Abstract: Integration and packaging of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC) components is facilitated by using a motherboard comprising high resistivity silicon, which having a thermal conductivity three times that of gallium arsenide. Ultra high purity, uncompensated silicon preferably is used. Anisotropic etching of recesses in the motherboard facilitates precise placement of the MMICs in the recesses, enabling use of automated die and wire bonding techniques to reduce required assembly time substantially. Using a silicon motherboard also ultimately enables incorporation of required control circuitry. The silicon motherboard also transmits RF energy well, a useful characteristic particularly in C-band and X-band applications in which microstrip is used, though other transmission media function well at even higher frequencies.

Abstract: Predetection noise bandwidth reduction is effected by a pre-averager capable of digitally averaging the samples of an input data signal over a single symbol, the averaging interval being defined by the input sampling rate divided by the output sampling rate. As the averaged sample is clocked to a suitable detector at a much slower rate than the input signal sampling rate the noise bandwidth at the input to the detector is reduced, the input to the detector having an improved signal to noise ratio as a result of the averaging process, and the rate at which such subsequent processing must operate is correspondingly reduced. The pre-averager may form a data filter when the output sampling rate is reduced to one sample per symbol of received data.

Abstract: An RF power combiner combines the power of several microwave high power FET amplifiers. A plurality of baluns which convert a balanced transmission line to an unbalanced transmission line and have outputs which are 180.degree. out of phase from each other may be connected at the inputs and the outputs of the FETs. This connection allows for very high output power while matching impedances of the input and the output of the power combiner. Additionally, loss in the output circuit can be minimized by connecting equi-phase outputs of the FETs in a parallel/push-pull manner.

Abstract: A ship borne antenna using a gimballed mount for establishing a two degree of freedom unstabilized structure. A ring is mounted for rotation on a radome and carries an antenna mounted for rotation relative to the ring. The ring antenna are respectively driven by stepper motors. Variations in stability occurring by pitch, yaw or roll of the ship are corrected on a real time basis using a microprocessor that dynamically drives the ring and the antenna to maintain lock-on with a satellite.

Abstract: A time division multiple access communication system in which the repetitive frame is divided into fixed portions preallocated to separate stations and an overflow portion. Each station retains control of its own preallocated portion. Whenever one of the stations needs space that is not available in its preallocated portion, it requests a reference station for part of the overflow portion, which is relinquished as soon as the requirement stops.

Abstract: An echo suppressor for use in the send path of the four-wire part of a long distance telephone circuit employs frequency-selective center clipping. The bandwidth of the channel in which echo occurs is subdivided in contiguous bands or subchannels by appropriate filtering, and each resulting signal is center clipped by a center clipper. Threshold control voltages are predicted from knowledge of the average speech amplitude distribution characteristic as a function of frequency. This characteristic is subdivided into the same frequency bands as that used by the center clippers, and the ratios of energies in the bands are used to equalize the ratios of the control voltages that determine the center clipper thresholds. This technique is implemented through the use of a peak rectifier, the input of which is coupled to the receive path of the echo suppressor and the output of which is connected to each of the filtered subchannels by a resistive dividing network.

Abstract: An echo canceller having a digital transversal filter with an adaptive control loop for achieving minimum echo is disclosed. Minimum echo is attained by subtracting a synthesized echo from the real echo, the synthesized echo being formed in a digital transversal filter by multiplying a stored replica of the impulse response times the incoming signal. The stored replica is updated using the steepest descent technique by adjusting each of the stages of the replica memory a given amount. The incoming signal is differential pulse code modulation encoded to reduce the process complexity and the size of the memories which store the replica and the incoming signals or, alternatively, increase the performance of the canceller.

Abstract: A 4 phase PSK modulator is implemented using micro-strip printed circuit technology and produces a 4 phase PSK modulated carrier by direct modulation of an RF carrier. Implementation is by means of three strip-line hybrids and two semiconductor diode phase shifters. The RF carrier is applied to one input of the first hybrid, and the other input is terminated in its characteristic impedance. The outputs of the first hybrid are connected through the semiconductor diode phase shifters to the inputs of the second hybrid. The outputs of the second hybrid are directly coupled to the inputs of the third hybrid, and the 4 phase PSK output is available from each output of the third hybrid. The semiconductor diode phase shifters are controlled to produce either 0.degree. or 180.degree. phase shifts, and by changing the state of the diode phase shifters, a separate output phase is generated for each of the four possible diode states.

Abstract: A sinewave clock distribution network and a clock driver for use in the network permit simplified distribution and synchronization in very high speed logic and digital transmission systems. The sinewave central clock is connected through a branching network to a plurality of clock drivers located in the vicinity of digital circuits to which clock pulses are to be supplied. Each clock driver includes a receiver amplifier which is AC coupled to the clock line. The output of the receiver amplifier is connected to a phase shift RC network which includes an adjustable capacitance. By adjusting the capacitance in the RC network, the timing or delay of the clock signal can be varied to permit synchronization of the clock signals at various points in the distribution network. The phase delayed signal from the RC network is coupled to a limiter which limits the input sinewave to form a squarewave for use by the digital circuits.

Abstract: An automatic H-register clear system for the prevention of erroneous convolution in adaptive digital echo cancellers is disclosed. Incoming signals from the H-register are accumulated and compared to a predetermined threshold value and when the value is exceeded, the H-register is cleared with the occurrence of the internal housekeeping cycle of the echo canceller. The clearing of the H-register allows a new impulse response model to be generated from new sampled data. In one embodiment using analog implementation, the accumulation takes place using a sequence of signal processing of digital-to-analog conversion, full wave rectification followed by integration of the signal. In another preferred embodiment using a counter detection system, each word is compared to a threshold and if this value is exceeded, a counter is indexed. If the value of the count in the counter exceeds a predetermined number during the sampling interval, the H-register is cleared.

Abstract: A digital voice switch for detecting voice PCM samples in the presence of noise samples is disclosed. The switch includes a digital variable threshold generating means which adapts the threshold level to changes in the noise level. Advantage is taken of the fact that, over a given interval of time T, speech will occur as random talk spurts separated by periods of silence, while noise (Gaussian distributed) will be continuous. This difference between speech and noise makes it possible to detect the noise level with respect to the voice switch threshold level.

Abstract: A Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) Communications satellite system which utilizes a pair of communications satellite relays having a communications link between them. Each satellite includes a plurality of receive spotbeam antennas which are selectively connected to a plurality of transmit spotbeam antennas by an on-board switching matrix under control of an on-board oscillator. Each spotbeam antenna communicates with a different geographical zone which includes one or more earth stations. Each station may communicate with all other stations in the system including those within the field of view of the spotbeam antennas aboard the other satellite. In order to maintain synchronization between the satellites, a designated reference station transmits a reference synchronization burst of four sequential unique words to the satellite within its field of view. The reference burst is related to the other satellite and back again to the first satellite where it is relayed back to the reference station.

Abstract: Bit rate compression in a digital communications system is provided by transmitting voice information from n telephone circuits over the capacity conventionally allocated for transmission of voice information from n/2 circuits without appreciable degradation in quality. Alternatively, a doubling of the number of voice circuits may be provided with transmission at the same bit rate required for conventional digital transmission of voice information. Each frame period, at the transmitter, all n circuits are serviced and, utilizing a predictive encoding scheme, only unpredictable samples in the given frame are transmitted over the available channel capacity. A sample assignment word (SAW), which identifies the circuits corresponding to the unpredictable samples, is transmitted therewith.

Abstract: A plurality of steerable beam feed devices are used in combination with a single stationary toroidal antenna which permits simultaneous communication with several geosynchronous satellites. Each feed device is movably mounted on a flat elevation plate having linear bearings which mate with rails on a flat azimuth plate to allow the feed to be positioned vertically or at some angle with respect to the vertical depending upon the orientation of the antenna. The flat azimuth plate is mounted for movement on two curved rails which follow the focal arc of the toroidal antenna. Linear actuator devices are provided for moving each plate within a limited range to provide fine positioning of the feed relative to the antenna.

Abstract: Bit rate compression in a digital communications system is provided by transmitting voice information from n telephone circuits over the capacity conventionally allocated for transmission of voice information from n/2 circuits without appreciable degradation in quality. Alternatively, a doubling of the number of voice circuits may be provided with transmission at the same bit rate required for conventional digital transmission of voice information. Each frame period, at the transmitter, all n circuits are serviced and, utilizing a predictive encoding scheme, only unpredictable samples in the given frame are transmitted over the available channel capacity. A sample assignment word (SAW), which identifies the circuits corresponding to the unpredictable samples, is transmitted therewith.

Abstract: An improvement in a fine geometry solar cell having a top surface contact comprising substantially more and finer metallic fingers spaced close together for collecting photo current is disclosed. The improvement comprises a reduction in the ohmic contact area of the fine metallic fingers with the light-incident surface of the solar cell. The improved solar cell is constructed by etching a fine line pattern into the anti-reflective coating of the solar cell and then depositing a fine line electrode onto the surface of the solar cell but oriented perpendicular to the etched fine line pattern in the anti-reflective coating. Due to the 90.degree. rotation between the etched fine line pattern in the anti-reflective coating and the fine line electrode, only point contacts are made between the fine line electrode and the exposed light-incident surface of the solar cell.

Abstract: A non-recursive digital filter is disclosed, composed of a cascaded plurality of basic sections, each of which is characterized by coefficient values of integer powers of two's. No hardware multipliers are required in the filter and the operating speed is several times faster than other filters which utilize multipliers.

Abstract: A niobium pentoxide (Nb.sub.2 O.sub.5) anti-reflective coating for use on a solar cell responsive to light in the short wavelength region.

Abstract: A planar transmission line comprising a Gunn effect semiconductor having an epitaxial portion as the propagating medium amplifies and switches r.f. signals and is not transit time limited in the direction of propagation. The spacing between the transmission line conductors and the dopant concentration of the Gunn effect semiconductor are selected to prevent the formation of domains and thereby prevent Gunn oscillations from occurring at E fields above the Gunn threshold.

Abstract: A method of testing both digital and analog color television systems is disclosed. The method includes the generation of a unique test signal enables the measurement of differential-phase and differential-gain at continuously variable average pictures levels (APL) anywhere between ten per cent and ninety per cent. Because of the particular test signal employed, the method of testing color television systems may be used with either full-frame or single-line (including vertical interval testing) format.