Abstract: Processes and methods related to producing, processing, and hot working alloy ingots are disclosed. An alloy ingot is formed including an inner ingot core and an outer layer metallurgically bonded to the inner ingot core. The processes and methods are characterized by a reduction in the incidence of surface cracking of the alloy ingot during hot working.

Abstract: A multi-supply power supply circuit has a first power supply regulating circuit that produces a first power supply voltage; and a second power supply regulating circuit that receives the first power supply voltage from the first power supply regulating circuit as an enable input signal and is operative to produce a second and different power supply voltage. In one embodiment, the first power supply voltage may reach a steady state condition prior to the second power supply voltage reaching a steady state condition. In one example, the multi-supply power supply circuit includes a plurality of cascaded low drop out power supply regulating circuits.

Abstract: A display device that has multiple inputs for receiving video data and peripheral data from multiple computing devices, and an output for attaching a peripheral. The display is operable in one of two states, to provide both a video and peripheral signal paths between a selected one of the interconnected computing devices and the display's panel and attached peripherals. At any given time only one of the computing devices may utilize both the display and any attached peripherals. Exemplary embodiments may handle video and peripheral data streams received from a computing device over a single physical link.

Abstract: Methods and test receiver apparatus are provided for loopback testing of a unidirectional physical layer device. The disclosed methods and test receiver apparatus allow for the phase of a sampling clock implemented at the test receiver apparatus to be aligned with the phase of a test data signal.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for producing large diameter superalloy ingots are disclosed. A material comprising at least one of a metal and a metallic alloy is introduced into a pressure-regulated chamber in a melting assembly. The material is subjected to a wide-area electron field within the pressure-regulated chamber to heat the material to a temperature above the melting temperature of the material to form a molten alloy. At least one stream of molten alloy from the pressure-regulated chamber is provided from the melting assembly and is fed into an atomizing assembly, where particles of the molten alloy are generated by impinging electrons on the molten alloy to atomize the molten alloy. At least one of an electrostatic field and an electromagnetic field are produced to influence the particles of the molten alloy. The particles of the molten alloy are deposited onto a collector in a spray forming operation to form an alloy ingot.

Abstract: A routing layer for a semiconductor die is disclosed. The routing layer includes pads for attaching solder bumps; bond-pads bonded to bump-pads of a die having an integrated circuit, and traces interconnecting bond-pads to pads. The routing layer is formed on a layer of dielectric material. The routing layer includes conductive traces at least partially surrounding some pads so as to absorb stress from solder bumps attached to the pads. Parts of the traces that surround pads protect parts of the underlying dielectric material proximate the solder bumps, from the stress.

Abstract: One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to low-alloy steels exhibiting high hardness and an advantageous level of multi-hit ballistic resistance with minimal crack propagation imparting a level of ballistic performance suitable for military armor applications. Certain embodiments of the steels according to the present disclosure have hardness in excess of 550 HBN and demonstrate a high level of ballistic penetration resistance relative to conventional military specifications.

Abstract: A method of processing an alloy ingot or other alloy workpiece to reduce thermal cracking may generally comprise depositing a glass material onto at least a portion of a surface of a workpiece, and heating the glass material to form a surface coating on the workpiece that reduces heat loss from the workpiece. The present disclosure also is directed to an alloy workpieces processed according to methods described herein, and to articles of manufacture including or made from alloy workpieces made according to the methods.

Abstract: The present invention provides a scheme for compressing the color components of image data, and in particular, data used in multi-sampled anti-aliasing applications. Adjacent pixels are grouped into rectangular tiles, with the sample colors stored in compressed formats accessible via an encoded pointer. In one embodiment, duplicate colors are stored once. Unlike prior compression schemes that rely on pixel to pixel correlation, the present invention takes advantages of the sample to sample correlation that exists within the pixels. A memory and graphics processor configuration incorporating the tile compression schemes is also provided. The configuration defines the tile sizes in main memory and cache memory. In one embodiment, graphics processor relies on a Tile Format Table (TFT) to process incoming tiles in compressed formats. The present invention reduces memory consumption and speeds up essential and oft-repeated operations in rendering.

Abstract: A graphics multi-media integrated circuit (GMIC) is connected to a host processor over two serial links: a half duplex bi-directional serial link which accords to a protocol defined for a display serial interface, and a uni-directional serial link which accords to a compatible protocol defined for a camera serial interface. The GMIC receives packets according to the protocol from the host over the half duplex bi-directional serial link and processes these packets. The GMIC sends packets according to the protocol to the host over the uni-directional serial link. A packet from the host can request a processing operation by the GMIC or can initiate a memory operation at the memory of the GMIC. The GMIC can also send packets to the host to initiate a memory operation at the memory of the host.

Abstract: A memory interface allows access to SDRAM by receiving a column address for a data read or write of a burst of data units. Each data unit in the burst has an expected bit size. The interface generates n (n>1) column memory addresses from the received column address. The interface accesses the synchronous dynamic memory to read or write n bursts of data at the n column memory addresses. Preferably, the SDRAM is clocked at n times the rate of the interconnected memory accessing device, and the memory units. The data units in the n bursts preferably have one nth the expected bit size. In this way, SDRAM may be accessed with high memory bandwidth, without requiring an increase in the size of data units in the SDRAM, and the associated data bus. Conveniently, the interface may be operable in two separate modes or configurations. In one mode, SDRAM may be accessed through the interface in a conventional manner. In the second mode, SDRAM is accessed in multiple bursts for each received burst access.

Abstract: One non-limiting embodiment of an apparatus for forming an alloy powder or preform includes a melting assembly, an atomizing assembly, and a collector. The melting assembly produces at least one of a stream of a molten alloy and a series of droplets of a molten alloy, and may be substantially free from ceramic in regions contacted by the molten alloy. The atomizing assembly generates electrons and impinges the electrons on molten alloy from the melting assembly, thereby producing molten alloy particles.

Abstract: A dual hardness steel article comprises a first air hardenable steel alloy having a first hardness metallurgically bonded to a second air hardenable steel alloy having a second hardness. A method of manufacturing a dual hard steel article comprises providing a first air hardenable steel alloy part comprising a first mating surface and having a first part hardness, and providing a second air hardenable steel alloy part comprising a second mating surface and having a second part hardness. The first air hardenable steel alloy part is metallurgically secured to the second air hardenable steel alloy part to form a metallurgically secured assembly, and the metallurgically secured assembly is hot rolled to provide a metallurgical bond between the first mating surface and the second mating surface.

Abstract: A method of forming an article from an a-13 titanium including, in weight percentages, from about 2.9 to about 5.0 aluminum, from about 2.0 to about 3.0 vanadium, from about 0.4 to about 2.0 iron, from about 0.2 to about 0.3 oxygen, from about 0.005 to about 0.3 carbon, from about 0.001 to about 0.02 nitrogen, and less than about 0.5 of other elements. The method comprises cold working the ??? titanium alloy.

Abstract: A configurable register method and structure included configuration logic to form a register value. A data bridge system, for connecting an interface of a computer system to a plurality of application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), has a data bridge operatively coupled between the computer interface and the plurality of ASICs that employs the configurable registers. The data bridge has a read only memory for storing at least the initial values and mask values for each ASIC of the plurality of ASICs. The data bridge upon initialization forms base address registers and other configuration data that are queried by the computer system. When the ASICs are graphic processors, the initial values and the mask values stored in the read only memory define the base address registers in the data bridge as a function of the configuration requirements of the graphic processors. The base address registers are thus programmable as a function of the initial values and mask values in the read only memory.

Abstract: One non-limiting embodiment of an apparatus for forming an alloy powder or preform includes a melting assembly, an atomizing assembly, and a field generating assembly, and a collector. The melting assembly produces at least one of a stream of a molten alloy and a series of droplets of a molten alloy, and may be substantially free from ceramic in regions contacted by the molten alloy. The atomizing assembly generates electrons and impinges the electrons on molten alloy from the melting assembly, thereby producing molten alloy particles. The field generating assembly produces at least one of an electrostatic field and an electromagnetic field between the atomizing assembly and the collector. The molten alloy particles interact with the at least one field, which influences at least one of the acceleration, speed, and direction of the molten alloy particles. Related methods also are disclosed.

Abstract: A nucleated casting apparatus including an atomizing nozzle configured to produce a droplet spray of a metallic material, a mold configured to receive the droplet spray and form a preform therein, and a gas injector which can limit, and possibly prevent, overspray from accumulating on the mold. The gas injector can be configured to produce a gas flow which can impinge on the droplet spray to redirect at least a portion of the droplet spray away from a side wall of the mold. In various embodiments, the droplet spray may be directed by the atomizing nozzle in a generally downward direction and the gas flow may be directed in a generally upward direction such that the gas flow circumscribes the perimeter of the mold.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method for synchronizing audio and video clock signals in a system. The method includes comparing, within a comparison module, a system video signal with the determined mathematical relationship to produce an adjustment signal. A system video reference signal is updated with the adjustment signal to produce an updated intermediate signal.

Abstract: A system and method for improved antialiasing in video processing is described herein. Embodiments include multiple video processors (VPUs) in a system. Each VPU performs some combination of pixel sampling and pixel center sampling (also referred to as multisampling and supersampling). Each VPU performs sampling on the same pixels or pixel centers, but each VPU creates samples positioned differently from the other VPUs corresponding samples. The VPUs each output frame data that has been multisampled and/or supersampled into a compositor that composites the frame data to produce an antialiased rendered frame. The antialiased rendered frame has an effectively doubled antialiasing factor.

Abstract: In a robotic tool coupler, a rotating cam member having a plurality of surfaces formed therein urges a plurality of ball members in one tool coupling unit radially to contact an angled surface in the other tool coupling unit. Further rotation of the cam member exerts a radial force through the ball members onto the angled surface. A component of that force is directed by the angled surface toward the opposite tool coupling unit, locking the two units together. The cam member may include a failsafe surface and/or a failsafe lobe to maintain the two units locked together in the event of a loss of power to positively actuate the cam member.