Abstract: The present invention is an alternating current rotary sputter cathode in a vacuum chamber. The apparatus includes a housing containing a vacuum and a cathode disposed therein. A drive shaft is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing. A rotary vacuum seal is located in the bearing housing for sealing the drive shaft to the housing. An at least one electrical contact is disposed between a power source and the cathode for transmittal of an oscillating or fluctuating current to the cathode. The electrical contact between the power source and the cathode is disposed inside of the vacuum chamber, greatly reducing, and almost eliminating, the current induced heating of various bearing, seals, and other parts of the rotatably sputter cathode assembly.

Abstract: A DTV signal detector detects DTV signals received by a receiver on a selected DTV channel in a Digital Television System. The DTV detector includes a first DTV signal detector that detects a first characteristic of the received DTV signals, and a second DTV signal detector that detects at least a second characteristic of the received DTV signals. A controller responds to the first DTV signal detector and the second DTV signal detector to control a selection of the DTV channel being selected by the receiver. The receiver can be synthesized to select from more than one DTV channel.

Abstract: A technique for dynamic spectrum sharing includes identifying (705) a plurality of radio nodes (115, 120), measuring (710) a local signal value (SV) at each radio node (110, 200), and determining (715) a transmit decision. Each radio node can measure a local signal value (SV) of a protected transmission and the radio nodes are within a uniform SV region of the protected transmission. The transmit decision is determined for at least one of the plurality of radio nodes based on the SV of each radio node in the plurality of radio nodes and at least one threshold value that is related to statistical characteristics of the protected transmission at an interference boundary (105) of the protected transmission and a desired probability of non-interference with the protected transmission at the interference boundary.

Abstract: The present invention is an alternating current rotary sputter cathode in a vacuum chamber. The apparatus includes a housing containing a vacuum and a cathode disposed therein. A drive shaft is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing. A rotary vacuum seal is located in the bearing housing for sealing the drive shaft to the housing. An at least one electrical contact is disposed between a power source and the cathode for transmittal of an oscillating or fluctuating current to the cathode. The electrical contact between the power source and the cathode is disposed inside of the vacuum chamber, greatly reducing, and almost eliminating, the current induced heating of various bearing, seals, and other parts of the rotatably sputter cathode assembly.

Abstract: The present invention is an alternating current rotary sputter cathode in a vacuum chamber. The apparatus includes a housing containing a vacuum and a cathode disposed therein. A drive shaft is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing. A rotary vacuum seal is located in the bearing housing for sealing the drive shaft to the housing. An at least one electrical contact is disposed between a power source and the cathode for transmittal of an oscillating or fluctuating current to the cathode. The electrical contact between the power source and the cathode is disposed inside of the vacuum chamber, greatly reducing, and almost eliminating, the current induced heating of various bearing, seals, and other parts of the rotatably sputter cathode assembly.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adaptive and preemptive scheduling of transmissions is provided that reduces the end-to-end delay for ARQ transmissions in centrally controlled multi-hop communication systems. During operation, a base station provisions resources for possible future ARQ retransmissions in advance, thereby obviating the need to wait for allocations from the base station between transmission attempts on ‘remote’ hops. More specifically, a base station scheduler estimates the average number of transmission attempts that are likely to occur on a given hop for a given connection and preemptively allocates resources for this number of attempts. The average number of transmission attempts is estimated based on, for example, channel conditions or a recent history of transmission attempts collected and stored by the base station.

Abstract: A communication system is designed that reduces co-channel interference when heterogeneous users are sharing spectrum. The system design enables a plurality of pairs of users to communicate their channel utilization time periods by using the durations and start or stop times of certain transmissions to signal the start times and durations of later transmissions. Other system users using possibly different communications protocols and different modulation technologies can measure the durations of received transmissions and to infer channel usage based on these durations.

Abstract: The present invention is an alternating current rotary sputter cathode in a vacuum chamber. The apparatus includes a housing containing a vacuum and a cathode disposed therein. A drive shaft is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing. A rotary vacuum seal is located in the bearing housing for sealing the drive shaft to the housing. An at least one electrical contact is disposed between a power source and the cathode for transmittal of an oscillating or fluctuating current to the cathode. The electrical contact between the power source and the cathode is disposed inside of the vacuum chamber, greatly reducing, and almost eliminating, the current induced heating of various bearing, seals, and other parts of the rotatably sputter cathode assembly.

Abstract: The present invention is an alternating current rotary sputter cathode in a vacuum chamber. The apparatus includes a housing containing a vacuum and a cathode disposed therein. A drive shaft is rotatably mounted in the bearing housing. A rotary vacuum seal is located in the bearing housing for sealing the drive shaft to the housing. An at least one electrical contact is disposed between a power source and the cathode for transmittal of an oscillating or fluctuating current to the cathode. The electrical contact between the power source and the cathode is disposed inside of the vacuum chamber, greatly reducing, and almost eliminating, the current induced heating of various bearing, seals, and other parts of the rotatably sputter cathode assembly.

Abstract: An apparatus for transporting particulate material includes a housing having an inlet for receiving particulate material and an outlet through which particulate material is discharged in a moving dynamic mass. A rotor is supported for rotation within the housing, adjacent a stationary glide surface. The rotor has a plurality of disks spaced apart by hub sections and defining a plurality of transport channels between the disks, adjacent the glide surface. Each transport channel extends between the inlet and the outlet. The rotor is rotated while particulate material is fed into the housing inlet. The particulate material is received within the transport channels and, by the action of the rotating disks and the stationary glide surface, the particulate material in each of the transport channels interlocks with the disk walls and bridges across transport channel. The material is transported by the motion of the disk walls and, at the same time, forms a moving dynamic mass.

Abstract: A communication system facilitates multi-rate data transmission by using a set (N) (210) of spreading codes from which a subset (n) (214) of the spreading codes is dynamically selected based on a first set of bits from source digital information to be transmitted. The subset (214) of spreading codes are simultaneously transmitted and used for coding a second set of bits from the source digital information. A receiver has correlators (306-309) to correlate each of the set of spreading codes with a received spread spectrum signal (302) to produce correlated signals. A code subset estimation circuit (312) is coupled to each correlator (306-309) and determines the magnitude of each of the correlated signals. The code subset estimation circuit (312) selects a subset of spreading codes from the set of spreading codes based on the magnitude of all correlated signals and determines the polarity of the subset of codes to decode the encoded received data.

Abstract: A fire protective insulating device adapted to be placed about articles to be protected from fire. The device comprises at least one layer of resilient and compressible insulative material having a plurality of compressive fastener means for mechanically compressing the insulative material to a high density, at least a portion of the fastening material being substantially less resistive to high temperature than the insulative material. A scrim means may be wrapped about the outside of the compressed insulative material for retaining the compressed insulative material. At least a portion of the scrim means is also preferably constructed of a material which is substantially less resistive to high temperature than is the insulative material. Upon contact with high temperature, the structural integrity of the fastening means is decreased allowing the compressed insulative material to mechanically expand.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for forming magnetic media, in which a protective overcoat of either partially stabilized zirconia or partially stabilized hafnia directly overlies a magnetic thin film recording layer. First, a chromium underlayer is sputter deposited onto a planar aluminum nickel phosphorous substrate. A crystalline magnetic recording layer is deposited onto the chromium underlayer, and substantially replicates the crystalline orientation of the underlayer. The substrate, underlayer and recording layer are passivated briefly in an oxygen atmosphere. Then, the hafnia or zirconia underlayer is applied by RF reactive sputtering in an atmosphere of argon and oxygen, with the argon partial pressure at least ten times the oxygen partial pressure.

Abstract: The invention disclosed herein relates in general to an improved circuitry or narrow band frequency tracking system for doppler radar and includes third order phase lock loop circuitry to improve tracking techniques. This enables tracking input frequency variations caused by target maneuvers with substantially smaller tracking bandwidths than is currently possible.

Abstract: A self-extinguishing fire-protective composition is disclosed. The composition includes a water-based resinous emulsion, organically bound halogen, clay and a low temperature fiber such as glass or organic fibers.

Abstract: A fire protective insulating product which, when placed about electrical cables, cable trays or conduits, is capable of protecting the cable or pipe from exposure to open flame temperatures of 1600.degree. to 2000.degree. F. The product comprises a first layer containing insulative, inorganic non-combustible fibers, and a coating thereon comprising 1.5 to 20% organically bound halogen, 3 to 75% high temperature resistant non-combustible fiber, and 5 to 75% resinous binder.