Abstract: Duplex audio communications over a network use compressed audio data, with linear prediction coefficients (LPCs) and variances by which sample values differ from predictions. A adaptive echo canceller for a transceiver develops finite impulse response filter (FIR) coefficients characterizing an echo path between its local audio output and audio input. The received/decompressed audio data is applied to the FIR coefficients, and the predicted echo is subtracted from the uplink signal. Echo is detected as cross-correlation of the receive signal versus the uplink/send signal over time. In one embodiment, the cross-correlation is determined using a pre-whitened receive signal, obtained by adopting the variance values received over the network by the downlink Codec. Apart from the uplink Codec, no speech analysis filter or process is needed. The technique is apt for GSM, AMR and similar compressed audio communications.

Abstract: Disclosed is a current mode switched power supply. The current mode switched power supply includes a switching element and a power stage coupled to the switching element and configured to provide, in response to the switching of the switching element, an output voltage and a feedback voltage related to the output voltage. The current mode switched power supply also includes a digital control circuit connected to the switching element to digitally control the switching of the switching element.

Abstract: A shallow trench isolation structure having a negative taper angle and a method for forming same. A silicon nitride layer formed over a semiconductor substrate is etched according to a plasma etch process to form a first opening therein having sidewalls that present a negative taper angle. The substrate is etched to form a trench therein underlying the first opening. Silicon dioxide fills both the opening and the trench to form the shallow trench isolation structure, with the silicon dioxide in the opening exhibiting a negative taper angle to avoid formation of conductive stringers during subsequent process steps.

Abstract: At an audio encoder, cue codes are generated for one or more audio channels, wherein a combined cue code (e.g., a combined inter-channel correlation (ICC) code) is generated by combining two or more estimated cue codes, each estimated cue code estimated from a group of two or more channels. At an audio decoder, E transmitted audio channel(s) are decoded to generate C playback audio channels. Received cue codes include a combined cue code (e.g., a combined ICC code). One or more transmitted channel(s) are upmixed to generate one or more upmixed channels. One or more playback channels are synthesized by applying the cue codes to the one or more upmixed channels, wherein two or more derived cue codes are derived from the combined cue code, and each derived cue code is applied to generate two or more synthesized channels.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for communicating data in a multiple antenna communication system having N transmit antennas. According to one aspect of the invention, a header format includes a legacy preamble having at least one legacy long training field and an extended portion having at least N additional long training fields on each of the N transmit antennas, wherein one or more of the at least N additional long training fields are comprised of only one Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. The extended portion optionally comprises one or more repeated OFDM symbols for frequency offset estimation. In one implementation, the extended portion comprises a first high throughput long training field comprised of two repeated OFDM symbols and N?1 high throughput long training fields comprised of only one OFDM symbol. In another variation, the extended portion comprises N high throughput long training fields comprised of only one OFDM symbol.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing channel changing time in multicast media, that can include the steps of receiving at least one of a plurality of available channels from a service provider at a residential gateway through a network, ranking the popularity of at least one of the available channels at a ranking engine connected to the residential gateway, and requesting to receive a number of the channels available from the service provider at the residential gateway based on the ranking. The rank is at least partly based on the data stored in the database.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a receiver for a frame of media packets employing the real-time transmission protocol (RTP) and forward error correction (FEC) is disclosed. The receiver comprises a packet buffer and an FEC decoder. After a packet is received by the packet buffer, the FEC decoder reads the packet and, as part of FEC processing, performs an XOR operation on the packet, without waiting for the entire frame (or, indeed, for any subsequent packet of the frame) to be received. The XOR operation results are accumulated until sufficient packets are received to reconstruct a missing packet in the frame. Because the XOR operations are performed immediately after a packet is received, without any delay from waiting for subsequent packets, the receiver has a very low latency, and the packet buffer may be relatively small.

Abstract: A WLAN system adapted to apply QoS differentiation to a media stream to be transmitted from a transmitting station (STA) to a receiving STA of that system. The transmitting STA processes the media stream to generate a base sub-stream and one or more enhancement sub-streams for subsequent transmission over a wireless communication channel and assigns different priorities to different sub-streams. Depending on the channel conditions, the transmitting STA may select to discard, without transmission, portions of data from enhancement sub-streams. The selection process is based on the assigned priority and operates to preserve as much of relatively high-priority data as possible. The receiving STA then processes the received data to generate a reconstructed media stream, which provides signal quality equal to or better than the signal quality supported by the base sub-stream.

Abstract: Methods for fabricating robust films across a patterned underlying layer's edges or steps are disclosed. The novel methods diminish the negative effects of electrode steps or edges on the integrity of a membrane. Thus, the methods are particularly applicable to membrane release technology. The height of the step or edge is eliminated or reduced to increase the mechanical integrity of the film.

Abstract: Advance training information is provided to a receiving Home network station via auxiliary coding, synchronized and/or included in the relevant Ethernet type packet. The advance training information may be, e.g., past equalizer, timing recovery circuit, AGC circuit, echo canceler values resulting from the reception of a previous frame. The training information may be, e.g., an early identity of the source of the packet, with a subsequent lookup performed by the receiving station for predetermined training value(s), or the training values themselves may be transmitted to the home network receiver via auxiliary coding. The auxiliary coding information may be transmitted before and/or during the frame training period of the relevant frame.

Abstract: A media communications system using a multicasting or broadcasting technique, where each individual sink is allowed to request retransmissions according to a budget. The media communications system maintains the media quality of sinks that have a good communications channel in situations where one or more of the sinks is experiencing a bad communications channel, and where otherwise the communications channel would be saturated with retransmission requests and retransmissions which would affect other and possibly all media sinks.

Abstract: A hot-carrier injection (HCI) test that permits rapid screening of integrated circuit wafers susceptible to possible HCI-induced failures is disclosed. A method is described that determines transistor stress voltages that results in a transistor HCI-induced post-stress drain current differing from a pre-stress drain current within a desired range. These stress voltages are determined using a wafer with acceptable HCI susceptibility. Additional wafers to be tested are first tested using a described method that uses the determined transistor stress voltages to quickly screen the wafers for HCI susceptibility and, if HCI susceptibility is found, then additional conventional HCI testing may be applied to the susceptible wafers.

Abstract: The invention, in one aspect, provides a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, which includes conducting an etch through an opening in an emitter layer to form a cavity from an underlying oxide layer that exposes a doped tub. A first silicon/germanium (SiGe) layer, which has a Ge concentration therein, is formed within the cavity and over the doped tub by adjusting a process parameter to induce a strain in the first SiGe layer. A second SiGe layer is formed over the first SiGe layer, and a capping layer is formed over the second SiGe layer.

Abstract: The invention provides a switching converter comprising as few as two high-side switching transistors and a low-side rectifying device, along with a control circuit. The switching converter is capable of operating from a main supply source or an auxiliary supply source. The invention further includes a method for producing a regulated voltage from a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage via the two high-side switching transistors and a low-side rectifying device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a consumer electronic device has a rechargeable battery, battery safety circuitry, and consumer electronic device circuitry with a controller. The rechargeable battery has a present temperature and a presently available effective capacity, and provides power to the electronic device via the battery safety circuitry. The controller determines whether the rechargeable battery might have, at a battery temperature greater than the present battery temperature, a potential effective capacity greater than the presently available effective capacity and, upon such determination, provides an indication to the user that additional effective capacity might become available if the battery temperature were raised.

Abstract: A sense amplifier includes a first sensing element and a second sensing element redundant to the first sensing element. The sense amplifier further comprises a switch circuit configured to switch between the first and second sensing elements when an offset of the sense amplifier is greater than a prescribed amount.

Abstract: An exemplary fast Fourier transform (FFT) numerology for an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) downlink transmission system is described. The exemplary FFT numerology reduces the FFT sampling rate for a given transmission bandwidth, thereby increasing the battery life of a UE. The FFT numerology increases robustness against Doppler spread, phase noise, and frequency offset, enabling operation in channels with high delay spread, such as occurs in mountainous regions. The described numerology might provide the following without altering standard sub-frame duration: increased intercarrier spacing; reduced FFT sampling frequency across the transmission bandwidths; reduced FFT size across all transmission bandwidths; increased number of OFDM symbols per sub-frame; and/or increased cyclic prefix length choices.

Abstract: A station for a communications network. In one embodiment, the station includes a decoder, a check processor, and a transmitter. The decoder is adapted to decode a received encoded data unit. The check processor is adapted to determine whether the encoded data unit has been correctly received. The transmitter is adapted to initiate, prior to the check processor completing the determination whether the encoded data unit has been correctly received, the transmission of an acknowledgment message comprising a frame having a plurality of different fields of data. The transmitter is adapted to modify the transmission of the acknowledgment message if the check processor determines that the data unit has not been correctly received.

Abstract: A memory repair circuit for repairing one or more failures in an embedded memory includes at least one fuse register and state machine circuitry coupled to the fuse register. The state machine circuitry implements a first state machine operative: (i) to receive status information regarding the one or more failures in the embedded memory; (ii) to determine whether the memory is repairable based on the status information; (iii) when the memory is deemed repairable, to store an address corresponding to a failed memory cell of the memory; (iv) to burn the address corresponding to the failed memory cell into the fuse register using a voltage source supplied to the memory repair circuit; and (v) to verify that the address corresponding to the failed memory cell was burned into the fuse register.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for automatic transmit power variation in a wireless communication system. A wireless communication device according to the present invention includes a dynamic transmit power controller that adapts a transmit power level based on a transmission rate of the data. One aspect of the dynamic transmit power controller selects a maximum allowable power level that is based on limits specified for a given region and frequency band, or a maximum directional gain of an antenna (or both). Another aspect of the dynamic transmit power controller selects a maximum capable power level that is based on the transmission rate, frequency band, or characteristics of a transmitter output amplifier (or a combination of the foregoing). Generally, the transmit power level is selected based on a minimum of the maximum allowable power level and the maximum capable power level.