Abstract: A ranging system for a communications spacecraft (14) overlays a Gaussian noise signal over a broadband channel which also carries information or traffic signals. The noise is used to establish the range between a ground station (12) and the spacecraft (14). The range is determined by delaying the Gaussian noise in a controllable delay (32), and autocorrelating the delayed noise with the noise returned over the communications channel from the spacecraft. The ranging system (FIG. 4) reduces the bandwidth of the noise in a filter (18) during initial acquisition, to color the noise and broaden the autocorrelation peak (FIG. 3a). The broad peak shortens the initial search time. Once the peak is initially found, the noise bandwidth is progressively broadened to narrow the autocorrelation peak (FIG. 3c) and to give a more accurate indication of range.

Abstract: A half-wave brushless, four-phase DC motor includes sets of four stator windings fed at 90.degree. phase increments by four switches. The 0.degree. and 180.degree. windings are wound about their magnetic stator poles in bifilar conductor pairs, and the 90.degree. and 270.degree. windings are similarly wound. The bifilar windings are connected to generate the same directions of magnetic fields as the prior-art windings. As a result of the bifilar windings, the magnetic fields of the windings tend to be identical, and all the inductances of each winding tend to be transformer-coupled to the other winding of the bifilar pair. During sequential turn-off of the switches in normal operation, the coupled inductance causes a voltage kick which is poled so it can be damped, and the energy returned to the source, by a diode coupled across the other switch of the bifilar pair.

Abstract: A system for extracting a three-dimensional model of an object viewed in a selected scene, includes at least one camera for acquiring scene information, each from a different spatial-temporal aspect of the total scene. A digitizer converts the scene video and directional information to digital data, for at least temporary storage in a mass memory associated with a computer for data processing. An interactive display provides a means by which a human operator can view the stored scene information and select at least one scene object for which the computer will extract a 3D model, for subsequent use by a designated output device.

Abstract: A multitrack optical disk has two or more circular or spiral tracks, which are recorded or played back in simultaneous sets for high data rates. Tracking is accomplished by sets of first and second tracking pads, which lie partially on and partially off the track paths. The amount of inter-track space required to accommodate the track pads is reduced by placing the overlap of the tracking pads in the same inter-track space, and by tracking any additional simultaneous tracks in excess of two by mechanical coupling with the first two.

Abstract: A communications station (10) couples a bidirectional input-output signal path (16') to two unidirectional signal paths; a transmit signal path (12') and a receive signal path (14'), using a controllable hybrid (20). A feedback control system in the station minimizes the amount of transmit signal appearing at the receive output port (24) of the hybrid (20). The control system spreads the spectrum of a pilot signal (40) by means of a biphase modulator (46) and a pseudorandom generator (42) to produce a spread-spectrum pilot, which is added, in a summer 30, to the transmit signal. The spread-spectrum pilot signal covers the bandwidth of the information signal, and is reflected in an amount and with a phase which depends upon the relative impedance presented to the hybrid (20) by the bidirectional signal path (16').

Abstract: A data receiver receives differential phase-shift keyed (DPSK) signals, and filters the signal by a process including frequency conversion, under the control of an estimated carrier frequency (f.sub.re), to produce a filtered output signal which is applied to a DPSK demodulator. The filtering compensates for the Doppler frequency errors, and reduces the phase error. The estimated frequency is determined by second and third controllable filters, which filter the DPSK carrier signal at frequencies above and below the estimated carrier frequency by an offset frequency which depends on the data rate. A first frequency error estimate is made in a processor coupled to the second and third filters, from the ratio of the amplitudes of the first and second filter output signals. A second-order tracking loop is coupled to the processor for averaging the frequency error estimate over a predetermined number of bits, to generate the estimate of the carrier frequency.

Abstract: An MSK receiver includes a downconverter for downconverting the received MSK signals. The phase drift or phase error per bit of the message preamble is determined. The reference carriers are generated, and the phase of the reference signals is adjusted during message demodulation under the control of the estimated rate of phase change across the preamble portion. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the downconverted MSK signal burst is digitized and the digitized burst signal is stored in memory, following which it is read repeatedly so that bit timing, start-of-message timing, carrier phase, and carrier drift processing may be performed in a desired sequence, using all the available information for more accurate demodulation. According to a yet further aspect of the invention, a second order tracking loop is used to adjust the phase of the demodulation reference signals.

Abstract: A recursive Radon video transform processor, for detecting signal responses from objects to be recognized, generates a special manifold of the response data for Radon transformation of the stored data before operation thereon by a subsequent enhancement process, prior to display or other utilization. Each Cartesian data point contributes to multiple Radon transforms, so that the recursive Radon transform video implementation only processes the newest and oldest lines of data to update the transform for a given sliding window in the data manifold. For a data line of fixed length .rho., and with each of a set of N separate angular subprocessors operating, the pixel X value of the first and the last data rows are offset by a window size (w=x* tan .theta..sub.i), where .theta..sub.i is the transform angle for a particular subprocessor, as determined by a desired resolution, so that window size variations are implemented by a programmable change in time delay.