Abstract: A first connector (12, FIG. 2) is constructed so when it is unmated from a second connector (14), front contact devices (32) of the first connector are switched from connections to conductors (16) leading to circuit component (70) to connection to a ground plane (110). The first connector comprises a front insert assembly (22) that includes a plurality of front contact devices (32), and a rear insert assembly (50) that includes a plurality of rear contacts (62). When the second connector fully mates with the first one (FIG. 3), the second connector pushes the front insert assembly to a rearward position (22B), against the force of a spring (40), to cause the front contact devices to mate with the rear contacts. When the second connector unmates from the first one, the spring moves the front insert assembly to the forward position. During forward movement, the front contact devices engage the ground plane (110), to thereby ground the front contact devices when they are not mated to the rear contacts.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for fabricating a CMOS structure with ESD protection. The outside transistors are covered with a protective oxide layer which is so masked as to cover the areas of the respective source and drain regions adjoining the field-oxide regions and the gate regions. The protective oxide layer is then subjected to a heat treatment, after which a siliciding process is carried out.

Abstract: A connector (e.g. coaxial connector) comprises a tubular body structure (22, 23) with an axially extending bore therein for receiving an incoming cable (40) (e.g. coaxial) and for accommodating electrically-conductive contact-making means (31) located adjacent a part of the cable within the tubular body structure and electrically coupled with contact means (32) (e.g. pin contact) of the connector. Axially displaceable means (35) at least partly received by the tubular body structure (22, 23) causes the contact-making means (31) to make good electrical contact with a conductor (44) of the cable (40) (e.g. control conductor of coaxial cable) in response to a predetermined axial displacement of the displaceable means (35). The displaceable means (35) has a first positive hold position relative to the tubular body structure in which position the displaceable means acts solely to retain other connector components within the tubular body structure (22, 23).

Abstract: A MOS driver circuit has a first output transistor and a second output transistor which are driven in push-pull into a conducting state by a first driver stage having first high impedance and first low impedance elements and a second driver stage having second high impedance and second low impedance elements, respectively. The high impedance driver elements drive the output transistors into a conducting or nonconducting state and the low impedance driver elements hold the output transistors in the nonconducting state. The junction of the output transistors can be connected to a load. A holding stage for each driver stage is cross coupled to a high impedance driver element of one output transistor and the low impedance driver element of the other output transistor, so as to drive one output transistor in the conducting state while holding the other output transistor in a nonconducting state. As a result, shunt currents between the output transistors are avoided even in the presence of output noise.

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic-field sensor with a Hall effect device, a power supply, and an evaluating facility, which can be supplied with a Hall signal from the Hall-effect device and comprises an input amplifier, a storage element, and a signal superposition unit. To improve the accuracy of the magnetic-field sensor, in a first phase, a balancing signal for balancing the measurement-signal path with respect to an interface can be produced with the evaluating facility, the balancing signal being storable in the storage element, and in a second phase, the balancing signal stored in the storage element can be applied through the signal superposition unit to the interface, where it is superimposed on a Hall signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a monolithic integrated sensor circuit, fabricated in CMOS technology, in which the circuit implemented on the semiconductor chip is connected to the ground connection via the substrate of the semiconductor chip, and in which the input signals are not referred to the potential of the ground connection.

Abstract: A motor vehicle seat recliner includes an upper member (34) which is supportive of a seat back (22) and a lower member (36) which is supportive of a seat cushion (21) and is carried for longitudinal adjustment within a host vehicle. An adjuster (40) is operative to establish a substantially fixed angular position between the members, the adjuster including a longitudinally disposed drive screw (62) which is restrained from axial displacement in one direction by an abutment surface (56) which is defined by a thrust plate (46) carried by the lower member and a link (130) which is pivotally interconnected to the screw by a traveling member (126) and is also pivotally interconnected to the upper member by a parallel arrangement of a link control bracket (144) and a displaceable lock plate (154), whereby frontal impact imposed moment arm forces will subject the link and screw to substantially pure compressive loading.

Abstract: A protection structure for integrated circuits with an n-channel MOS field-effect transistor has a more stable bipolar state, with the change to the bipolar state occurring fast. Below the drain region and the drain contact region an n-type resistor region doped more lightly than the drain region and the drain contact region is formed to provide the electrically conductive connection between the drain region and the drain contact region. When a positive voltage pulse is applied to the drain contact region, the n-channel MOS transistor will go into a bipolar operating state upon reaching the drain-source or drain-substrate breakdown voltage. The conductor paths are typically connected to ground. The n-well forms a series resistor between the drain region and the drain contact region of the respective transistor. It also forms a pn junction between the drain region and the channel, the collector pn junction, which extends deep into the substrate.

Abstract: A miniature coaxial connector with a mating end for mating to another connector and a termination end for direct connection to a circuit, provides a closely controlled impedance along its entire length. The connector comprises a coax assembly (14, FIG. 2) having a glass bead (120), a conductive pin (28) projecting through the bead, and a conductive impedance member (40) surrounding the bead. The coax assembly is installed in a connector body (12) having a hollow front mating end portion (50) and a rear end portion (52). The impedance member of the coax assembly has a flange (46) lying on the front face (34) of the bead, and the rear of the body includes a precision passage (60) with the pin projecting completely through the passage and with only air between the pin and passage walls. This arrangement provides precision alignment of the pin with grounded conductive surfaces surrounding it. The flange provides a precision transformer at the front of the pin where it will engage a socket of a mating connector.

Abstract: An electrical connector is provided with at least two pairs of signal-carrying contacts, which provides a low cost, compact, and rugged construction for minimizing crosstalk. While two initial contacts (A, B, FIG. 2) of the two pairs (102, 104) lie adjacent to each other, so there is unwanted capacitive and inductive coupling between them, secondary contacts (C, D) of the two pairs do not lie adjacent to the initial contacts and therefore are not as closely coupled to the initial contacts. Each secondary contact is capacitively coupled to an initial contact of the other pair by a lateral extension (110, 122) formed in one of the contacts which overlies the other contact in a local region (120) of limited length. The capacitive coupling resulting from the lateral extensions substantially cancels crosstalk that otherwise would exist.

Abstract: An electrical conductor terminating arrangement such as an electrical connector includes a contact-making element which makes good contact with an electrical conductor in response to axial pressure displacement over the contact-making element of a displaceable element to exert a radial force on the contact-making element and to co-operate therewith for providing ongoing pressure engagement between the contact-making element and the electrical conductor without the need for the continuance of axial pressure on the displaceable element after a predetermined axial displacement of the displaceable element.

Abstract: A connector assembly is disclosed having a latching mechanism for locking the assembly to the rear of an IC (integrated circuit) card. The assembly incorporates an actuator for operating the latching mechanism. The actuator is rotatably mounted at the rear portion of the housing of the connector assembly, which allows the assembly to have a short profile. The cable for the assembly is connected to one side of the housing.

Abstract: In a CMOS circuit having at least a first subcircuit coupled between a first point of potential and a first circuit node, and having a second subcircuit coupled between a second circuit node and a second point of potential, said first and second circuit nodes being coupled together, the improvement in combination therewith, comprising: first circuit means coupled to the first point of potential for converting the first potential to a third potential as a function of the magnitude of said first potential, said third potential being of a value inbetween the first and second potentials; a FET having source, drain, gate and well terminals, said source terminal being coupled to said well terminal and to said first circuit node, said third potential being applied to said gate terminal, said drain terminal being coupled to said second circuit node; wherein said FET, in conjunction with said first circuit means, operates to selectively provide a difference in potential between said first and second circuit nodes, the

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of making a monolithic integrated circuit with at least one CMOS field-effect transistor and one npn bipolar transistor wherein a thin oxide layer is covered with a protective polysilicon layer in both the bipolar-transistor area and the field-effect-transistor area.

Abstract: A multi-layer tube having a metal tube having an outer surface and a zinc layer bonded to the metal tube outer surface. The zinc layer being selected from the group consisting of zinc plating, zinc nickel alloys, zinc cobalt alloys, zinc aluminum alloys, and mixtures thereof. A surface treatment layer is bonded to the zinc layer, wherein the surface treatment layer is selected from the group consisting of a zinc/aluminum/rare earth alloy, phosphate, chromate and mixtures thereof. A first polymeric layer is bonded to the surface treatment layer, wherein the first polymeric layer is selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic elastomer, an ionomer, a nylon, a fluoropolymer, and mixtures thereof. A second polymeric layer is bonded to the first polymeric layer, wherein the second polymeric layer is selected from the group consisting of a nylon, a thermoplastic elastomer, a fluoropolymer, and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A voltage regulator contains a reference which provides a value for comparison by an error amplifier which generates a control signal in response to the deviation of the output to the reference. As many stages of the circuit as possible are connected to fixed potential points. The fixed potential points are fixed with respect to the regulated output voltage. This provides a voltage regulator which is insensitive to interference signals from the unregulated supply voltage. The interference signals from the supply voltage are further buffered by using relatively small capacitors within the circuit, rather than a large external filter means.

Abstract: A polarity-reversal protection device for integrated circuits, comprising a substrate of a first conductivity type; a well region of a second conductivity type opposite said first conductivity type, within said substrate; a field effect transistor having drain and source regions within said well of said first conductivity type, said drain region being connectable to external circuitry to be protected from polarity reversal of a supply voltage, said supply voltage being applied to said source region via a low impedance; and resistor means, coupled to said well region, for enabling said supply voltage to be applied therethrough to said well region, said resistor means operative to sink current during undesirable polarity reversal of the supply voltage, thereby preventing damage to the external circuitry and to the FET itself.

Abstract: A master-slave data transmission system employs a flexible single-wire bus and where any master unit can send data to or read data from any slave at a single time. Data transfer is accomplished by means of a flexible message format having a variable-length address section and a variable-length data section, with the beginning and end of the individual message sections being defined by labels, and a fixed bit clock being transmitted for a given interval before and/or after the message. During multiple master operation, a priority control arrangement prevents two or more masters from accessing the single-wire bus at the same time.

Abstract: An edge connector (12, FIG. 1 ) of simple construction and small thickness is provided, with a forward end which can receive a card or circuit board (14) and a rear end which can receive a pluggable connector (40), to connect contact pads (70) of the circuit board to terminals (110, 112) of the pluggable connector. The connector includes an insulative housing (16) having a rearward end portion (20) and having upper and lower cantilevered beams (22, 24). The beams extend forwardly from the rear portion, with a gap (26) between them, and with the front end (30) of the gap having an increased thickness to receive the circuit board. A flat flexible cable (34) lies in the gap, with a front (122) that is upwardly bent and received in a slot (124) of the upper beam portion, and with the forward portions of the cable conductors being exposed at their lower surfaces (164).

Abstract: An apparatus and method increase the data-processing speed of a signal processor whose signal-processing unit includes at least one arithmetic logic unit and one multiplier which are fed with input data of n-bit word length. When such a signal processor is supplied from a source with input-data words having a shorter word length than the maximum word length of n bits of the signal processor, invalid bits are masked during the loading process. The loading operation is accelerated by changing the contents of the input-data words using a mask value in at least one presettable masking unit before the input-data word is processed by the signal-processing unit.