Abstract: In one embodiment, a hybrid micromechanical resonator includes a capacitive resonator element and a piezoelectric resonator element, wherein the resonator can be capacitively and piezoelectrically transduced.

Abstract: A signal detector is configured to detect a signal of interest in a received signal. The received signal may comprise noise. The signal of interest is oscillatory at least during one or more time segments. The signal detector comprises a frequency discriminator arranged to determine an instantaneous frequency of the received signal, an evaluator arranged to determine an amount of change of the instantaneous frequency during a test interval, and a comparator arranged to determine whether the amount of change is below a given threshold. The signal of interest may be digitally modulated. In this case the test interval may be shorter than the duration of one data bit in the signal of interest. In a related aspect, a signal transmission system comprises a signal generator for generating a signal of interest and a signal detector for detecting the signal of interest in a received signal. A method of detecting a signal of interest in a received signal is also proposed.

Abstract: The disclosed fixing pressure member has a simple structure, is produced through simplified production processes, causes no problem due to continued use thereof, and exhibits excellent durability. Also disclosed is a method for producing such. The fixing pressure member employed in a fixing unit of a fixing device includes a sliding sheet having a sliding surface which slides with respect to the inner peripheral surface of a belt of the fixing unit, and an elastic member provided inside the sliding sheet. The sliding sheet is formed of a resin fiber woven fabric, a resin fiber knitted fabric, a resin nonwoven fabric, or a resin film. The elastic member and sliding sheet are formed through integral molding such that the elastic member is bonded to at least the inner surface of the sliding sheet opposite the sliding surface. The sliding surface has thereon an embossment formed through an embossing process.

Abstract: An FM detector circuit includes an unbalanced/balanced conversion circuit, a signal synthesis circuit, a parallel circuit including a first diode connected between a first balanced output terminal of the unbalanced/balanced conversion circuit and one signal input terminal of the signal synthesis circuit and a resonator, a parallel circuit including a second diode connected between a second balanced output terminal of the unbalanced/balanced conversion circuit and the other signal input terminal of the signal synthesis circuit and a capacitor element, and a low-pass filter connected to an output terminal of the signal synthesis circuit.

Abstract: An FM detector circuit includes a bridge circuit having four sections with a discriminator connected as one of the four sections. An FM intermediate frequency is applied across one pair of diagonally opposed nodes of the bridge circuit and an output is picked up across the other pair of diagonally opposed nodes of the bridge circuit. The discriminator includes a piezoelectric material that is selected to produce stable overall temperature characteristics.

Abstract: A carrier control loop (1) for a receiver of digitally transmitted signals is disclosed comprising, in the direction of signal flow, a quadrature demodulator (3), a symbol recognition device (4), a detector (9) for forming a phase deviation value (&phgr;d) and/or a frequency deviation value (fd), a feedback device (10), and a variable-frequency oscillator (11) connected to the quadrature demodulator (3). An evaluating device (12) determines from signals (I, Q) of the carrier control loop (1) a reliability value (z) for the measured phase deviation value (&phgr;d) and/or frequency deviation value (fd), and controls the carrier control loop (1) in accordance with the determined reliability value.