Abstract: The present invention relates to a steam generating apparatus (50) comprising a boiler (52) for receiving water to be heated, an opening (54, 126) in a wall of the boiler, the opening being closable by closing means (56, 128, 136), and a steam duct (58) for conducting steam generated in the boiler (52) to steam applying means (60), wherein a by-pass duct (62, 130) by-passing the steam duct (58) is provided for discharging steam from the boiler (52) to the steam applying means (60). The present invention further relates to a method of operating a steam generating apparatus (50).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of determining a liquid level in a boiler (12) of an apparatus (10) having a temperature sensor (24) for sensing a temperature (T) which is indicative of a temperature of the liquid inside the boiler (12), comprising the steps of: inducing a temporary deflection of the temperature (T) sensed by the temperature sensor (24); determining an evaluation temperature (Tev) sensed by the temperature sensor (24) after inducing the deflection; and determining the liquid level from at least the evaluation temperature (Tev). Advantageously, the invention provides that the evaluation temperature (Tev) is determined by monitoring the deflection and by defining an extreme value (Tmax, Tmin) of the deflection as the evaluation temperature (Tev). Further, the present invention relates to an steam generating apparatus adapted for executing such a method, a domestic appliance having such a steam generating apparatus.

Abstract: An integrated circuit package includes at least two electronic circuits. A first of the at least two electronic circuits includes a digital input and a digital output and a test mode control line for setting the first integrated circuit chip into a determined test mode. The digital input includes at least two parallel input paths and the digital output includes at least two parallel output paths. The at least two parallel input paths and at least two parallel output paths provide a corresponding number of internal paths by which the first electronic circuit and a second electronic circuit can be tested essentially simultaneously.

Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor device for multiplexing across a plurality of shared Input/Output (I/O) pins. The semiconductor device comprises a first core for operation of a first function, a second core for operation of a second function, a multiplexer and an additional hardware module. The multiplexer is arranged to set the I/O pins to the first function or to the second function at power up. The hardware module comprises an arbiter arranged to receive requests from the cores for use of the I/O pins and to grant use of the I/O pins to a selected core as required. Thus, the hardware module can switch functions dynamically and dual mode multiplexing is enabled.

Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor device for multiplexing across a plurality of shared Input/Output (I/O) pins. The semiconductor device comprises a first core for operation of a first function, a second core for operation of a second function, a multiplexer and an additional hardware module. The multiplexer is arranged to set the I/O pins to the first function or to the second function at power up. The hardware module comprises an arbiter arranged to receive requests from the cores for use of the I/O pins and to grant use of the I/O pins to a selected core as required. Thus, the hardware module can switch functions dynamically and dual mode multiplexing is enabled.

Abstract: An LED array arrangement that reduces the number of control inputs needed to operate it is described. The reduction in the number of control pins is achieved through the use of logical ‘AND’ decoding and multiplexing of the control input signals.