Abstract: A method includes monitoring total energy supplied, during a power-on phase, to a power field effect transistor (FET) coupled to a network port of a power sourcing equipment (PSE) device using a controller. The method further includes detecting an error when the total energy exceeds a pre-determined threshold.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that may be implemented to improve accuracy of relative humidity (RH) determination from dielectric sensing material-based RH sensors, e.g., by decreasing shift and drift effects and compensating for dielectric material aging to improve RH sensor accuracy. The disclosed systems and methods may be implemented to improve RH sensing accuracy by correcting humidity-sensitive electrical parameters (e.g., capacitance, effective resistance, etc.) based on other other measured sensor electrical operating characteristics (e.g., such as real time sensor circuit phase angle) and/or selection of sensor electrical parameters (e.g., such as optimized operating frequency) that are employed for sensing changes in dielectric constant of a dielectric material-based RH sensor.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that may be implemented to improve accuracy of relative humidity (RH) determination from dielectric sensing material-based RH sensors, e.g., by decreasing shift and drift effects and compensating for dielectric material aging to improve RH sensor accuracy. The disclosed systems and methods may be implemented to improve RH sensing accuracy by correcting humidity-sensitive electrical parameters (e.g., capacitance, effective resistance, etc.) based on other other measured sensor electrical operating characteristics (e.g., such as real time sensor circuit phase angle) and/or selection of sensor electrical parameters (e.g., such as optimized operating frequency) that are employed for sensing changes in dielectric constant of a dielectric material-based RH sensor.

Abstract: A method includes monitoring total energy supplied, during a power-on phase, to a power field effect transistor (FET) coupled to a network port of a power sourcing equipment (PSE) device using a controller. The method further includes detecting an error when the total energy exceeds a pre-determined threshold.

Abstract: A capacitor cancellation method and apparatus for use in an interface circuit having a transformer blocking capacitor. The method includes sensing a voltage across the transformer blocking capacitor and generating a cancellation signal to compensate for the effect of the transformer blocking capacitor. The apparatus includes a sensor to sense a differential voltage across the transformer blocking capacitor to develop a capacitor signal and an amplifier to amplify the capacitor signal to obtain a cancellation signal.

Abstract: A subscriber-line interface circuit (SLIC) has tip and ring amplifiers connected to the tip and ring lines, respectively, of customer premises equipment (CPE). The SLIC returns the ringing signal (provided to the CPE from a power supply connected to the CPE's ring line), to ground or to battery, through the SLIC's tip amplifier. In one embodiment, the SLIC has three switches: S1 connecting the power supply to the ring line, S2 connecting the ring amp to the ring line, and S3 connecting the tip amp to the tip line. During ringing, S1 and S3 are closed to return the ringing signal to ground through the tip amp, which is preferably driven to saturation during ringing to reduce power consumption. By eliminating the fourth switch that appears in prior-art SLICs (e.g., connecting the tip line to ground), SLICs of the present invention can be smaller and therefore less expensive to implement.

Abstract: An impedance warping circuit (IWC) and technique for compensating the effect of a blocking capacitor within a transformer of an interface circuit for passing plain old telephone service (POTS) band and asynchronous digital subscriber line (ADSL) band signals on signals having frequencies in the POTS band. The IWC does not significantly affect the performance of the interface circuit in the ADSL band. The IWC synthesizes impedance to compensate the frequency-dependent deviation in the termination impedance across the tip/ring lines. The resulting termination impedance may be designed to conform to the Telcordia Standard of 900 ?+2.16 ?F or other telecommunication standards throughout the entire POTS band.

Abstract: A subscriber-line interface circuit (SLIC) has tip and ring amplifiers connected to the tip and ring lines, respectively, of customer premises equipment (CPE). The SLIC returns the ringing signal (provided to the CPE from a power supply connected to the CPE's ring line), to ground or to battery, through the SLIC's tip amplifier. In one embodiment, the SLIC has three switches: S1 connecting the power supply to the ring line, S2 connecting the ring amp to the ring line, and S3 connecting the tip amp to the tip line. During ringing, S1 and S3 are closed to return the ringing signal to ground through the tip amp, which is preferably driven to saturation during ringing to reduce power consumption. By eliminating the fourth switch that appears in prior-art SLICs (e.g., connecting the tip line to ground), SLICs of the present invention can be smaller and therefore less expensive to implement.

Abstract: An amplifier having an improved output current drive capability includes an input stage and an output stage. An input of the output stage is operatively coupled to an output of the input stage. The amplifier further includes a current regeneration circuit operatively coupled to the input of the output stage in a feedback arrangement, the current regeneration circuit feeding back a current to the output circuit in accordance with a predetermined scale factor, the fed back current being proportional to an input current supplied to the output stage. The input current supplied to the output stage is dynamically adjustable by the current regeneration circuit in response to an input current requirement at the output stage.

Abstract: An impedance warping circuit (IWC) and technique for compensating the effect of a blocking capacitor within a transformer of an interface circuit for passing plain old telephone service (POTS) band and asynchronous digital subscriber line (ADSL) band signals on signals having frequencies in the POTS band. The IWC does not significantly affect the performance of the interface circuit in the ADSL band. The IWC synthesizes impedance to compensate the frequency-dependent deviation in the termination impedance across the tip/ring lines. The resulting termination impedance may be designed to conform to the Telcordia Standard of 900 &OHgr;+2.16 &mgr;F or other telecommunication standards throughout the entire POTS band.

Abstract: A capacitor cancellation method and apparatus for use in an interface circuit having a transformer blocking capacitor. The method includes sensing a voltage across the transformer blocking capacitor and generating a cancellation signal to compensate for the effect of the transformer blocking capacitor. The apparatus includes a sensor to sense a differential voltage across the transformer blocking capacitor to develop a capacitor signal and an amplifier to amplify the capacitor signal to obtain a cancellation signal.

Abstract: An amplifier having an improved output current drive capability includes an input stage and an output stage. An input of the output stage is operatively coupled to an output of the input stage. The amplifier further includes a current regeneration circuit operatively coupled to the input of the output stage in a feedback arrangement, the current regeneration circuit feeding back a current to the output circuit in accordance with a predetermined scale factor, the fed back current being proportional to an input current supplied to the output stage. The input current supplied to the output stage is dynamically adjustable by the current regeneration circuit in response to an input current requirement at the output stage.

Abstract: Automatic testing a group of line circuits on a smart line card served by a central switch over a PCM bus is localized by using the microprocessor/DSP that provides codec functions for the group of line circuits. Tests such as DC overhead that are not performable by the central switch over the PCM bus are performed by the microprocessor/DSP when informed by the central switch that at least one of the channels is not processing voice signals. The microprocessor/DSP controls test switches on the line card to set-up various test terminations for the idle circuit as well as to selectively control the gain of the idle channel's amplifiers. The microprocessor/DSP synthesizes test tones and executes test tone detection processes within the time slot intervals accorded by the central switch to the idle channel.

Abstract: A line circuit whose circuit components are selectively controllable by a microprocessor/DSP to provide normal BORSCHT functions or to be selectively tested without need for an electromechanical relay to isolate the line circuit from the loop conductors. The conventional line transformer is advantageously replaced by a loop current feed resistor network and either a high voltage or a lower voltage battery may be connected to provide loop current to the resistor network through a current regulator circuit and battery switch circuit. In normal operation, an ac feedback path, which includes the line receive amplifier, increases the terminating impedance above the dc value of the feed resistors so the loop termination resistor network may match the characteristic impedance of the loop at the audio frequencies employed.

Abstract: A line circuit provides BORSCHT functions and supplies the customer loop through a feed resistor network and current limiter either from a high voltage battery to provide for maximum signaling range or from a lower voltage battery to conserve power. The current limiter operates under the control of a microprocessor/DSP which selectively applies or denies power to isolate or include components for testing and controls the switching in and out of transistors to control the scaling factor between the channel width-to-length ratios of the current mirror's input and output FET transistors according to the type of test or operating condition dictated by the microprocessor while the input reference current to the current mirror is maintained constant.

Abstract: A subscriber line circuit which truly implements all of the BORSCHT functions and which does not rely on an external ringing generator to provide the ringing voltage when needed is disclosed. This implementation is achieved by recognizing that supervisory and ringing signals occur in some sort of sequence and, therefore, do not have to be generated simultaneously. Based on this recognition, we provide a circuit which truly implements all of the BORSCHT functions and includes a power section that generates each of the supervisory signals, e.g., -48 volts and -24 volts, and alerting signal, e.g., ringing signal, in turn and as required.

Abstract: A radial type of high voltage solid-state switch is essentially a gated diode switch (GDS) with portions of the anode, cathode, shield, and gate regions being arc portions of concentric circles which have different radii. The arc length and radius of the arc portions of the anode are less than the corresponding parameters of the shield and cathode. This structure, which is denoted as a radial gated diode switch, RGDS, has lower on resistance than a standard GDS of the same area and distance between anode and shield regions.