Abstract: Two magnetic ferrite pieces having longitudinal channels formed in the side faces thereof are bonded together with a gapping substance so that the resultant channels form a window. The bonded pieces are precisely slotted to a depth below the apex of the window to form a narrow track-defining comb-like array. The resulting slots are adapted to receive gap-protecting compatible ceramic support material which is so chosen as to wear slightly faster than the ferrite surfaces. In one embodiment, the slots contain ceramic-convertible glass which is devitrified by firing the array. The assembly is then processed to form a ceramic-ferrite-ceramic or ceramic-ferrite transducer sandwich which may be further processed to form part of a magnetic record and/or reproduce head.

Abstract: A gapped magnetic core is comprised of core material of one type. Gapping material, which is magnetically different from the core material, "completely" bridges the core gap. The gapping material has a lower magnetic saturation level than does the core material; and thus the gap cannot act as a transducer gap until it becomes magnetically saturated. When gapped cores as described above are stacked to form a multitrack head, the effects of inductive coupling between the cores is prevented; i.e., when, for example, one core of the stack of cores is actuated by magnetically saturating its gap, all other cores of the stack are inherently immune to inductive coupling to the actuated core. This is because induced flux in all non-actuated cores is magnetically short-circuited through their respective magnetic gaps.

Abstract: A method for making a multitrack head is disclosed wherein, by use of two separate alignment structures, a head having a large number of perfectly aligned cores, with perfect track-to-track spacing, is provided. The described multitrack head, by virtue of the inventive alignment technique, acquires a plurality of lead-protecting channels, the leads which are associated with the head coils being carried through such channels.

Abstract: An electrically conductive element is employed in proximity to a thin film magnetic structure. The conductive element has current applied to it which is just sufficient to maintain, by field coupling between the thin film structure and the conductive element, the given magnetic orientation of the thin film structure, this occurring despite the application of a signal field tending to reorient the magnetization of the thin film structure. Such current is, therefore, the analog of the applied signal field and, since the magnetization of the thin film structure, by virtue of induced magnetic feedback, does not appreciably change direction, harmonics of any signal field applied to the thin film structure, and noise, are not manifested in the current analog.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the exposure of a solid state image sensor array monitors the semiconductor substrate current produced as charge signal accumulates during an exposure of the array to radiant energy. The exposure of the array is controlled in response to an output signal representative of the total substrate current.

Abstract: A pair of field store devices which are slaved to a stable sync signal are employed to record, along with such sync signal, video information on a recording medium. During periods of asynchronism in the video input to the field store devices, synchronous noise or a synchronous blank is inserted into the output of the field store devices. Such use of field store devices enables (1) the easy conversion of one recording format to another; (2) the splicing of scenes recorded on different tapes of the same, or different formats to be effected on a tape with any format; and (3) the recording of stillframe scene information.

Abstract: By dimensioning a magnetic playback head so that it coacts with a magnetic signal track having an effective width that is less than one half the shortest signal wavelength to be played back divided by the tangent (or sine) of a predetermined magnetic skew angle that may be experienced by the head, skew angles less than the maximum skew angle will have no effect on the playback of signals having wavelengths greater than said shortest wavelength.

Abstract: The advantages of magnetron sputtering are applied to magnetic target materials by substantially reducing the saturation magnetization of the target material temporarily, and magnetron sputtering the magnetic material while in such a state of reduced magnetization. A technique is disclosed for using the thermal energy inherent in the sputtering process for initially heating the target material to its Curie temperature, thereby rendering the material non-magnetic, and for maintaining the target temperature at or above such temperature during the sputtering process.

Abstract: Apparatus for compensating for the absence of signals among a plurality of correlated signals, which occur simultaneously and which have carrier components, is disclosed herein. Such apparatus comprises detector means responsive to the absence of the carrier for longer than a predetermined time for selectively connecting output signals from channels where the carriers are present to the outputs of those channels where carriers are absent. The apparatus of the invention operates in real time without delay devices. Preferably, the invention is embodied in an apparatus for reproducing magnetically recorded, stereophonic signals, functioning to prevent dropouts from affecting the quality of the output signals and the sound corresponding thereto.

Abstract: A magnetic record and/or reproduce head, comprised of electrically conductive magnetic core material, has an electrically conductive transducer gap having a magnetic gap length of less than about 15 microinches. The head is selectively actuable by passing a current through the core material via the gap.

Abstract: By recording an alternating signal in an ancillary recording medium having high coercivity, such medium will exhibit an external field of a given strength. The ancillary medium is placed in proximation to the record zone of a signal-carrying magnetic head cooperative with a primary magnetic recording medium of lesser coercivity, the fields of the head and ancillary medium algebraically adding to effect signal recording in the primary medium. When the field of the ancillary medium has a strength approximating the coercivity of the primary medium, the signal current applied to the magnetic head may be quite small.

Abstract: Flux sensitive apparatus, in one form thereof, employs paired thin single domain magnetic film structures, the easy magnetization axes of which are canted with respect to the direction of sense current flow therewithin. The magnetization vectors of the film structures are opposite with respect to each other, thereby to preclude, or at least lessen, demagnetization fields associated with the structures. By special connections between the thin film structures, the respective sense currents therein are provided with the same spatial direction of flow; and mutual biasing of the structures is thereby avoided.

Abstract: The advantages of magnetron sputtering can be applied to magnetic target materials by substantially reducing the saturation magnetization of the target material temporarily, such as by heating the target material to its Curie point, and magnetron sputtering the magnetic material while in such a state of reduced magnetization. Disclosed herein is a magnetic target plate which is structured to facilitate heating of the plate to its Curie point by the thermal energy inherent in the conventional sputtering process.

Abstract: A system for playback of segmented video information on a tape employs an ancillary recording medium which is rotationally driven at the rotational rate of a primary segment scanning apparatus. Each segment of a video field is recorded in a respective track of the ancillary medium, the information of one field being recorded over the information of another field. By recording only signals of a predetermined quality on the ancillary recording medium, playback of video information from the ancillary medium will produce a coherent display on a display monitor, regardless of the rate at which the tape is run. This is possible because of the one-to-one correspondence between the rotary rates of the scanner and the ancillary medium. Each coherent display is comprised of information from one or a number of video fields. To determine whether signals to be recorded are of the predetermined quality a coarse and a fine measure of signal quality are provided and logically combined.

Abstract: A system for recording segmented video fields with segment identification codes includes circuitry to encode each segment of a given odd or even field with a different identification code. Further, each corresponding segment of all the other odd or even fields is likewise encoded with the same identification code. Thus, the first segment of any odd or even field has the same identification code which is different from any other identification code appearing for any other segment in any other odd or even field. The same applies to the second and all other segments.

Abstract: A capstanless magnetic tape transport system employs supply and take-up motors, the supply motor being employed as a drag motor. The supply motor is controlled to meter tape at a predetermined speed, and the take-up motor is of such design that, in response to a constant voltage applied thereto, it provides constant tension to the tape being metered.

Abstract: High track density multitrack magnetic heads are batch-fabricated from a stack of wafers which are photolithographically processed to provide lands and grooves on the wafers. Thin magnetic films are deposited in the grooves; and coils respectively inductively cooperative with the films are photolithographically formed about the films, the lands serving both to provide track-to-track spacing and to protect the magnetic films from magnetostriction-producing stress.

Abstract: Apparatus for detecting the speed of an electric motor that forms part of a web transport system employs a bridge circuit adapted to measure the back emf of the motor. Thermally induced changes to the armature resistance of the motor are compensated for by varying the bridge resistances, such changes being identified by comparing the bridge circuit signal output with a reference signal.

Abstract: A system for playback of segmented video information on a tape employs an ancillary recording medium which is rotationally driven at a rotation rate of the primary segment scanning apparatus. Each segment of a video field is recorded in a respective track of the ancillary medium, the information of one field being recorded over the information of another field. By recording only signals of a predetermined quality on the ancillary recording medium, play back of video information from the ancillary medium will produce a coherent display on a display monitor, regardless of the rate at which the tape is run. This is possible because of the one-to-one correspondence between the rotary rates of the scanner and the ancillary medium. Each coherent display is comprised of information from one or a number of video fields.

Abstract: High track density multitrack magnetic heads are batch-fabricated from a stack of wafers which are photolithographically processed to provide lands and grooves on the wafers. Thin magnetic films are deposited in the grooves; and coils respectively inductively cooperative with the films are photolithographically formed about the films, the lands serving both to provide track-to-track spacing and to protect the magnetic films from magnetostriction-producing stress.