Abstract: A blazed grating is disclosed as well as mode hop-free tunable lasers and a process for fabricating gratings of this type. The grating lies in a general plane and includes a plurality of elongate beams carrying mutually parallel respective reflection surfaces spaced apart from one another with a predefined pitch, each of these reflection surfaces having a normal direction inclined at a grating angle ? to the normal direction of the general plane. The grating includes a plurality of resilient suspension arms connected to the beams and intended to be fastened to a grating support. A first pair of comb electrodes is provided for applying a mechanical force to this assembly, being placed on a first side of the grating, along an axis transverse to the beams, and designed so as to allow the pitch of the grating to be modified in response to the application of the mechanical force.

Abstract: A cooking item including a vitreous coating with improved impact-resistance properties, and a method for manufacturing such an item. The method for manufacturing includes optionally treating a concave internal side of a substrate having the end shape of the cooking item, the concave internal side being arranged on the side of the food to be introduced in said item, and a convex exterior side to be arranged on the heat source side, so as to obtain a treated internal side adapted to cause a hard base layer to adhere to the substrate, The method further includes preparing an adhering hard base layer on said internal side of the substrate, be it treated beforehand or not, and preparing a non-stick coating on the hard base layer.

Abstract: The column wheel (40) for a 3 stroke mechanism has a hub (46) arranged at the centre of a superstructure exhibiting rotational symmetry of order n, the superstructure including n radial arms (48) and n columns (44) parallel to the axis of rotation of the column wheel, the columns being regularly distributed along the circumference of the column wheel and separated from each other by n empty spaces forming as many openings between the columns. The column wheel is characterized in that the width of the columns (44) is larger than the openings between the columns, and in that the width of the arms (48) is less than half the width of the columns (44).

Abstract: A membrane-electrode assembly for use in a reversible fuel cell comprises an ion conductive membrane having first and second surfaces; a first electrocatalyst layer in contact with the first surface of the membrane, such first electrocatalyst layer comprising at least one discrete electrolysis-active area (ELE1i) and at least one discrete energy generation-active area (EG1i). A second electrocatalyst layer is placed in contact with the second surface of the membrane, such second electrocatalyst layer comprising at least one discrete electrolysis-active area (ELE2i) and at least one discrete energy generation-active area (EG2i).

Abstract: The diode is modelled using a compact model comprising modelling of the well resistance for negative values of the current by a curve which increases steeply from an initial resistance value corresponding to a zero value of current up to a plateau.

Abstract: Timepiece display device (100) comprising a first display member (1) cooperating with first drive means (10) via a first transmission means (11), and a second display member (2), cooperating with a second drive means (20) via a second transmission means (21). First contactless coupling means (12) are carried by said first display member (1) or by said first transmission means (11), second contactless coupling means (22) are carried by said second display member (2), or by said second transmission means (21), said first coupling means (12) cooperate with said second coupling means (22) in a complementary, contactless, attraction coupling in order, when said coupling means are located in immediate proximity to each other, to unite the motion of said first display member (1) and said second display member (2). Said first coupling means (12) and said second coupling means (22) are magnetic or electrostatic.

Abstract: The pusher device of the chronograph mechanism includes a pivoting control part (56) mounted on a first pivot (55) and carrying a click (52) and an intermediate lever (58) mounted on a second pivot (59). The intermediate lever is arranged to be actuated by the push button and includes a distal portion arranged to actuate the pivoting control part (56). The first pivot (55) and the second pivot (59) are arranged at the periphery of the movement on both sides of the push button (67, 69) and the pivoting control part and the intermediate lever extend from their respective pivot against each other. The click (52) is arranged to push in front of it one tooth of the toothing (42) of the column wheel (40) when the push button is actuated, then to return by sliding over the tip of a tooth.

Abstract: A process is provided for management of ethanol concentration during syngas fermentation. A process for fermentation of syngas includes inoculating a medium to provide an inoculated medium. Inoculated medium is contacted with syngas and cells and medium are removed and separated to provide concentrated cells and permeate. Ethanol is separated from the permeate to provide ethanol and a reduced ethanol aqueous stream. The reduced ethanol aqueous stream is returned to the fermentation.

Abstract: The present disclosure concerns a MRAM element comprising a magnetic tunnel junction comprising: a storage layer, a sense layer, and a tunnel barrier layer included between the storage layer and the sense layer; the storage layer comprising a first magnetic layer having a first storage magnetization; a second magnetic layer having a second storage magnetization; and a non-magnetic coupling layer separating the first and second magnetic layers such that the first storage magnetization is substantially antiparallel to the second storage magnetization; the first and second magnetic layers being arranged such that: at a read temperature the first storage magnetization is substantially equal to the second storage magnetization; and at a write temperature which is higher than the read temperature the second storage magnetization is larger than the first storage magnetization. The disclosed MRAM element generates a low stray field when the magnetic tunnel junction is cooled at a low temperature.

Abstract: Mechanical modular unit (100) with mechanical timepiece functional modules (1) each derived from a sub-assembly (1A) carrying components for a particular timepiece function of transforming a movement between input (3) and output (4) wheel sets. Said sub-assembly (1A) comprises adjustment components which are irreversibly secured after said timepiece function has been adjusted and function checked on the test bench, and said pre-adjusted module (1), derived from the transformation of said sub-assembly (1A) by the irreversible securing of said adjustment components thereof, includes at least one bearing surface (5) and a locating means (6) for the recognition and positioning of said module (1) relative to another element of said mechanical modular unit (100) or relative to a plate, by the abutment of said bearing surface (5) on a complementary bearing surface comprised in said other element or said plate.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for creating a multi-component device, including the following steps, creating a module having a multilayer structure comprising electrical/electronic components arranged on at least one substrate in stacked layers, the components each having a main surface exposed to the outside, wherein the components are arranged such that the respective main surfaces thereof are oriented in mutually opposite directions. The invention also relates to the corresponding device.

Abstract: Mechanical timepiece movement (100) in the form of a modular unit. It includes at least one mechanical modular unit (1) for performing a particular timepiece function, which is irreversibly pre-adjusted by the irreversible securing of adjustment and/or assembling components (9) comprised in said functional module (1) after said particular horological function has been adjusted and function checked on the test bench, and in that said at least one pre-adjusted functional module (1) is irreversibly secured to a plate (10) comprised in said movement (100) or comprised in another pre-adjusted functional module (1) of said movement (100), or is irreversibly secured to another pre-adjusted functional module (1) comprised in said movement (100).

Abstract: An image sequence comprises at least a first image and a second image. A motion vector (MV(1)) is associated to these first and second images and is defined in a coordinate system having at least a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being different from said first direction. This motion vector has a first previous component value (MVD1(0)) in the first direction. A method processes both images in order to determine an estimate of the motion vector based on the first previous component value. To this purpose, the method defines a first image portion in the first image and a second image portion in the second image based on the first previous component value of the motion vector. Then, the method determines a first characteristics vector for the first image in the first image portion and a second characteristics vector for the second image in the second image portion.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for supplying wireless energy to a medical device (100) implanted in a patient, wireless energy is transmitted from an external energy source (104) located outside a patient and is received by an internal energy receiver (102) located inside the patient, for directly or indirectly supplying received energy to the medical device. An energy balance is determined between the energy sent by the external energy source and energy received by the internal energy receiver, and the transmission of wireless energy is then controlled based on the determined energy balance. The energy balance thus provides an accurate indication of the correct amount of energy needed, which is sufficient to operate the medical device properly, but without causing undue temperature rise.

Abstract: A mobile telephone has a rendering functionality for rendering media stored in storage, and a user interface for user control. A host processor controls the communication functionality and the user interface. The co-processor controls the rendering of the media. The host processor has high power consumption in an active mode and low power consumption in a sleep mode. The co-processor conditionally supplies wake-up signals to the host processor. Upon receipt of a particular wake-up signal, the host processor switches from the sleep mode into the active mode. In the active mode, the host processor transfers a particular media segment to the co-processor before switching back to the sleep mode. The co-processor buffers the segment before rendering it. Upon detecting a low buffer level the co-processor supplies a next wake-up signal to the host processor for initiating transfer of a next media segment.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for supplying wireless energy to a medical device (100) implanted in a patient, wireless energy is transmitted from an external energy source (104) located outside a patient and is received by an internal energy receiver (102) located inside the patient, for directly or indirectly supplying received energy to the medical device. An energy balance is determined between the energy received by the internal energy receiver and the energy used for the medical device, and the transmission of wireless energy is then controlled based on the determined energy balance. The energy balance thus provides an accurate indication of the correct amount of energy needed, which is sufficient to operate the medical device properly, but without causing undue temperature rise.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method enabling a server manager to prove subsequently that the server was authorized to read a user's personal data in a terminal station (ST), comprising: transmitting server policy data (PS) to the station; comparing the server policy data with private policy data (PP) pre-stored in the station; determining a signature (SGST) of server policy data received in the station; and transmitting the signature with the personal data (DP) read in the station to the server when the compared policy data (PS, PP) are compatible.

Abstract: An optical mouse includes an image sensor for providing image data via an analog-to-digital converter to a correlation circuit and a motion estimation circuit to provide output signals representative of motion of the mouse. The output signals may be disabled when the mouse is lifted away from the working surface. This may be achieved by high-pass filtering the signals, summing each frame in a summer to provide a single value, and comparing this to a threshold. If the filtered and summed value exceeds the threshold, this may indicate that the image contains in-focus objects, and that the mouse is on the working surface.

Abstract: Continuous time analogue/digital converter, comprising a sigma delta modulator (MSD1) configured to receive an analogue input signal (x(t)) and comprising high-pass filtering means (MF) the chopping frequency of which is equal to half of the sampling frequency (Fs) of the quantization means (QTZ) of the modulator (MSD1).