Abstract:
A door phone controller (10) has a door ajar feature for alerting a user that a door (14) was left open. The door phone controller (10) accommodates the door ajar feature in several different ways depending upon how it is configured to interface with the central office line. If the door phone controller (10) is configured to interface with the central office line as an individual station, then when a door (14) is left open, the controller (10) alerts the user via auxiliary alert contacts specifically provided for activating a customer chime. When the door phone controller (10) is configured as a ring-down station, the door phone controller (10) alerts the user that the door (14) was left ajar by dialing a pre-programmed telephone number and sending a door ajar tone. If the door phone controller (10) is configured as an interface with a trunk port, then when the door (14) is left open, the controller (10) alerts the user by ringing the trunk line and also energizing the auxiliary alert contacts.
Abstract:
Complementary bipolar transistors and a process for fabrication on a dielectrically isolated substrate. Both the NPNs and PNPs have an emitter (74, 80) diffused from an emitter polysilicon contact (68A, 68B) and an extrinsic base (52, 56) diffused from a base polysilicon contact (40, 42) with the emitter polysilicon contact separated from the base polysilicon contact by sidewall oxide/nitride. This provides shallow emitters and a small emitter-to-extrinsic base distance and high performance.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a differential comparator including first and second amplifiers with a capacitive feedback network therebetween, a first and second capacitor disposed between a first and second input terminals of the comparator and inputs to the first and second amplifiers, respectively, and switching means. The switching means includes first gating means for causing an input and output of each amplifier to be precharged to a predetermined value, and second gating means for connecting the first and second input terminals to the first and second capacitors during a first phase of operation. During a second phase of operation, the first and second gating means release the amplifiers from their precharged state, and isolate the first and second input terminals from the first and second capacitors. A third gating means concurrently places a short across input terminals of the first and second capacitors. For increasing the latching speed of the differential comparator, a fourth gating means isolates the first and second capacitors from the inputs of the first and second amplifiers when a latching of the first and second amplifiers has begun during the second phase of operation. A method of providing a differential comparison is also provided.
Abstract:
A semiconductor accelerometer is formed by attaching a semiconductor layer to a handle wafer by a thick oxide layer. Accelerometer geometry is patterned in the semiconductor layer, which is then used as a mask to etch out a cavity in the underlying thick oxide. The mask may include one or more apertures, so that a mass region will have corresponding apertures to the underlying oxide layer. The structure resulting from an oxide etch has the intended accelerometer geometry of a large volume mass region supported in cantilever fashion by a plurality of piezo-resistive arm regions to a surrounding, supporting portion of the semiconductor layer. Directly beneath this accelerometer geometry is a flex-accommodating cavity realized by the removal of the underlying oxide layer. The semiconductor layer remains attached to the handle wafer by means of the thick oxide layer that surrounds the accelerometer geometry, and which was adequately masked by the surrounding portion of the top semiconductor layer during the oxide etch step. In a second embodiment support arm regions are dimensioned separately from the mass region, using a plurality of buried oxide regions as semiconductor etch stops.
Abstract:
A converter including an even and an odd digital-to-analog converter for converting digital signals from an analog-to-digital converter or a successive approximation circuit and controlling the odd and even converters and the analog-to-digital converter device to alternative conversion by the even and odd converter. The odd and even converters operate in opposite phases such that while one is in an acquisition phase the other is in a conversion phase. Each of the odd and even converters includes a separate coarse digital-to-analog converter and a common fine digital-to-analog converter. The control circuit resets the fine digital-to-analog converter during an initial portion of the conversion phase of each of the coarse digital-to-analog converters. In a two stage flash converter, the first stage includes a single analog-to-digital converter and the second stage includes a single digital-to-analog converter and alternatingly operating even and odd analog-to-digital converters.
Abstract:
A direct access test unit for enabling a craftsperson at a telephone facility remote with respect to a central office to test subscriber lines comprises a first access port (P1) coupled to an access line circuit, by way of which the remote telephone facility communicates with the telephone office in the course of testing subscriber lines, and a second access port (P2) coupled to a test trunk circuit by way of which a subscriber line is to be tested by the test unit. Coupled between the first and second access ports is a processor-controlled subscriber line test/interface arrangement which is responsive to (tone) dial signals, generated by the remote telephone facility, and representative of a command to conduct a test of a selected one of a plurality of subscriber line circuits.
Abstract:
A signal processing scheme through which the receiver may, at any time, synchronize or resynchronize itself to the transmitted data signals that are received over a dynamic dispersive channel. At the transmitter, bursts or sequences of known symbols (11) are interleaved with unknown data (12). At the receiver incoming frames of signals (containing interleaved bursts of known data and unknown data) are processing in a manner similar to the processing of spread spectrum encoded data. A replica (or respective replicas) of the known signal burst(s) is (complex) correlated with the incoming signal to locate and lock onto a known (PN) reference symbol burst. Once a known symbol block has been located, a symbol rate clock (33) (bit sync) is adjusted to track out any offset in the timing used for sampling the received data. This is followed by coarse and fine frequency offset adjustments to enable the local oscillator (44) to lock onto the transmitted frequency.
Abstract:
A radio communication control system for a lead unit (14) and a plurality of remote units (12). The system has a protocol for establishing a communication link between the lead unit (14) and the one or more remote units (12) in the system which prevents any of the units in that system from processing messages or commands from other units in other train systems or processing messages or commands originating from units within a train system which are addressed to other units within the system. The communication system also includes a communications channel contention system for minimizing the probability of multiple units transmitting on the common communication channel at the same time and for insuring that the highest priority communications in each train are transmitted first in time measured from the end of the latest transmission on the radio communications channel. The invention also includes apparatus for verifying the establishment of the communications link by means of signaling through the mechanical coupling (22) in the train and monitoring the radio response. The invention further includes an improved flow rate sensor for use in a remote unit for determining when significant air flows occur into the brake pipe of the remote unit. The invention further includes an air pressure regulation system which prevents the fluctuation of the air pressure in the equalizing reservoir of the lead and remote units consequent from either leakage or change in the ambient temperature.
Abstract:
A new and improved switch particularly adapted for use with a telephone. More particularly, an electro-optical switch is operable in any ambient light conditions. The switch includes a square wave generator (20) having an output supplied to a photoemitter (22). A photodetector (26) is provided which is disposed in a manner such that light (24) generated from the emitter (22) is received by the detector (26) when the telephone elements are in an aligned first position. The output from the detector (26) is supplied to a logic circuit (30) along with the output from the generator (20). The logic circuit (30) is configured such that when the telephone elements are in the aligned first position, such that the output from the emitter (22) is received by the detector (26), a first output signal is produced. In contrast, when the telephone elements are moved relative to one another, out of alignment, the detector (26) generates an output based on the ambient light conditions, whereby the logic circuit (30) generates a second output signal.
Abstract:
An emergency location system and method for determining the location of a caller sending an emergency signal without utilizing the bandwidth of the calling system. The system is readily attached to existing telephone, radio-telephone and similar communicating devices through existing detachable battery packs. Detection of the need to send the locating signal may be based on automatic detection of a predetermined dialing sequence or through a dedicated switch (i.e., a "panic switch") or both.