Abstract: A Lorentz force assisted microelectromechanical switch is provided which is configured to have a capacitive switch and an electrical conductor placed in transversely extending electric and magnetic fields to generate the Lorentz force sufficient to operate the capacitive switch.

Abstract: A primary set of sensors is situated along a highway approaching a weighing/inspection station, and a secondary set of sensors is situated along a ramp that is traversed by vehicles exiting the highway into a weighing/inspection station. The secondary sensors use vehicle identification based upon transponders and/or alternate means (such as license plate readers) that are suitable for lower speeds and for vehicles not equipped with transponders. The sensors are coupled to a processing system that accesses a database storing data correlated to vehicles using the highway. Upon the sensing of certain parameters by the primary sensors, the vehicles are directed to exit the highway to the weigh station entry ramp. The secondary set of sensors along the ramp provide an ability to identify transponder and non-transponder equipped vehicles and more accurate sensing capability due, among other things, to the slower speed of the vehicle while passing sensors.

Abstract: A gating grid for deflecting ions includes an insulating substrate (16), a conducting layer (28) adhered to the insulating substrate (16), and interdigitated electrodes (14) patterned in the conducting layer by a photolithographic process. A hole (18) in the insulating substrate beneath the interdigitated electrodes allows ions to pass through the hole in the substrate. A process for making a gating grid for deflecting ions includes adhering a conducting layer (28) to an insulating substrate (16), forming interdigitated electrodes (14) on the conducting layer (28), and then forming a hole (18) in the insulating substrate beneath the interdigitated electrodes.

Abstract: The invention comprises a vessel for solid phase micro-extraction chemical sampling. The vessel includes a container having an open end and a cap used to close the open end. The cap has a holder to hold a solid phase coated fiber within an interior of the container. There also is an inlet at a first location of the vessel and an outlet at a second location of the vessel. The inlet and the outlet are adapted to fill the vessel with a material to be exposed to the solid phase coated fiber. The vessel also includes a diffuser plate attached to the container. The plate is adapted to reduce fluid forces exerted on the solid phase coated fiber as material flows from the inlet to the outlet. The purpose of the diffuser plate is both to assure that forces are reduced and to provide laminar flow to assure rapid and complete exchange of the fluid in the vessel.

Abstract: In an ensemble oscillator system including multiple free-running oscillators, a voltage controlled oscillator having a frequency responsive to a control signal, and a differencer unit that measures time differences between the oscillators, an adaptive Kalman Filter Processor (AKFP) generates the control signal responsive to the time differences. The AKFP uses oscillator noise models to model noise/errors of the ensemble system oscillators, including random noise parameters, and adaptively estimates the errors and the random noise parameters to derive the control signal.

Abstract: A method and structure for minimizing one or more non-uniformities in image and position sensing detectors are provided. The structure is directed to a focal plane processor for removing non-uniformities which distort the computation of a desired property of an object of interest in an image field. The focal plane processor is capable of selectively disconnecting one or more rows and/or columns from further processing in the imaging array for those rows and/or columns which contribute to the presence of at least one non-uniformity in a video image generated by the focal plane processor. In one embodiment, the disconnection means is embodied as pre-processing circuitry which includes row and column shift registers which provide control signals to area-of-interest (AOI) switches. In another embodiment, the pixels which comprise the focal plane array are constructed in a manner which facilitates their individual isolation.

Abstract: An optical sensor and method for detecting a projectile velocity vector includes optically detecting the arrival of a projectile. The sensor includes a sandwich of a transparent layer within two reflective layers, which in turn are within two opaque layers. An optical sensor structure includes a set of sensors positioned in respective planes, wherein at least two non-parallel optical sensors are used for each trajectory dimension of interest that differs from the primary direction of motion of the projectile and one additional optical sensor may be used for independent measurement of velocity attenuation. An optical sensor structure includes a set of sensors positioned in respective planes, wherein at least two of the optical sensors are oriented in respective planes that are parallel and potentially offset from each other. A tiling of the optical sensors or optical structures is also possible.

Abstract: A method of improving pulse inductive metal detector sensitivity by minimizing adverse ground responses and transmitter coil transients is disclosed. The method provides a calibration mode for a typical pulsed EMI metal detector. The purpose of the calibration mode is to determine and record a nulling signal representative of the transmitter coil coupling to the receiver coil and a ground response that has no metal. The nulling signal is then used during normal operation of the metal detector by combining it with the instant receiver coil signal in a difference amplifier. The difference amplifier effectively subtracts the nulling signal from the instant signal yielding a response signal that has removed the ground response that may be present in the instant signal. The metal detector can be periodically re-calibrated. It may also be re-calibrated upon discovery of a metal target to provide the most up to date nulling signal for the ground around the metal target.

Abstract: A high-efficiency solid state power amplifier (SSPA) for specific use in a spacecraft is provided. The SSPA has a mass of less than 850 g and includes two different X-band power amplifier sections, i.e., a lumped power amplifier with a single 11-W output and a distributed power amplifier with eight 2.75-W outputs. These two amplifier sections provide output power that is scalable from 11 to 15 watts without major design changes. Five different hybrid microcircuits, including high-efficiency Heterostructure Field Effect Transistor (HFET) amplifiers and Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) phase shifters have been developed for use within the SSPA. A highly efficient packaging approach enables the integration of a large number of hybrid circuits into the SSPA.

Abstract: A resonator-slot antenna is configured to have a spiral of a conducive sheet material having at least one turn and extending along an axis with an elongated antenna slot helically wound around the axis in at least one full twist.

Abstract: A semiconductor die adapter assembly includes a semiconductor die cut from a wafer, the die having an active surface including bond pads. A die adapter, also having bond pads, is bonded to the semiconductor die. Die-to-adapter connectors electrically connect the die bond pads to the adapter bond pads. Finally, adapter-to-substrate connectors electrically connect the adapter bond pads to a device substrate. Having bond pads on the die adapter eliminates the need to break and remake the electrical connections to the original bond pads on the die during burn-in testing of the die.

Abstract: A method of correcting ionospheric delays induced in received signals by space systems is disclosed. The method takes advantage of received GPS signals and received crosslink signals among spacecraft to estimate the effect of ionospheric delays and correct for such delays in the computation of the range estimation between spacecraft. The method generates and initial estimate of the ionospheric delay by tracking pseudorandom codes on both GPS and crosslink signals at known frequencies to correct an initial relative range vector. Using the corrected range vector generated from the use of code, the method subsequently estimates a more precise correction by considering the carrier phase error as induced by ionospheric delay. This includes estimate the integer ambiguities on both the GPS signals and the crosslink signals iteratively and subsequently estimating a more precise ionospheric delay correction with is applied to the relative position vector using the carrier phase measurements.

Abstract: A modular aerosol sample detection system is provided comprising a sample collector couplable to an aerial vehicle and provided with at least one retrievable collection sample plate, which controllably rotates to collect aerosol samples on a multiplicity of collection spots arranged in multiple concentric tracks on the collection disk, and a multi-channel TOF removably couplable to the collection sampler to analyze the collected samples.

Abstract: An improved method for adhering a solid polymer component to a substrate is provided. An intermediate polymer adhesion promoting coating of metal oxide is applied to the substrate which enhances the adhesion of the subsequently applied solid polymer component to the substrate.

Abstract: A plurality of energy couplers (12) receives signals from an energy pulse, each of the energy couplers (12) having a defined field of view, the field of views of at least some of the energy couplers being overlapping. A transducer (14) converts the signals received from the energy pulse to voltage or current output signals that are then amplified. A threshold circuit (18) triggers when the amplitude of a signal caused by the energy pulse exceeds a predetermined level, and signal processing instrumentation (24) then calculates the source location and/or the intensity and/or the initiation time of the energy pulse based on the timing of the output signals associated with individual energy couplers (12).

Abstract: The invention comprises a material sampling interface that includes one or more inlet manifolds and one or more outlet manifolds and piping running to and from the manifolds. There are rungs connecting the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold. In addition, a bypass rung is positioned between the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold, with a bypass valve positioned on the bypass. Each of the rungs has piping connected to the inlet and outlet manifolds and a removable reservoir connected to the piping. The reservoir includes an internal removable sampler adapted to sample the material. There is an inlet valve connected to the piping between the reservoir and the inlet manifold and an outlet valve connected to the piping between the reservoir and the outlet manifold. The invention is capable of sampling any flowable material including fluids, gases, particles, etc.

Abstract: A method for selecting trees for harvest according to a predetermined criterion is provided which includes at least the steps of applying a vibrative member to the tree, vibrating the vibrative member, determining the resonance properties of the vibrative member, calculating an observed quality factor associated with the vibrative member vibrations, and, comparing the observed quality factor with a predetermined relationship between the quality factor and the tree selection criterion. A portable tree probe, suitable for field use, is also provided.

Abstract: A long-life conductivity sensor system and method that is embeddable or immersible in a medium. The conductivity sensor system includes at least a housing with an enclosing wall that defines an interior volume and that has at least one aperture through the wall; a pair of electrodes protruding through the aperture into a medium surrounding the sensor housing; and conductivity sensing electronics contained within the sensor housing interior volume and connected to the pair of electrodes. The conductivity sensing electronics include a galvanostat connected to the electrodes for inducing discrete constant current pulses between the electrodes creating a transient voltage signal between the electrodes; and a high-speed voltmeter/A-D Converter connected to the electrodes for measuring the transient voltage signal between the electrodes, the transient voltage signal being a function of the conductivity of the medium surrounding the sensor housing.

Abstract: A Lorentz force-driven mechanical resonator apparatus that utilizes a high-Q resonant structure as both a mixing device and a high-Q bandpass filter. Specifically, an external time varying, but quasistatic, magnetic field is applied to the resonating device while simultaneously running a time varying electrical current through the device. The resulting Lorentz force (I×B) is proportional to the vector product of the electrical current in the bar (I) and the external magnetic field (B). Integrating such a resonant device with a magnetic field coil produces the functionality of an ideal radio frequency (RF) mixer coupled with a high-Q intermediate frequency (IF) filter. Wide tunability provides the capability to scan, or even step, an array of filters having very narrow bandwidths via a common local oscillator to a desired frequency range.

Abstract: A device operative to detect metal objects. The device includes a transmitter circuit, an upper transmitter coil and a lower transmitter coil operatively connected to the transmitter circuit. A current fed through the upper transmitter coil and the lower transmitter coil generates a field that excites eddy currents in metal objects in the vicinity of the upper transmitter coil and the lower transmitter coil. An upper magnetic field detector and a lower magnetic field detector are operative to sense eddy currents generated in the metal objects. Processor elements operatively connected to the upper magnetic field detector and the lower magnetic field detector collect, store and analyze the eddy currents and thereby determine the likelihood that a metal object has been detected. A navigation system operatively connected to the processor elements controls movement of the device.