Abstract: A communications system includes a radio frequency identification device including an integrated circuit having a single die including a microprocessor, a receiver coupled to the microprocessor, and a backscatter transmitter coupled to the microprocessor, the integrated circuit having a digital input, and the receiver being configured to receive wireless communications from a remote interrogator; and an analog to digital converter external of the single die and having a digital output coupled to the digital input of the integrated circuit, and having an analog input configured to be coupled to an analog measuring device, wherein the radio frequency identification device is configured to transmit a signal indicative of the analog input using the backscatter transmitter. A communications method includes coupling an analog to digital converter to a radio frequency identification device.

Abstract: RF power device module (500) having an RF power device chip (206) which integrates an RF power device (208) with at least one of DC detector circuits (201, 202), RF detector circuits (203, 204), and thermal detector circuit (235) which cooperate with optical emitter/detector components (213) that supports a bi-directional optical link (210) made through free space with diagnostic processing and control circuits implemented on a separate chip (214) mounted within the same enclosure (205). The bi-directional optical link (210) enables interpretation of detection signals (227) received from the RF power device chip (206) and the feed back of default or other management and control signals (229) sent back to the RF power device chip (206) in response to the detected and analyzed conditions.

Abstract: Methods are provided for measuring the potential for mutual coupling in an integrated circuit package of any type or configuration using a network analyzer in conjunction with a coaxial test probe. Simple, low-cost test fixturing and methods of testing may be used to measure the parasitic capacitance and inductance of one or more I/O leads of an integrated circuit package, the measured parasitic capacitances and inductances providing an indication of the susceptibility of the integrated circuit package to mutual coupling between electrical leads of the package or between an electrical lead and other components of the integrated circuit package.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for measuring the potential for mutual coupling in an integrated circuit package of any type or configuration using a network analyzer in conjunction with a coaxial test probe. Simple, low-cost test fixturing and methods of testing may be used to measure the parasitic capacitance and inductance of one or more I/O leads of an integrated circuit package, the measured parasitic capacitances and inductances providing an indication of the susceptibility of the integrated circuit package to mutual coupling between electrical leads of the package or between an electrical lead and other components of the integrated circuit package.

Abstract: A communications system includes a radio frequency identification device including an integrated circuit having a single die including a microprocessor, a receiver coupled to the microprocessor, and a backscatter transmitter coupled to the microprocessor, the integrated circuit having a digital input, and the receiver being configured to receive wireless communications from a remote interrogator; and an analog to digital converter external of the single die and having a digital output coupled to the digital input of the integrated circuit, and having an analog input configured to be coupled to an analog measuring device, wherein the radio frequency identification device is configured to transmit a signal indicative of the analog input using the backscatter transmitter. A communications method includes coupling an analog to digital converter to a radio frequency identification device.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for measuring the potential for mutual coupling in an integrated circuit package of any type or configuration using a network analyzer in conjunction with a coaxial test probe. Simple, low-cost test fixturing and methods of testing may be used to measure the parasitic capacitance and inductance of one or more I/O leads of an integrated circuit package, the measured parasitic capacitances and inductances providing an indication of the susceptibility of the integrated circuit package to mutual coupling between electrical leads of the package or between an electrical lead and other components of the integrated circuit package.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a computer graphics rendering system which slices the traditional geometry pipeline into two phases to improve overall graphics system utilization is described. The graphics system consists of a host processor and a graphics adapter. The host creates work items and feeds them to the graphics adapter. In the two phase method, the first phase computes the clipping status and immediately returns this status information, before completion of the actual clipping, to the application running on the host processor to minimize stalling the host processor and hence the application. The second phase performs the rest of the work necessary to draw the objects on the screen. The advantage of two phase method is that the host processor minimizes its wait (but only for model/view transformation and clipping status determination) for a return status from the graphics adapter for the current work item and gets to create the next work item from the application sooner.

Abstract: While executing the standard graphics processing steps, problem polygons (i.e., those outside of a defined clip volume) are buffered for later processing, while the standard graphics processing continues, without the need for periodically reformatting data and performing clipping. After either a predefined number of polygons have been stored at the buffer location, or at such time as a change in the rendering state occurs, the buffered polygons are clipped.

Abstract: In a method and system for producing a plurality of antenna element signals that produce a selected antenna array pattern, first (56) and second (58) input signals are coupled to first (82) and second (84) amplifiers, respectively. The amplitude of said first input signal is modified (68) according to a first factor to produce a first modified signal, and the amplitude of said second input signal is modified (66) according to a second factor to produce a second modified signal. The first input signal is combined (48) with the second modified signal to produce a first combined signal, and the second input signal is combined (50) with the first modified signal to produce a second combined signal. Thereafter, the first combined signal and the second combined signal are amplified using first (82) and second (84) amplifiers, respectively. Next, the amplified signals are transformed with a transform matrix (96) to produce the plurality of antenna element signals.

Abstract: The apparatus first measures the peak power of a multichannel signal, or representation thereof. The peak power is compared with one or more peak power threshold values. If the measured peak power exceeds a threshold value, the multichannel signal is attenuated prior to being processed by the linear power amplifier.

Abstract: A method is offered of automatically beamforming a radio frequency transmitter having an array antenna. The beamformed signal is transmitted for the benefit of a target communication unit based upon characteristics of a received signal. The method includes the steps of determining a transmit equalizer transfer function and receive equalizer transfer function for each array element of the antenna array based, at least in part, upon application of common input signals and comparison of outputs. The method further includes adaptively filtering a received signal, from a communication unit based, at least in part, upon the determined receive equalizer weights, to provide a receive beamform array. A beamformed signal may then be transmitted to the communication unit based upon the transmit equalizer weights and receive beamform array.