Abstract: A power supply for a video apparatus includes a transformer incorporating windings that supply power to load circuits. A primary side winding provides power to the power supply regulator circuit. In the event a fault occurs in one of the load circuits and insufficient voltage is developed to power the regulator control circuitry, a protection circuit disables the regulator control circuitry in order to prevent damage to the power supply regulator switching transistor. The protection circuit operates within a wide range of input voltage with little power dissipation.

Abstract: An optical imager includes a sensor and a diffraction lenticular array. The sensor includes a substrate of a semiconductor material having a pair of opposed major surfaces and a plurality of photodetectors arranged in a plurality of columns along one of the major surfaces. The diffraction lenticular array includes a plurality of stripes of a material which will diffract the radiation being sensed. The stripes are arranged in a plurality of repetitive patterns with each pattern being formed of a plurality of spaced, parallel stripes extending longitudinally along a column of the detectors. The pattern of the stripes has a large spacing between the stripes at the center of the pattern and smaller spacing at the edges of the pattern. The stripes may be on a separate substrate of a material which is transparent to the radiation being detected or directly on the major surface of the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: Circuitry for forming the twos complement or ones complement of M-bit binary numbers is described. The circuitry includes M stages each of which contains an exclusive NOR gate. A first input terminal of the exclusive NOR gate is coupled to receive one bit of the input value and a second input terminal is coupled to receive the carry output signal from the previous stage. A logic one or logic zero is applied to the second input terminal of the stage which processes the least significant bit of the binary word if the circuitry is to provide a twos complement or ones complement value respectively. The carry output signal for each stage is generated by ANDing a logically inverted version of the input bit signal with the carry input signal applied to the stage. An application of the complementing circuitry in an absolute value circuit is also described.

Abstract: A driver for driving the anode of a laser diode includes a constant-current differential switch comprising NPN transistors. Two sources supply constant current into the node where the differential switch drives the laser diode: one source supplies bias current through the laser diode; the second provides a current substantially equal to the constant current through the differential switch. When the transistor, which drives the laser diode, is turned on by a modulating signal applied to its base electrode, the current from the second source flows through it into the current source at the common emitter junction. When this transistor is turned off, the current from the second source flows through the laser diode, adding to the bias current therethrough. Under these circumstances, the total current through the laser diode exceeds the threshold for lasing action and the laser diode is turned on.

Abstract: In a wave soldering apparatus including a station for forming a standing wave of foamed flux, a preheater station, and a standing wave of hot molten solder station, a flux removing apparatus for reducing the thickness of flux on a coated printed circuit board includes an apertured pipe for gently blowing a plurality of streams of air against the foam coated board, the streams acting effectively as a continuous linear stream of air. The airstreams also blow the foamed flux into apertures in the printed circuit board.

Abstract: A high-definition camera uses sinuous scanning to produce wide-bandwidth signals having high definition in the horizontal direction as well as in the vertical direction. A lowpass filter produces a limited-bandwidth signal from the wideband signal. The limited-bandwidth signal is compatible with standard television broadcast systems and receivers. A subtracting circuit compares the wide-bandwidth and limited-bandwidth signals to produce a delta signal representative of the difference. The delta signal exists only in regions of fine detail which cannot be resolved by the limited-bandwidth signal. The delta signal and its address are transmitted to the receiver together with the limited-bandwidth signal. At the receiver, the high-definition image is recreated by operation of the delta signal on the limited-definition signal. The delta signal and its addresses may be transmitted during the vertical blanking interval.

Abstract: A pallet is releasably attached to a car which is stopped automatically at a work station in a coarse alignment with a robotic system at the work station. A movable plate, which tends to be distorted from a given shape, is releasably secured to the car and lifted from the car at the work station, aligned in the desired fine alignment during the lifting and then clamped in place relative to a reference plane in the fine alignment relative to the robotic system to remove the distortion. The plate is later dropped by gravity onto the car in a given alignment therewith for transfer to the next work station which repeats the fine alignment and distortion removal action.

Abstract: An attenuator couples a parabolic voltage developed in a trace capacitance, to a focus electrode. The attenuator includes a phase compensation network that causes the phase of the parabolic voltage that is coupled to the focus electrode to be substantially the same relative to that of the parabolic voltage in the trace capacitor for any scan frequency that is selected from a range of frequencies.

Abstract: A binary input signal, V.sub.IN, having a minimum high level value, V.sub.INHMIN, is directly applied to the gate electrode of a pull-up transistor whose conduction path is connected between a first power terminal and an output terminal. V.sub.IN is also applied via level shift circuitry to the gate electrode of a pull-down transistor whose conduction path is connected between the output terminal and a second power terminal. V.sub.IN is level shifted in the positive direction by a preselected voltage level whereby the pull-down transistor is turned-on even when its threshold voltage is approximately equal to V.sub.INHMIN.

Abstract: A voltage regulator for controlling the voltage of a bus powered by N solar cell arrays. Digital shunts are coupled to N-1 of the arrays. A linear shunt is coupled to the remaining array. Current passing through the remaining array is sensed by the linear shunt which, in response thereto, turns on and off various ones of the digital shunts to maintain the desired voltage on the bus.

Abstract: An optical package includes a first lens assembly and a second lens assembly aligned such that their optical axes are common. The first lens assembly comprises a divergent light source disposed along the optical axis of a first lens such that the object distance is less than the focal length of the first lens. The second lens assembly comprises a body, having a light acceptance angle less than the angle of divergence of the light source, disposed along the optical axis of a second lens such that the object distance is greater than the focal length of the second lens. The assemblies are disposed such that the images formed by each assembly alone correspond in position along the common axis thereby coupling the light from the source into the body.The package is fabricated by placing the source within the focal length of the first lens and the body is placed outside the focal length of the second lens, forming first and second lens assemblies, respectively.

Abstract: In a differential pulse code modulator for image-representative signals, a coder codes difference signals to produce coded signals which have a highly variable rate, which depends upon motion in the image being represented. A rate buffer receives the coded signals and generates a control signal representative, at least in part, of the rate of fill of the rate buffer. Various filters, decimators and/or coarse quantizers associated with the modulator have characteristics controlled by the control signal in order to tend to control the rate of fill of the rate buffer. This aids in preventing loss of information at the receiver.

Abstract: A security system is disclosed which senses a variety of activities which affect a secured area and/or the boundary which defines it and identifies particular activities rather than merely indicating that some activity is present. A transducer comprising an electroded ferroelectric film of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) serves as a transducer which provides different output signals in response to different stimuli and responds simultaneously to thermal and mechanical activity. A signal processor separately recognizes the signals produced in response to different activities and identifies the activities detected. An alarm processor controls the system and generates alarm signals in response to the detection of specific activities.

Abstract: A television receiver receives a scrambled television signal of the suppressed sync pulse type. The sync pulse is restored by a decoder which provides a sync restored video signal to video signal processing circuits of the receiver, and to automatic gain control circuits of the receiver via an interface network. The interface network develops a control signal with a magnitude related to the magnitude of the restored sync pulse. The control signal is coupled to the automatic gain control circuits for maintaining a desired video signal gain. The disclosed suppressed sync signal processing system permits the use of an uncomplicated and economical decoder, i.e., without integral tuner, AGC and remodulator circuits.

Abstract: A method of making a semiconductor device including forming regions of first and second conductivity types with a semiconductor junction therebetween which extends to a surface of the device, and depositing a passivating layer over the surface to overlie the junction, further comprises a pretreatment of the surface to enhance the electrical properties of the device and the effectiveness of the passivating layer. The pretreatment, carried out prior to deposition of the passivating layer, includes treating the surface with an aqueous ammonium fluoride-hydrogen fluoride solution and thereafter subjecting the surface to a plasma in an oxygen-free, nitrogen-containing ambient.

Abstract: A robotically operated wire insertion apparatus for insulation displacement terminals (IDTs) automatically feeds wire to a wire insertion hand, automatically straightens the wire during the feeding so that the wire is aligned with the hand, inserts the wire progressively into a plurality of IDTs and severs the wire from the last inserted IDT, and initializes the apparatus to begin a new wiring cycle. The IDTs may have any orientation in any plane on one or more different substrates.

Abstract: A plurality of first cavities is formed in the planar surface of a silicon substrate. A first oxide region of predetermined thickness is formed in each of the first cavities such that each of the first oxide regions has a surface which is coplanar with the substrate surface. A layer of monocrystalline silicon is then epitaxially deposited over the planar first oxide region/substrate surface. Second cavities are then formed through the monocrystalline silicon layer and into the substrate adjacent the first oxide regions, extending to a depth equal to approximately one-half that of the first oxide regions. The second cavities are then thermally oxidized so as to form second oxide regions therein, these second oxide regions being coplanar with the first oxide regions. Silicon is next epitaxially deposited on those portions of the monocrystalline silicon layer remaining on the first oxide regions so as to yield a continuous monocrystalline silicon sheet over the first and second oxide regions.

Abstract: To improve the bandwidth of a display driver stage in a wideband video signal processing and display system, the output of a display driver amplifier is coupled to a display device via a transmission line having an unterminated output end, a misterminated source end to develop a negative non-zero source reflection coefficient, and a phase delay within a given range.

Abstract: A video output amplifier has an output terminal coupled to a signal input electrode of a kinescope. A signal limiting circuit coupled to the output terminal limits the magnitude of large video output signals to prevent saturation of the video output amplifier. The limiting circuit includes a resistor and a limiting diode coupled from the output terminal to a bias potential.

Abstract: A light box comprises a source of light, a reflector and a Fresnel lens. The lens provides nearly constant illumination of an object such as a liquid crystal cell by collimating light parallel to a normal to the cell. Thus the cell will exhibit a nearly uniform electro-optical response. The reflector preferably is parabolic, while the light source preferably is a line source such as a fluorescent tube.