Abstract: A method of adjusting the frequency or phase of operation of a Class-D amplifier is disclosed. The method comprises making a series of step changes in the frequency or phase to adjust the frequency or phase from a start value to a desired end value, each step change in frequency or phase causing a corresponding disturbance of an output of the Class-D amplifier to produce a series of disturbances, each of which varies from an initial magnitude in first and second senses to exhibit a first peak and then in the first sense to exhibit a second peak. The time between the step changes is selected so that the second peak of each disturbance other than a final disturbance in the series overlaps the first peak of an immediately succeeding disturbance.

Abstract: A MEMS device, such as a microphone, uses a perforated plate. The plate comprises an array of holes across the plate area. The plate has an area formed as a grid of polygonal cells, wherein each cell comprises a line of material following a path around the polygon thereby defining an opening in the centre. In one aspect, the line of material forms a path along each side of the polygon which forms a track which extends at least once inwardly from the polygon perimeter towards the centre of the polygon and back outwardly to the polygon perimeter. This defines a meandering hexagon side wall, which functions as a local spring suspension.

Abstract: A technique for managing uplink feedback involves establishing a channel quality threshold range, for example, in terms of a channel quality indicator (CQI), broadcasting the channel quality threshold range to the mobile stations and using the channel quality threshold range to control the feedback of channel quality information. For example, the mobile stations determine their own mobile station-specific CQI and then generate CQI feedback information in response to a comparison between their own mobile station-specific CQI and the CQI threshold range. In an embodiment, if the CQI of a mobile station falls within the CQI threshold range, then the mobile station can transmit a reduced set of CQI feedback information. For example, the reduced set of CQI feedback information may be a single bit that indicates whether the mobile station-specific CQI is greater than or less than a CQI threshold or whether the CQI has crossed a CQI threshold.

Abstract: A piezo-resistive MEMS resonator comprising an anchor, a resonator mounted on the anchor, an actuator mounted to apply an electrostatic force on the resonator and a piezo-resistive read-out means comprising a nanowire coupled to the resonator.

Abstract: In one or more embodiments, a system is provided for communicating between different voltage domains using N+1 capacitive-coupled conductive lines to provide N communication channels. For instance, bi-directional communication (e.g., a first communication in a first direction and a second communication path in the opposite direction) may be provided using three capacitive-coupled signal paths. Two of the signal paths are used as single-ended (i.e., non-differential) signal paths. The third signal path is used to suppress voltage disturbances between two voltage domains.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to gate driver circuitry that compensate for parasitic inductances. Input buffers in the gate driver are grounded to an exposed die pad. Grounding may involve either a downbond or conductive glue.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a verification system and method for verifying whether a vehicle is equipped with a functional on-board unit (OBU). The system may include a license plate recognition system configured to obtain a license plate number of the vehicle at a first location; a database of license plate numbers and OBU information; a wireless communication system configured to send a trigger message to the OBU using the OBU information, and configured to receive a response from the OBU indicating a location of the OBU; and a verification module configured to determine whether the vehicle is equipped with the OBU. The database may include a correspondence of license plate numbers and OBU information. The verification module may determine that the vehicle is equipped with the OBU if the location reported by the OBU is within a specified distance of the first location.

Abstract: A receiver apparatus (1) for receiving a signal over a fading channel comprises a frequency domain interpolation unit (16) with a filter unit (10), a power comparison unit (20), and a processing unit (21). The filter unit (10) comprises a first filter element (11), which is a reference filter, and a second filter element (12). The first filter element (11) is arranged as large-band filter. The power comparison unit (20) compares the power of the signal filtered with said second filter element (12) with the power of the signal filtered with said first filter element (11). The processing unit (21) determines an appropriate filter length for a third filter element (13) of the filter unit (10) on the basis of this comparison. Thereby, a trade-off is made between an additional power received due to a long echo and an additional Gaussian noise power.

Abstract: A receiver (400; 500) comprising an amplifier (406; 506) having an input (408) and an output (410). The input (408) of the amplifier is configured to receive a signal. The receiver also comprises a feedback path (412; 512) between the output (410) and the input (408) of the amplifier (406; 506), wherein the feedback path (412; 512) includes a filter (402; 502) and a buffer amplifier (414; 514) in series. The input of the buffer amplifier (414; 514) is connected to the output (410; 510) of the amplifier (406; 506). The output of the buffer amplifier (414; 514) is connected to the input of the filter (402; 502). The output of the filter (402; 502) is connected to the input (408; 508) of the amplifier (406; 506). The filter (402; 502) is configured to pass signals having a desired frequency.

Abstract: The present application relates to at least one digitally controlled oscillator and a data modulation device. More particularly, the digital polar transmitter comprises at least one digitally controlled oscillator configured to generate at least one frequency. The digital polar transmitter comprises a data modulation device, wherein the data modulation device comprises at least one data input terminal, at least one output terminal, and at least one frequency input terminal, wherein the output terminal is connected to the digitally controlled oscillator. The digital polar transmitter comprises a phase measuring device configured to measure phase information from the output signal of the data modulation device for every frequency sample.

Abstract: Wireless communications between a vehicle base station and a transponder are authenticated. Interior and exterior antennas are respectively driven using first driving currents, the interior antenna being separated from the transponder by a portion of a vehicle in which the vehicle base station resides. Separate vector components of the respective fields emitted by the interior and exterior antennas are received and detected at the transponder. Superposition factors are calculated for the interior and exterior antennas based upon the separate vector components. Each of the interior and exterior antennas is concurrently driven using the same phase, respectively using the driving currents multiplied by the superposition factors. Superposed vector components are detected for a superposed signal including signals from both antennas received at the transponder.

Abstract: A memory efficient, accelerated implementation architecture for BCJR based forward error correction algorithms. In this architecture, a memory efficiency storage scheme is adopted for the metrics and channel information to achieve high processing speed with a low memory requirement. Thus, BCJR based algorithms can be accelerated, and the implementation complexity can be 5 reduced. This scheme can be used in the BCJR based turbo decoder and LDPC decoder implementations.

Abstract: A method and system for power management is provided. To control power supplied to a second electronic device (106), an electronic system (100) comprises a power management subsystem (110), a first electronic device (102); The power management subsystem (110) monitors the power consumed by the first electronic device (102) to control the power supplied to the second electronic device (106). A method for power management of a second electronic device (106) is provided. A power management subsystem (110) is provided.

Abstract: Power reduction in transmitters is very important. One method to realize reduction is to make use of switching power amplifiers (PA) that have a better efficiency. Switching PA concepts are only possible in combination with suitable modulation methods like pulse width modulation (PWM) and out-phasing concepts. However, PWM and out-phasing concepts rely on accurate phase control and duty cycle of the signals. Digitally generation of signals of variable duty cycles and phase is proposed without sacrificing their accuracy. Accordingly, a out-phasing power amplifier arrangement is disclosed, where the generation of the out-phasing angle (?) and duty cycles (d1 and d2) are controlled by a set of n-bit digital input words (D1, D2, D3, D4). The baseband phase information (?(t)) is phase modulated back to radio frequency and used as the clock signal of digital circuitry for phase and duty cycle generation after being frequency multiplied by 2n-1.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a metal-insulator-metal capacitive device. In connection with an example embodiment, a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor device is in a substrate having a surface and a three dimensional structure with high aspect ratio sidewalls. The MIM capacitor device includes a first capacitor electrode including a platinum group metal (PGM)-based layer and a Ta-based layer that is between the PGM-based layer and one of the sidewalls. The MIM capacitor also includes a second capacitor electrode and an insulator material between the first and second electrodes.

Abstract: A power converter, comprising an input circuit having a single diode rectifier (D); and a switcher mode power supply IC (SMPS).

Abstract: A read out circuit for a sensor uses a feedback loop to bias the sensor to a desired operating point, such as the maximal possible sensitivity, but without the problem of an instable sensor position as known for the conventional read-out with constant charge. The reference bias to which the circuit is controlled is also varied using feedback control, but with a slower response than the main bias control feedback loop.

Abstract: Receiving an OFDM signal having a series of OFDM symbols, each having sub-carriers, each modulated by at least one data bit encoded with error-correcting code. The receiver has a first error-correcting decoder to decode sequentially data bits of a received first OFDM symbol; a re-encoder to receive decoded bits and re-encode a leading portion of the decoded bits; a mapper to receive the re-encoded leading portion of bits, map these bits to a corresponding subset of the sub-carriers, and thereby estimate a modulation symbol applied to each sub-carrier, by the transmitter; a channel estimator to produce a channel estimate by comparing sub-carrier modulation symbols with corresponding sub-carriers received by the receiver; and an equalizer to process the received signal to remove distortions from the transmission channel, using the channel estimate. The re-encoder begins re-encoding the leading portion of the bits before a trailing portion has been decoded.

Abstract: In order further to develop a method for changing over a serially networked system (100), in particular a serial databus system, from subnetwork operation (T), in which at least one node (22, 28) and/or at least one user (32, 38) of the system (100) is in a state of reduced current consumption and is not addressed and/or not activated by the signal level (40, 42, 44) of the data traffic on the system (100), to full network operation (G), in which all the nodes (20, 22, 24, 26, 28) and/or all the users (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) of the system (100) are addressed and/or activated by the signal level (46, 48) of the data traffic on the system (100), together with a corresponding system (100) in such a way that the nodes (22, 28) and/or the users (32, 38) in the network, i.e.

Abstract: A lamp is operated with main and auxiliary amalgams. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a lamp includes an auxiliary amalgam-based material that releases mercury at an elevated temperature that is above an operating temperature of the lamp, and that absorbs mercury at temperatures below the elevated temperature. During a start-up period, the auxiliary amalgam-based material is heated to cause the material to release mercury for generating light in the lamp. After the start-up period, the auxiliary amalgam-based material is allowed to cool below the elevated temperature and absorb mercury, while the lamp continues to operate for generating light using a main amalgam.