Abstract: A readout device is adapted for dual-band sensing, and includes an amplifier, two direct injection (DI) readout circuits to be respectively connected to two sensors, and a switching module. Through operation of the switching module, one of the DI readout circuits can be electrically connected to the amplifier, and cooperate with the other DI readout circuit to achieve a dual-band sensing feature.

Abstract: A current-preheat electronic ballast includes an AC-to-DC converter, a controlling unit, an auxiliary voltage generator, and an inverter. The inverter is connected with the DC bus for converting a high DC voltage into an AC output voltage and generating a resonant current and a lamp filament current to a lamp group. The inverter includes a resonant circuit and a resonant capacitor adjusting circuit. The resonant circuit provides electric energy required to preheat the lamp group. The resonant capacitor adjusting circuit judges whether the inverter is enabled according to the detecting element. After the inverter has been enabled for a delayed time, two high-voltage switching terminals of the resonant capacitor adjusting circuit are correspondingly conducted or shut off, so that an equivalent resonant capacitance value of the resonant circuit is changed and a voltage drop across two ends of a lamp filament of the lamp group is changed.

Abstract: In a method for unlocking an electronic device, the electronic device presents a visual indication as to whether the device is in a locked or an unlocked state. An unlocking icon and a first indication icon are displayed on a display device of the electronic device when the electronic device is locked. In response to detecting a touch signal on the display device, the method determines whether the touch signal is an unlocking signal in relation to the unlocking icon. When the touch signal is the unlocking signal, a touch duration is timed and a second indication icon is displayed on the display device. When the touch duration exceeds a predetermined time, a third indication icon is displayed and the electronic device is unlocked.

Abstract: A dual function injection type array readout device includes at least two sensor groups and a dual function injection type array readout circuit. Each sensor group has two sensors of different functions, and each sensor generates a sense current according to a corresponding sensed target. The dual function injection type array readout circuit includes at least two dual function readout modules, each having two readout units, each electrically coupled to a respective sensor of a corresponding sensor group. Each readout unit includes a current-to-voltage converter having an integration capacitor, and a sample-and-hold device electrically coupled to the current-to-voltage converter. A switch unit is electrically coupled to the integration capacitors of the readout units.

Abstract: A broadcast receiver includes a tuner circuit and a demodulator circuit. The tuner circuit tunes a radio frequency (RF) signal to output an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The demodulator circuit demodulates the IF signal from the tuner circuit and outputs a command signal based on the quality of the IF signal, for changing a take over point (TOP) value, preset in the tuner circuit, at which one amplitude gain control (AGC) stopping and another taking over. A method for regulating a broadcast receiver is also disclosed herein.

Abstract: A capacitive transimpedance amplifier for a detector unit capable of generating first and second detection currents comprises: a read-out circuit including an integration capacitor coupled between an input node connected to the detector unit, and a common node between first and second transistors connected in series, and a sampling and holding unit coupled between the first common node and an output node for sampling and holding a voltage at the first common node; and a switch unit connected to control ends of the first and second transistors and the input node, and operable between a first state, where the first detection current is read out, and a second state, where the second detection current is read out.

Abstract: A current-preheat electronic ballast includes an AC-to-DC converter, a controlling unit, an auxiliary voltage generator, and an inverter. The inverter is connected with the DC bus for converting a high DC voltage into an AC output voltage and generating a resonant current and a lamp filament current to a lamp group. The inverter includes a resonant circuit and a resonant capacitor adjusting circuit. The resonant circuit provides electric energy required to preheat the lamp group. The resonant capacitor adjusting circuit judges whether the inverter is enabled according to the detecting element. After the inverter has been enabled for a delayed time, two high-voltage switching terminals of the resonant capacitor adjusting circuit are correspondingly conducted or shut off, so that an equivalent resonant capacitance value of the resonant circuit is changed and a voltage drop across two ends of a lamp filament of the lamp group is changed.

Abstract: The configurations of an end of lamp life protection circuit for a ballast and a method thereof are provided in the present invention. The proposed circuit includes a voltage-dividing circuit receiving an input voltage and outputting a first and a second divided voltages and a switch apparatus raising the first divided voltage when the second divided voltage is less than a first pre-determined threshold value and turning off the ballast when the first divided voltage is higher than a second pre-determined threshold value.

Abstract: A dual function injection type array readout device includes at least two sensor groups and a dual function injection type array readout circuit. Each sensor group has two sensors of different functions, and each sensor generates a sense current according to a corresponding sensed target. The dual function injection type array readout circuit includes at least two dual function readout modules, each having two readout units, each electrically coupled to a respective sensor of a corresponding sensor group. Each readout unit includes a current-to-voltage converter having an integration capacitor, and a sample-and-hold device electrically coupled to the current-to-voltage converter. A switch unit is electrically coupled to the integration capacitors of the readout units.

Abstract: A multi-output electronic ballast is disclosed. The multi-output electronic ballast is used to drive a plurality of lamp assemblies and includes an AC/DC converter, a first inverter, a second inverter, an auxiliary voltage generator, and a control circuit. The AC/DC converter converts an AC input voltage to a high DC voltage. The first inverter converts the high DC input voltage to a first AC voltage selectively. The second inverter converts the high DC voltage to a second AC voltage. The auxiliary voltage generator generates an auxiliary voltage. The control circuit receives the auxiliary voltage generating circuit and outputs a control signal to the first inverter according to the switching operation of a first external switch. When the control signal is transmitted to the first inverter, the first inverter comes into operation and converts the high DC voltage to the first AC voltage.

Abstract: Known attempts using engineered bacteria to produce P(3HB-co-4HB) with carbon sources that are structurally unrelated to 4-hydroxybutyrate resulted in relatively low 4HB monomer content of 1.5 to 5 mol %. The current invention provides recombinant hosts for producing P(3HB-co-4HB) wherein the plasmid including succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase gene (sucD gene) and 4-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase gene (4hbD gene) further includes pyruvate decarboxylase promoter (Ppdc). It was found that the 4HB monomer content in P(3HB-co-4HB) is significantly enhanced to be over 20 mol %, in the range of 8.8 to 23 mol %.

Abstract: A sound-IF demodulator including a first demodulating unit and a second demodulating unit and a sound-IF detecting method thereof are provided. A sound de-matrix unit is adapted to generate a driving signal by de-matrixing outputs of the sound-IF demodulator. The first demodulating unit generates a first demodulated signal to the sound de-matrix unit by demodulating the first carrier signal. The second demodulating unit detects the signal quality of the sound signal and generates a second demodulated signal to the sound de-matrix unit and/or the first demodulating unit by demodulating the second carrier signal. When the second demodulating unit is idle, the second demodulating unit is programmed to select a corresponding standard among a plurality of predetermined standards for the sound signal according to the signal quality of the sound signal, so that the sound-IF demodulator is programmed to demodulate the sound signal in the corresponding standard.

Abstract: A thermally conductive silicone composition includes 25 to 50 volume % of a silicone, 30 to 60 volume % of a first heat conducting filler, and 20 to 40 volume % of a second heat conducting filler, and 1 to 2 volume % of a third heat conducting filler. The thermally conductive silicone composition has two heat conducting fillers with different sizes dispersed therein, thus the thermal impedance can be efficiently reduced.

Abstract: A method for determining a sound standard for an input sound signal includes the following steps. Firstly, the input sound signal is filtered to obtain a first filtered signal corresponding to a first frequency and a second filtered signal corresponding to a second frequency. Next, the first filtered signal is frequency-demodulated to obtain a first demodulated filtered signal, and whether the input sound signal contains a FM analog component corresponding to the first frequency is determined accordingly. Next, the second filtered signal is decoded according to a digital sound standard to obtain a bit stream. Then, the bit steam is interpreted according to the digital sound standard, and whether the input sound contains a digital component corresponding to the digital sound standard is determined accordingly. Then, whether the input sound signal matches one of known sound standards is determined based on the determined results above.

Abstract: An automatic gain control apparatus includes a first comparing module, a counting module, a second comparing module, and a control module. The first comparing module compares an input signal with a first threshold level and a second threshold level to generate a first compared output signal and a second compared output signal respectively. The counting module performs counting operations upon the first compared output signal and the second compared output signal to generate a first counting number and a second counting number respectively. The second comparing module compares the first counting number with a first threshold number to generate a first detection signal and compares the second counting number with a second threshold number to generate a second detection signal. The control module controls the gain of a radio frequency amplifier or an intermediate frequency amplifier according to the first detection signal and the second detection signal.

Abstract: The configurations of an end of lamp life protection circuit for a ballast and a method thereof are provided in the present invention. The proposed circuit includes a voltage-dividing circuit receiving an input voltage and outputting a first and a second divided voltages and a switch apparatus raising the first divided voltage when the second divided voltage is less than a first pre-determined threshold value and turning off the ballast when the first divided voltage is higher than a second pre-determined threshold value.

Abstract: A Radio Data System (RDS) decoder circuit determines a subcarrier frequency utilizing only a 57 kHz RDS signal of an FM broadcast signal. The RDS decoder includes a zero-intermediate frequency (zero-IF) FM demodulator, a first mixer, a low-pass filter (LPF) unit, a shaping filter unit, a carrier recovery circuit, a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO), a symbol timing recovery circuit, an integrate and dump circuit, a slicer 280, and a differential decoder. The carrier recovery circuit includes a phase error detector and a digital loop filter (DLF). The symbol timing recovery circuit includes a zero-crossing detector, a phase detector and loop filter unit, and a counter.

Abstract: A sound-IF demodulator including a first demodulating unit and a second demodulating unit and a sound-IF detecting method thereof are provided. A sound de-matrix unit is adapted to generate a driving signal by de-matrixing outputs of the sound-IF demodulator. The first demodulating unit generates a first demodulated signal to the sound de-matrix unit by demodulating the first carrier signal. The second demodulating unit detects the signal quality of the sound signal and generates a second demodulated signal to the sound de-matrix unit and/or the first demodulating unit by demodulating the second carrier signal. When the second demodulating unit is idle, the second demodulating unit is programmed to select a corresponding standard among a plurality of predetermined standards for the sound signal according to the signal quality of the sound signal, so that the sound-IF demodulator is programmed to demodulate the sound signal in the corresponding standard.

Abstract: A calibration strip and a laser calibration system using thereof are disclosed. The calibration strip is comprised of: a substrate; and a light impermissible layer, having a calibration pattern formed thereon while being formed on the substrate. The light impermissible layer is an opaque layer, being formed on the surface of the substrate by coating, electroplating or adhering. The substrate, manufactured by the principle for enabling the color or brightness of the substrate to have high contrast comparing with those of the light impermissible layer, can be a structure of a layer of transparent material and a light source; a layer of transparent material and a backlight source; or a metal film having a reflective layer formed thereon.

Abstract: An automatic gain control apparatus includes a first comparing module, a counting module, a second comparing module, and a control module. The first comparing module compares an input signal with a first threshold level and a second threshold level to generate a first compared output signal and a second compared output signal respectively. The counting module performs counting operations upon the first compared output signal and the second compared output signal to generate a first counting number and a second counting number respectively. The second comparing module compares the first counting number with a first threshold number to generate a first detection signal and compares the second counting number with a second threshold number to generate a second detection signal. The control module controls the gain of a radio frequency amplifier or an intermediate frequency amplifier according to the first detection signal and the second detection signal.