59results about How to "Compromise performance" patented technology

A three-band, two-antenna, assembly includes a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) having a radiating / receiving element that is spaced from and extends generally parallel to a ground plane element. The planar radiating / receiving element of an inverted-F antenna (IFA) is located in an open space that exists between the radiating / receiving element of the PIFA and the ground plane element. The radiating / receiving element of the IFA extends either perpendicular to, or parallel to, the radiating / receiving element of the PIFA. The radiating / receiving element of the PIFA includes one or more open slot configurations that operate to provide dual resonant frequencies for the IPFA (AMPS / PCS or GSM / DCS). The radiating / receiving element of the IFA operates in a non-cellular frequency band (ISM or GPS).

An implantable medical device, such as an implantable pulse generator (IPG) used with a spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system, includes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery having an anode electrode with a substrate made substantially from titanium. Such battery construction allows the rechargeable battery to be discharged down to zero volts without damage to the battery. The implantable medical device includes battery charging and protection circuitry that controls the charging of the battery so as to assure its reliable and safe operation. A multi-rate charge algorithm is employed that minimizes charging time while ensuring the battery cell is safely charged. Fast charging occurs at safer lower battery voltages (e.g., battery voltage above about 2.5 V), and slower charging occurs when the battery nears full charge higher battery voltages (e.g., above about 4.0 V). When potentially less-than-safe very low voltages are encountered (e.g., less than 2.5 V), then very slow (trickle) charging occurs to bring the battery voltage back up to the safer voltage levels where more rapid charging can safely occur. The battery charging and protection circuitry also continuously monitors the battery voltage and current. If the battery operates outside of a predetermined range of voltage or current, the battery protection circuitry disconnects the battery from the particular fault, i.e. charging circuitry or load circuits.

An implantable medical device, such as an implantable pulse generator (IPG) used with a spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system, includes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery having an anode electrode with a substrate made substantially from titanium. Such battery construction allows the rechargeable battery to be discharged down to zero volts without damage to the battery. The implantable medical device includes battery charging and protection circuitry that controls the charging of the battery so as to assure its reliable and safe operation. A multi-rate charge algorithm is employed that minimizes charging time while ensuring the battery cell is safely charged. Slow charging occurs at lower battery voltages (e.g., battery voltage below about 2.5 V), and fast charging occurs when the battery voltage has reached a safe level (e.g., above about 2.5 V). When potentially less-than-safe very low voltages are encountered (e.g., less than 2.5 V), then very slow (trickle) charging occurs to bring the battery voltage back up to the safer voltage levels where more rapid charging can safely occur. The battery charging and protection circuitry also continuously monitors the battery voltage and current. If the battery operates outside of a predetermined range of voltage or current, the battery protection circuitry disconnects the battery from the particular fault, i.e. charging circuitry or load circuits.

A feedthrough filter capacitor assembly is described. The feedthrough filter capacitor assembly comprises an outer ferrule hermetically sealed to an insulator of a dielectric material seated within the ferrule. The insulative material is also hermetically sealed to at least one lead wire. Instead of being made of platinum or platinum / iridium, the lead wire comprises a core of a non-noble metal supporting a functionally graded coating. The metal core has an inner layer of the same the non-noble metal of the core and an outer layer of a noble metal. A gradient transition zone exists between the non-noble metal and the outer noble metal. Consequently, lead wires having all the beneficial attributes of platinum and platinum / iridium wire can be built into hermetic feedthroughs, but at a significantly reduced cost. In a preferred form, a filter capacitor is mounted on the insulator and electrically connected to the lead wires and to the ferrule to prevent unwanted EMI signals from traveling along the wires and entering the interior of the medical device.

An engine (10, 100) utilizes “regular EGR cooling” when operating in HCCI mode within a low load range and “enhanced EGR cooling” that allows the engine to continue to operate in HCCI mode when engine load increases beyond the low load range. When engine load increases to a high load range, the combustion mode changes over to conventional diesel combustion, and exhaust gas recirculation reverts to “regular EGR cooling”. In a first embodiment, cooling is provided by two heat exchangers, one being a regular EGR cooler always used when cooling is needed and the other, an enhancing EGR cooler that is selectively used. In a second embodiment, cooling is also provided by two heat exchangers, one being an EGR cooler through which liquid coolant always flows when cooling is needed, and the other being a radiator used selectively to cool the liquid coolant before it enters the EGR cooler.

A high resolution scanning electron microscope collects secondary Auger electrons through its objective lens to sensitively determine the chemical make-up with extremely fine positional resolution. The system uses a magnetic high resolution objective lens, such as a snorkel lens or a dual pole magnetic lens which provides an outstanding primary electron beam performance. The Auger electrons are deflected from the path of the primary beam by a transfer spherical capacitor. The primary beam is shielded, by a tube or plates, as it traverses the spherical capacitor to prevent aberration of the primary beam and the external wall of the shield maintains a potential gradient related to that of the spherical capacitor to reduce aberration of the primary electron beam. The coaxial configuration of the primary electron beam and the collected secondary electron beam allows the Auger image to coincide with the SEM view.

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a serrated tooth actuator for driving MEMS resonator structures. The actuator includes a fixed drive electrode having a serrated tooth surface opposing a MEMS resonator arm also having a serrated tooth surface, where the MEMS resonator arm is configured to rotate towards the drive electrode when an AC signal is applied to the drive electrode. Such a configuration permits higher amplitude signals to be applied to the drive electrode without the performance of the actuator being compromised by nonlinear effects. In addition, the serrated tooth configuration enables a sufficiently high actuating force to be maintained even though the distance traversed by the MEMS resonator arm during operation is quite small. Further, the serrated configuration allows a MEMS resonator system to withstand larger fluctuations in voltage and larger substrate stresses without experiencing a substantial shift in resonant frequency.

A PMR writer in a read / write head is disclosed wherein an upper shield covering the coil layer is comprised of a magnetic layer optimized for magnetic performance and a second layer used for tuning mechanical protrusion. The composite layer simultaneously provides high saturation magnetization and high permeability from the magnetic layer and low CTE from the second layer which tunes the relative spacing between the writer, reader, and the rest of the slider. In one embodiment, first and second write shields are formed on a write gap layer and have front portions at the ABS and back portions in a back gap region. The upper write shield connects on one side with the second write shield at the ABS and on a second side with the back gap region. This design can yield better reader and writer spacing for the same physical clearance which enables products with higher recording density.

The present invention provides extruded tubes for heat exchangers having improved corrosion resistance when used alone and when part of a brazed heat exchanger assembly with compatible finstock. The tubes are formed from a first aluminum alloy containing 0.4 to 1.1% by weight manganese, up to 0.01% by weight copper, up to 0.05% by weight zinc, up to 0.2% by weight iron, up to 0.2% by weight silicon, up to 0.01% by weight nickel, up to 0.05% by weight titanium and the balance aluminum and incidental impurities. The fins are formed from a second aluminum alloy containing 0.9 to 1.5% by weight manganese or an alloy of the AA3003 type, this second aluminum alloy further containing at least 0.5% by weight zinc.

A process for preparing styrene via the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene, comprising recirculation of reaction byproducts to the initial reaction stream as an oil based diluent, providing an effective means for reducing the steam to oil ratio required to operate the catalytic dehydrogenation reactor.

A direct digital sampling and synthesis general purpose radio system is disclosed which employs single or multiple receiver and / or transmitter sub-systems that require no analog frequency conversion or translation circuitry. Receiver signal processing is disclosed that describes methods of conditioning and digitizing an entire received RF signal band in which the down conversion, channelization and demodulation are performed digitally. In addition, a method for direct synthesis of transmitter signals is also disclosed where up conversion and carrier modulation is performed digitally. Several mitigation techniques are described which aid in overcoming device limitations as well as overcoming problems created by combining multiple digital transmitters and receivers into a single integrated system. One embodiment of the invention describes an integrated VHF / UHF aircraft NAV / COMM radio system which combines a VHF transmitter with four VHF / UHF receivers all of which require no IF circuitry. This embodiment allows for multiple simultaneous airborne radio services on a single platform such as voice and data communication modes (AM, ACARS, VDLM2, LAAS, etc.) as well as navigational modes such as VOR, ILS, and Marker Beacon. By utilizing direct digital methods, the signal processing burden is moved almost entirely to the digital domain where the processing can be optimized for each signal type and where linearity is guaranteed. Fewer RF components are required which result in less unit to unit variability, lower production costs, and improved reliability.

A PMR writer in a read / write head is disclosed wherein an upper shield covering the coil layer is comprised of a magnetic layer optimized for magnetic performance and a second layer used for tuning mechanical protrusion. The composite layer simultaneously provides high saturation magnetization and high permeability from the magnetic layer and low CTE from the second layer which tunes the relative spacing between the writer, reader, and the rest of the slider. In one embodiment, first and second write shields are formed on a write gap layer and have front portions at the ABS and back portions in a back gap region. The upper write shield connects on one side with the second write shield at the ABS and on a second side with the back gap region. This design can yield better reader and writer spacing for the same physical clearance which enables products with higher recording density.

Semiconductor switches, such as thyristors, may be light activated by introducing the light into the switch via a groove having a sloped surface to receive the triggering light. The use of a sloped surface increases the surface path length between points of different electrical potential in the groove and, therefore, reduces the likelihood of electrical breakdown on the groove wall. In one particular embodiment, a light-activated thyristor includes a semiconductor anode layer, an n-base layer, a p-base layer and a semiconductor cathode layer disposed parallel to a thyristor plane. A thyristor axis lies perpendicular to the thyristor plane. A groove having a light refracting side wall extends into the thyristor from the anode layer. A portion of the light refracting side wall is disposed non-parallel to the thyristor plane and to the thyristor axis, and extends in the n-drift layer.

The invention relates to signals representing energy of photons or particles of ionizing radiation incident on pixels of a semiconductor detector. Cross talk between the signals from different pixels is compensated using cross talk compensation signatures in the form of time domain series or functions which are aligned and applied to the cross talk signal in accordance with timing of the event which gave rise to the cross talk.

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a serrated tooth actuator for driving MEMS resonator structures. The actuator includes a fixed drive electrode having a serrated tooth surface opposing a MEMS resonator arm also having a serrated tooth surface, where the MEMS resonator arm is configured to rotate towards the drive electrode when an AC signal is applied to the drive electrode. Such a configuration permits higher amplitude signals to be applied to the drive electrode without the performance of the actuator being compromised by nonlinear effects. In addition, the serrated tooth configuration enables a sufficiently high actuating force to be maintained even though the distance traversed by the MEMS resonator arm during operation is quite small. Further, the serrated configuration allows a MEMS resonator system to withstand larger fluctuations in voltage and larger substrate stresses without experiencing a substantial shift in resonant frequency.