Electrically controllable steering arrangement for magnetic single-wall domain propagation paths

Claim 2

In combination, a plurality of field access, magnetic, single-wall domain, propagation paths, at least a first and a second one of said paths intersecting one another, each of said paths including means, comprising a path termination at said intersection, for producing a magnetic field concentration adjacent to said intersection in response to a rotating field and in a phase of said rotating field which is different from the phases at which path termination concentrations are produced for all of the other ones of said paths at said intersection, means, at said intersection and responsive to an electric current, for producing a magnetic field concentration in said intersection for attracting a magnetic domain from a selectable one of said intersecting paths, means for generating a rotating magnetic field in said paths, thereby establishing varying patterns of magnetic field concentrations in said paths for propagating magnetic domains in said paths, and means for applying to said producing means at least one electric current pulse having a leading edge in a first predetermined phase with respect to the phase of said rotating field for attracting a domain propagated under the influence of said rotating field to said intersection, said applying means including means for terminating said current pulse at a second predetermined phase of said rotating field for releasing the attracted domain to another one of said paths under the influence of said rotating field.

Claim 3

The combination in accordance with claim 1 in which a plurality of said path intersections are defined by said paths, and means are provided for connecting said producing means of all of said intersections for substantially simultaneous energization by said pulse applying means.

Claim 4

The combination in accordance with claim 2 in which said paths include a first group of paths arranged substantially parallel to one another to form a set of row shift registers and a second group of paths arranged substantially parallel to one another to form a set of column shift registers, each shift register of said row set intersects each shift register of said column set one time to form said plurality of path intersections.

Claim 5

The combination in accordance with claim 3 in which said producing means and said connecting means comprise electric circuits interconnecting said intersections along diagonals with respect to said row and column sets of shift registers.

Claim 6

The combination in accordance with claim 2 in which said connecting means comprises means for connecting all of said producing means in series.

Claim 7

The combination in accordance with claim 1 in which said generating means comprises means for generating said rotating field with a substantially uniform resultant magnitude reorienting in a recurrent manner.

Claim 8

In combination, a plurality of field access, magnetic, single-wall domain, propagation paths grouped into an input path group and an output path group, at least one of said input paths and one of said output paths intersecting one another, said propagation paths each comprising an iterative pattern of associated T and bar magnetic, field-concentrating, overlay elements upon a substrate member and extending to said intersection, an electric circuit configured for substantially, completely encircling the intersection of said first and second intersecting paths and responsive to a current pulse passed through said circuit to induce a magnetic field having a uniform polarity throughout the encircled portion of said intersection for attracting a magnetic domain from a selectable one of said intersecting paths, each input path to said intersection comprising one of said T elements immediately adjacent to said intersection and having a bar portion and an intersecting shank portion thereof oriented so that the last-mentioned bar portion lies along a tangent to said intersection-encircling circuit and each of said output paths from said intersection comprising a T element having the bar portion thereof extending substantially collinearly with respect to a diameter of said intersection, means for generating a rotating magnetic field in said paths, thereby establishing varying patterns of magnetic field concentrations in said paths for propagating magnetic domains in said paths, and means for applying to said electric circuit at least one electric current pulse having a leading edge in a first predetermined phase with respect to the phase of said rotating field for attracting a domain propagated under the influence of said rotating field to said intersection, said applying means including means for terminating said current pulse at a second predetermined phase of said rotating field for releasing the attracted domain to another one of said paths under the influence of said rotating field.

Claim 9

In combination, a plurality of field access, magnetic, single-wall domain, propagation paths grouped into an input path group and an output path group, at least one of said input paths and one of said output paths intersecting one another, said propagation paths each comprising an iterative pattern of associated T and bar magnetic, field-concentrating, overlay elements upon a substrate member and extending to said intersection, an electric circuit configured for substantially, completely encircling the intersection of said first and second intersecting paths and responsive to a current pulse passed through said circuit to induce a magnetic field having a uniform polarity throughout the encircled portion of said intersection for attracting a magnetic domain from a selectable one of said intersecting paths, each input path to said intersection comprising one of said T elements immediately adjacent to said intersection and having a bar portion and an intersecting shank portion thereof oriented so that the last-mentioned bar portion lies along a tangent to said intersection-encircling circuit and each of said output paths from said intersection comprising a T element having the bar portion thereof extending substantially collinearly with respect to a diameter of said intersection, means for generating a rotating magnetic field in said paths, thereby establishing varying patterns of magnetic field concentrations in said paths for propagating magnetic domains in said paths, and means for applying to said electric circuit at least one electric current pulse having a leading edge in a first predetermined phase with respect to the phase of said rotating field for attracting a domain propagated under the influence of said rotating field to said intersection, said applying means including means for terminating said current pulse at a second predetermined phase of said rotating field for releasing the attracted domain to another one of said paths under the influence of said rotating field.

Claim 10

In combination, a plurality of field access, magnetic, single-wall domain, propagation paths, at least a first and a second one of said paths intersecting one another, means, at the intersection of said first and second paths and responsive to an electric current, for producing a magnetic field concentration in said intersection for attracting a magnetic domain from a selectable one of said intersecting paths, means for generating a rotating magnetic field in said paths, thereby establishing varying patterns of magnetic field concentrations in said paths for propagating magnetic domains in said paths, means for applying to said producing means a first pulse having a leading edge which occurs during a rotating field phase in which a first one of said paths includes no attractive field concentration at a termination thereof at said intersection, and such pulse has a trailing edge which occurs at a phase of said rotating field during which a second one of said paths has an attractive field concentration at an input termination thereof at said intersection, and means for applying a second pulse to said producing means, which pulse has a leading edge occurring during a phase of said rotating field when a third one of said propagation paths has no field concentration at an output termination thereof adjacent to said intersection and which has a trailing edge occurring during a phase of said rotating field when a fourth one of said paths has a magnetic field concentration at an input termination thereof adjacent to said intersection.

Claim 11

In combination, a plurality of field access, magnetic, single-wall domain, propagation paths, at least a first and a second one of said paths intersecting one another, means, at the intersection of said first and second paths and responsive to an electric current, for producing a magnetic field concentration in said intersection for attracting a magnetic domain from a selectable one of said intersecting paths, means for generating a rotating magnetic field in said paths, thereby establishing varying patterns of magnetic field concentrations in said paths for propagating magnetic domains in said paths, means for applying to said producing means a first pulse having a leading edge which occurs during a rotating field phase in which a first one of said paths includes no attractive field concentration at a termination thereof at said intersection, and such pulse has a trailing edge which occurs at a phase of said rotating field during which a second one of said paths has an attractive field concentration at an input termination thereof at said intersection, and means for applying a second pulse to said producing means, which pulse has a leading edge occurring during a phase of said rotating field when a third one of said propagation paths has no field concentration at an output termination thereof adjacent to said intersection and which has a trailing edge occurring during a phase of said rotating field when a fourth one of said paths has a magnetic field concentration at an input termination thereof adjacent to said intersection.

Claim 12

In combination, a plurality of field access, magnetic, single-wall domain, propagation paths, at least a first and a second one of said paths intersecting one another, means, at the intersection of said first and second paths and responsive to an electric current, for producing a magnetic field concentration in said intersection for attracting a magnetic domain from a selectable one of said intersecting paths, means for generating a rotating magnetic field in said paths, thereby establishing varying patterns of magnetic field concentrations in said paths for propagating magnetic domains in said paths, and means operative during a predetermined cycle of said rotating field for applying to said producing means a single electric current pulse having a leading edge which occurs during a phase of said rotating fiEld when a first one of said paths has no field concentration at a path termination adjacent to said intersection, and having a trailing edge which occurs during a phase of said rotating field in which a second one of said paths has a field concentration at an input termination thereof adjacent to said intersection, the last-mentioned phase occurring subsequent to the first-mentioned phase and subsequent to at least one intermediate phase during which at least one other of said paths has an input termination field concentration.

Claim 13

In combination, a plurality of field access, magnetic, single-wall domain, propagation paths, at least a first and a second one of said paths intersecting one another, means, at the intersection of said first and second paths and responsive to an electric current, for producing a magnetic field concentration in said intersection for attracting a magnetic domain from a selectable one of said intersecting paths, means for generating a rotating magnetic field in said paths, thereby establishing varying patterns of magnetic field concentrations in said paths for propagating magnetic domains in said paths, and means operative during a predetermined cycle of said rotating field for applying to said producing means a single electric current pulse having a leading edge which occurs during a phase of said rotating fiEld when a first one of said paths has no field concentration at a path termination adjacent to said intersection, and having a trailing edge which occurs during a phase of said rotating field in which a second one of said paths has a field concentration at an input termination thereof adjacent to said intersection, the last-mentioned phase occurring subsequent to the first-mentioned phase and subsequent to at least one intermediate phase during which at least one other of said paths has an input termination field concentration.

Claim 14

The combination in accordance with claim 9 in which said pulse applying means includes means for maintaining said single pulse through field phases during which field concentrations occur at input terminations of all other ones of said paths having terminations at said intersection except one of such paths, and terminating said pulse during the field concentration phase at said one path.