Abstract: A laser system and processing method exploits the absorption contrast between the materials from which a link (12) and an underlying substrate (22) are made to effectively remove the link from the substrate. Laser output in a wavelength range of 1.2 to 3 .mu.m (30) optimizes the absorption contrast between many materials (e.g., metals, polysilicon, polycides, or disilicides) and integrated circuit substrates (e.g., silicon, gallium arsenide, or other semiconductors) and permits the use of laser output in a wider range of energy or power levels, pulse widths, and spot sizes without risking damage to the substrates or adjacent circuit structures. Existing link processing laser systems can be readily modified to operate in the 1.2 to 3 .mu.m range.

Abstract: The optical response of the pixels of many flat panel display devices, such as liquid crystal displays (2), depends upon the spectral components, as well as the rms value, of the pixel voltage waveform during a frame period. Because each row and column electrode (10 and 11) addresses multiple pixels (14), the spectral voltage components of the voltage across any pixel during a frame period will depend upon the optical state of other pixels in the same column (11). This crosstalk phenomena can be greatly reduced by modifying the addressing signals. One method of modifying the addressing signals is to modulate them so that the spectral components of all pixel voltage waveforms fall primarily in a frequency band (54) in which the optical response is nearly independent of the frequency.

Abstract: A transponder of an active digital sonar system identifies a multifrequency underwater activating sonar signal received from a remote sonar transmitter. The transponder includes a transducer that receives acoustic waves, including the activating sonar signal, and generates an analog electrical receipt signal. The analog electrical receipt signal is converted to a digital receipt signal and cross-correlated with a digital transmission signal pattern corresponding to the activating sonar signal. A relative peak in the cross-correlation value is indicative of the activating sonar signal having been received by the transponder. In response to identifying the activating sonar signal, the transponder transmits a responding multifrequency sonar signal.

Abstract: Methods of operating an automated optical inspection system to separate selected items, e.g., grape stems (124, 126, 128), grape leaves (122), or rocks from a mixture (16) of those items and raisins (120) include illuminating the mixture with illumination (37', 37") characterized by a spectral power distribution (86, 98) in the near infrared (88, 90, 100, 102), detecting reflections of wavelengths of the illumination in the near infrared, identifying the selected items based on the detected reflections, and sorting the selected items from the mixture.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing gray level addressing for passive liquid crystal display (LCD) panels having overlapping row and column electrodes defining pixels are disclosed. Depending upon whether the rows are being addressed by "standard" or "Swift" addressing, the signals for applying to the column electrodes are determined by different calculations, in all of which modes the amplitudes of the column signals are related to the gray level desired to be displayed by the individual pixels. For a split interval system, column signals of appropriate amplitude and polarity are applied during different subintervals of a characteristic time interval of the display panel depending upon the method of addressing the rows. In the full interval mode, the column signals applied over a full time interval are based on the desired gray level of all the pixels in the column, adjusted to provide the proper rms voltage across all the pixels so that they display the desired gray levels.

Abstract: An object dependency network-based data visualization system allows a user to graphically edit a network of displayed objects and their interconnections to specify an underlying data computing and data visualization process. Each displayed object is selected by the user from among a menu of objects representing data structures and functions such as data fields to be analyzed, mathematical operations, data input functions, and display manipulation functions. The user graphically draws lines interconnecting ports on the objects that have underlying data structure addresses that establish and control a data and operational flow through the underlying computer-driven process. The underlying process is continually running but only performs a particular computation in response to a data change or state change associated with any of the objects in the network.

Abstract: A radiation beam position and emission system coordinates the emission and position of a radiation beam to accurately move it along an intended path. This is accomplished by synchronizing a fixed clock that directs the motion of a servomechanism with a variable clock that controls beam emission from a radiation device. The synchronized clocks allow the beam to start emission when the servo moves the radiation device from which the beam exits. Sharp corners between first and second legs of a beam path are realized by turning off the beam at the site that will be the vertex of the desired corner and looping the beam emitting device along a path that reintersects the vertex at the same time the beam is restarted. This allows the impact path to continue along a trajectory away from the vertex at any desired angle. Since the beam is turned off while the servo repositions the radiation device, and is restarted only at the corner vertex, the first and second intersecting beam paths meet at a sharp corner.

Abstract: The present invention is a compact specimen processing station (10) that processes vertically oriented specimens. Specimen storage, transport, and inspection components (26, 28, and 30) are all mounted to a vibration-damped support structure (14) and are designed to handle specimens (34) positioned with a generally vertical orientation. The station is designed to minimize undesirable specimen motion and contamination caused by an operator (42). A specimen processing station (10) that performs inspection functions is equipped with a processing means (32) and a display monitor (36) that provide a real image and a video image, respectively, of a microscopic region of the specimen under inspection. The station is equipped with failsafe mechanisms (176 and 182) that prevent the dropping of a specimen during an electrical power failure or a vacuum pressure loss.

Abstract: A plastic container sorter (10) moves labeled plastic containers (14, 20, 48, 54, 58) of various colors and transparencies through an inspection zone (18). A pair of line-scanning color cameras (22, 24) capture respective transmittance and reflectance images of the containers and generate raw transmittance and reflectance image data. The raw container data are digitized, normalized, and binarized to provide accurate transmittance and reflectance container RGB image data and binarized image data for differentiating container image data from background data. Container sorting entails eroding (120) the binarized transmittance image and merging (122) the eroded image with the transmittance image data to yield a transmittance image. The eroded transmittance image is analyzed (124, 126) to determine whether the container is opaque. If the container is opaque, color analysis proceeds by analyzing the reflectance image data.

Abstract: A substantially zero overhead mutual-exclusion apparatus and method (90, 120) is provided that allows concurrent reading and updating data while maintaining data coherency. That is, a data reading process executes the same sequence of instructions that would be executed if the data were never updated. Rather than depending exclusively on overhead-imposing locks, this mutual-exclusion mechanism tracks an execution history (138) of a thread (16, 112) to determine safe times for processing a current generation (108, 130, 131) of data updates while a next generation (110, 132, 133) of data updates is concurrently being saved. A thread is any locus of control, such as a processor. A summary of thread activity (106, 122) tracks which threads have passed through a quiescent state after the current generation of updates was started.

Abstract: Image quality is improved in an rms-responding, passive matrix display system (10) by correcting for voltages induced onto row addressing electrodes (22) by voltage transitions on column electrodes (24). Net crosstalk voltages sensed at nodes (88N and 88P) between a row driver (72) and voltage sources (70N and 70P) correspond to the voltage induced on a row electrode plane (136). A correction voltage corresponding to the net crosstalk voltage on the row plane is applied to the voltage sources to correct the rms pixel voltages for the crosstalk.

Abstract: An illumination system (12) for an optical inspection and sorting apparatus (10) includes a rare gas discharge lamp (36) for emitting select wavelengths of radiation. Rare gas discharge lamp (36) includes a light transmissive outer envelope (58) and contains one or more rare gases, and in particular neon, argon, or xenon. A hemi-elliptical reflector (48) having reflecting surface (38) directs the select wavelengths of radiation toward target specimens (16) in optical scanning area (24) in illumination area (20).

Abstract: A conveyor system for transporting and aligning articles to be sorted in an automated bulk processing system is disclosed. The conveyor comprises one or more product-carrying lanes, each lane comprising two side belts separated by a central product-carrying belt. Each of the side belts is raised with respect to the product-carrying belt, thereby guiding articles on to the product-carrying belt. In a preferred embodiment, the product-carrying belt has two product-carrying surfaces and is provided with a 180.degree. lengthwise twist whereby the product-carrying surfaces are alternately presented on the upper surface of the conveyor system for each complete belt travel cycle. The 180.degree. lengthwise twist is maintained in position by a belt guide or comb located on the underside of the conveyor system.

Abstract: An inspection system (2) employs a beam of monochromatic light (12) that travels through a Fourier transform lens (16) before striking a specimen wafer (4) at an angle (.THETA.) with respect to the normal (26) of the specimen wafer (4) to produce diffracted light (28b ) and 28c) that has a broad spatial frequency spectrum which can be selectively filtered to produce a dark field image pattern of the various sized defects in an inspection area (22) of the wafer. The nearly collimated beam of monochromatic light strikes the wafer at an angle (.THETA.) with respect to the normal of the wafer of between zero degrees and a predetermined maximum angle. For the inspection system disclosed, the predetermined maximum angle is the angle formed when the beam of monochromatic light is as far away from the optic axis as possible yet still within the numerical aperture of the Fourier transform lens (16). Moreover, if a specific range of defect sizes is anticipated, the system can be optimized by setting the angle (.THETA.

Abstract: A reflector assembly (60) for a fiber-optic matrix display system (10) designed to improve the coupling efficiency of luminous energy between a light emitting element (52) and an input matrix (26) and to provide one or more input matrices (26) with substantially uniform illumination over their respective surfaces. The reflector assembly (60) preferably includes an input aperture for receiving luminous energy from the light emitting element (52); a larger output aperture (70) through which the luminous energy exits the reflector assembly (60) to impinge on the imaging medium and the input terminals (28) of the input matrix (26); and a reflector head (64) positioned between the input aperture (68) and the output aperture (70) and having a right rectangular pyramidal, hollow frustum shape preferably designed according to the formula ##EQU1## where n.sub.1 is the refractive index of optical conductor cores 82, n.sub.2 is the refractive index of optical conductor claddings 84, and .THETA..sub.

Abstract: A removable support accessory (30) is positionable relative to one or more support bars (15, 16) of a bed frame (12) of a collapsible bed (10) to provide a substantially greater support base and more planar bed and seat support planes (23, 82). The support accessory (30) thereby reduces discomfort that would otherwise be imposed by ridges, buckets, and rolling caused by sagging cables (20, 22) and the narrow support bars (15, 16). The support accessory (30) includes a longitudinal unit (34) having substantially rigid sections (38, 40) and nonrigid sections or hinges (46) that permit support accessory (30) to be compactly folded for storage. The support accessory (30) also includes a substantially rigid central unit (36) that extends the length of the nonrigid section (46) to provide continuous support along the length of the longitudinal unit (34).

Abstract: An M16/AR-15 rifle firing pin of a unitary titanium construction includes a head section with a head that a rifle hammer hits to drive the firing pin against the primer of a cartridge. The head section includes a shoulder with a radially outer edge. The shoulder preferably has a chamfer along the radially outer edge facing the head section.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, a sorting apparatus according to the present invention includes a conveyor belt for carrying a stream randomly-arranged articles, at least some of which are post-consumer plastic articles made of PVC and others of which are made of PET. The conveyor belt carries the articles to an irradiation area where they are irradiated with ultraviolet light that induces the post-consumer articles of PVC to emit phosphorescent light that persists after the irradiation ends. The conveyor belt then carries the articles to an inspection zone that is isolated from the ultraviolet light. A video camera is positioned to receive phosphorescent light emitted from post-consumer articles made of PVC. Other articles commonly in the stream of post-consumer plastic articles (e.g., PET) do not emit phosphorescent light and are, therefore, distinguishable from the PVC articles.