A communication system includes a wireless interface including a transmitter, receiver, and a programmable device responsive to a communication signal to switch a communication mode in accordance with the communication signal. A module is coupled to the wireless interface and includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory includes a protocol sensor configured to identify a given protocol for received information and employ a corresponding software protocol for further communications.

The invention relates to a detection apparatus (12) for detecting photons. The detection apparatus comprises a pile-up determining unit (15) for determining whether detection signal pulses being indicative of detected photons are caused by a pile-up event or by a non-pile-up event, wherein a detection values generating unit (16) generates detection values depending on the detection signal pulses and depending on the determination whether the respective detection signal pulse is caused by a pile-up event or by a non-pile-up event. In particular, the detection values generating unit can be adapted to reject the detection signal pulses caused by pile-up events while generating the detection values. This allows for an improved quality of the generated detection values.

The invention relates to a detection apparatus (12) for detecting photons. The detection apparatus comprises a pile-up determining unit (15) for determining whether detection signal pulses being indicative of detected photons are caused by a pile-up event or by a non-pile-up event, wherein a detection values generating unit (16) generates detection values depending on the detection signal pulses and depending on the determination whether the respective detection signal pulse is caused by a pile-up event or by a non-pile-up event. In particular, the detection values generating unit can be adapted to reject the detection signal pulses caused by pile-up events while generating the detection values. This allows for an improved quality of the generated detection values.

A broadband interferometer lightning positioning method based on pulse matching and a system thereof that improves the positioning accuracy of the interferometer to the lightning radiation source. The method includes acquiring a very high frequency radiation pulse signal set of lightning; determining a first very high frequency radiation pulse signal within a set time period as a reference pulse signal; determining a first comparison pulse signal, and determining a second comparison pulse signal; moving both the first comparison pulse signal and the second comparison pulse signal to the position corresponding to the reference pulse signal using the cross-correlation algorithm to obtain a pulse signal set, simultaneously covering each pulse signal in the pulse signal set using a sliding window with a set width to determine the position of the lightning radiation source.

A broadband interferometer lightning positioning method based on pulse matching and a system thereof that improves the positioning accuracy of the interferometer to the lightning radiation source. The method includes acquiring a very high frequency radiation pulse signal set of lightning; determining a first very high frequency radiation pulse signal within a set time period as a reference pulse signal; determining a first comparison pulse signal, and determining a second comparison pulse signal; moving both the first comparison pulse signal and the second comparison pulse signal to the position corresponding to the reference pulse signal using the cross-correlation algorithm to obtain a pulse signal set, simultaneously covering each pulse signal in the pulse signal set using a sliding window with a set width to determine the position of the lightning radiation source.

A cycle estimation device (10) includes: a candidate cycle extraction unit (11) which extracts a candidate cycle that is a cycle determination target from an input time-series pulse train; a pulse train shape analysis unit (12) which converts arrangement of the time-series pulse train into numerical values on the basis of the extracted candidate cycle and outputs a constant that adjusts a random noise threshold value of pulse repetition interval (PRI) conversion in response to an index indicating a degree of concentration of calculated numerical values; and a cycle detection unit (13) which executes PRI conversion using a value of the candidate cycle and the constant and performs cycle determination and cycle value detection.

A method of determining a spectrum of energies of individual quanta of radiation received in a radiation detector is disclosed. Spectrum sensitive statistics are computed from a time series of digital observations from the radiation detector, defining a mapping from a density of amplitudes of the pulses to the spectrum sensitive statistics. The spectrum is determined by estimating the density of amplitudes of the pulses by applying an inversion of the mapping to the spectrum sensitive statistics. The statistics may be based on a first set of nonoverlapping time intervals of constant length L at least as long as a duration of the pulses without regard to entirety of clusters of the pulses; and a second set of nonoverlapping time intervals of constant length L1 less than L also without regard to entirety of clusters of the pulses. A method of estimating count rate is also disclosed.

A cycle estimation device (10) includes: a candidate cycle extraction unit (11) which extracts a candidate cycle that is a cycle determination target from an input time-series pulse train; a pulse train shape analysis unit (12) which converts arrangement of the time-series pulse train into numerical values on the basis of the extracted candidate cycle and outputs a constant that adjusts a random noise threshold value of pulse repetition interval (PRI) conversion in response to an index indicating a degree of concentration of calculated numerical values; and a cycle detection unit (13) which executes PRI conversion using a value of the candidate cycle and the constant and performs cycle determination and cycle value detection.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, a frequency monitor includes a counter configured to receive a monitored clock signal, to count a number of periods of the monitored clock signal over a predetermined time duration, and to output a count value corresponding to the number of periods of the monitored clock signal. The frequency monitor also includes a comparator configured to receive the count value from the counter, to receive an expected count value, to compare the count value from the counter with the expected count value, and to output a pass status signal or a fail status signal based on the comparison.

A control method of multi-phase converters, wherein the multi-phase converter includes a plurality of switching circuits coupled in parallel between an input voltage and a load. The control method includes: comparing a feedback signal with a reference signal to generate a comparison signal, wherein the feedback signal is indicative of an output voltage provided to the load; determining the number of switching circuits for power operation based on the load current; detecting a period of the comparison signal; comparing the detected period of the comparison signal with a time threshold to determine whether a transient rise of load current has occurred; and getting all the switching circuits into power operation if a transient rise of load current is detected.