Abstract: A method and apparatus for charging large capacitances of a circuit, such as an integrated circuit, without imparting noise on an operating voltage. A comparator compares a reference voltage to a voltage representing the voltage on the capacitance and a multiplexer routes one of an external voltage or an operating voltage derived from said external voltage to charge the capacitance depending on the output of the comparator.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of controlling a driver assistance system which can identify a danger situation with reference to a comparison of measured data with predetermined limit values and which can output a warning signal when it has identified a danger situation of this type. An additional control module is provided which determines an activity state of the driver in dependence on at least one input value which permits a conclusion on actions carried out by a driver and can suppress the outputting of the warning signal in dependence on this activity state.

Abstract: An antenna assembly is disclosed. The antenna assembly includes a dual band vertical loop wire antenna extending from a printed circuit board positioned over a ground plane, wherein the wire antenna includes: at least one coiled section, at least one straight wire section, and at least one feeding post section.

Abstract: A decoder includes a transport engine configured to receive programs and extract timing information and timestamps embedded in the programs. An adder is configured to add a set of timing offsets to the sets of timing information to adjust the timing information from a first time basis to a second time basis. Sums of the timing offsets and the timing information are referred to the mapped-timing information. A correction engine is configured to update the timing offsets as timing information is encountered in the programs, and an offset register is configured to: receive the timing offsets, store the timing offsets, and transfer the timing offsets to the adder. The adder is also configured to add the timing offsets to the timestamps to adjust the time basis of the timestamps from the first time basis to the second time basis. A program is decoder configured to receive the adjusted timestamps to decode the programs.

Abstract: A package structure and method of packaging an interferometric modulator with a reinforcing substance to help support the integrity of the package. In some embodiments the reinforcing substance is a desiccant integrated into the backplate or the transparent substrate.

Abstract: An air inlet assembly for an automotive heating and ventilating air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a casing extending along an axis (A). The casing defines a plurality of inlets for receiving air and an outlet for delivering air from the inlets. A filter filters air between the inlets and the outlet. An air moving device disposed about the outlet for expelling air from the casing. A valve mechanism supports the filter. Furthermore, the valve mechanism moves along the axis (A) between an outside-air position and a cabin-air position for controlling air from the inlets to the outlet.

Abstract: A management scheme compares a source address included in a received solicitation with an address for a registered endpoint. A communication including a management prefix is communicated to the endpoint when the source address matches the registered address.

Abstract: A portable and disposable device is provided for processing harvested dermal tissue. The device includes a housing presenting a handle having a gripping surface and a cutting head attached to the handle. A cutting assembly is supported by the cutting head and includes a plurality of spaced cutting blades that are rotatable with respect to the housing. A receptacle is disposed downstream of the cutting assembly and receives the sliced tissue from the cutting blades. The device is thus operable to slice harvested tissue into strips, and further into fine particles, that can be used for transplantation onto a wound site.

Abstract: A high-pressure metering pump for providing reductant in a single fluid engine exhaust dosing system having a solenoid for actuating a piston slidably received within an inner bore of a valve housing of the pump, the inner bore having a pressure chamber with an inlet check valve and an outlet check valve; and wherein movement of the piston causes high pressure reductant to be received at an atomizer of the system, the atomizer being disposed in a location to cause a maximum reduction of undesirable pollutant in the combustion gases of an engine.

Abstract: A circuit board includes a pad, a transmitting trace and a plating bar. The plating bar is used for forming an electroplating metallic layer on the pad, the pad and the transmitting trace are used for the signal transmission. Due to the plating bar causes a noise during the signal transmission, a dielectric layer having at least one opening is adjacent to at least one side of the plating bar to reduce the equivalent dielectric permittivity thereof and to maintain signal transmitting quality.

Abstract: A method of selectively depositing metal features on a conductive surface of a substrate. An electrode assembly that includes a plurality of electrodes connected in series so as to be oppositely polarized when a voltage is applied thereacross is positioned over the conductive surface of the substrate. The plurality of electrodes is in close proximity to, but does not contact, the conductive surface of the substrate. Positively charged portions and negatively charged portions of the conductive surface of the substrate are created and metal ions are deposited on the negatively charged portions.

Abstract: The current invention is intended to be installed in revenue service railroad tracks to detect railroad cars exhibiting wheel set lateral instability. The invention utilizes an array of inductive proximity sensors mounted at regular intervals in a section of railroad track. Each proximity sensor is oriented to sense the lateral position of railroad car wheel sets. The invention employs a computer algorithm to extrapolate the trajectory from the set of proximity sensor signals for each wheel set. A second algorithm evaluates the shape of the trajectory to detect oscillating lateral motion of the wheel set. A third algorithm assesses the severity of any wheel set lateral oscillations that are detected. An additional function of the invention is to detect railroad car trucks that exhibit “tracking errors”.

Abstract: The present invention provides an active/standby data center that avoids the delay associated with a cached DNS entry to switch from the active data center to the standby data center. When the active data center becomes unavailable, the standby data center advertises the same address as the primary data center so the change over occurs quickly. When the IP address of the primary data center is no longer visible to the standby data center, the standby data center begins to advertise.

Abstract: A single pole antenna array architecture provides an azimuth variable beamwidth. The array includes a number of driven radiating elements that are spatially arranged having a pivoting actuator so as to provide a controlled variation of the antenna array's radiation pattern.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing external electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection to a semiconductor device, which may or may not include its own ESD protection, are provided. An ESD structure may be associated with each interconnect, either individually or shared between two or more interconnects. Each interconnect includes a contact tip for establishing a temporary electrical connection with a bond pad of the semiconductor device and a contact pad for electrically interfacing the bond pad with external burn-in and/or test equipment. The ESD structure may be implemented, for example, as a fusible element or a shunting element, such as a pair of diodes, a diode-resistor network, or a pair of transistors. The interconnect may be employed as part of an insert including a plurality of interconnects that provides ESD protection to a plurality of integrated circuits of at least one semiconductor device.

Abstract: By selectively placing color filters with different transmittance spectrums on an array of modulator elements each having the same reflectance spectrum, a resultant reflectance spectrum for each modulator element and it's respective color filter is created. In one embodiment, the modulator elements in an array are manufactured by the same process so that each modulator element has a reflectance spectrum that includes multiple reflectivity lines. Color filters corresponding to multiple colors, such as red, green, and blue, for example, may be selectively associated with these modulator elements in order to filter out a desired wavelength range for each modulator element and provide a multiple color array. Because the modulator elements are manufactured by the same process, each of the modulator elements is substantially the same and common voltage levels may be used to activate and deactivate selected modulation.

Abstract: A telecommunication device includes a first interface coupled to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) in a first local calling area, a second interface coupled to a packet network, and a third interface coupled to a first plain old telephone system (POTS) telephony device. The device also includes a router that directs telecommunications between the first, second, and third interfaces and a gateway that enables telecommunications between the first POTS telephony device and the packet network. Furthermore, the device includes a processor that receives signaling from the first POTS telephony device indicating a desire to establish telecommunications with a second POTS telephony device coupled to the PSTN in a second local calling area and coupled to the packet network.

Abstract: The invention includes methods of forming layers comprising epitaxial silicon. In one implementation, an opening is formed within a first material received over a monocrystalline material. Opposing sidewalls of the opening are lined with a second material, with monocrystalline material being exposed at a base of the second material-lined opening. A silicon-comprising layer is epitaxially grown from the exposed monocrystalline material within the second material-lined opening. At least a portion of the second material lining is in situ removed. Other aspects and implementations are contemplated.

Abstract: An electrical DC-to-AC power conversion apparatus is disclosed that is primarily intended for use with solar photovoltaic sources in electric utility grid-interactive applications. The invention improves the conversion efficiency and lowers the cost of DC-to-AC inverters. The enabling technology is a novel inverter circuit topology, where the bulk of the throughput power, from DC source to AC utility, is processed only once. The inverter does not require an isolation transformer and can be connected directly to a 480/277 Vac utility grid. The invention also allows the power converter to start into photovoltaic array having higher open circuit voltages. The invention also uses active ripple current cancellation to substantially reduce the cost, size and weight of the main filter inductors.

Abstract: Holographic systems which shape coherent light beams are disclosed. These holographic systems may beam-shaping devices positioned in the path of coherent light beams to shape a coherent light beam into an essentially diffraction noise free coherent light beam of predetermined dimensions that has a continuous light beam profile of distinct intensity zones.