Abstract: An improved interface unit for receiving a stream of parallel bit words from a source bus comprising an address field, a data field and a clock field. The parallel bit words are first phase adjusted and stored in an input register where the address field is compared in enable logic to determine whether to store the data field in a sink buffer register for processing. The word in the input register is coupled to the buffer storage register. The address field is further compared in pass through disable logic to determine whether to pass the address and data field to an output register or to generate a null code address in the address field of the word being outputted from the buffer storage register. The word in the buffer storage register is coupled through a word selector to an output register.

Abstract: A mixing nozzle for producing a high velocity jet of airborne abrasive slurry comprising a cylindrical air passage of a length at least 2.5 times its diameter, a concentric circular chamber surrounding the cylindrical air passage and having a tangential entry for the abrasive slurry, and a nozzle portion having a region tapering from the diameter of the concentric circular chamber to a cylindrical region. The diameter of the cylindrical region should have a diameter lying between 1.2 and 3.0 times that of the air passage and a length at least six times its diameter. The air passage and the concentric chamber with its tangential entry is preferably formed as a replacement insert made from a wear resistant material.

Abstract: Apparatus for monitoring the length of a fine wire tail made after the second bond of a fine wire interconnection includes a continuity circuit and a wire bond monitoring system (WBMS) in an automatic wire bonder. The Z axis position of the bonding tool is sensed to determined the height of the bonding tool on second bond and at the time the fine wire breaks from second bond. The monitoring circuit determines if the wire clamps are initiated and when and if the electronic flame-off control is fired. Logic circuit in the WBMS determine if wire tail after second bond is of a proper length to make a ball on the wire tail and if not, what remedial measures must be made to avoid damage to the semiconductor device being bonded.

Abstract: A digital video switch system comprising a smart control terminal is coupled to a digital access controller and to a multipoint control unit. The smart control terminal is provided with a plurality of function keys, each of which is designed to provide automatic interconnection of input and output ports of the digital access controller and the multipoint control unit so that a predetermined interconnection of video and audio signals from remote conferencing sites are interconnected via input/output ports of the digital access controller with each other in a desired format to provide central teleconferencing control of a plurality of sites from a central control site.

Abstract: A method of preventing the interconnecting fine wires of a bonded semiconductor devices from moving from their preferred loop position after being bonded in an automatic wire bonder includes the step of automatically transferring the bonded semiconductor device to an insulating station prior to other operations. The interconnecting fine wires are coated in a manner which does not disturb or short the interconnecting wire which are pre-cured or cured before being transferred to a storage rack, or directly to a follow-on process step of a continuous production line.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for orienting individual bonding sites of a lead frame having a plurality of bonding sites includes a universal work station in a work holder. The work holder comprises a gripper mechanism which is mounted on a transverse rail or bar for grasping a lead frame at an edge portion thereof while exposed in a supply magazine. The jaws of the gripper mechanism are pivoted in a horizontal direction which permits the exposed edge of the lead frame to be aligned parallel to a reference plane in a theta orientation direction. While oriented in the theta orientation direction, the lead frame is moved precisely to the window of the work station of the work holder where it is clamped by the top plate and lower plate of the work station before being subsequently bonded.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for performing two stages of high-speed compression of vector data inputs. Two input channels of vector data are compressed and encoded through a vector quantizer encoder to provide a first stage of data compression. The output of the first encoder is further decoded then compressed and encoded in a novel high-speed computing mapping means which may be implemented in the form of a look-up table. Vector quantized encoded output is double the previous data compression of a single stage. The second stage of data compression causes very little degradation of the data from the first stage of data compression.

Abstract: An interference nulling system is provided which nulls out all types of interference signals received in different lobes of the receiving antenna. The data to be received is transmitted from a high quality circular polarized transmitter antenna having the same polarization as the data receiving port of the receiving antenna. The receiving antenna also has a receiving port whose circular polarization is orthogonal to the antenna port receiving the data so that this latter channel contains only interference signals. The interference signals in this latter channel are correlated with the interference components in the data channel. A control loop is employed to adaptively adjust the phase (or delay) and amplitude of the sample of the interference signal and the adaptively adjusted interference signal is subtracted from the data signal which contains some of the interference signals, thus, providing a clean data signal.

Abstract: A high PN code rate receiving system is provided for receiving, recovering and tracking a high rate PN composite code comprising a low rate PN code combined with a high rate PN code and wherein the receiving system comprises a broad band receiver for receiving the high rate PN composite code and further includes a data recovery channel and a tracking loop channel. The data recovery channel comprises a high rate mixer and a low rate mixer for removing the high data rate component code and the low data rate component code to provide a low data rate data stream. The tracking loop channel comprises a high rate early-late tracking system for producing a high rate error signal and further comprises a low rate portion of the tracking loop for producing a low rate error signal which is combined with the data output to provide a clock error signal.

Abstract: A novel hybrid air bag inflator system includes a differential pressure monitoring switch which comprises a sealed module containing a gas under a threshold pressure mounted in a gas bag filler tank. The capsule comprises a movable diaphragm connected to a fixed top plate and the diaphragm is supported on a shaped mandrel mounted on a switch body. The switch body and the mandrel are provided with a central aperture through which moves a movable piston and the movable piston forms a support for switch contacts which are normally open until the pressure in the hybrid air bag gas filler tank falls below a predetermined operable reference pressure at which time the switch contacts reach a closed position indicative of a failed or inoperative hybrid system.

Abstract: A test circuit for two level latches on an integrated circuit to be tested includes a test enable driver circuit coupled to a third level switch which is connected in series between the latches to be tested and a low voltage source. The third level switch converts the two level latches to be tested into a buffer such that data applied as an input to the two level latches appears in identical form as data at the output pin of the integrated circuit chip.

Abstract: A mainframe computing system is adapted to be loaded with one of a plurality of different operating systems and different associated microcode to provide a computing system which is capable of running user programs adapted to be executed by the loaded operated system comprises a main memory for receiving the desired operating system coupled to a system bus. An instruction processor and an input/output control processor are coupled to the system bus and are provided with an instruction register for presenting user program instructions to the processors. The processor means have associated therewith microcode storage memory which receive and store a set of microcode instructions to be performed by the processors according to the program instruction stored in the instruction register. The stored microcode comprises primary microcode instructions to carry out each of the instructions in the instruction register means.

Abstract: A low mass self-aligning wire clamp jaw assembly is provided which may be employed as a replaceable wire clamp jaw assembly or as a complete integrated wire clamp assembly with an actuator. The novel self-aligning wire clamp jaw assembly comprises a wire clamp jaw mounting arm which is adapted to be connected to a bonding head support. The wire clamp jaw mounting arm serves as a fixed lever to which is attached a first fixed flat surface clamping jaw and also serves as a mount to which a second and pivotal jaw is positioned juxtaposed the first jaw. A force mounting spring is also mounted on the mounting arm for applying a unidirectional force to one end of the second pivotal jaw to bias the pivotal jaw in a normally open or normally closed position.

Abstract: A high efficiency clean burning fireplace for burning solid fuels at pyrolytic temperatures is provided with refractory walls maintained about 1100.degree. Fahrenheit at different burning rates. A top wall of the combustion chamber includes an exhaust stack and a primary air heat exchanger having an exhaust manifold for discharging primary preheated combustion air down and across the inside surface of glass panels in the doors of the fireplace. A secondary air heat exchanger is mounted below the primary air heat exchanger and separated therefrom by a top refractory panel in the combustion chamber. The secondary air heat exchanger exhaust manifold is in the combustion chamber and discharges secondary combustion air across the top of the combustion chamber and into the primary combustion air creating a high turbulence and complete burning of the secondary production of combustion while heating the refractory walls above a pyrolytic temperature at different burning rates.

Abstract: A character recognition apparatus uses a magnetic head to read magnetic printed coded characters from a passing cheque 10. A head 24 using a circuit including a delay line 58 drives a controller 76 which, should a character not instantly be recognized by matching against templates, first varies the presumed speed by plus or minus 10% to see if a match can be found, then suppresses each detected edge in the character, in turn, to determine whether or not a match can be found. Each edge is used to create subsequent timing windows wherein a subsequent edge may be detected. The use of timing windows suppresses erroneous edge detection.

Abstract: A novel low speed code sequence generator having a set of parallel flip-flops is provided and comprises a vector generator in series between the outputs and the inputs of the set of parallel flip-flops in the generator. The outputs from the low speed code sequence generator may be multiplexed together to provide an individual high speed code sequence. The selective outputs from a plurality of low speed code sequence generators may be algebraically combined and then multiplexed together to provide a composite code sequence.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for orienting individual bonding sites of a lead frame having a plurality of bonding sites includes a universal work station in a work holder. The work holder comprises a gripper mechanism which is mounted on a transverse rail or bar for grasping a lead frame at an edge portion thereof while exposed in a supply magazine. The jaws of the gripper mechanism are pivoted in a horizontal direction which permits the exposed edge of the lead frame to be aligned parallel to a reference plane in a theta orientation direction. While oriented in the theta orientation direction, the lead frame is moved precisely to the window of the work station of the work holder where it is clamped by the top plate and lower plate of the work station before being subsequently bonded.

Abstract: A novel range based acquisition system includes a receiver for receiving PN encoded signals coupled to a novel range based variable dwell correlator which detects and acquires uniquely timed received transmitter PN encoded signals employing different search dwell times for each of the estimated ranges from which the receiver transmitted PN encoded signals are being propagated so as to enhance the speed of acquisition of said PN encoded signals.

Abstract: A standard prefabricated direct vented fireplace is designed for mass production on an assembly line where it is fitted with a plurality of different side walls or doors and optional heat exchangers for effecting different thermal efficiencies. The fireplace is factory adjusted for optimum burner efficiency under standard installation conditions. An induced draft fan/blower is installed in the path of the exhaust gasses and is provided with an in field adjustable variable speed control to overcome exceptionally high draft loss or long intake or exhaust passageways and to again optimize the burner efficiency after field installation.

Abstract: A novel on-chip temperature sensing circuit includes a differential voltage source which comprises a plurality of branches each of which is provided with temperature sensitive transistor means. The differential output from the differential voltage source is coupled to the inputs of a high gain differential amplifier and the outputs from the high gain differential amplifier are connected to a second stage differential amplifer and one of the branches of the second stage differential amplifier is coupled to a high gain transistor amplifier which is connected to an output pin on the semiconductor chip so that the signal at the output pin is a noise tolerant voltage indication of the temperature of said semiconductor chip which may be monitored during actual online operations. A hysteresis feedback may be coupled between one of the outputs of the differential amplifiers to provide a hysteresis feedback loop and rapid switching of the second differential amplifier.