Abstract: System and method for opening and temporarily supporting a section of a generally tubular organ, the system includes a dilation catheter, the dilation catheter includes an integrally connected shape memory catheter tip, the shape memory catheter tip, is made of a shape memory alloy, wherein said shape memory catheter tip assumes a first shape at a first temperature and a second shape at a second temperature.

Abstract: A magnetotorquer including a ferromagnetic core with an excitation coil more compacted around at its central portion than at at least one of its lateral portions. A magnetotorquer including ferromagnetic core with an excitation coil wound therealong, the core having a central portion intermediate to lateral portions, at least one lateral portion having a smaller material cross section area than the central portion.

Abstract: There is provided a system for opening and temporarily supporting a section of a generally tubular organ. The system includes a dilation catheter which has an integrally connected shape memory catheter tip. The shape memory catheter tip is made of a shape memory alloy. The shape memory catheter tip assumes a first shape at a first temperature and a second shape at a second temperature. Accordingly, the shape memory catheter tip is inserted into the body of the patient, while being in a narrow shape and expands within the body of the patient.

Abstract: An inertial measurement unit mountable on a vehicle, comprising a housing accommodating three solid state sensor couples, each couple comprising a gyro member and an associated accelerometer. The housing is in the shape of a triangular pyramid, with a base fitted with true position and fixation arrangements for positioning and fixing the housing at a predetermined relation with respect to an axis of the vehicle. Each of the solid state sensor couples is fitted on a respective face of the housing.

Abstract: System for opening and temporarily supporting a section of a generally tubular organ, the system comprising a dilation catheter, and an inflatable balloon, the dilation catheter includes an integrally connected shape memory catheter tip, the shape memory catheter tip, is made of a shape memory alloy, the balloon being inserted within said shape memory catheter tip, wherein the balloon is operative to inflate, thereby moving the shape memory catheter tip from a first shape into a second shape, and wherein the shape memory catheter tip changes from the second shape to the first shape when heated from a first temperature to a second temperature.

Abstract: A system for alerting a driver of a vehicle of the presence of an obstacle in a track of the vehicle, comprising a sensor mounted on the vehicle for producing at least one sensor signal representative of a predetermined field of view of the track in front of the vehicle, and an obstacle detection device coupled to the sensor for processing the at least one sensor signal produced thereby so as to detect an obstacle in the track and produce an obstacle detect signal consequent thereto. An obstacle avoidance device is mounted in the vehicle and coupled to the obstacle detection device and is responsive to the obstacle detect signal for producing an obstacle avoidance signal. According to a preferred embodiment, the track is a rail track, the vehicle is a railway engine and the sensor includes a video camera for imaging the track. The resulting image is processed so as to detect a potential obstacle on the tracks allowing the brakes to be applied either manually or automatically.

Abstract: An automatic aircraft landing system (AALS) (10) for automatically landing an aircraft on a runway. The AALS (10) includes data acquisition apparatus (DAA) (24) for acquiring flight data pertaining to the descent of an aircraft along a flight path (26) defined between a final capture point (16) and a touchdown point on the runway. The AALS (10) also includes a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) (20) responsive to the flight data for providing control signals according to at least one set of flight guidelines to at least one of the aircraft's primary controls for at least urging the aircraft to essentially adhere to a guide path (28) along at least a portion of its flight path.

Abstract: A method and system for providing navigational data required to guide an air-to-air missile to a target. The missile is equipped either with an infrared seeking sensor or a radar system. The trajectory of the target is predicted on the basis of a series of location measurements. A flight path of the missile is predicted such that the missile will intercept the target. Based on the predicted missile flight path, signals corresponding to the required rotational angle of the missile's sensor or radar antenna are generated and supplied to the sensor or radar's rotation control unit to cause the missile to move along the predicted flight path.

Abstract: A mine extractor for removing buried mines having a plurality of leaf springs disposed in parallel side by side relationship and mounted on a common support. The extractor further comprises adjacent auxiliary springs and thereby forming additional batteries, a slide attached to the springs and adapted to slide on its bottom on the ground and/or an apparatus for swinging a beam and the slide with respect to a base to lift the slide from the ground.

Abstract: In a system including a launcher device and a projectile of the type that spins in flight, an assembly for detecting and correcting deviations of the projectile from the planned flight trajectory of the spinning projectile, leading from the launcher device to a selected, visible target, including, in combination:a first electric signal generator associated with the launcher device;target marker including a light emitter and being associated with the launcher;a sensor device mounted on the projectile and spinning together with it, including sensor having a forehead and an optical assembly capable of focusing and projecting on said forehead a beam of light reflected from the target so as to draw on the forehead an imaginary circle whose radius is proportional to a real-time deviation angle defined, in a first approximation, as the angle between the tangent to the projectile's flight trajectory and the projectile's line of sight (LOS) towards the target; anda thruster initiator that is capable of activating thru

Abstract: A vehicle seat for absorbing energy exerted on the seat during impact including a seat frame having at least one generally vertical segment, a support apparatus including at least one generally vertical pole and at least one coupler fixedly mounted on the at least one pole of the support apparatus and circumferentially mounted on the at least one generally vertical segment of the seat frame, the at least one coupler having at least one deformation member engaging an indentation in the at least one segment such that displacement of the seat frame relative to the support apparatus occurs only when the force of the impact acting on the seat frame exceeds a preselected threshold.

Abstract: An air combat monitoring system comprising a plurality of GPS receivers, mountable on a corresponding plurality of aircraft, an avionics monitor for monitoring the avionics systems of the plurality of aircraft, a memory for storing information received from the GPS receivers indicating the location of the plurality of aircraft and information received from the avionics monitor in order to provide a reviewable output indication of the performance of the plurality of aircraft and an information disseminator for communicating said information among said plurality of aircraft.

Abstract: A squib valve which has an inlet port associated with a pressurized fluid source, an outlet port, flow initiation apparatus for initiating a flow of the pressurized fluid between the inlet port and the outlet port, apparatus for activating the flow initiation apparatus, and flow control apparatus for permitting an increase in the flow at no more than a predetermined maximum rate of increase such that a maximum volumetric flow via the outlet port is reached only after a predetermined minimum period of time has elapsed, thereby reducing the occurrence and magnitude of shock and hammering downstream of the outlet port that would be provided by an uncontrolled outflow of the pressurized fluid.

Abstract: Apparatus for activating different types of magnetic trigger mechanism employed by different types of magnetic mine. The magnetic trigger activating apparatus includes apparatus for modifying the magnetic field sensed by each different type of magnetic trigger mechanism in a predetermined varying manner, thereby causing activation of each different type of magnetic trigger mechanism and thus detonation of each different type of magnetic mine when the apparatus for modifying is at least a predetermined minimum distance therefrom.

Abstract: Machine gun apparatus for mounting in association with a support element, such as a portion of a hatch assembly of an armored vehicle, wherein the support element has upper and lower sides which respectively correspond to the exterior and the interior of the vehicle, the machine gun apparatus including a machine gun rotatably mounted onto the upper side of the support element; apparatus for operating said machine gun from the upper side of the support element; and apparatus for operating said machine gun from the lower side of the support element.

Abstract: Apparatus for assisting travel across a travel surface not suitable for traverse by a wheelchair having a chassis, a seat mounted onto the chassis, a pair of manually rotatable drive wheels mounted about a rotation axis extending through the chassis, and a pair of castor wheels, wherein the apparatus for assisting travel includes tracked apparatus associated with the manually rotatable drive wheels, and apparatus for decouplably mounting the tracked apparatus onto the chassis, externally of the manually rotatable drive wheels.

Abstract: An optical system including a beam of radiation, an optical sensing device and boresighting apparatus. The boresighting apparatus includes apparatus for sensing the location of the beam of radiation relative to a given beam reference location and for providing an output indication thereof and including computing apparatus receiving the output indication from the optical sensing device. The boresighting apparatus further includes apparatus for defining an aiming location in the optical sensing device which aiming location is related to the output indication and including apparatus for providing an optical system reference image at a predetermined spatial separation from the beam reference location which is sensible by the optical sensing device.

Abstract: A method of and a system for scanning a scene for the purpose of classifying a plurality of moving objects located in the scene and having an average distance between them, including the steps of performing a sweep of the scene, during the sweep, producing a multiplicity of detections of at least one portion of the scene at a rate such that a distance traveled by the moving objects between detections is small with respect to the average distance, and calculating, from the multiple detections, two-dimensional motion information for at least some of the moving objects.

Abstract: A system for calibrating an internal balance used in the testing of scale models in wind tunnels including a base; apparatus for rigidly connecting a first portion of an internal balance to the base; force adaptor apparatus for rigidly engaging a second portion of the internal balance; apparatus for securing the force adaptor apparatus to the base, including apparatus for applying selected loads to the force adaptor apparatus so as to cause a corresponding loading on the internal balance; and low friction apparatus for coupling the force adaptor apparatus to the apparatus for securing, including apparatus for transmitting a direct force from the apparatus for applying selected loads to the force adaptor apparatus via a load point whose position relative to the force adaptor apparatus is substantially constant.