Abstract: An automatic calibration for a ramp voltage generator includes a ramp voltage generator circuit responsive to a clock signal for providing a ramp voltage during a ramp voltage period; a comparator responsive to the ramp voltage for indicating whether the ramp voltage has reached a predetermined reference voltage level in the ramp voltage period; and a ramp rate control circuit responsive to the comparator for adjusting the ramp voltage generator circuit to drive the ramp voltage to obtain the predetermined reference voltage level in the ramp voltage period.

Abstract: A high strength and ductile depleted uranium alloy including two or three alloying elements, two of which are molybdenum and titanium, in which the total weight percent of all of the alloying elements makes up no more than 2% of the alloy weight, in which there is from 0.75 to 1.50 weight % molybdenum, and 0.30 to 0.70 weight % titanium.

Abstract: An annular cylindrical multihole collimator for a radioisotope camera made by forming a plurality of closed annular radio-opaque plates which may be all corrugated plates or may be half corrugated and half flat, each having at least one collimator segment section and junction, and stacking a number of said plates cylindrically, axially on one another, alternately if both flat and corrugated plates are used, to form an annular cylindrical multihole collimator with at least one segment, each plate being bonded to its adjacent plates.

Abstract: A composite structure having predetermined temperature/time profiles is made by combining in chemically separate yet intimate thermal relation a plurality of phase change mediums which change phase at differing temperatures in the overall range of the predetermined temperature/time profiles. Each of the phase change mediums changes phase at a different temperature in sequence for defining the thermal storage capacity of the structure and generally approximating the predetermined temperature/time profiles throughout the overall temperature range.

Abstract: Stereoscopic optical apparatus comprising a housing constructed to exclude spurious light sources, first and second optical devices having reflecting surfaces which together form a first pair of optical devices, and third and fourth optical devices having reflecting surfaces which together form a second pair of optical devices. The stereoscopic optical apparatus being such that the first optical device is positioned below the second optical device and the third optical device is positioned below the fourth optical device, the first and third optical devices are inclined a first way and the second and fourth optical devices are inclined a second way. One of the optical devices from the first and second pairs of optical devices being such as to form two optical devices which are level and have their optical center lines separated by a distance, "d", said pairs of optical devices providing left and right views of an object.

Abstract: A hand-held sound digitizer system for recording sound in a personal computer, including an enclosure capable of being held in one hand, a microphone built into the enclosure for providing an analog sound signal output, and circuitry within the enclosure for digitizing the analog signal output. Further provision is made for reading the digitized signal to a parallel printer port of the computer for storage of the digitized sound in the computer.

Abstract: A charge pump circuit for providing a bipolar output that substantially doubles the unipolar voltage input by utilizing a three-phase clock signal to charge a first capacitor in response to the first phase of the three-phase clock signal, then in response to either the second or third phase of the clock signal connect the first capacitor in series between the positive voltage input terminal and positive voltage output terminal to generate an output voltage which is positive in polarity and substantially double the voltage of the input source, then in response to the other of the second and third clock phases connect, between the input terminals, the first and second capacitors in series for providing a second polarity voltage across the second capacitor which is substantially double the source voltage and during either the following first or second clock pulse connect the second capacitor with its positive electrode connected to the negative input terminal and its negative electrode connected to the negative

Abstract: A ferroelectric space charge capacitor analog memory device includes a pair of spaced first and second electrodes; a ferroelectric dielectric disposed between the electrodes; and a signal source for applying to the dielectric a write signal equal to or greater than the coercive voltage to write the dielectric into a predetermined polarization state in the range from zero to maximum coerced polarization and to establish, proximate the interface between the dielectric and each electrode, a space charge region having a charge opposite to that applied to the electrode, with a neutral region between the space charge regions, the relative sizes of the neutral and space charge regions defining the capacitance of the dielectric, the neutral region having an internal polarization field opposite to that represented by the space charge regions; a bias source for applying to the dielectric a bias voltage less than the coercive voltage at a rate slower than the rate of space charge formation to define the capacitance leve

Abstract: A frequency division, energy comparison signal processing system for detecting the presence of, and separating the contributions from, sources that compose a wide-band sound signal, in which the system divides at least part of the wide-band sound signal into a number of discrete narrow frequency band components, generates the energy envelope of each of those components, normalizes the envelopes, multiplies each normalized envelope with each of the other normalized envelopes to obtain a plurality of envelope correlation coefficients for each frequency band, and then identifies from the correlation coefficients a sound source seed frequency band component and then, using the seed, identifies the remaining frequency components of a sound source.

Abstract: A quantum dot laser includes a laser host material; a plurality of quantum dots disposed in the host material; and a pumping source for exciting and inducing a population inversion in the quantum dots.

Abstract: An electrolytic deburring system and method employing a relatively weakly conducting electrolyte with the cathode immersed in the electrolyte in which an anodic potential is applied to the workpiece being deburred. A conductive element acting as a virtual cathode is placed between the cathode and the part to provide a more conductive path than the existing path through the electrolyte to concentrate deburring action and/or shield a portion of the workpiece from the deburring action.For deburring a multiplicity of parts at the same time, two electrodes are immersed in the electrolyte and a potential difference is applied between them. Spaced parts placed between the electrodes assume potential differences leading to selective material removal from the relatively anodic portions of each part. The polarity of the applied potential may be reversed, thereby reversing the polarity of the potential differences between the parts to selectively remove material from the newly anodic portions of the parts.

Abstract: A reader for a coded discontinuous security thread in a security document comprises a multiplicity of reading channels each coupled to at least one magnetic transducing means (11, 40) for sensing along a track across the document and including processing circuits for forming a channel signal which exhibits signal excursions in response to the passage of the ends of each length of magnetic material. First and second comparators (55, 56) compare the channel signal with relatively positive and relatively negative thresholds respectively and a bistable switching means (59) is coupled to the comparators to provide a digital signal. A reference comparator (64) controls an analog switch and diode pumps (70, 71) to adjust the thresholds in accordance with the amplitude of a signal excursion.

Abstract: A self-aligning coupler for a laser endoscope having a body and a lumen extending from the body includes a coupler housing; an input port adapted for connection to a laser beam source; and an output port adapted for connection to the endoscope body; a tilt assembly; an alignment sleeve fixed to the tilt assembly for extending through the output port and the body into the lumen; lens means mounted with the tilt assembly for projecting the laser beam down the alignment sleeve and fixing the focus of the beam generally on the axis of the alignment sleeve; means for centering the sleeve with respect to the lumen and generally aligning the lumen and sleeve axes; and gap means between the tilt assembly and the coupler housing for enabling the tilt assembly to float in the coupler housing laterally relative to the axes of the sleeve and lumen for accommodating misalignment between the body and lumen while maintaining alignment of the lens means, sleeve and lumen.

Abstract: In a moving image encoding apparatus, an image signal is converted into a digital image signal by an A/D converter and is stored in frame memory 110. In addition, a movement vector detector 300 detects a movement of the output of the frame memory 110. In an orthogonal transformer 130, a difference signal between a present frame image which is stored in the frame memory 110 and a previous frame image which is stored in a variable delay frame memory 210 is supplied, in which the difference signal is converted by orthogonal transformation. The orthogonally transformed transformation signal is quantized into a linear or nonlinear discrete level on the basis of a step width of quantization from a step size controller 600 in a quantizer 140. Then, the quantized data is encoded into a variable length code in a variable length encoder 150. A movement vector detector 300 detects movement of the image by pattern matching processing between the present frame and the previous frame.

Abstract: An automated manufacturing cost estimating method and system with indirect cost allocation which identifies a material in an initial state for manufacturing a product in a final state; defines an operation for converting the material from its initial state into the final state of the product; calculates the direct labor cost for each operation based on direct labor hours and calculates the indirect cost specifically allocated for each operation based on consumption of overhead cost elements by the operation; and sums the cost calculated for each operation to determine the total cost of manufacture of a part.

Abstract: A ferroelectric space charge capacitor memory system includes a ferroelectric space charge capacitor memory cell having two ferroelectric space charge capacitor memory devices; a write circuit for applying coercive write voltage to each of the memory devices to establish internal polarization fields and space charge regions of opposite polarity in each device, respectively; a bias voltage circuit for applying to each of the devices a bias voltage less than the coercive voltage at a rate slower than the rate of space charge formation to define a capacitive level representative of one of the polarization states; a read signal circuit for introducing to each of the devices a read signal at a rate faster than the rate of space charge formation, which together with the bias voltage is less than the coercive voltage; and a detector responsive to the read signal for indicating the difference in charge transferred by each memory device representing the logical state of the memory cell.