Abstract:
A flat panel display or other large-area electronic device comprises at least one TFT (T1; T2) having a crystalline channel region (1) and amorphous edge regions (13) adjacent sidewalls (12) of the TFT island (11). The TFT is fabricated by steps which include: (a) depositing on substrate (10) a thin film (11') of amorphous semiconductor material to provide the semiconductor material, (b) removing areas of the thin film (11') to form the side walls (12a, 12b) of each island (11), (c) forming a masking pattern (20) over the edge regions (13a, 13b) preferably on an insulating film (22), and (d) directing a laser or other energy beam (50) towards the islands (11) and the masking pattern (20) to crystallise the un-masked semiconductor material for the crystalline channel region (1), while retaining amorphous semiconductor material adjacent the side walls (12a, 12b) where the edge regions (13a, 13b) are masked from the energy beam (50) by the masking pattern (20). The resulting device structure has e.g polycrystalline TFTs (T1, T2) with low off-state leakage currents as a result of the amorphous material properties kept for the edge regions (13a) particularly where crossed by the insulated gate (4). The substrate (10) may be of polymer material which also is masked from the beam (50) by the masking pattern (20).
Abstract:
Current is sensed by a circuit which provides a high frequency reversing voltage to a sensing winding on a current transformer, for driving the transformer into its linear region once per cycle of applied voltage. Current through the sensing winding is sampled while the transformer is in that linear region. After taking a current sample application of the reversing voltage, sensor power consumption is reduced by inhibiting the application of voltage to the sensing winding for one or more of the high frequency cycles, or the same control and sensing circuitry is used to cause application of reversing voltage to a sensing winding on a different transformer measuring current through a different conductor, such as in a polyphase arrangement or for monitoring ground fault current. Preferably, the current is sampled approximately at the instants of reversal of the voltage being applied to the sensing winding, and the sample having the lower absolute value is selected as a sample proportional to the line current.
Abstract:
Emission-reducing shield for a display, comprising two glass plates. A conducting layer is present on one of the glass plates. The layer is a continuous layer so that there is no Moiré effect. The shield may also have an anti-static coating and an anti-reflection coating.
Abstract:
In a measurement system a dipole antenna (4, 18) is used for radiating an EM field in response to an electrical signal generated by an opto-electrical converter (12). The opto-electrical converter (12) is provided with an optical signal representing the EM field to be emitted. Optical signals are used to avoid disturbance of the EM field by a coaxial cable required to feed the antenna. In order to obtain an ideal dipole antenna with well known radiation properties, an inner conductor (16) is used to couple the signal from the opto-electrical converter (12) to both halves (4, 18) of a hollow dipole antenna.
Abstract:
A planar magnetic winding structure such as a transformer or inductor having an air gap in the core has a 'keep away' region of 2 to 3 times the gap height in which there are no windings, reducing high frequency winding losses by 35 percent or more, without appreciable increases in low frequency winding losses. Such structures are useful, for example, in electronic ballasts for the lighting industry.
Abstract:
A dimming interface for translating the conduction pulse width of a signal produced by a triac dimmer into a proportional rectified average voltage serving as a dimming signal. The dimming signal is supplied as an input to an IC driver in controlling the level of lamp illumination. The proportional rectified average voltage can be converted into a signal representing a duty cycle whereby variation in the main line voltage does not affect the dimming signal.
Abstract:
A fluorescent lamp ballast having an integrated circuit driver which avoids lamp flicker caused by momentary dips in mains voltage during lamp turn on. The anti-flicker scheme within the fluorescent lamp ballast driver distinguishes between operating conditions during and after preheat of the lamp electrodes. By maintaining the voltage for powering the integrated circuit driver above its minimum threshold, the driver does not momentarily shut off during lamp turn on.
Abstract:
Known is a bridged driving amplifier for driving a capacitive load which is coupled between a first and a second output terminal of the bridged driving amplifier, which bridged driving amplifier comprises a first driving section coupled between a first supply rail and the first output terminal, a second driving section coupled between the second output terminal and a second supply rail, a third driving section coupled between the first supply rail and the second output terminal, and a fourth driving section coupled between the first output terminal and the second supply rail, whereby the bridged driving amplifier is AC-driven such that the first and the second section, when driven, cause an output voltage across the capacitive load of a given polarity, and the third and the fourth section, when driven, cause an output voltage across the capacity load of a polarity opposite to the given polarity. To improve the efficiency of such a bridged driving amplifier, a bridged driving amplifier is proposed comprising inhibiting means for inhibiting that at least a part of the supply current is inhibited when discharging the capacitive load during voltage state changing of the voltage across the capacitive load from the one polarity to the other polarity.
Abstract:
A data transfer system transfers frames with more than two data words from a transmitter (100) to at least one receiver (102) in a time-multiplexed manner. The transmitter (100) and receiver(s) (102) are connected via four signal lines: a clock signal (112), a serial data signal (110), a word-select signal (114) and a frame-begin signal (116). The data is serially transferred via the serial data line (110), in synchronisation with periodic clock pulses of the clock signal (112). The word-select signal (114) triggers selecting a next transmit channel register from which the transmitter (100) transmits the next data word and a next receive channel register into which the receiver (102) stores the data word to be received next. The frame-begin signal (116) triggers selecting a first one of the channel registers. The data transfer system may, for instance, be used for transferring eight digital audio channels in a DVD player between components such as an input/output interface, a filter, a (de-)coder or a digital signal processor. The data transfer system is compatible with I2S.
Abstract:
An image-guided surgery system is used to show a user, for example a surgeon, a position of a surgical instrument in an operating area in the body of a patient during a surgical operation. The image-guided surgery system includes an alignment system for deriving an alignment line through a target position, for selecting a starting plane through an end of the surgical instrument, for deriving a starting point on the alignment line and in the starting plane, and for reproducing a position of said end and of said starting point relative to one another in the starting plane. For example, the positions of the end and the starting point in the starting plane are reproduced in a guide image.