Abstract: A flash analog-to-digital converter comprising a resistive reference ladder, a set of comparators for comparing the analog input signal with the reference voltages of the ladder to provide a digital code representing a coarse quantization of the input signal, a set of switches connected to the reference ladder and controlled by said digital code to provide an analog representation of the coarse quantization of the input signal, means to derive from said analog representation of the coarse quantization and from the input signal one or more residue signals and a fine analog-to-digital converter stage to generate a digital code representing a fine quantization of the one or more residue signals.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device (10) with a substrate (11) and a semiconductor body (1), whereby in the semiconductor body (1) a semiconductor element is formed by means of a mesa-shaped protrusion of the semiconductor body (1), which is formed on the surface of the semiconductor device (10) as a nano wire (2), whereupon a layer (3) of a material is deposited over the semiconductor body (1) and the resulting structure is subsequently planarized in a chemical-mechanical polishing process such that an upper side of the nano wire (3) becomes exposed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a capacitive RF-MEMS device comprising a vertically integrated decoupling capacitor (14). The decoupling capacitor (14) therefore does not take extra area. Furthermore, the RF-MEMS according to the invention needs less interconnects, which also saves space and which reduces the series inductance/resistance in the RF path.

Abstract: A communication apparatus, which allows a user to communicate via a network, carries out a switch off step (SOA) in response to a switch off command. In the switch off step (SOA), the communication apparatus allows the user to select (SM2, SM3) a detach message from a list of detach messages (DML). The communication apparatus conveys (SM6, SM7) a detach message identification (MID) to the network and, subsequently, switches off (SM8). The detach message identification (MID) represents the detach message that the user has selected. The network carries out a call handling step in which the network conveys the detach message to another communication apparatus from which a call emanates that is destined for the communication apparatus that is switched off.

Abstract: This radio device operating over a plurality of bands comprises a casing having a front cover and a back cover, an antenna arrangement, a radio frequency circuit set and a matching unit for connecting the antenna arrangement to the radio frequency circuit set. The following measures are proposed: —the antenna arrangement is formed by at least two antenna parts, each of which being related to a set of bands, —the antenna parts are placed close together, —the arrangement comprises a part that is normal to the front cover and another one that is near the back cover and feeding points, —the matching unit comprises control switching means for tuning the arrangement to each band. Thanks to these measures, the coverage of the band is obtained with satisfactory performance.

Abstract: A wireless communication device includes an input/output terminal. A memory is configured to store parameters relevant to a wireless communication protocol. A modem is coupled to the input/output terminal and the memory and configured to operate a wireless protocol over a wireless channel with other modems based at least in part on the parameters stored in the memory. A logic circuit is coupled to the modem and the memory and configured to receive information related to wireless channel conditions and update at least one parameter in the memory. In one aspect of the invention, the wireless protocol is 802.11. Advantages of the invention include the ability to achieve higher wireless communication throughput due to the dynamic setting of the communication parameters, for example, the fragmentation threshold.

Abstract: A method, device and computer program for detecting point correspondences in sets of points and in particular for fingerprint verification. Points of note on fingerprint lines in a scanned fingerprint are compared with corresponding points of note on fingerprint lines in a reference fingerprint and matching pairs are formed from possible corresponding points of note in the scanned fingerprint and the reference fingerprint. A maximum number of such matching pairs is found. This allows an efficient method to be specified, for fingerprint verification for example, that requires only a small amount of working memory and computing power.

Abstract: A data carrier (2) that is developed for contactless receiving of a signal, wherein the data carrier (2) can be supplied with energy and information by the signal, provides data carrier transmission means (12) for transmitting the signal and signal evaluation means (17), which, with energy input, are developed to evaluate the signal occurring at the data carrier transmission means (12) with regard to information that can be transmitted by the signal, and energy supply means (16), which, using the signal occurring at the data carrier transmission means (12), are developed to supply the signal evaluation means (17) with energy, wherein the signal evaluation means (17) are developed to evaluate a self-clocking signal (S), which self-clocking signal (S) forms the signal that can be fed to the circuit (13).

Abstract: In a communication partner device (2A) which belongs to a communication system (1) having at least two such communication partner devices (2A, 2B) and which is designed for contactless communication over a first communication channel (4), wherein one of the two communication partner devices (2A, 2B) contains a communication enable information item (CEIA, CEIB) which is used to enable communication between the one communication partner device (2A) and the other communication partner device (2B) over the first communication channel (4), a communication stage (5A) is provided which is designed for contactless communication with a communication stage (5B) of the other communication partner device (2B) over a second communication channel (7) and which, in the event of communication over the second communication channel (7), is designed to make available the communication enable information item (CEIA, CEIB), necessary for communication over the first communication channel (4), in the communication partner device (

Abstract: The invention is related to a Gateway for a data bus system, especially a CAN-Bus-system, with at least two data bus source channels, the gateway being provided with—an interface for each data bus source channel, —a protocol core in each channel interface, —a channel message switch, whose inputs are coupled to the outputs of the protocol cores of the channel interfaces and whose output can be switched to one of its inputs, —a message handler coupled to the output of the channel message switch and being provided with a message filter for selecting messages and with a message buffer, —a channel interface with a protocol core coupled to a data bus target channel, —a control, that, in a diagnostic copy function, copies all the messages from a selectable source channel to the message handler by setting the channel message switch to the position assigned to the selected source channel and that causes the message filter to couple the filtered messages to the interface of the target channel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a device (10) comprising a layer (12) having a pattern of disjunct portions (14) of magnetic material (18) generating a corresponding pattern of local magnetic fields (2). The magnetic material (18) is constituted of particles (22) dispersed in a solid substance (24). The particles are magnetically stable and substantially aligned for generating the local magnetic fields (2). The method comprises the steps of: providing a substance (32) having the particles (22) dispersed in the substance (32), the substance (32) having a viscosity for allowing the particles (22) to move in the substance (32), creating the pattern of disjunct portions (14) of the substance (32) in the layer (12) of the device (10), applying an external magnetic field (50) for substantially aligning the particles (22) in the disjunct portions (14) of the substance (32), and solidifying the substance (32) for obtaining the solid substance (24).

Abstract: An antenna assembly (AA), for wireless communication equipment, comprises i) an antenna structure comprising at least a loop type antenna (LA) arranged to deliver a first current when it is used in a balanced mode and/or a second current when it is used in an unbalanced mode with respect to a ground plane (GP) from received radio signals, and E) current extraction means (A1) coupled to the antenna structure (LA) and arranged to be placed in at least a first state in which they deliver the first or second current and a second state in which they simultaneously deliver the first and second currents either separately or mixed together.

Abstract: A communication system (100) for initiating a transaction between a first communication device (101) and a second communication device (102), the communication system (100) comprising the first communication device (101) and the second communication device (102), wherein one of the first and second communication devices (101, 102) is adapted for generating a transaction initiation code and for transmitting the transaction initiation code to the other one of the first and second communication devices (102, 101), wherein at least one of the first and second communication devices (101, 102) is adapted for outputting output information based on the transaction initiation code to a user, wherein one of the first and second communication devices (101, 102) is adapted for receiving user information from the user, and for initiating the transaction between the first and the second communication device (101, 102) if compatibility is discovered between the transaction initiation code and the user information.

Abstract: There is described a method of forming a barrier layer (6, 110) over a surface of a copper line (3, 107) embedded in a dielectric material (2, 100) in an interconnect structure for a semiconductor device. The barrier layer (6, 110) is selectively deposited over the surface of the copper line (3, 107) by a vapour deposition step and the surface of the dielectric material (2, 100) is treated prior to the vapour deposition step to inhibit deposition of the barrier layer (6, 110) there on during the vapour deposition step. Preferably, the vapour deposition step comprises atomic layer deposition.

Abstract: An arrangement is described for demodulating a vestigial sideband signal component contained in an amplitude-modulated frequency signal, and preferably in a vision intermediate-frequency signal derived from a television signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a non-reciprocal component (10) comprising: a ferrite substrate (11) having a first side (1-?) and an opposing second side (16) located on a ground layer (18), a first metal line (12) and a second metal line (13) are located on the ferrite substrate (11) in parallel to each other. To provide a non-reciprocal component having small dimensions and which could be integrated. The ferrite substrate (11) is magnetized parallel to the metal lines (12, 13) and each of the metal lines (12, 13) is running at least from one side (15) of the ferrite substrate (11) to the other side (16) and back (15) forming thereby at least one meander loop, wherein the loops are interlaced to each other and the metal lines (12, 13) are isolated in an area (14) of the loop.

Abstract: An antenna (1) for communication with a multitude of transponders (6a . . . 6c) is provided, the antenna (1) having an antenna conductor (2) which completely encloses at least one read/write region (4c) intended for a transponder (6c) individually and/or, when a multitude of read/write regions (4a, 4b) are arranged within a continuous inner region (3) enclosed by the antenna conductor (2), the inner region (3) has constrictions (5a) between the read/write regions (4a, 4b) so that the antenna conductor (2) largely encloses these read/write regions (4a, 4b) individually. The electromagnetic field radiated by the antenna (1) is thereby concentrated on the read/write regions (4a . . . 4c).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the strength of a signal (18) at the input of a tuner (1a.) In this, the frequency-dependent amplification characteristic for the tuner is measured and stored in a memory assigned to the tuner. With the help of this characteristic the frequency-dependent variation of the amplification can be compensated during tuner operation, in order that the input signal strength can be deduced more precisely. For a tuner with automatic gain control (AGC), the frequency dependence of the AGC can also be recorded and stored in the memory by representative characteristics. The consideration of the AGC characteristics results in a further improvement to the precision of estimation of the input signal strength.

Abstract: A method and system to process a spectrum of radio frequency (RF) signals. An analog to digital (A/D) converter is adapted to sample and digitize a spectrum of radio frequency (RF) signals. The spectrum of RF signals include a plurality of modulation techniques. The A/D converter is further adapted to sample the spectrum at a rate that is at least twice the frequency of the highest frequency signal that is contained within the spectrum. The digitized data stored in a memory device. A processor is adapted to process the digitized data.

Abstract: The transmission system is backward compatible with a former transmission system (DVB-T), enabling a receiver of the former system to receive signals transmitted by a transmitter of the new transmission system. A new modulation is used to transmit additional information bits corresponding to a new service. The new modulation is specified by a combination of the former modulation with a new-built over modulation.