Abstract: A signal to be quantized is translated to a charge Q and the latter is multiplied by a fraction f to produce a fractional charge packet fQ. Then, another fractional charge packet is produced by multiplying the remainder Q(1-f) of the charge packet by f. This last step is repeated for succeeding remainder charge packets a sufficient number of times until a total of n-1 fractional charge packets have been produced, where n is the number of quantization levels desired. The successive fractional charge packets are compared with threshold levels of different amplitudes to determine the number of incremental charge packets, each of the same size, to be added to one another to form a quantized charge packet.

Abstract: Electronic means, including an analog-to-digital converter responsive to samples of the output from an analog angle sensor directly coupled to an immersed oscillated transducer, is used to trigger the energization of the transducer at each of a predetermined number of equal increments in angle position during each cycle of oscillation of the transducer, with the triggered angle positions during a certain half-cycle of oscillation being interlaced with the triggered angle position during the other half-cycle of oscillation.

Abstract: The front surface of a semiconductor wafer and the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer are protected by either coating them or by placing the wafer in a special fixture. The so protected wafer is then placed in a chemical bath and thinned to the desired thickness over the entire center region of the back surface. Then a sheet of glass which fits into the thin region within the unthinned rim on the back surface is glued to the back surface to provide a laminated structure. Next, the individual imager devices are separated from one another by cutting through the glass and thinned substrate along lines between the devices.

Abstract: The present circuit is applicable to buried channel charge coupled devices (CCD's) of the type having an input circuit which employs a "skimming" technique for producing a charge representing an input signal. A given amount of charge initially is present in an input potential well of the CCD and an amount of charge representing an input signal is skimmed therefrom for propagation down the CCD, leaving behind a residual charge which continuously remains in the input potential well. The gain of the input circuit of the CCD is controlled by controlling the amount of this residual charge either in open loop fashion or by means of feedback. A comb filter suitable for separating the luminance and chrominance components of a television signal which includes this circuit is also described.

Abstract: Transducer completely immersed in ultrasonic propagating liquid can be oscillated back and forth at a high rate, without producing significant turbulence in liquid, if oscillation velocity varies as a predetermined smooth continuous function of time.

Abstract: A diffractive color filter, comprised of proximately disposed diffraction grating and lenticular lens structures, which may be embossed on plastic sheet, cooperates with an imaging lens to produce color stripes or color spots of an image on a photosensitive surface. The diffractive color filter may be used, for example, as a color-encoding stripe filter of a color TV camera.

Abstract: By flow-melting low-melting point electroplated metal structures, each corresponding to a white-manifesting region of the embossing master, any originally re-entrant shaped structure becomes non-re-entrant. Further, the flow-melting provides a brighter white color capability for the filter embossed in a thermoplastic film.

Abstract: A diffractive subtractive filter is made tunable by controllably varying the index of refraction of a fluid medium in contact with a surface relief pattern of a solid diffractive phase medium. A liquid crystal is the preferred fluid.

Abstract: A lens assembly exhibiting a certain fixed relative aperture is comprised of a physical acoustic lens having a given physical aperture and a fixed relatively short focal length serially spaced from an electronic acoustic lens having any selected one of a plurality of different relatively long focal lengths and simultaneously controlling the physical aperture of the electronic acoustic lens such that the relative aperture of the assembly as a whole remains fixed regardless of the selected one of the long focal lengths. Such a lens assembly is suitable for use in a pulse-echo ultrasonic-imaging system for imaging a deep structure.

Abstract: Single-chip, color imager in which filters for the three colors are arranged in successive stripes over the rows. The rows are read out a pair at a time. Each line of displayed information is obtained by combining the signals read from the last row of one pair of rows, delayed one horizontal line time, with the signals read from the following pair of rows.

Abstract: A-wave quantification indicator automatically measures the difference in amplitude between the peak of the E-wave portion of an ultrasonically derived M-wave CRT display and the peak of the A wave portion of the M-wave. This difference in amplitude, which distinguishes myocardial-disease and hyperkinetic syndrome subjects from normal subjects, is alphanumerically displayed in quantitative and/or qualitative terms.

Abstract: Enhanced optical coupling by phase evanescent fields is achieved by covering the planar layer of a waveguide with a thin metal oxide film incorporating a relief phase grating. The grating is originally formed in a metallic film covering the planar layer, which metallic film is converted to a metal oxide film by heating in an oxygen-containing atmosphere.

Abstract: A thin plate of III-V direct-bandgap semiconductor, preferably with anti-reflective coatings, operates as superior optical filter for light having a wavelength which exceeds a given wavelength in the visible or infra-red spectrum. Such a filter is particularly suitable for use in a duplex optical communication system employing a fiber-optic transmission line.

Abstract: In a CCD imager of the single-layer electrode type wherein the gate electrodes are of one conductivity and the "gaps" between electrodes are of opposite conductivity type, sparkle and mottling are reduced by controlling the conductivity of the gaps. Such control is achieved by employing an overlying control electrode which is insulated from the gaps and gate electrodes, to which an adjustable control voltage is applied. The latter can be derived in open-loop fashion; however, in a preferred form of the invention, the leakage current between a pair of adjacent electrodes is sensed and employed to control a voltage which is fed back to the control electrode.

Abstract: A control pulse is generated whenever the instantaneous amplitude of an arbitrary-waveform input signal differs by a fixed increment from that of a preceding sample of the input signal. The input signal is resampled in response to the control pulse and the whole operation is repeated.

Abstract: A patching tape, comprising a diffraction grating structure embossed in one face of a transparent plastic tape and a conformal adhesive covering the other face thereof, is used both for correcting informational errors and for producing contrasting color stripes in formal diffractive subtractive filter viewgraphs.

Abstract: An encoding scheme, in readout, generates a spatially separated entire spectrum for each one of the three primary colors. This permits spatially separated color filters to select each primary color from its own spectrum.

Abstract: A 2-level quantized video signal, composed of background level and character-pattern delineating level time intervals in which transitions between levels only occur at an end of one or more elemental timing periods, is modified to a 3-level quantized video-signal in which the difference between the character-pattern delineating and background levels is increased for at least one of the first and last entire elemental timing periods of the duration of each occurring character-pattern delineating level interval.

Abstract: Transducer completely immersed in ultrasonic propagating liquid can be oscillated back and forth at a high rate, without producing significant turbulence in liquid, if oscillation velocity varies as a predetermined smooth continuous function of time.

Abstract: A transducer comprising a longitudinal bar of piezoelectric material having one longitudinal face substantially covered with a first electrode and the opposite longitudinal face in contact with a predetermined plural number of separate electrodes spaced along the length thereof, permits all detected echoes to be processed by a single low input impedance amplifier permanently coupled to the first electrode.