Abstract: A microwave pizza maker including a metallic pan, a metallic cover, and a microwave transparent base for removably supporting the pan and cover in spaced overlap alignment forming a partial microwave choke between the side of the pan and a peripheral region of the cover. A layer containing ferrite particles is attached to the undersurface of the pan to absorb microwave energy and produce heat for conduction to the interior defined by the pan and the cover. The base has legs so that the pan is elevated at least an inch above the floor of the oven. The support surface for the pan consists of a plurality of protrusions or spacers to provide a small surface contact area to minimize heat transfer from the pan to the base. The spacers may be fabricated from a different material than the remainder of the base and connected thereto.

Abstract: Circuitry for controlling a phase-lock loop using a charge-pump phase detector is shown to comprise a phase detector network in combination with an operational amplifier connected to selected output signals from such network to produce a bipolar D.C. signal indicative of the phase difference between signals applied to such network, one of the signals being at a frequency half that of the other.

Abstract: A four frequency laser gyroscope system having a rugged and compact output structure for producing output signals representing the frequency differences between counter-circulating wave pairs circulating as two beams within the gyroscope cavity. A partially transmitting dielectric mirror forms both one of the cavity reflectors and the means for extracting a small portion of each beam. The two extracted beams are combined on a beam splitter. Both the transmitted and reflected beams from the output of the beam splitter, each containing waves of all four frequencies, are utilized. Each resultant beam is then polarization discriminated to extract the desired signal content. The entire structure is adapted for rigid mechanical coupling and may be constructed to have a small size.

Abstract: A recuperative furnace and method for heating wherein the recirculation air blower directs the return air upwardly first to a recuperative heat exchanger and then to a second heat exchanger operating from the heat of combustion. The flue gases are routed directly to the recuperative heat exchanger where a portion of the products of combustion condense. Accordingly, the recuperative heat exchanger not only provides sensible heat transfer from the flue gases but also recovers a portion of the latent heat of vaporization. The second heat exchanger transfers heat from a solution to the recirculation air. The solution flows through a closed loop between the second heat exchanger and a heat transfer module which includes the burner.

Abstract: A method of depositing material onto an object in an ionization chamber having a shutter therein which has an object-obscuring portion comprising the step of confining particles of matter deposited on the object-obscuring portion of the shutter to such object-obscuring portion while the object is being deposited with material. The object-obscuring portion of the shutter includes an open ended container, the open end thereof being formed in an upper portion of the shutter. During ionization a glow region is formed in the chamber separated from a source of the material by a dark space region. The upper surface of the shutter is disposed in the dark space region and the bottom of the container is separated from the source sufficiently to enable ionization.

Abstract: An eye opening monitor for a binary waveform such as provided as the video output of a demodulator. At the decision sample time, the video is compared to -V.sub.th and +V.sub.th reference voltages to determine if it falls in the range defined therebetween. If it does, a counter is reset. Because the carry-out pulses of the counter are used to produce -V.sub.th and +V.sub.th, the range defined therebetween is decreased by the additional time required to count to the carry-out after the counter is reset. The loop stabilizes with the range from -V.sub.th and +V.sub.th being quantitatively indicative of the eye opening. A voltage derived from V.sub.th is visually displayed.

Abstract: A method of controlling antiaircraft fire is described in which an aircraft is tracked continuously during the flight of a burst of projectiles and the probability of a hit is continuously revised according to the latest target maneuver as the projectiles proceed to the intercept point. If, before all of the projectiles reach the aircraft, the probability of a hit falls below a specified level, another burst of projectiles is fired. As this second burst proceeds to target its computed probability of hit is combined with that of the previously fired burst to determine the cumulative probability of hit of the two bursts taken together. If, before the second burst reaches the target, the cumulative probability falls below the specified level then a third burst is fired. This activity repeats until the cumulative probability of hit is driven up and kept up above the specified level.

Abstract: A microwave phase discriminator is shown to include a microwave bridge network having two pairs of input ports and two pairs of output ports, the phase shift of signals passing through such network being dependent upon which one of the input ports is actuated, a diode detector connected to each one of the output ports, a difference amplifier connected to each pair of diode detectors, a single-pole double-throw switch connected to each input port and commutating switches at the inputs to the corresponding difference amplifiers.

Abstract: A distributive beam steering computer network for a radar phased array antenna is disclosed which provides direct drive for individual antenna phase shifter elements using a plurality of microcomputers co-located with each phase shifter. The microcomputers calculate the phase shift based on constants stored in a ROM which is located in each microcomputer and phase shift data comprising sin .alpha., sin .beta., and 1/.lambda. signals are distributed to all microcomputers over a single serial data line. The constants required for each shifter are different, and therefore, the ROM in each microcomputer is programmed for a specific location in an array antenna. A phase shift steering command for each element of the phased array antenna is calculated using a shift-and-add multiplication algorithm which is hard-wired into each microcomputer.

Abstract: A circuit board holder and module including the circuit board and holder are described wherein a cover plate integral with the holder is in thermal contact with the heat producing elements mounted on the circuit board. The heat generated in the elements is transferred through the cover plate to the peripheral portions of the holder where the holder is in contact with a heat sink.

Abstract: A microprocessor controlled microwave oven having a scale for providing a signal corresponding to the weight of a food body in the cavity to the microprocessor. Through a control panel, the operator inputs a second signal corresponding to the initial temperature of the food body. From these signal inputs, the microprocessor calculates the microwave exposure time period to raise the temperature of the food body to a predetermined temperature or to cook the food body. In accordance with the time period, the microprocessor then controls the magnetron through one or more active cycles as selected.

Abstract: A conveyorized microwave oven having multiple independently controlled lanes. Specifically, a plurality of conveyor belts are directed into, through, and out of the microwave cavity. The belts can be operated at different speeds so that foods requiring different microwave exposure times can be cooked simultaneously. Suppression tunnels surrounding the conveyor belts at the openings into and out of the cavity prevent the escape of microwave energy from the cavity.

Abstract: A dual fetch microsequencer having two single-ported microprogram memories wherein both the sequential and jump address microinstructions of a binary conditional branch can be simultaneously prefetched, one from each memory. The microprogram is assembled so that the sequential and jump addresses of each branch have opposite odd/even polarities. Accordingly, with all odd addresses in one memory and even in the other, the first instruction of both possible paths can always be prefetched simultaneously. When a conditional branch microinstruction is loaded into the execution register, its jump address or a value corresponding to it is transferred to the address register for the appropriate microprogram memory. The address of the microinstruction in the execution register is incremented and transferred to the address register of the other microprogram memory. Prefetch delays are thereby reduced.

Abstract: A rod of magnetostrictive material has its ends placed between steel bars which provide compression on the rod by tensioning wires connected between the bars. Preferably, the wires are equally spaced along the bars from the rod so that when the wires are equally tensioned the rod is under no bending stress. The tension of the wires (and from this value, the compression of the rod) is conveniently determined by the freqency of vibration of the wires using known physical relationships between these quantities.

Abstract: A digital memory system is provided wherein a received radio frequency signal is separated into a pair of quadrature signal channels, the signals in each one of the channel being sampled and stored in a digital memory at a rate substantially lower than the Nyquist sampling rate. During recall the stored samples are sequentially read from the memories at the rate at which they were stored. The samples read from the memories in each of the channels are sampled at the relatively low sampling rate and are then combined into a single channel after shifting the phase of the signals in one of the channels 90 degrees, to form a composite signal having a plurality of radio frequency signal components, each one being separated in frequency from another one by an amount having a predetermined relationship to the pulse repetition frequency of the sampling pulses; one of such radio frequency signal components having the frequency of the received signal.

Abstract: A reflectometer for precisely measuring the reflectivities of mirrors by performing two sequential measurements each of which is related to a different function of the reflectivities of a reference mirror and the mirror under test. For the first measurement, the two mirrors are arranged so that a beam of light is reflected alternately from the reference mirror and from the test mirror to an output detector to produce an output signal related to the difference of the reflectivities. In the second measurement, the mirrors are positioned so that the beam passes to the output detector directly and, alternately, after reflection from first the reference mirror and then the test mirror, thereby producing an output signal related to the product of the reflectivities. The reflectivity of the test mirror is then calculated from the two output signal quantities.

Abstract: A current source circuit includes a current mirror circuit having a master transistor and at least one slave transistor. The master transistor is coupled to a differential amplifier. The differential amplifier includes a pair of transistors, one thereof being coupled to a reference current source and the master transistor and the other one having a collector electrode connected to the base electrodes of the master and slave transistors for producing a current through the collector electrode substantially equal to the total current flow through the base electrodes of the master and slave transistors.

Abstract: Automatic control circuitry for maintaining the frequency of a first local oscillator in a radar receiver at a predetermined offset frequency with respect to the frequency of either transmitted signals from a radar transmitter or echo signals from a target is disclosed. The disclosed circuitry operates as a discriminator when the frequency of the first local oscillator is different from the predetermined offset frequency and as a "phase lock" loop when the frequency of the first local oscillator is the same as the predetermined offset frequency.

Abstract: An appliance for heating seeds, nuts, grains and the like such as popcorn kernels, for example, by means of microwave radiation, comprising a bowl which is transparent to microwave energy and which has in its lower region an area of restricted size for holding unheated seeds in a clump, the area of the bowl above the restricted area being larger to allow heated seeds to expand, and means for directing the microwave energy upon the clump of seeds.