Abstract: The present invention relates generally to the field of RF transmitters, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for increasing the efficiency of transmitters which are capable of transmitting at different power levels in each of at least two frequency bands. An inventive method is presented as well as an inventive transmitter comprising at least one power amplifier in which the load in the transmission line is varied as the output power is varied, in order to keep the efficiency of the power amplifier at a high level.

Abstract: An AD converter which uses no buffer for receiving the input signals or uses the buffer having relaxed requirements concerning the range of input signals and the output impedance. Voltage at the connection points of a resistor ladder in which a plurality of resistor elements are connected in series, are compared with a reference voltage by a plurality of voltage comparators, a first current circuit is provided on the high potential side of the resistor ladder, a second current circuit is provided on the low potential side thereof, and analog input voltages are fed by providing an input terminal at any place of the resistor ladder except both ends thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to a reflexive optical screen that can show bright images with efficiency, and a viewing system that incorporates the same, and provides a reflexive optical screen 10 comprising a plurality of zonal V-grooved reflecting surfaces substantially concentrically located within a given surface and having a retrorelection action. Each of the zonal V-grooved reflecting surfaces comprises mutually orthogonal two conical facets 2 and 3 in a section orthogonal to a ridgeline of a V groove, and the conical facets 2 and 3 of each of the zonal V-grooved reflecting surfaces are located such that a bisector 5 for angles that the two conical facets 2 and 3 make in a section of each of the zonal V-grooved reflecting surfaces is oriented in the direction of a light ray incident on a position thereof.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for encoding digital information. A sequence of successive data words are encoded into a sequence of successive code words according to a code, such that a running digital sum (RDS) of the sequence of successive code words is bounded and is constrained to predetermined, non-adjacent values at boundaries between the code words.

Abstract: A touch screen display circuit is disclosed which includes means for measuring a voltage at two separate input terminals which represent a location on a touch screen where pressure was applied. The display circuit includes means for defining a time period during which the voltage is measured and means for converting the measured voltage to a digital value. The means for measuring a voltage includes an amplifier and a capacitor which are configured as an integrator. The means for converting comprises a counter that measures an amount of time required for the capacitor to dissipate its charge. A touch screen display system having a touch screen which includes first and second sheets of conductive materials positioned in a spaced apart relationship is disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring or converting voltage, the method comprising: applying an input voltage to a primary delay line; applying a reference voltage to a timer delay line; propagating a delay signal through the primary delay line; propagating a timer signal through the timer delay line; establishing a sampling period based on the timer signal propagation; and measuring an extent of delay signal propagation along the primary delay line during the established sampling period, the measured signal propagation extent being indicative of a difference between the input voltage and the reference voltage.

Abstract: A method of decoding variable length codes converts a variable length code table into standard format decomposition tables from which a universal variable length decoder can decode. This allows the same universal variable length decoder to decode any variable length code. The memory required to store the standard format decomposition tables is minimized by the conversion process.

Abstract: This invention re-encodes encoded data (e.g., PackBits encoded data), which is expressed by a data format of a runlength code part indicating the runlength of the same data and a data part indicating the data, and a runlength code part indicating the runlength of a different data stream and a data part indicating the different data stream, to the same data format without decoding that encoded data, thereby improving a compression ratio. To this end, upon reception of data encoded by a PackBits encoding process, a data division unit separates that data into information indicating the runlength of data, and a data part, and outputs them as num and data. A data processing unit masks a predetermined bit in accordance with an instruction from a monitor unit, and outputs that result to a data combining unit. The data combining unit and a data output unit reconstruct and output data in the PackBits format in accordance with the masked data part and num data.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for use in Huffman decoding are described. In exemplary systems, a JPEG Huffman decoder is capable of simultaneously decoding multiple coefficients and/or symbols in a single table lookup. Methods for designing, building, and using such a table are included. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Defect analysis of an integrated circuit die having a back side opposite circuitry at a circuit side and a liquid crystal liquid is enhanced using near infrared (nIR) laser light. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, nIR laser light is directed to an integrated circuit die having a liquid crystal layer formed over the die. When the die includes a defect that generates heat, the heat generated in the die as a result of the nIR laser light adds to the heat in the die generated as a result of the defect and causes a portion of the liquid crystal layer to change phase near the defect. The phase change is detected and used to identify a portion of the die having a defect.

Abstract: Methods, software, circuits, architectures, and systems for encoding, decoding and error checking/correcting information, particularly pulse amplitude modulated information. The present invention enjoys particular advantage when used to encode x-unit sequence values of N-ary information into y-unit sequence values of M-ary information and to decode y-unit sequence values of M-ary information into x-unit sequence values of N-ary information, where Nx<My (and particularly where Nx<My, but Nx>My?M). The present invention advantageously provides a straight-forward mechanism for coding information that enables one to take advantage of coding overhead (e.g., unused states in the encoded, transmitted sequence) to accomplish other coding objectives, such as conforming to coding constraints, reducing transmission errors (or increasing the likelihood of successfully correcting such errors), dc balancing the coded information, and under certain conditions, even reducing power consumption.

Abstract: An error feedback circuit includes a first summer receiving an analog input signal and a feedback signal and outputting a summed signal. A quantizer receives the summed signal and outputs a quantized output signal. A limiter receives the summed signal and outputs a limited summed signal. The limiter limits the limited summed signal to ?*(maximum value of input signal), ?>1. A second summer receives the limited summed signal and the output signal and outputs an error signal. A filter receives the error signal and outputting the feedback signal. Typically, 1.0<?<2.0, more preferably 1.4<?<1.6. The filter has a transfer function of H1(z)=2z?1?z?2.

Abstract: A filter is described for digitally processing an analog input signal with analog feedback. In one example, the filter uses a topology similar to a second order universal filter block and includes a signal combiner for producing an analog output signal based upon an analog input signal and one or more analog feedback signals. An analog to digital converter processes the analog output signal into a digital data stream which is digitally processed to produce one or more digital output signals which are converted to one or more analog feedback signals. The digital processing can include a bandpass transfer function and a lowpass transfer function. The filter may be implemented in mixed-signal CMOS using standard CMOS processing techniques.

Abstract: A large scale integrated (LSI) or a very large scale integrated (VLSI) logic circuit, such as a fully programmable gate array (FPGA), comprises a plurality of polysilicon thin film transistors TFTs. The circuit, which may include a delay circuit, is asynchronous and does not comprise a clock. Thus, operations to be performed by the TFTs need not be performed within a single clock period—rather the operation of each stage of TFTs in the circuit is dependent on receiving a signal either from an input to the circuit or from a preceding stage in the circuit. Problems with variations in the threshold voltage between the TFTs are therefore avoided.

Abstract: The present invention correctly decodes data encoded with a variable-length encoding method that improves the compression ratio. The variable-length encoding method encodes a unit data composed of a plurality of sub-data while referencing a parameter table, and includes: an initialization step in which the parameter table is set to initial values; a parameter table information encoding step in which information related to the initialized parameter table is encoded; a parameter obtaining step in which encoding parameters to be used in the encoding of sub-data are obtained from the parameter table; a sub-data encoding step in which variable-length encoding of the sub-data is performed with reference to the obtained encoding parameters; and an encoded information placement step in which the encoded information is placed in a position in which the information can be obtained before the encoded unit data.

Abstract: An apparatus such as a thin film resonator has a bottom electrode, a top electrode, and a composite layer between the two electrodes. The composite layer includes a piezoelectric (PZ) layer having a first coupling coefficient and a coupling coefficient control (CCC) layer having a second coupling coefficient. By varying the relative thicknesses of the PZ layer and the CCC layer during the manufacturing process, the coupling coefficient of the resonator can be established (to any value between the first coupling coefficient and the second coupling coefficient) with minimal impact on resonant frequency. Further, it is relatively less difficult to fabricate the PZ layer and the CCC layer having the desired coupling coefficient (as a combination of the first coupling coefficient and the second coupling coefficient) compared to the difficulties of fabrication of a uniform PZ layer having the desired coupling coefficient.

Abstract: A method of digitizing first and second signals in imperfect quadrature for obtaining characteristic parameters of the first signal comprises providing a first signal, the first signal comprising an inphase quasi-sinusoidal analog signal. The method comprises providing a second signal, the second signal comprising a quadrature signal. The method comprises digitizing the first signal at a sampling rate, thereby generating a first plurality of sets of digital signal waveform samples and digitizing the second signal at the sampling rate, thereby generating a second plurality of sets of digital signal waveform samples. The method comprises digitally processing successive first and second sets of digital signal waveform samples to generate continually updated digital characteristic parameters representing a characteristic behavior of the first signal.

Abstract: There is provided a signal amplifier capable of restraining the influence of an EMI caused by a distortion of a waveform of an output signal.

Abstract: Mixed signal processor with noise management. A method for noise management in a mixed signal processor integrated circuit having a digital processing section and an analog section The digital processing section is clocked at a first clock rate to process digital data. When a conversion operation is to be carried out by the analog section, the clocking of the digital processing section is inhibited during at least a portion of the data conversion operation by the analog section to prevent noise from clock transitions in the digital processing section from being injected into the analog section during the at least a portion of th data conversion operation.

Abstract: In one embodiment, one or more less significant input bits (LSB's) of a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) are pulsed or otherwise modulated at a frequency substantially higher than the response cutoff frequency of a driven analog plant (e.g., a finely positioned mechanical table). The band pass characteristics of the driven analog plant convert the high frequency energy content of the pulses applied to the DAC's input into a smoothed response having a substantially lower frequency (e.g., an essentially DC response). By varying the duty cycle of the high frequency pulses, the system can be controlled to make it appear as if the DAC has a greater number of input bit nodes than it actually has. The analog plant can then be driven with finer resolution than that provided by the limited number of input bit nodes of the DAC.