z) and Bi(Z) along with a fixed delay, instead of a single filter Wi(Z) and a delay to represent the feedback path in each subband. The first filter, Ai(Z), is called the training filter, and models the static portion of the feedback path in ith subband, including microphone, receiver, ear canal resonance, and other relatively static parameters. The training filter can be implemented as a FIR filter or as an IIR filter. The second filter, BI(Z), is called a tracking filter and is typically implemented as a FIR filter with fewer taps than the training filter. This second filter tracks the variations of the feedback path in the ith subband caused by jaw movement or objects close to the ears of the user.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuous phase quadrature amplitude modulation and demodulation to continuously process phases and amplitudes at symbol change points in an M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation method.

Abstract: A system for bidirectional communication of digital data between a central unit and a remote unit wherein the need for tracking loops in the central unit has been eliminated. The central unit transmitter generates a master carrier and a master clock signal which are used to transmit downstream data to the remote units. The remote units recover the master carrier and master clock and synchronize local oscillators in each remote unit to these master carrier and master clock signals to generate reference carrier and clock signals for use by the remote unit receiver. These reference carrier and clock signals are also used by the remote unit transmitters to transmit upstream data to the central unit. The central unit receiver detects the phase difference between the reference carrier and clock signals from the remote units periodically and adjusts the phase of the master carrier and master clock signals for use by the central unit receiver to receive the upstream data.

Abstract: Document version interoperability is provided by allowing members of a community to maintain independent migration by permitting the members to continue to run native application software on their respective systems. A community may define a community version by establishing certain rules for documents. When electronically transmitting a document, a member of the community may provide in the transmitted message containing the document his native version of the document, the community version of the document, as well as any or all versions of the document which are closer to the community version of the document than his native version of the document. This may be accomplished by performing document transformations when creating the message. Upon receipt of the documents, the recipient may choose the document version contained in the message that is most easily read by the recipient's native application program and transform it so that it may be opened by the recipients native application program if necessary.

Abstract: A method synchronizes serial data stream output from a multiple-port system. The multiple-port system includes a plurality of port devices. The method includes (a) timing a serial data stream at each port device, the serial data stream including a series of data frames, (b) generating a framing signal at each port device, the framing signal indicating a boundary of the data frame in the serial data stream, (c) supplying the framing signal to a next port device, and (d) synchronizing, at each next port, the timing of the serial data stream in response to the supplied framing signal.

Abstract: A process treats a surface of a semiconductor material in order to put the surface into a predetermined electrical state. The semiconductor material is preferably monocrystalline. The process includes (a) preparing the surface of the semiconductor material such that the surface has a controlled organization at an atomic scale such that the surface is capable of combining with a chosen material, and (b) combining the surface thus prepared with a material chosen from among hydrogen, molecules containing hydrogen, metals, organic molecules and inorganic molecules, wherein the preparing and the combining the surface with the material cooperate to obtain the predetermined electrical state of the surface.

Abstract: An amplifying device for a sensor (10) delivering a response in voltage or impedance has a voltage controlling means for the sensor and at least an additional impedance (12). The voltage controlling means (22) is connected to output terminals (16, 20) of the sensor to maintain a noticeably constant voltage between the terminals. The additional impedance (12) is connected in series with the sensor within a polarization circuit, between the output terminals (18–16; 18–20) of the device. The amplifying device may be applied to temperatures, irradiation levels and pH measurement.

Abstract: Axially symmetric magnetic fields are provided about the longitudinal axis of each beam of a multi-beam electron beam device. The magnetic field symmetry is independent of beam voltage, beam current and applied magnetic field strength. A flux equalizer assembly is disposed between the cathodes and the anodes and near the cathodes of a multi-beam electron beam device. The assembly includes a ferromagnetic flux plate completely contained within the magnetic focusing circuit of the device. The flux plate includes apertures for each beam of the multi-beam device. A flux equalization gap or gaps are disposed in the flux plate to provide a perturbation in the magnetic field in the flux plate which counters the asymmetry induced by the off-axis position of the beam. The gaps may be implemented in a number of ways all of which have the effect of producing a locally continuously varying reluctance that locally counters the magnetic field asymmetry.

Abstract: A signal distribution system to save on the cost of cable modems for cable TV headend operators who wish to deliver broadband digital data services, DSL, video-on-demand or POTS service over their HFC CATV delivery networks. All species within the genus have a shared cable modem and a filtration and combining circuit comprised of a plurality of diplexer filters or junction boxes or both which mix baseband packet data with analog CATV signals onto coax drop lines coupled to the various subscribers and connect POTS or DSL signals onto twisted pair portions of siamese cables. Various species have the cable modem feeding digital data or packets of DOCSIS or other data or digitized DSL signals sent over the HFC to the cable modem or digitized POTS signals send over the HFC to the cable modem to either a packet switch, a DSL concentrator, a voice-over-IP gateway or some combination of the above.

Abstract: A device for obtaining a desired pool water level is provided. The device includes a tank in communication with a pool containing a automatic fill device and an overfill drain device in fixed relation to each other. The height of the automatic fill device and overfill drain device can be simultaneously adjusted.

Abstract: A signal transport system and a transport method are provided. A whole lowspeed signal containing a client overhead received from a client network is transparently subjected to time division multiplexing and an additional overhead is inserted in the whole signal and further subjected to wavelength division multiplexing, so that the digital signal having the addition overhead is transported in the wavelength division mode represented by one wavelength to a receiving equipment.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for a manufacturing a Coulomb blockade transistor. The process comprises the following steps in sequence: deposition on an insulating substrate of a source layer, a tunnel-insulating layer and an alternating stack of at least one conducting layer and at least one insulating layer, a first etching of the stack to form a filiform tab, coating of the filiform tab with an electrically insulating coating material, a second etching of the tab of the stack to form a pillar, the second etching preserving the coating material to define a groove on each side of the pillar, the formation of at least one isolated grid in the groove, and the formation of a drain in contact with one end of the pillar opposite the source layer, through at least one tunnel-insulating layer.

Abstract: A symmetric multiprocessor system includes a first processor and a second processor for executing a multi-threaded process on packets, a first inbound interface and a first outbound interface associated with the first processor, a first task queue accessible for reading by the first processor, a second inbound interface and a second outbound interface associated with the second processor, and a second task queue accessible for reading by at least the first processor. The first inbound interface receives incoming packets and has a first input buffer maintaining a first input queue of the packets for processing by the first processor. The first outbound interface receives packets from the first processor and transmits outgoing packets. The first task queue receives packets output from at least the second processor and maintains another input queue of the packets for processing by the first processor and which are outgoing from the first outbound interface.

Abstract: A sequence control circuit that is capable of operating at high-speed without using either a memory having a short access time or high-speed devices is provided. Each address of an instruction memory includes an instruction next to the current instruction designated by a program counter signal and an instruction of the jump target of the current instruction. Instruction registers receive instructions from the instruction memory to output those in the next cycle. A selector selects either one of the outputs from the instruction registers depending on a jump signal. A program counter control section decodes an instruction from the selector to determine the next program counter signal and a jump signal. An address register receives the next program counter signal to output an instruction memory address in the next cycle. A jump register receives the jump signal to output that to the selector in the next cycle.