Abstract: A transformer balun is obtained that is symmetrical in structure, provides high current, or high voltage, amplification and has high coupling coefficients while maintaining minimal overall size. The balun structure includes primary and secondary metal windings at separate layer interfaces. The primary and secondary metal windings are symmetrical and can have any number of turns, which is only limited by integrated circuit area and capacitance. Accordingly, the primary and secondary windings may be on as many layers as needed. Further, the primary and/or secondary may include a center tap ground, which enables the winding to be used as a differential port.

Abstract: A Variable Gain Amplifier (VGA) amplifies an input signal according to a gain, to produce an amplified signal. A detector module detects a power indicative of a power of the amplified signal. A comparator module compares the detected power to a high threshold, a low threshold and a target threshold intermediate the high and low thresholds. A controller module changes the gain of the VGA so as to drive the detected power in a direction toward the middle threshold when the comparator module indicates the detected power is not between the high and low thresholds.

Abstract: Various circuit techniques employ a transconductance (gm) cell in control loops to implement circuits such as phase locked loops and delay locked loops that are capable of operating at ultra high frequencies with improved precision and noise performance. The gm cell is designed to operate on an analog input signal with a very small swing and more gradual transition edges. These characteristics allow implementation of high frequency circuits and systems including, for example, transceivers for fiber optic channels, disk driver electronics and the like.

Abstract: Particular portions of a message receive strong encryption while other parts of the message are less strongly encrypted or even unencrypted, resulting in a differentially encrypted data set. The data set is transmitted to a receiving end where it may be decrypted as desired. Receiving stations requiring the encrypted information and having authorized access may decrypt it, while other stations may decrypt this information only partially or not at all. Required computational power is reduced both on the client side and in channel processing because only selected portions of the message are subject to strong encryption and decryption processing, and latency and problems associated with latency are reduced.

Abstract: A device for handing off a wireless connection can include a receiver configured to receive a communication signal from a wireless device within a first wireless cell, a first processor configured to determine communication information regarding the first wireless cell, and a storage unit configured to store directional information regarding the first wireless cell. In addition, the device can have a transmitter configured to transmit the directional information to a wireless device located within the first wireless cell, and a second processor configured to provide wireless connection to the wireless device through the receiver and the transmitter. The second processor can Handoff the wireless connection to a second wireless cell.

Abstract: A communications system, having a combination Reed-Solomon encoder and a Turbo-Code encoder Data frame configuration which may be changed to accommodate embedded submarkers of known value are embedded in with the data order to aid synchronization in the receiver system, by providing strings of known symbols. The string of known symbols may be the same as the symbols within a training header that appears at the beginning of a data frame. Frame parameters may be tailored to individual users and may be controlled by information pertaining to receivers, such as bit error rate, of the receiver. Additional headers may be interspersed within the data in order to assist in receiver synchronization. Frames of data may be acquired quickly by a receiver by having a string of symbols representing the phase offset between successive header symbols in the header training sequence in order to determine the carrier offset.

Abstract: Continuously tuning a transconductance. Coupling a degeneration resistance from a first source of a first transistor in a differential pair of transistors to a second source of a second transistor in the differential pair of transistors. Applying a second variable degeneration resistance in parallel to the first degeneration resistance in response to the application of a first variable control voltage. And applying a third variable degeneration resistance in parallel to the first degeneration resistance and the second degeneration resistance in response to the application of a second variable control voltage having a fixed voltage offset from the first variable control voltage.

Abstract: A current mode logic (CML) flip flop includes a first CML latch and a second CML latch. A plurality of pull-up switches are responsive to a reset signal. Outputs of the first and second CML latches are pulled up to a supply voltage through the pull-up switches. The first CML latch includes a first pull-up isolation switch driven by the reset signal for resetting the latch.

Abstract: A resonant oscillator circuit includes an active device and a resonator that causes the active device to oscillate at a resonant frequency of the resonator. The active device includes one or more transistors that are DC biased using one or more resistors. The bias resistors generate thermal noise that is proportional to the resistance value. An external inductor circuit is connected across the output terminals of the active device and in parallel with the resonator. The external inductor circuit shorts-out at least some of the thermal noise that is generated by the bias resistors, and thereby reduces the overall phase noise of the resonant oscillator.

Abstract: A video and graphics system has an input for receiving compressed video data and an input for receiving graphics data. The compressed video data may include HDTV video and/or SDTV video, and may be included in compressed data streams such as an MPEG-2 Transport stream. The video and graphics system also includes a video decoder for processing the compressed video data to generate a video for displaying, a display engine for processing the graphics data to generate graphics for displaying, and an overlaying system for compositing the video and the graphics to generate an output video. The display engine includes a memory used during conversion of a graphics format from a first format to a second format to be in a format compatible with a video format The memory may be implemented in a single-port SRAM configured to simulate a dual-port SRAM. The system may be integrated on an integrated circuit chip.

Abstract: A filter settings generation operation includes sampling a communication channel to produce a sampled signal. The sampled signal is spectrally characterized across a frequency band of interest to produce a spectral characterization of the sampled signal. This spectral characterization may not include a signal of interest. The spectral characterization is then modified to produce a modified spectral characterization. Filter settings are then generated based upon the modified spectral characterization. Finally, the communication channel is filtered using the filter settings when the signal of interest is present on the communication channel. In modifying the spectral characterization, pluralities of spectral characteristics of the spectral characterization are independently modified to produce the modified spectral characterization. Modifications to the spectral characterization may be performed in the frequency domain and/or the time domain.

Abstract: A Variable Gain Amplifier (VGA) amplifies an input signal according to a gain, to produce an amplified signal. A detector module detects a power indicative of a power of the amplified signal. A comparator module compares the detected power to a high threshold, a low threshold and a target threshold intermediate the high and low thresholds. A controller module changes the gain of the VGA so as to drive the detected power in a direction toward the middle threshold when the comparator module indicates the detected power is not between the high and low thresholds.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and systems for evaluating one-time programmable memory cells. A threshold current is applied to a resistive circuit, thereby generating a threshold voltage. A read current is applied to a first memory cell, thereby generating a memory cell voltage. The memory cell voltage is compared to the threshold voltage, thereby determining the state of the memory cell. In a further embodiment of the invention, a second threshold voltage is generated and compared the memory cell voltage, thereby verifying the state of the memory cell. The threshold current is optionally a substantial replica of said read current. The threshold current is optionally a proportional substantial replica of said read current. In an embodiment, the resistive circuit includes a second memory cell, which can be programmed or unprogrammed. The second memory cell is optionally arranged to average the memory cell resistance.

Abstract: Circuitry to remove switches from signal paths in integrated circuit programmable gain attenuators. Programmable gain attenuators and programmable gain amplifiers commonly switch between signal levels using semi-conductor switches. Such switches may introduce non-linearities in the signal. By isolating the switches from the signal path linearity of the PGA can be improved.

Abstract: 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying) rotationally invariant turbo trellis coded modulation without parallel transitions. A novel approach of coding 8 PSK symbols such that they are rotationally invariant employs precoding and encoding according to Turbo Trellis Coded Modulation (TTCM). Together, the preceding and TTCM encoding operate cooperatively to provide rotational invariance of the 8 PSK symbols. These 8 PSK symbols are mapped to constellation points within an 8 PSK constellation. A permutated mapping of the 8 PSK constellation is also employed that describes an approximate 90 degree rotation of the 8 PSK constellation mapping. In addition, the precoding employs an induced precoder mapping that corresponds to the approximate 90 degree rotation of the mapping of the 8 PSK constellation. Moreover, the branches of the trellis employed within the TTCM encoding may undergo an appropriately modified mapping to accommodate the 90 degree rotation of the 8 PSK constellation mapping as well.

Abstract: An integrated circuit formed on a semiconductor chip, comprising a low pass filter circuit having a first resistor of a first resistance value and a capacitor of a first capacitance value, wherein the first resistance value and the first capacitance value determine a corner frequency of the filter; and a tuning circuit having a second resistor of a second resistance value, a switched-capacitor of a third resistance value and a comparator that compares two voltage signals to produce a control signal, wherein the control signal adjusts the first and second resistance values as a function of the third resistance value. The corner frequency of the filter can be adjusted by varying one or more reference voltage signals. In combination, the corner frequency of the filter is adjusted by changing the frequency of a clock that controls the switched-capacitor to decrease the circuit sensitivity.

Abstract: A system-on-chip (SOC) device or a random access memory (RAM) chip includes a RAM block. The RAM block includes memory cells, each of which has three transistors. Each memory cell is coupled to both a read bit line and a write bit line. A transparent continuous refresh mechanism has been implemented to read the content of a memory cell and re-write it back to the memory cell without disturbing the access (read/write) cycle, making refresh operations transparent to the system level. The continuous refresh mechanism includes a collision detection mechanism to prevent writing and reading the same memory cell at the same time.

Abstract: A system for periodic noise avoidance including a timing discriminator receiving an input signal from a communications channel. The input signal includes data packets and empty slots with periodic noise. The timing discriminator outputs a first error measurement of periodic noise width and a second error measurement of periodic noise position. A first loop filter inputs the first error measurement and outputs a width of the empty slots. A second loop filter inputs the second error measurement and outputs a frequency of the periodic noise. An oscillator inputs the width of the empty slots and the frequency, and outputs an empty slot waveform to the timing discriminator.

Abstract: A network device for controlling data flow can have a buffer configured to receive a packet, a first determining unit configured to determine a multicast group number from the packet, a first table storage unit configured to store at least one first bit vector and at least one first pointer, and configured to have the multicast group number indexed thereto, and a second table storage unit configured to store at least one second bit vector and at least one second pointer, and configured to have the at least one first pointer indexed thereto.

Abstract: A process of creating incentives for wireless hotspots by a service provider is disclosed. An access point is provided to a wireless hotspot for wireless devices to wirelessly connect to a larger network in a publicly accessible location. Use of the access point for a portable device is authenticated by requesting submission of an account identifier to the service provider and billing data for a user of the portable device for use of the access point is generated. Use statistics are evaluated of the access point of the wireless hotspot by portables devices and an inducement is provided to the publicly accessible location based on the evaluated use statistics.