Abstract: A thermal heat transfer member is disclosed for use with electronic or microwave systems. The thermal heat transfer member comprises a generally planar composite member is which elongated high thermal conductivity fibers are disposed within a matrix material. The matrix material may be an insulating epoxy or thermoplastic resin, while the fibers are elongated continuous commonly directed graphite fibers. The fiber ends terminate at a thermal contact surface which is interfaced with a heat sink. The thermal contact surface may be the transverse edge of the planar member or can be substantially parallel to the planar member. The fiber ends are inclined at an angle with respect to the plane of the planar member to provide for termination of the fibers at the thermal contact surface parallel to the planar member. Heat into the composite member is transferable along the commonly directed graphite fibers.

Abstract: A DC/DC power converter 10 which avoids shoot-through current by employing an energy storage fly-back inductor 27 having two separate primary windings 28 and 29, one for current in each direction. The fly-back inductor 27 is located inside the switching bridge. In addition, a transformer 30 having two separate windings 42 and 44 is also employed. Thus, shoot-through is avoided and an extra switch for pulse width modulation is not required. In addition, the device does not apply a greater voltage than the line voltage to the switches and "holes" in the output current are not created so that less noise is generated by the device.

Abstract: A signal processor for radar systems having phased array antenna structures. The processor determines the angle of arrival of the signal from a discrete energy source. The separate elements or output ports of the antenna structure are sampled to form a matrix of signal values. These values are converted into polynomial expressions consistent with one of the spectral estimating methods of maximum entropy, maximum likelihood, and thermal noise. The roots of the polynomial expressions are found and compared to the distance of the unit circle in a pole-zero diagram. Roots sufficiently close to the unit circle are selected as representative of the source signal peaks and the angular directions to such sources are determined by the corresponding angular location of the selected roots in the pole-zero diagram.

Abstract: A very high speed, high resolution analog to digital converter is detained including a subrange architecture, with the main range A/D including a digital to analog portion for producing an analog signal which can be summed with an amplified input analog signal. The summed analog signal is directed through a unity gain buffer to the subrange analog to digital converter, with the buffer isolating the high input capacitance of the subrange A/D from the summing node. The main range A/D provides a binary coded digital signal which approximates the input analog signal and which defines the most significant bits (MSB) of the digital output. The least significant bits (LSB) are had from the subrange A/D which provides at least one more bit than the number of MSB to provide overlap for forming the combined digital output signal.

Abstract: The invention is a cooling apparatus for electronically steered phased array antennas in radar systems. The apparatus includes a rigid tube, used in multiplicity with a series of identical apparatus, located adjacent to the transmitter/receiver modules in the antenna and having a plurality of longitudinal slots. Flexible hoses are inserted into the tubes so that when a liquid coolant is introduced under pressure into the hoses, the fluid pressure will be sufficient to cause expansion of the flexible hose material enough so the material expands outward through the slots in the tubes and becomes flush against the side of the transmitter/receiver modules, thereby maximizing heat transfer between the modules and the liquid coolant.

Abstract: The invention is an improved drag soldering machine for printed wiring boards (PWB) for providing a uniform vertical velocity at the point of separation between the solder and the PWBs. The improved drag soldering machine has a molten solder bath, an entry guide for directing the PWB to a horizontal position partially submerged in the solder bath, a drag guide for horizontally directing the PWB across the solder bath, an exit guide for separating the PWB from the solder bath by directing the PWB up and away from the solder bath and a transport means for advancing the PWB in the guide means, wherein the improvement comprises an exit guide providing an approximately uniform vertical velocity at the point of separation between the PWB and the solder bath thereby promoting a uniform soleder distribution over the length of the PWB.

Abstract: A thermal heat transfer member is disclosed for use with electronic or microwave systems. The thermal heat transfer member comprises a generally planar composite member in which elongated high thermal conductivity fibers are disposed within a matrix material. The matrix material may be an insulating epoxy or thermoplastic resin, while the fibers are elongated continuous commonly directed graphite fibers. The fiber ends terminate at a thermal contact surface which is interfaced with a heat sink. The thermal contact surface may be the transverse edge of the planar member or can be substantially parallel to the planar member. The fiber ends are inclined at an angle with respect to the plane of the planar member to provide for termination of the fibers at the thermal contact surface parallel to the planar member. Heat into the composite member is transferable along the commonly directed graphite fibers.

Abstract: A printed circuit board is described in which an electrically insulating laminate material has first and second sides. An electrically conducting first circuit pattern is embedded in the first side of the laminate material, and an electrically conducting second circuit pattern is embedded in the second side of the laminate material electrically insulated from the first circuit pattern by the laminate material. A solid interconnection member extends through the laminate material and electrically contacts both the first and second circuit patterns at selected locations thereof.The method for fabricating the board includes as a first step the fabrication of a first board panel having a raised electrically conducting first circuit pattern extending from a base layer of conductive material.

Abstract: A system and method for recovering a clock signal from digital data signals which do not include a separate clock signal. The system and method detect transitions from one logic state to the other logic state in the digital data signal, and compare the time alignment of these logic state transitions to an input clock signal from a voltage controlled oscillator. A correction control signal is generated as a function of the time alignment of the digital data signal transition with the input clock signal, and applied to the oscillator to vary the frequency of the clock signal as a function of the correction control signal, whereby a digital data recovered clock signal is aligned with the digital data signal.

Abstract: The present invention includes an apparatus that prebiases a transmitted radar signal. The prebiasing of the transmit signal automatically aligns the return signals in one dimension or dimensionally transforms the return signals thereby removing the need for one of the dimensional processing operations of a conventinal two dimensional return signal interpolator. A map function generator produces small frequency (phase) changes in the transmitted signal during each pulse over the entire integration or exposure period. The map function generator produces a parabolic frequency change control signal applied during the integration period. The control signal is divided into segments where each segment controls a single transmit pulse. The control signal modifies a linear frequency modulation control signal. conventionally produced by high resolution radar systems.

Abstract: A manufacturing data creation and distribution system comprises a computer with a graphics-capable display screen. The computer is capable of processing programmable instructions and creating data, and of generating graphic images on the display screen. A video camera is connected to the computer, and the computer includes hardware which can digitize the images transmitted by the video camera into a computer-readable form and display the digitized camera images on the display screen.A plurality of microprocessor-controlled workstations are networked to a microprocessor-controlled networking and file server, which can selectively retrieve data and transmit such data to the workstations for display. Also included within the computer is the capability to selectively manipulate the image-data received from the video camera to generate a manufacturing aid applicable to a product to be produced.

Abstract: Double complementary storage is provided for a single binary digit in a quad store cross-tie memory. A correlated double sampling signal processing system is used to increase data signal level and facilitate discrimination in cross-tie memories. A method is also provided for accomplishing write and read functions in a quad store cross-tie memory using only a single pulse for either function. A set of four memory elements, arranged in two row-aligned complementary pairs, stores a single data bit, and is under four column conductors for reading data, two row conductors, and a write conductor for writing data.

Abstract: A method for vapor phase soldering components onto a PWB onto which solder has been previously deposited includes the steps of applying a fluxing agent on the PWB and introducing the PWB into a vapor phase environment. The application of flux is a multi-step process which includes a sequential application of flux to the PWB. The vapor phase environment defines a temperature gradient between approximately ambient and the temperature of a saturated vapor of a first selected fluid which defines a primary saturated vapor phase with a boiling point which is greater than the melting point of solder. A second fluid having a boiling point which is lower than the first fluid is utilized to generate a secondary vapor blanket in order to prevent excessive loss of the fluid defining the primary vapor phase. The PWB is heated according to a controlled process in which the temperature of the PWB is continuously monitored.

Abstract: The electronic component retrieval and insertion apparatus for printed circuit boards is a tactile and displacement monitoring device for the retrieval from a source and insertion of electronic components into a through-hole PCB utilizing force and displacement sensors on extendable fingers adjustable for a multitude of shapes such that excessive force to the component and PCB can be avoided and the final position of the inserted component can be checked to verify proper seating.

Abstract: A recursive radar filter arranged to provide filtering of ground clutter signals from radar echoes in the form of short batches of pulses. The filter includes a feed-forward section with delay, adder, and fixed amplifier elements. The filter also includes a feedback section which includes similar elements. Two time-varying amplifiers are included in the filter which change gain as the pulses are applied to the input of the filter. In a three delay version of the filter, the gain of one of the time-varying amplifiers is such that the feed-forward section of the filter does not pass any pulses until the fourth pulse has been applied to the filter. After the third pulse, the gain of this time-varying amplifier increases on each successive input pulse. In another embodiment, the two time-varying amplifiers are eliminated by making all of the fixed gain amplifiers time-varying in relationship with the interpulse period of the pulse input signal.

Abstract: A drift field switch incorporating a layer of semiconductor material having a first conductivity type, two spaced apart regions having the same conductivity type or a second conductivity type which function as summing buses, a layer of resistive material positioned over and insulated from the material extending between the two regions to generate a lateral electric field in the material at times a voltage is placed across the resistive material. The drift field switch overcomes the problem of providing on and off switches to steer charge to one of a plurality of summing buses.

Abstract: A signal processing system that includes a ring bus; a multiplicity of system modules, each coupled to the ring bus and operative to receive and transfer blocks of data words over the ring bus; and a bus control module coupled to the ring bus and operative to support simultaneous data transfers between specified pairs of system modules in accordance with concurrent execution of multiple programs of data transfer instructions. In an alternate embodiment, the signal processing system may include a plurality of ring buses wherein each system module is coupled to all of the ring buses and operative to receive and transfer blocks of data words over any one of the ring buses. In addition, the bus control module is also coupled to all of the ring buses and operative to support simultaneous data transfers between specified pairs of system modules over all of the ring buses. Moreover, each ring bus may comprise individual bus segments for system module to system module coupling about the ring.

Abstract: Post detection processing for a pulse doppler surveillance radar is disclosed wherein target reports having ambiguous ranges along with those containing unambiguous ranges are used for tracking targets. The tracking includes a maneuver recognition mechanism for adaptively weighting the range, range rate, and X and Y coordinate driving errors as a function of the maneuvering and non-maneuvering operations of the target.

Abstract: An improved, high frequency, high or low power, broadband quadrature combiner having a significant reduction in weight, and improved electrical performance such as, decreased insertion loss, improved phase linearity, reduced Intermodulation Distortion (IMD) and improved VSWR, as well as improved simplified tuning opportunities. A reduction in the number of transformers used in the prior art quadrature combiner design facilitates weight reduction and independent tuning of a zero and ninety degree phase network. Specific design improvements to the prior art quadrature combiner include: elimination of the input hybrid, scaling of the phase networks to twice its prior art impedance and optimization of values over the frequency range, and the substitution of an output hybrid utilizing a single hybrid transformer in series with an impedance matching transformer.

Abstract: A class B or class C pulsed RF transistor amplifier having a passive LC energy storage network. The capacitors of the network are charged to a safe non-operating voltage substantially higher than the operating voltage. The inductances and capacitances of the network are sized so that the capacitors discharge with decreasing frequency; and the capacitor nearest the transistor discharges rapidly to the operating voltage during the first part of each pulse. The pulsed amplifier eliminates the need for a line-type modulator which would otherwise be required to modulate voltage to the switching transistor to prevent transistor breakdown.