Abstract: A capacitive sensing analog front end for a touchscreen system having an improved signal-to-noise ratio includes a capacitance-to-voltage converter having an input for coupling to an external sampling capacitor, a summer having a first input coupled to an output of the capacitance-to-voltage converter, a low pass filter having an input coupled to an output of the summer and an output for providing an output signal; and a sample-and-hold circuit having an input coupled to the output of the low pass filter and an output coupled to a second input of the summer. The signal-to-noise ratio of the touchscreen system is improved by extracting the DC shift of a touch signal during a monitoring period and then subtracting the DC shift before integrating the touch signal.

Abstract: A method for protecting a circuit component on a semiconductor substrate from a plasma etching or other removal process includes forming a screening layer over an auxiliary layer to conceal at least an area of the auxiliary layer that overlays at least a portion of the circuit component, such as for example a high-ohmic poly resistor. The method transfers a pattern defined by a mask onto the screening layer by selectively removing portions of the screening layer in accordance with the pattern. Portions of the auxiliary layer that are not protected by the screening layer are removed using a plasma gas selective to the auxiliary layer material, without removing the area of the auxiliary layer that overlays the portion of the circuit component, thereby protecting the circuit component from the plasma gas via the screening layer and auxiliary layer.

Abstract: This invention relates to cognitive radio based wireless communications of dynamic spectrum access networks, and more particularly to a method of addressing radio frequency sensing control and dynamic frequency selection control. A method called Cognitive Dynamic Frequency Hopping that is based on the selective Simultaneous Sensing and Data Transmissions is described. The Cognitive Dynamic Frequency Hopping method is further facilitated by a collision avoidance technique. The described method satisfies both reliable and timely RF sensing for guaranteeing licensed user protection, and QoS satisfaction for services of the dynamic spectrum access systems.

Abstract: A common control channel for base station (“BS”)/consumer premise equipment (“CPE”) communication in areas of overlapping coverage by wireless regional area network (“WRAN”) cells operating on different working channels is disclosed. A common control channel is selected from among the various working channels sensed in each of a plurality of overlapping WRAN cells so as to enable BS/CPE and BS/BS communication. Once chosen, each CPE within the overlapping area communicates with the controlling BS via an enhanced coexistence beacon protocol messages. These messages include timing and other synchronization information.

Abstract: A controller for an LCD display is described. The controller can control an LED backlight that includes an array of LED lighting elements and an LCD panel that includes a number of pixels. The controller can modulate an individual or groups of the lighting elements in the LED backlight, such as dimming lighting elements, to control a light-field emitted from the LED backlight. The modulation of the lighting elements, such as dimming, can improve image contrast ratios that are generated using the LCD display. Methods and apparatus are described that can simplify calculations used to determine 1) the light-field generated by the LED backlight and 2) a correction factor for adjusting pixel data. The correction factor can be used to adjust an amount of light transmitted by each pixel in the LCD panel to compensate for the backlight producing a light-field that is brighter in some areas and dimmer in other areas.

Abstract: A method that includes forming an opening between at least one first electrode and a second electrode by forming a recess in a first electrode layer, the recess having sidewalls that correspond to a surface of the at least one first electrode, forming a first sacrificial layer on the sidewalls of the recess, the first sacrificial layer having a first width that corresponds to a second width of the opening, forming a second electrode layer in the recess that corresponds to the second electrode, and removing the first sacrificial layer to form the opening between the second electrode and the at least one first electrode.

Abstract: A method for communications between neighboring wireless cells such as wireless regional area networks operating according to IEEE 802.22 specifications. The method involves scheduling inter-base station communications for over-the-air connections to allow neighboring base stations to communicate in environments where a single available channel is shared between the neighboring cells or where two or more channels used by two or more neighboring cells. In some embodiments, a bridge system, such as a bridge consumer premise equipment (CPE), positioned in an area of coverage overlap between two cells is used for inter-base station communications, and allocation and scheduling of bandwidth on the utilized channels is performed to provide interference free communications between the base stations. Existence announcements are provided in coexistence time slots and requests for bandwidth such as reserved and additional time slots are transmitted between the base stations using the coexistence time slots.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, motion compensated interpolation is performed by locating full frame conceal and reveal areas, determining intermediate frame occlusion areas of an interpolated frame of the displayable output by locating intermediate frame conceal areas based on projected locations of pixels within the full frame conceal areas using primary forward motion vectors and information about a time slot for the interpolated frame, and by locating intermediate frame reveal areas based on projected locations of pixels within the full frame reveal areas using primary backward motion vectors and information about the time slot for the interpolated frame. The intermediate frame conceal areas are then modified by projecting locations of pixels using secondary forward motion vectors and the intermediate frame reveal areas are modified by projecting locations of pixels using secondary backward motion vectors.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for performing motion compensated interpolation using a previous frame and a current frame of a displayable output, the method comprising: detecting the speed of an object in the displayable output relative to the speed of a background in the displayable output; and blending results from a halo reducing interpolator and a median interpolator, wherein the results of each of the interpolators are weighted based on the speed of the object, to arrive at an interpolated frame using the previous frame and the current frame.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method is provided for performing motion compensated interpolation wherein, for any pixels in the interpolated frame to which there is neither a forward vector nor a backward vector projecting: including the pixel in an intermediate frame conceal area if it is not located within the full frame reveal area; including the pixel in an intermediate frame reveal area if it is not located within the full frame conceal area; and using the intermediate frame conceal and reveal areas to interpolate values for pixels within an area of the interpolated frame.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, motion compensated interpolation is performed by locating full frame conceal and reveal areas, determining intermediate frame occlusion areas of an interpolated frame of the displayable output by locating intermediate frame conceal areas based on projected locations of pixels within the full frame conceal areas using forward motion vectors and information about a time slot for the interpolated frame, and by locating intermediate frame reveal areas based on projected locations of pixels within the full frame reveal areas using backward motion vectors and information about the time slot for the interpolated frame; for any pixels in the interpolated frame to which there is neither a forward vector nor a backward vector projecting: including the pixel in an intermediate frame conceal area if it is not located within the full frame reveal area; including the pixel in an intermediate frame reveal area if it is not located within the full frame conceal area; and using the

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for providing border handling in motion compensated interpolation, wherein a camera model is used to detect areas of predominant movements in a displayable output, and for each reveal or conceal area: it is determined whether the reveal or conceal areas is due to a camera movement or an object movement. if the reveal or conceal areas is due to a camera movement. The camera model is used to arrive at interpolated pixel values for pixels within the corresponding area. If the reveal or conceal areas is not due to a camera movement, arriving at interpolated pixel values for pixels within the corresponding area without using the camera model.

Abstract: A boost circuit is used for power factor correction (PFC). In a low power application, transition mode control is utilized. However, switching frequency varies with different input voltages, and over a wide input voltage range, the switching frequency can become too high to be practical. To address this issue, a boost circuit is provided whose effective inductance changes as a function of input voltage. By changing the inductance, control is exercised over switching frequency.

Abstract: A modified soft output Viterbi algorithm (SOVA) detector receives a sequence of soft information values and determines a best path and an alternate path for each soft information value and further determines, when the best and alternate paths lead to the same value for a given soft information value, whether there is a third path departing from the alternate path that leads to an opposite decision with respect to the best path for a given soft information value. The SOVA detector then considers this third path when updating the reliability of the best path. The modified SOVA detector achieves max-log-map equivalence effectively through the Fossorier approach and includes modified reliability metric units for the first N stages of the SOVA detector, where N is the memory depth of a given path, and includes conventional reliability metric units for the remaining stages of the detector.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and method for remotely accessing media content. The method includes receiving authentication information originating from a communication device associated with a user. Media content that is stored on a media storage device associated with the user is also received. Digital rights management software is applied to the media content, and the received media content is communicated to the communication device.

Abstract: A position sensing apparatus and method, motion control system, and integrated circuit are provided that include a plurality of sensors and a tracking processor. The plurality of sensors includes a linear array of sensors that sense a plurality of features of an object. A spacing between two of the plurality of sensors is substantially smaller than a spacing between two of the plurality of features. The tracking processor samples signals from the sensors, compares the samples to previous samples and calculates a position of the object. The plurality of sensors may include a second linear array of sensors. Centers of the sensors of the second linear array may be offset from centers of the sensors of the first linear array along a longitudinal axis of the plurality of sensors.

Abstract: A passive cable adaptor for connecting a data source device with a display device is described. The adaptor has a packet-based interface connector at one end, the connector having a positive main link pin, a negative main link pin, a positive auxiliary channel pin, and a negative auxiliary channel pin. At the other end is a micro serial interface connector, wherein multimedia content is transmitted over the cable adaptor and electrical power is supplied over the cable adaptor simultaneously. The cable adaptor has an auxiliary and hot plug detect (HPD) controller utilized to map the auxiliary channel and HPD signals of the packet-based digital display to the micro serial interface ID signal.

Abstract: A passive cable adaptor for connecting a data source device with a display device is described. The adaptor has a packet-based interface connector at one end, the connector having a positive main link pin, a negative main link pin, a positive auxiliary channel pin, and a negative auxiliary channel pin. Also at the same end is a serial interface connector, such as a serial interface connector. At the other end is an upgraded serial interface connector (e.g., enhanced serial interface) connector having high-speed transmission pins, high-speed receiving pins, and a ground pin, wherein multimedia content is transmitted over the cable adaptor and electrical power is supplied over the cable adaptor simultaneously.

Abstract: An acceleration sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, a first layer formed on the substrate, a first aperture within the first layer, and a beam coupled at a first end to the substrate and suspended above the first layer for a portion of the length thereof. The beam includes a first boss coupled to a lower surface thereof and suspended within the first aperture, and a second boss coupled to an upper surface of the second end of the beam. A second layer is positioned on the first layer over the beam and includes a second aperture within which the second boss is suspended by the beam. Contact surfaces are positioned within the apertures such that acceleration of the substrate exceeding a selected threshold in either direction along a selected axis will cause the beam to flex counter to the direction of acceleration and make contact through one of the bosses with one of the contact surfaces.

Abstract: A clamshell device having a dual accelerometer detector includes a first keyboard portion including a first accelerometer, a second display portion including a second accelerometer, a hinge for coupling the first portion to the second portion, and circuitry coupled to the first and second accelerometers for providing an output signal in response to the position of the first and second portions of the clamshell device. The output signal is provided to indicate a shutdown or standby mode, tablet operation mode, a partially shut or power savings mode, a normal operating mode, or an unsafe operating mode.