Abstract: A digital optical serial communication system and encoding method comprises a transmitter responsive to an input of parallel information for parsing the information into 4-bit groups. The 4-bit groups are encoded into 5-bit codes having a 40/60 duty cycle and wherein no more than two consecutive bits are logical 1's or 0's on either end of the 5-bit code. The 5-bit codes are serially transmitted by an optical transmission medium for providing a conduit from the transmitter to a receiver. The receiver receives and decodes the serial information to 4-bit groups. The 4-bit groups are concatenated to form a parallel packet of information suitable for data processing. The encoding/decoding scheme has the advantages of (1) a worst case duty factor of 40/60%; (2) a maximum run of bits without transition equal to five; (3) an easily recaptured framing of packets due to a unique sync symbol; and (4) simple encoding and decoding of packets using combinational logic rather than lookup tables.

Abstract: A method for simultaneously manufacturing metallized carriers from wafer-shaped substrates is described, wherein such wafer-shaped substrates permit the use of standard IC fabrication apparatus and methods. As a result, very thin and finely dimensioned traces can be deposited. Thin-film manufacturing techniques are used to create the high-density traces on the surface of the chip carriers, thereby permitting direct connections from the IC to the periphery of the carrier without the need for vias. A lid hermetically seals and protects the package. The traces are comprised of a plurality of metals to facilitate bonding, each of the metals homogeneous for a portion of the trace. One metal portion of the trace is of a type compatible with an IC chip placed in the carrier. Another metal portion of the trace is of a type compatible with a trace on a printed circuit board. A metal barrier is interposed between the metals to prevent metal diffusion from one metal to an adjoining portion of another metal.

Abstract: Improved performance is obtained in computers of the type having vector registers which communicate with one or more functional units and common memory. As elements of a vector are read from a vector register for transmission to common memory or as operands to a functional unit, the vector register immediately becomes available to receive and store elements of a vector from common memory or a functional unit. The element-by-element storing takes place simultaneously with the element-by-element reading, and trails the reading by at least one element so as to not overwrite elements yet to be read. Through the use of this technique a vector register can be loaded with a vector for a subsequent operation without having to wait for the completion of the previous operation which uses the same vector register.

Abstract: On a tightly coupled multiprocessor computer system, the multiple parallel regions of a multithreaded applications program can execute simultaneously as multiple threads on a plurality of processors. Furthermore, a plurality of multithreaded programs may run simultaneously. The current invention uses an efficient system to schedule and reschedule processors to run these multiple threads. Scheduling is integrated at two levels: at the first level, processors are assigned processes. At the next level, processes are assigned threads. Increased efficiency is achieved by this integration and also by the formation of processes with destructible context. It makes use of shared storage to indicate the process request level and the control state for each parallel region.

Abstract: Position determining apparatus including at least one base station including a base transmitter which periodically transmits timing signals and a plurality of mobile remote units. Each remote unit includes a mobile receiver operative to receive timing signals transmitted by at least one base transmitter; synchronization circuitry receiving the timing signals and providing a spread-spectrum frequency-hopping sequence characteristic of the particular remote unit; a mobile transmitter producing a radiated frequency-hopped signal responsive to the frequency-hopping sequence and the timing signal; and a message generator operative to modify the radiated frequency-hopped signal to transmit a message to the at least one base station. least one base station.

Abstract: An alignment fixture for use in sealing integrated circuit packages including a body having rectangular alignment cavities therein for receiving components of integrated circuit packages. The body is inclined at an angle relative to a horizontal reference plane. The rectangular alignment cavities are rotated at 451/2 angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the body.

Abstract: The skew of a circuit within a clock pulse distributing network is determined by establishing a closed loop circuit including the circuit under test. A sampling period is established such as by a counter actuated by the clock pulses. During that sampling period, the number of pulses recurring within the closed loop circuit are counted in yet another counter. The count is then useful not only to indicate the magnitude of the circuit skew but also allows optimization of the delay introduced to the circuit under test during normal operation. The skew is thus determined dynamically under typical machine environment situations.

Abstract: Maintenance modes of operation of a multiprocessing vector supercomputer system are disclosed. The modes allow diagnostics to run on a failed portion of the system while simultaneously allowing user tasks to run in a degraded performance mode. This is accomplished by assigning a processor or a group of processors to run diagnostics on an assigned portion of memory, while the operating system and user tasks are run in the remaining processors in the remaining portion of memory. In this manner, the diagnostics can isolate the problem without requiring complete shut down of the user task, while at the same time protecting the integrity of the operating system. The result is significantly reduced preventive maintenance down time, more efficient diagnosis of hardware failures, and a corresponding increase in user task run time.

Abstract: A warning system for predicting collision between two or more relatively moving objects, comprising a position determination element for determining at a predetermined frequency for each one of the objects a respective location in space relative to a fixed frame of reference so as to produce successive frames of positional data for each object and a memory element coupled to the position a determination element for storing the successive frames of positional data. A path analysis element is coupled to the memory element and is responsive to successive respective locations of each of the objects for computing a trajectory for each object relative to the fixed frame of reference while an intersection analysis element coupled to the path analysis element and responsive to each one of the computed trajectories predicts whether two or more trajectories will intersect. A warning element is coupled to the intersection analysis element for warning respective ones of the objects of an impending collision.

Abstract: An air distribution system for electronic components utilizes an air supply unit with a silencer unit. The silencer unit attenuates sound associated with the air unit blowers with inlet and discharge silencers. The blowers have check valves which provide for isolating each blower for continued operation even with one blower. The cooling air is transported to a circuit board module stack from the blowers through ducts and a bank of rod valves. The valves allow maximum air flow to the modules with minimum resistance. The ducts have a flexible portion which have quick disconnects and act to isolate the modules from vibrations and static. The modules utilize channels in an air plate with different sized baffles to provide even distribution of cooling air to the printed circuit boards.

Abstract: An improved solid state storage device (SSD) with memory organized into a plurality of groups, each group including a plurality of ranks, and each rank having at least two banks sharing a bidirectional data bus. A matrix reorder circuit is used to distribute data across individual memory components in a way that prevents multibit uncorrectable or undetectable errors due to the failure of a single memory component. The matrix reorder circuit is used for both reading and writing data, and operates on a stream of pipelined data of arbitrary length.

Abstract: In a cooling system, an air manifold provides an equalized static pressure so that the air manifold evenly distributes air in a uniform basis without varying static pressures and volumes at each chip site on a printed circuit board. The air manifold is also distributes this air at the lowest possible volume so that the pumping energy required and the associated pumping noise are minimized.