Abstract: A technique for characterizing laser chirp utilizes an optical fiber and its inherent interferometric properties. An RF modulating signal is applied to the laser, where the modulated output signal thereafter propagates through a conventional optical fiber. A photoreceiver and spectrum analyzer are coupled to the opposite end of the optical fiber. By adjusting the power of the applied RF signal, the maximum IIN can be determined. The laser chirp can then be calculated by dividing the measurement frequency by the modulation current associated with the maximum IIN value.

Abstract: A power supply and a method of supplying power to, for example, an optical network. In one embodiment, the power supply includes: (1) a transformer having a main power primary winding, an auxiliary power winding and a secondary winding, (2) a first controllable switch coupled to said main power primary winding that, in response to a first control signal, configures said main power primary winding to receive main DC power, (3) a second controllable switch coupled to said auxiliary power winding that, in response to a second control signal, configures said auxiliary power winding to receive auxiliary DC power and (4) an integrated controller, coupled to said secondary winding, that controls said first and second controllable switches in a current mode and as a function of a voltage of said secondary winding and a presence of said main DC power.

Abstract: For use in a system having a received signal path therein, the signal path including a mixer that modifies a carrier frequency of an information signal propagating through the signal path, an apparatus for, and method of, reducing an overall power consumption of the system and a radio device employing the same. The apparatus includes: (1) a received signal strength indicator ("RSSI") circuit, in communication with the signal path, that provides an RSSI signal that is a function of a power of the information signal and (2) a power reduction circuit, coupled to the RSSI circuit, that reduces a current draw of the mixer when the RSSI signal exceeds an upper threshold level, the overall power consumption of the receiver thereby reduced.

Abstract: The automated voice terminal protocol identification system automatically identifies the nature of the voice terminal that is connected to the voice terminal test facility in a manner that ensures that neither the voice terminal nor the voice terminal test facility is subject to damage. This is accomplished by the application of a predetermined set of low potential test signals to the voice terminal under test, which set of low potential test signals is selected to elicit a response from the voice terminal under test that accurately identifies the protocol used by the voice terminal under test. If the result of this first test is inconclusive, successive set(s) of non-damaging test signals are applied to the voice terminal under test to precisely determine the type of voice terminal, prior to the application of the test sequence.

Abstract: This invention includes a novel synthesis of a three-step process of growing, depositing and growing SiO.sub.2 under low pressure, e.g., 0.2-10 Torr, to generate high quality, robust and reliable gate oxides for sub 0.5 micron technologies. The first layer, 1.0-3.0 nm is thermally grown for passivation of the Si-semiconductor surface. The second deposited layer, which contains a substantial concentration of a hydrogen isotope, such as deuterium, forms an interface with the first grown layer. During the third step of the synthesis densification of the deposited oxide layers occurs with a simultaneous removal of the interface traps at the interface and growth of a stress-modulated SiO.sub.2 occurs at the Si/first grown layer interface in the presence of a stress-accommodating interface layer resulting in a planar and stress-reduced Si/SiO.sub.2 interface. The entire synthesis is done under low-pressure (e.g., 0.

Abstract: An optical coupling arrangement comprises conventional focusing optics and an anamorphic (i.e., radially non-symmetric) lens positioned at the entrance to the optical fiber. The objective lens focuses the elliptical beam exiting a laser source and the anamorphic lens functions to change the beam mode from elliptical to circular. The positioning of the anamorphic lens at the fiber input (instead of the laser output) reduces the alignment tolerance problems associated with prior art arrangements.

Abstract: An optical fiber connector assembly has a connector having a bore having a cable receiving end and a reentrant interface end forming a fiber holder. Jacketed plastic optical fiber is affixed within the bore and unjacketed fiber is contained in the fiber holder. A latching arm has latch means for engaging a shoulder in an adapter, and camming lobes on the latching arm engage sloping ramps in the adapter to impart a bias force to move the connector toward the interface end.

Abstract: Error recovery is improved in a video transmission system by maintaining, for block positions in a frame, a metric whose value for a given block position is indicative of the relative importance of the given block position in determining decoded video quality. The blocks may be macroblocks configured in accordance with a motion-compensated video compression technique such as MPEG-2. The metric values are used to determine one or more of the block positions which are more likely than other block positions to improve decoded video quality if refreshed. The video signal is then refreshed by transmitting intra-coded blocks for the determined block positions in a given frame. The metric may be based on a count of the number of times a block from a given block position has been coded and transmitted since it was last refreshed, such that the block positions having the highest counts are refreshed.

Abstract: The present invention, in one embodiment, provides a method for eliminating agglomerate particles in a polishing slurry. In this particular embodiment, the method includes transferring a slurry that has a design particle size from a slurry source to an energy source. In many instances, the slurry forms an agglomerate that has an agglomerated particle size, which is substantially larger than the design particle size. This larger particle size is highly undesirable because it can damage the semiconductor wafer surface as it is polished. The method further includes subjecting the agglomerate to energy, such as an ultra sonic wave emanating from the energy source, and transferring energy from the energy source to the slurry to reduce the agglomerated particle size to substantially the design particle size.

Abstract: A content-addressable memory (CAM) is implemented by using otherwise-unused memory management unit (MMU 102) and cache memories (104, 105) of a program-controlled microprocessor (100). A program stored in an instruction cache (104) and executed by the microprocessor causes the microprocessor to respond to receipt of a word of data (200), which is illustratively the VPI/VCI of an ATM network connection, by applying the most-significant bits (MSBs 202) of the received word as a comparand to tags (203) of entries (206) of a fully-associative translation buffer (103) of the MMU to obtain an index (204) indicative of which translation buffer entry's corresponding tag matches the comparand.

Abstract: C-shaped rails define an interior volume of the bracket that can be used to store slack from a cable, whose wires are terminated by the insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) mounted on fingers extending from the rails. End plates, holding the rails in place, have apertures for receiving cables and bundles of wires. In one application, the bracket can be mounted within a secured enclosure. In another application, two or more brackets can be mounted with abutting end plates to enable wires from a single cable to be terminated at IDCs mounted within different brackets.

Abstract: This invention relates to an antenna for use in detecting electromagnetic noise radiation in which a high frequency, asymmetric signal has been generated. The invention relates to a loop antenna design which uses two loops that are run in opposite direction to each other, thereby resulting in two out-of-phase signals being detected in the loops which are then combined as the antenna output.

Abstract: A power supply and a method of operating the same. In one embodiment, the power supply includes: (1) a DC-DC converter having an isolation transformer that conveys an alternating voltage of about a first frequency between a primary winding and at least one secondary winding thereof and (2) a four-quadrant inverter, coupled to one of the at least secondary winding, that converts a portion of the alternating voltage into a waveform having about a second frequency that is less than the first frequency, including: (2a) a bi-directional switch, coupled between an input and an output of the four-quadrant inverter and (2b) a controller, coupled to the switch, that activates the switch to couple the input to the output during a portion of a switching cycle of the alternating voltage to change voltages in the waveform.

Abstract: The invention is a transceiver package with reduced overall width and optical pitch. Separate circuit boards are provided for the laser with its associated circuitry and the photodetector with its associated circuitry. The boards are mounted to the sidewalls of the package housing so that they are essentially perpendicular to the base of the package and to the major surface of the mother board.

Abstract: In a method of administering a telephone local loop plant, a substantial portion--preferably at or above 80%--of the existing narrowband plant is caused to be "dedicated," so that constituent segments of an existing local loop therewithin are not allowed to be used to form other local loops when the existing loop is taken out of service. The remainder of the narrowband plant--the "non-dedicated" plant--is used to fill subscriber current orders for new service. Administration of the narrowband plant that has been dedicated is given over to an administrative system that is deployed to administer broadband facilities within the local loop plant. In preferred embodiment, the local loop plant is upgraded from narrowband to broadband in a way which gives priority to those geographical areas for which the costs of maintaining the narrowband plant are the greatest. The method, overall, provides a mechanism for reducing the costs associated with administering all of the narrowband plant using the legacy systems.

Abstract: An integrated three-phase power converter and method of operation thereof is provided. The integrated three-phase power converter includes: (1) first and second power switches coupled between corresponding rails of said power converter, (2) an input stage, including first, second and third L-C branches coupled between said first, second and third phase inputs and a node between said first and second power switches, adapted to receive phase voltages from a source of electrical power, and (3) an output stage, coupled to said first and second power switches, that provides a DC output voltage at said output, said first and second power switches cooperating to employ said input stage to reduce input current total harmonic distortion (THD) on all three of said phase inputs and said output stage to convert said phase voltages to said DC output voltage.

Abstract: A wireless transmitter is disclosed that mitigates the 3 MPH effect, which is the phenomenon of poor received signal quality at a wireless receiver because neither transmit power control nor data interleaving are capable of overcoming the effects of Rayleigh fading. Some of the wireless transmitters disclosed mitigate the 3 MPH effect by having the transmit antenna move mechanically, as on a turntable. Other transmitters achieve the same effect by moving the phase center of the transmitted signal between two or more stationary antennas. The phase center of the transmitted signal can be made to move between stationary antennas by electronically manipulating and varying the amount of signal radiated by each antenna. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a signal to be transmitted is switched back and forth between two stationary antennas at a rate that creates virtual motion as observed by the wireless terminal sufficient to remove the wireless terminal from the depths of the 3 MPH effect.

Abstract: The present invention, according to one embodiment, comprises a speech intelligibility testing system and method. The invention comprises a sound device for producing a plurality of stimulus words to be heard by a test subject and a display means configured to display a set of word pairs corresponding to a set of contrasting speech sounds. Each word pair comprises two words which are real words with a high degree of familiarity to the test subject, and are displayed whenever a stimulus word is transmitted to the test subject. The first word of the word pair corresponds to the stimulus word, while the second word differs from the first word by at least one of the set of contrasting speech sounds. The invention also comprises a means for the test subject to select one word of the word pair after deciding which of the two words was heard. In accordance with one embodiment, the present invention employs a set of rules to generate vowel and consonant contrasts to be tested.

Abstract: A fastener for simultaneously mounting adjacently disposed building entrance protectors (BEP) units to a mounting panel and for grounding the units to each other. The fastener includes a tapered and preferably threaded shaft for facilitating securement of the fastener into the mounting panel, such as by screwing or the like. A lip is integrally formed on the shaft and a clamping element, such as a nut, is movably engaged with an untapered opposite end of the shaft so that when rotated about the shaft opposite end, the nut is translated into close proximity with the lip. When mounting tabs from adjacent BEP units are placed between the nut and lip, and the nut is then rotatably tightened, the mounting tabs are placed in electrical contact to provide a grounding connection between the BEPs while securing the adjacent BEPs to the mounting panel.

Abstract: A synchronous rectifier for use with a clamped-mode power converter uses in one embodiment a hybrid rectifier with a MOSFET rectifying device active in one first cyclic internal of the conduction/nonconduction sequence of the power switch and a second rectifying device embodied in one illustrative embodiment as a low voltage bipolar diode rectifying device active during an alternative interval to the first conduction/nonconduction interval. The gate drive to the MOSFET device is continuous at a constant level for substantially all of the second interval which enhances efficiency of the rectifier. The bipolar rectifier device may also be embodied as a MOSFET device. The subject rectifier may be used in both forward and flyback power converters.