Abstract:
A mixer dynamic control (MDC) system for an AM superheterodyne receiver prevents saturation of the mixer stage caused by out-of-tune signals much more effectively than a so-called wide band RF-AGC system of the known art. The system contemplates detecting the converted IF signal before the band filter, amplifying the detected signal, extracting the dc component thereof and summing such a dc component to a dc control signal generated by a narrow band AGC and applying such a sum signal in lieu of the sole narrow band AGC system's control signal.
Abstract:
Two thin wedges of oxide extending along and from the boundaries of the field oxide layer without solution of continuity inside the substrate for a depth such as to separate dielectrically the region of silicon, present underneath the field oxide layer, having a doping level higher than the doping level of the bulk of the substrate and the regions of oppositely doped silicon in a MOS device allow obtaining simultaneously a high threshold voltage of the parasitic transistor, a high junction breakdown voltage and an excellent immunity to "Reach-through" between the depletion regions of uncorrelated junctions together with a reduced capacitance of the junctions and an improved geometry. Such wedges of oxide are obtained by means of deep anisotropic etch of silicon through a suitably exposed area, for example by means of an overetch of the nitride used for growing the thick oxide layer according to the known technique and by the subsequent filling of the deep etch with thermally grown silicon oxide.
Abstract:
A circuit for the linear measurement of a current flowing through a load which comprises a current sensor consisting of a resistor, and a first driver transistor connected to the load and a second transistor connected to the resistor, both transistors being field effect transistors interconnected into a current mirror configuration, which includes an operational amplifier having its inputs respectively connected to the drain electrodes of the first and second transistors to regulate the drain-source voltage of the transistors and enable linear measurement of the load current irrespective of the operating temperature.
Abstract:
In transmission systems whereby data packets of a single type and having a fixed structure are used to transmit a given type of information, the invention optimizes the transmission by utilizing data packets of the same type to transmit information of different types and by differentiating the information transmitted in such packets by the rate of re-transmission thereof. In an application of the invention to RDS systems, the block PS is used to transmit both the program service name, as usual, and the radio text, and arrangements are made for the rate of re-transmission of the service name to be high and that of the text to be low, or possibly zero.
Abstract:
An output stage for electronic circuits with high voltage tolerance and of the type comprising an output buffer made up of a complementary transistor pair comprising a P-channel MOS pull-up transistor and an N-channel MOS pull-down transistor. The transistors are connected together to make up an output terminal of the stage which comprises in addition a switch having an input connected to the output terminal of the stage and an output connected to the control terminal of the pull-up transistor to drive said control terminal in a state of extinction of the output buffer.
Abstract:
A generator for generating a plurality of predetermined voltage values for non-volatile memories. The generator includes an input node, a plurality of circuit branches, and an output terminal. The input node has a reference voltage and is connected to at least one of the circuit branches. Each of the circuit branches has at least one active element to selectively and independently turn on and turn off each of the circuit branches by a voltage applied to a control terminal of each active element. The output terminal connects to at least one of the circuit branches and supplies a voltage level based on the reference voltage and a voltage drop across each activated circuit branch. Alternatively, the output terminal supplies a floating voltage level in the event of one or more of the active elements along each of the circuit branches being turned off so as to isolate the input node from the output terminal.
Abstract:
A battery-charging electronic device comprises a current generator adapted to supply a charging current to a battery and a controlled current edge switch having a circuit for controlling the switching edges of current being flowed through a power transistor. The switching edge control circuit comprises a controlled edge variable voltage generator for generating a controlled edge voltage signal, a voltage/current converter for converting the voltage signal to a controlled edge current signal, and a driver circuit for the power transistor being input the controlled edge current signal to mirror, onto the power transistor, an output current which is proportional to the controlled edge current signal.
Abstract:
The pressure sensor is integrated in an SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator) substrate using the insulating layer as a sacrificial layer, which is partly removed by chemical etching to form the diaphragm. To fabricate the sensor, after forming the piezoresistive elements and the electronic components integrated in the same chip, trenches are formed in the upper wafer of the substrate and extending from the surface to the layer of insulating material; the layer of insulating material is chemically etched through the trenches to form an opening beneath the diaphragm; and a dielectric layer is deposited to outwardly close the trenches and the opening. Thus, the process is greatly simplified, and numerous packaging problems eliminated.
Abstract:
A capacitive array particularly for converters, comprising a plurality of unitary capacitors, the number of the unitary capacitors being equal to 2.sup.n, where n is the number of bits of the binary code required in output, the unitary capacitors being mutually connectable so as to obtain capacitors in which the capacitance ratio between one capacitor and the adjacent parallel-connected capacitor is equal to a factor of two. The invention is that the factor-of-two capacitance ratio of adjacent capacitors is achieved by mutually diagonally connecting in parallel the unitary-capacitance capacitors of the capacitive array in a preset number according to the capacitance value to be obtained.
Abstract:
A fluid flow meter is of the type including a heated probe sensor of known electric resistance dipped into or swept by a fluid stream having a predetermined velocity. The sensor is capable of converting each flow velocity value to a voltage value, and is connected to a processor operating using fuzzy logic for producing the flow measurements. The sensor may be an NTC thermistor. The thermistor may be powered from a current generator, and the processor may include a neural network. The sensor may include at least two discrete thermistors, one being a hot thermistor and the other being a cold thermistor.