Lucent Technologies Inc.

At&t Bell Laboratories

At+t Corp.

Other

Agere Systems Inc.

At&t Ipm Corp.

Robert A Boie

Gabriel L Miller

Greg E Blonder

David John Bishop

Sungho Jin

Zhenan Bao

Edwin Arthur Chandross

David Alan Ackerman

Jungsang Kim

Flavio Pardo

William Turin

Dustin Wade Carr

Cristian A Bolle

Mark T McCormack

Eric R Wagner

Richard A Gottscho

Laurence W Ruedisueli

Hyongsok Soh

Allan R Kmetz

John Robert Morris, Jr

Peter Kian-Hoon Ho

Po-Yen Lu

Richard H Krukar

A sensor that is responsive to at least two distinct spectral bands, e.g., infrared radiation and ultraviolet or infrared and visible light makes use of the junction of a diode-based bolometer as a photocell in addition to its temperature dependence for detecting infrared radiation. More specifically the diode bolometer is arranged to work in the conventional manner, in that an electrical characteristic of the diode, e.g., the temperature dependence of its current-voltage (I-V) curve, is used as the basis for measuring temperature, and hence, infrared radiation. Additionally, the same diode may be operated as a photocell to detect radiation that is capable of interacting with the electrons in the junction of the diode. This may be achieved by detecting a change in the operating point of the diode based given its present biasing in response to noninfrared radiation incident upon the diode.

Imaging sensor

A packaged MEMS device containing the micro mirrors has mounted on it at least two distinct integrated circuit chips, at least one of which contains the low-voltage digital-to-analog converts and at least one of which contains the high-voltage amplifiers. The integrated circuit chips may be mounted directly to the MEMS package, or they may be indirectly mounted thereto, e.g., by being directly mounted to a multi-chip module which is in turn mounted on the package. Thus, the MEMS package is employed in a dual role, 1) that of package for the MEMS device and 2) the role of a backplane in that it contains mounting places and the wires interconnecting the MEMS device and chips or modules containing the low-voltage digital-to-analog converters and the high-voltage amplifiers.

MEMS driver circuit arrangement

An optically controlled switch includes first and second electrodes, a channel extending between the electrodes, and a light source positioned to illuminate the channel. The light source produces a wavelength capable of changing the material's conductivity. The channel includes a photosensitive organic material and is configured to operate as a light controlled switch.

Optically controlled switches

A micro-machined transducer having a structure in which an acoustic enclosure is formed on a substrate above the plane of the substrate surface is disclosed. Forming the acoustic enclosure on the substrate above the plane of the substrate surface, rather than an acoustic cavity in a surface of the substrate, provides an acoustic cavity whose size is not limited by the thickness of the substrate.

Surface micro-machined acoustic transducers

An electrostatic actuator and a method for actuating a micro-machine structure. The micro-machine structure has a stationary part and a movable part that is relatively movable between a rest position and an activated position and is resiliently connected to the stationary part. The stationary part and the movable part form a flexible sub-structure having a resonant frequency. The actuator comprises a first electrode disposed on the stationary part and a second electrode disposed on the movable part. The actuator also includes a wave generator, connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, for generating an alternating voltage signal to the first electrode and a reference voltage signal to the second electrode so as to impart an electrostatic force between the stationary and movable parts and to move the movable part from the rest position to the activated position. The electrostatic force for fixed amplitude wave has a constant force component and a vibratory force component. The alternating voltage signal has a frequency sufficiently higher than the resonant frequency of the sub-structure so that the vibratory force component is absorbed by the sub-structure and the activated position remains substantially constant. The actuator motion or position is controlled by varying the amplitude of the alternating voltage signal.

Apparatus and method for charge neutral micro-machine control

Acoustic dialers are widely used to dial telephone numbers by generating a pair of DTMF tones for each key being depressed. Non-linearities in telephone systems, acoustic dialer loudspeakers, and telephone microphones may cause interfering tones to be produced due to mixing of generated DTMF tones. These interfering tones are especially problematic when they are near the frequencies of the DTMF tones and have similar amplitudes. When these interfering tones are received by a receiver decoder, the decoder may be unable to distinguish the interfering tones from the DTMF tones, and consequently the decoder may reject the DTMF tones received. The present invention prevents these types of rejections by generating a supplemental tone in addition to the normal DTMF tones. This supplemental tone attenuates the interfering tones so that receiver decoders can distinguish the interfering tones from the DTMF tones.

Interference attenuation for acoustic-dialers

A unitary display and sensing device integrates liquid crystal display module elements of a liquid crystal display module for detecting input on a flat panel display screen with the capability for digitizing the detected inputs. In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, display elements of a liquid crystal display module are modified to sense input on the display screen. An electrical signal is applied to modified display elements of the liquid crystal display module so that contact with a surface portion of the display screen produces an output signal indicative of its location. The integrated display and sensing device is active matrix addressed for finger input, but may also incorporate display systems for active pen input.

Integrated liquid crystal display and digitizer having a black matrix

The present invention provides a position-sensing system which employs sensors incorporating magnetoresistive materials. The position of a magnetic information input member is determined through the resistance change of the magnetoresistive sensor in response to the magnetic field from the magnetic information input member. Exemplary magnetoresistive materials are lanthanum manganites having high magnetoresistive ratios. Two-dimensional position sensing systems for graphics tablets are also described.

Position sensing systems including magnetoresistive elements

Disclosed is a system and method for reading and decoding distorted data, e.g., bar code label or other symbology data, by fitting a scanned signal model j(t, .theta.), using a Deterministic Expectation-Maximization (DEM) algorithm, to the measured or detected data signal y(t). The DEM algorithm, which is a novel variation of the conventional Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm, enables the system and method according to the invention to determine the values of a plurality of parameters .theta. defining the scanned signal model j(t, .theta.) as it is being fitted to the measured data signal y(t). Based on these values, characteristic information such as data elements or symbols encoded within the image data are generated using conventional signal processing techniques. The use of the DEM algorithm advantageously deblurs the signal by reducing the effects of intersymbol interference. In an alternative embodiment, the DEM algorithm is supplemented by a conventional zero crossings decoding technique. In this manner, the zero crossings technique is used to obtain initial parameter estimates for the DEM algorithm in determining the parameters .theta. of the scanned signal model j(t, .theta.).

Method and system for decoding distorted image and symbology data

Portable computing and communications devices are connected with other, typically fixed devices via the use of a capacitive data connector. Each of the two mating sections of the connector includes a set of coupling plates. When the two sections are brought into contact, the coupling plates form capacitors across which data signals can be passed. Circuitry driving each section of the data connector is such as to create a bidirectional signaling path, thereby providing a connection which is functionally equivalent to an ohmic connection. Signals that are typically passed across data connectors on individual parallel leads are, in the present data connector, serialized, passed across the connector in that form and connected back to parallel form on the other side of the connection. Each section of the connector illustrately includes a permanent magnet to draw and hold the two sections in alignment, thereby providing a connector which is self-aligning.

Data connector for portable devices

A circuit that prevents optical screening systems from being pinned in an inoperative state under certain light conditions. The invention accomplishes this by using a circuit comprising a photodetector for converting scattered light from a visual code (e.g., universal product code) into current and a current limiting circuit coupled to the photodetector for limiting the current capable of passing through the photodetector.

Optical scanner

A computer input device for use as a computer mouse or keyboard comprises a thin, insulating surface covering an array of electrodes. Such electrodes are arranged in a grid pattern and can be connected in columns and rows. Each column and row is connected to circuitry for measuring the capacitance seen by each column and row. The position of an object, such as a finger or handheld stylus, with respect to the array is determined from the centroid of such capacitance values, which is calculated in a microcontroller. For applications in which the input device is used as a mouse, the microcontroller forwards position change information to the computer. For applications in which the input device is used as a keyboard, the microcomputer identifies a key from the position of the touching object and forwards such key identity to the computer.

Computer mouse or keyboard input device utilizing capacitive sensors

Capacitive proximity sensors are disclosed that can be fabricated in different shapes, sizes and materials used in a wide variety of applications. Each such sensor includes a sensing electrode and a guard electrode. The sensor electrode and guard electrode can be parallel conductors separated by an insulating layer, such as a double-sided circuit board shaped to suit the application. One such sensor is transparent for use in conjunction with an optical bar-code scanner. Another sensor is annular in shape for use in conjunction with a telephone transmitter. The sensing electrode and the guard electrode are driven in unison by an RF signal. The proximity of an object to the sensor is observed by detecting changes in the RF current flowing through the sensing electrode caused by the proximity of an object to the sensing electrode.

Capacitive proximity sensors

Information processing, for example by means of a computer, is served by a tablet in combination with an inputting implement such as stylus or human finger. Such a tablet-implement combination may serve in lieu of or ancillary to other inputting means such as a keyboard. Implement positional information, e.g., as contacting the tablet, depends upon interpolation as between segmenting lines in the tablet. Cost advantage commensurate with resolution/noise desiderata is ascribable to use of analog information (without digitization) in interpolation.

Information processing

There are disclosed methods and apparatuses for the assembling of parts using capacitive sensing, both for controlling the closure or 'homing' phase of the assembly process and for acquiring one or more of the parts prior to that phase. Assembling of semiconductor parts to essentially two-dimensional and three-dimensional packages, the insertion of a peg in a hole, and an application to tape-automated-bonding (TAB) technology are all described, as are various representations of the resulting capacitive data. Included are the uses of scheduling and optical sensing to supplement capacitive sensing in the methods and apparatuses.

Growing community of inventors

Westfield, NJ, United States of America

Robert A Boie