Abstract: A compensator (for example, for a liquid-crystal display device) comprising a retardation foil with a tilted optical main axis and, in addition, a second optically active layer, can be manufactured in a simple manner by providing the retardation foil and the second layer on different sides of a transparent support.

Abstract: A circuit arrangement includes a first differential amplifier stage with two amplifier members whose main current paths are coupled to one another and, via a first reference current source, to a first reference potential, and are coupled to a respective output terminal as well as, via a respective output impedance, to a second reference potential, and whose control terminals can be supplied with a first control signal, an output signal being available at the output terminals. At least one further differential amplifier stage is provided, each of which includes two further amplifier members whose main current paths are coupled to one another and, via a respective further reference current source, to the first reference potential and whose control terminals can be supplied with (a) further control signal(s).

Abstract: A switched-mode power supply comprises a transformer (2) having a primary winding (4) connected to a first pair of direct voltage terminals (8, 10) via a switching transistor (6) and having a secondary winding (22) which powers a load (24) via a diode (26). The switched-mode power supply further comprises a second switching transistor (34) which, together with the secondary winding (22), the load (24) the diode (26) and a second pair of direct voltage terminals (38, 40) is configured as a forward converter to power the load from a comparatively low direct voltage (12 V d.c.) supply.

Abstract: Single-channel magnetic head having a head face (1) which extends in a first direction (I) in which a magnetic record carrier (3) is relatively movable with respect to the magnetic head, and in a second direction (II) transverse to the first direction. The magnetic head has a structure of layers which, viewed in the first direction, are situated one on top of the other and extend substantially in the second direction and a third direction (III) transverse to the first and the second direction. The structure is provided with a magnetoresistive measuring element (5), a first magnetic element (7) and a second magnetic element (9). Both magnetic elements are electrically conducting, while the measuring element is arranged electrically in series between the two magnetic elements for passing a measuring current (i) through the measuring element substantially in the third direction. Each magnetic element has an electric contact face (7a, 9a).

Abstract: Metal halide lamp with ceramic discharge vessel having electrodes with spacing EA, internal diameter Di, and EA/Di>5. Ionizable filling comprises NaI and CeI.sub.3, and a coldest spot temperature of 1100-1500 K is achieved.

Abstract: Business forms are stacked using a cart having first and second portions pivotally movable with respect to each other from a substantially L-shaped configuration to a substantially in-line configuration with each portion having a conveyor associated with it, and a docking station. The cart with the first and second portions in the substantially L-shaped configuration is moved into operative association with the docking station. The cart is lifted and rotated in the docking station so that the second portion is substantially horizontal, and the first portion of the cart is pivoted with respect to the second portion so that the first portion is in the substantially in-line configuration with respect to the second portion. The conveyors are operated so that business forms are moved onto the first portion, and then onto the second portion, with the second conveyor operating at a speed of at least fifty percent greater than the first conveyor (e. g. about ten times as fast).

Abstract: An integrated shelf talker, comprising a paper substrate having a front surface and a back surface, each of the front and back surfaces having first and second end edges and a medially disposed portion, the substrate having a vertical perforation along the entire length thereof and located in the medial portion of the front and back surfaces to divide the substrate into first and second sections, the substrate further having a strip of repositionable adhesive applied to the medial portion of one of the front and back surfaces such that when the substrate is separated into the first and second sections along the vertical perforation, each of the first and second end edges is free of adhesive.

Abstract: An enhanced frame relay access device (FRAD) capable of bidirectional interfacing between Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol and Frame Relay protocol is utilized to economically transport SS7 signaling and link management information between SS7 networks via a Frame Relay protocol digital communications network. In an outgoing data transfer, the enhanced SS7 FRAD interface determines and eliminates redundant signaling unit information found in an SS7 data stream before packaging the essential information into a frame "payload" and introducing the frame into the Frame Relay network. For incoming data transfers, the SS7 FRAD extracts the frame payload data and regenerates the appropriate SS7 signaling units to maintain a continuous and synchronous data stream on the SS7 network.

Abstract: An unreliability detector apparatus for generating an unreliable decision signal in response to an input signal. An input terminal receives the input signal, a first comparator unit compares the input signal with a first threshold value and a second comparator unit compares the input signal with a second threshold value. A processor is provided for carrying out a function for determining whether a curve in an X-Y plane has at least one point in common with a predetermined line in the X-Y plane. The curve in the X-Y plane is obtained by plotting time equivalent signals values of the first and second comparator output signals along the Y- and X-axis respectively of the X-Y plane, while the predetermined line in the X-Y plane is formed by a first line interconnecting a first fixed point and a second fixed point and in which half plane a third fixed point is located. The three fixed points are obtained by plotting combinations of a first through a fourth signal value along the X- and Y-axis.

Abstract: A line driver comprising a first transistor (M1), a first amplifier (A1) and a reference resistor (10) for converting an input voltage (Vin) to a first current (i1) through the first transistor (M1). A second current i2=n*i1 flows through a second transistor (M2) which forms a 1:n current mirror with the first transistor (M1). The current i2 flows to a load (6), if so required via a transmission line (TL). The impedance of the load (6) is equal to the characteristic impedance RL of the transmission line (TL). Thus the impedance seen by the line driver is equal to RL. A second transconductance amplifier (A2) counteracts reflected signals in the output signal (Vout) caused by mismatch between the output impedance of the current mirror (M1, M2) and the impedance seen by the line driver.

Abstract: The flare compensation range of a camera is substantially increased by measuring and averaging a substrate or drain current representing an amount of charge elements generated in an image sensor, which is subsequently subtracted from the output signal of the image sensor.

Abstract: A stator assembly for an axial-flow fan motor for cooling electronic components consisting of a base, a stator, and insulating pins for connecting the base to the stator. The stator consists of a core covered by an insulating coating and a winding formed thereon from magnet wire. The stator also includes mounting holes formed in the core. The winding is electrically connected to the base through free ends of the magnet wire forming the winding. Each insulating pin has a first conductive end which is mounted to the base and a second non-conductive end which is received in one of the mounting holes on the stator. In the preferred embodiment, the base consists of a printed circuit board which includes circuitry for operating the motor within which the stator assembly is mounted. The method of securing the stator to the base is also disclosed.

Abstract: The array comprises an insulating substrate with diode-capacitor pixels disposed over conductors on the substrate. A single mask is used to etch the pixel stacks, and each pixel stack is wider than the conductor beneath. As a result, the mask alignment does not influence the pixel characteristics.

Abstract: A feedback means is provided in conjunction with a cursor control mechanism for a two- or three-dimensional graphic user interface. Feedback levels are determined by tonal variation (grey scale or color component) at the pixel (P) currently indicated by the cursor. Suitably, the levels are set by generating differentials across a patch of pixels (A) surrounding the indicated pixel, with differential generation in mutually perpendicular directions (X and Y) providing for independent feedback in two or three directions. The technique enables interface features such as window boundaries (36) or textured patches to be identified to the user without specially authored software being required for those features to trigger feedback when indicated.

Abstract: An image pick-up apparatus (1) for picking up a plurality of sub-images and combining them so as to form a composite image, including a correction unit (5) for correcting brightness values of the composite image. The correction unit (5) includes a selection unit (6) for selecting bright and dark parts from the sub-images. There is also provided an arithmetic unit (10) for deriving a gain correction factor from the bright parts and an offset correction term from the dark parts. The correction unit (5) also includes a multiplier unit (8) and an adder unit (9) for multiplying signal levels of a sub-image signal by the gain correction factor and for adding the offset correction term thereto.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes first and second conductive contact layers (12, 15) and an hydrogenated, silicon-rich, amorphous silicon alloy layer (14), particularly an amorphous silicon nitride or amorphous silicon carbide alloy, extending between the contact layers. A defect band is induced in the amorphous silicon layer which lowers the activation energy level for the transport of carriers through the structure by an amount that is selectable and determined by the defect band. The defect band is created by a programming process, for example, using current stressing or particle bombardment. A memory matrix array device is provided by forming a row and column array of such memory devices from common deposited layers on a common substrate with crossing sets of row and column conductors separated by a layer of the alloy material defining a memory device at each of their cross-over regions.

Abstract: Fractal image coding of single images or image sequences is described, which yields an improvement of the encoding result as well as a reduction of computations, whereineach image is divided into range blocks which do not overlap and jointly comprise the complete image contents,range regions are generated, each comprising a range block which is smaller than the range region concerned, and the rest of the range region is filled up with a predetermined signal value,domain regions are generated having the same size as the range regions and comprise parts of the image contents, preferably also in a transformed form,the image data of the range regions and the domain regions are subjected to a Fourier transform,a conjugate-complex signal is formed from one of the two transformed signals and multiplied by the other signal,this product is normalized at a predetermined amplitude,the normalized signal is subjected to an inverse Fourier transform,for each range region, the maximum value of this retransformed signal is d

Abstract: Blocks in frames of a video are matched to similar blocks across frames using qualitative characteristics of the pixels in the block. Pixels in a frame are categorized into two or more categories. In one embodiment, three pixel categories are: 1) quasi-constant (QC) pixels having intensity values that vary slowly (e.g., pictorial portions), 2) textured pixels characterized by many small edges and thin-line signals (e.g., texture portions), and 3) dominant-edge (DE) pixels characterized by few sharp and dominant edges (e.g., edge portions). Blocks in different frames are matched by minimizing a cost function that measures the mismatch between a block in a first frame and a plurality of candidate blocks in a second frame. In one embodiment, a cost function comprises a contrast component and a brightness component. The brightness component is determined as a function of the pixel categories. Block matching in sequential frames of a video enables a calculation of displacement or motion estimation in the video.

Abstract: A method and system for supporting wireless and/or wireline features of telecommunications subscribers utilizing existing wireline interfaces includes a processor for provisioning the wireline interfaces to support predetermined wireless and/or wireline features. A service logic, such as a Service Control Point (SCP), assigns the wireline interfaces to the telecommunications subscribers on a call-by-call basis based on the features subscribed to by the subscriber. The processor is further operative to reprovision the wireline interfaces based on the number of subscribers assigned to the wireline interfaces.