Abstract: A robotic apparatus and method of acquiring jumbled objects or workpieces from a bin, and transferring them to a final site, or to an intermediate site for quality inspection. A video camera system produces a video signal representing a brightness image of the jumbled objects. An intermediate amplitude range of the video signal is selected, expanded, stored, and quantized into digital pixels. A computer enhances the image using histogram techniques, performs edge suppression, performs repeated shrinking with progressively-increased pixel thresholds until an area limit is reached, performs clustering of closely-spaced pixels, and commands movement of the robot gripper to a computed grip site on a recognized object. The gripper may limit its gripping pressure as a function of the deformation of the object gripped.

Abstract: A method of synchronizing the transmissions of alternate video fields or frames from two earth stations over a common uplink channel to a satellite so that the fields or frames arrive in interleaved time periods. A synchronizing pulse is transmitted over a separate channel from a first station to the satellite and back, twice, and to the second station and back. The returned signals provide information for synchronizing transmissions from both stations.

Abstract: A balloon or airship having a hull of flexible material is provided with a deflation opening in the hull and a rigid frame permanently fastened to the edge of the opening. A ring of flexible sheet material has its peripheral edge removably clamped to the rigid frame. A disc of flexible sheet material larger than the central opening in the ring is fastened by an adhesive to the ring all around the central opening in the ring. A deflation tape sewed to the disc near the edge of the upper half thereof has a central free end to be pulled for peeling the adhesive-held disc from the ring to rapidly deflate the balloon.

Abstract: System for displaying computer generated information on a display screen such as a standard television raster by mapping memory bits onto corresponding points of the raster. The information is applied serially to the television circuits in synchronization with the sweep rate of the television. Horizontal and vertical synchronization signals are also generated to control the receiver sweep circuits.

Abstract: A radio receiver includes a phaselocked loop including a main phase detector which accomplishes both carrier extraction and demodulation of an FM orderwire signal. The loop bandwidth characteristic is made suitable for de-emphasis of the FM orderwire audio signal, and the output of a quadrature phase detector is applied as a divisor to an analog divider in the phaselocked loop to cause the bandwidth of the phaselocked loop to remain substantially constant despite changes in input signal level.

Abstract: A resonant circuit phase equalizer includes two quarter-wavelength-long strip conductors extending in parallel from adjacent ends of respective input and output strip conductors of a microwave stripline transmission line. A fixed MIS direct-current-blocking and radio-frequency tuning capacitor is connected across the remote ends of the quarter-wave strip conductors. A variable varactor capacitor is connected across the near ends of the quarter-wave strip conductors. A variable direct-current bias voltage is applied through radio frequency choke conductors to the varactor to vary the capacitance thereof and the center frequency tuning of the equalizer.

Abstract: A photographic recorder includes an optical scanner unit positioned to scan transverse lines across a photographic film driven slowly in a linear direction. The optical scanner unit is mounted for angular displacement, so that the scan-line across the film can be set to any angle in a range of about .+-.45 degrees relative to a line at right angles to the direction of motion of the film.

Abstract: When two color television signals are transmitted over a common non-linear path, such as a transponder in a communications satellite, the two color subcarriers at slightly different frequencies cross modulate each other and produce disturbances on the screens of color monitors and receivers. The color cross talk can be cancelled by delaying alternate lines between horizontal synchronizing pulses of solely one of the television video signals by half the period of the color subcarrier at the transmitting terminal, and delaying intermediate lines between horizontal synchronizing pulses of solely the same television video signal by half the period of the subcarrier at the receiving terminal. Color synchronizing disturbances in television receivers receptive to the same one of the video signals are avoided by cancelling the color subcarrier frequency components on the horizontal synchronizing pulses of the video signal at the receiving terminal.

Abstract: In a single-voice-signal-per-carrier communications system, means are provided for limiting the intermodulation distortion in a common amplifier of a plurality of talkspurt voice signals. Separate carrier waves and voice signals are applied to respective modulators. The voice-operated-switch signals associated with respective voice signals are applied through a limiter circuit to the respective modulators. The limiter circuit limits the number of modulators generating talkspurt signals at any instant to a number which avoids intermodulation distortion.

Abstract: A DC-to-AC inverter includes first and second resonant circuit loops each including a capacitor, a primary coil of an output circuit, a silicon control rectifier providing a current path in one direction around the loop, and a conventional diode providing a current path in the opposite direction around the loop. A DC source is connected to supply a charging current through charging chokes to the capacitors in the resonant circuit loops. The silicon control rectifiers are periodically and alternately rendered conductive each to start a cycle of oscillation in one resonant circuit loops, while the DC source provides current to charge the capacitor in the other resonant circuit loop. The charging chokes and primary coils are phased to supply voltages which add to the voltage of the DC source during the charging of the capacitors.

Abstract: A digital drive current for application to a variable-speed electric motor is generated from a binary signal including N high-order bits and n low-order bits. A pulse waveform of fixed frequency higher than the frequency to which the motor can respond is generated to have a pulse width duty cycle in accordance with the value of the high-order bits. The low-order bits are used to make a one-step increase in the width of a proportion, determined by the value of the low-order bits, of the pulses of the pulse waveform, so that the average pulse width is increased a desired fraction of one step.

Abstract: Apparatus is described for computing the change in bearing of an object during a time period T from continuously-received signals E.sub.x and E.sub.y having amplitudes proportional to x and y components of the bearing of the object. A switch is operated under control of a two-phase clock to connect the signals E.sub.x and E.sub.y in respective phases to a summer. The output of the summer is filtered to derive a sine wave, which is then translated to a square wave. The phase difference between the square wave and an output of the clock is a measure of the bearing of the object. Means to determine the change in phase of the square wave during the time period T provides a measure of the change in bearing of the object.

Abstract: A low-impedance connection is made from a ground plane conductor plated on a printed circuit board to conductive channels mounted on a chassis to receive and guide the circuit board to a position where a connector plug on the circuit board engages a connector socket on the chassis. Insertion/extraction cams on the circuit board operate drawbars located within the channels to cause the channels to clamp down on the circuit board only when the board is in its fully-inserted position.

Abstract: A raster display refresh system includes a charge coupled device (CCD) circulating refresh memory for maintaining a display of information on a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen. The X and Y address of picture elements to be changed are stored in raster scan sequence in a small random access memory (RAM). Whenever a picture element address in the data register of the RAM equals the X and Y screen address of the scanning beam of the CRT, a corresponding new picture element signal stored in the RAM is substituted for the old picture element signal previously circulating the CCD refresh memory.

Abstract: A relative humidity measuring instrument includes two spaced electrodes on an insulating substrate which is mounted on a Peltier-effect thermoelectric module. When the substrate is cooled by the thermoelectric module, a comparator connected to the electrodes on the substrate detects a decrease in resistance between said electrodes due to condensation of moisture therebetween. Then a microcomputer receptive to temperature signals from a thermometer on the substrate and an ambient thermometer computes the relative humidity.

Abstract: An electronic timing circuit for an internal combustion engine includes a Schmitt trigger operated by timing pulses from a magnetic pick-up mounted on the engine. The upper trip point is set high when the pulses have a high amplitude due to a high engine speed, so that false triggering of the circuit by noise of lower amplitude is avoided. A lower trip point is automatically set when the pulses have a low amplitude, such as when the engine is cranked to start it.

Abstract: A system to individually compress the volume range of each voice signal in a group of frequency-division-multiplexed voice signals, without frequency dividing the voice signals into separate channels, includes, in order: a sampler to sample the group of voice signals, an analog-to-digital converter to convert each analog sample a first fast Fourier transform processor producing coefficients, means to direct coefficients representing individual voice signals to respective individual signal channels in which the signal levels are compressed, a second fast Fourier transform processor, and a digit-to-analog converter and band-pass filter to produce an analog group of frequency-division multiplexed voice signals like the original signals but with each voice signal individually compressed in volume range.

Abstract: A phaselock loop in a phaselock receiver includes a voltage-controlled oscillator, and a main phase detector receptive to an output of the oscillator and a received signal. Means to detect when the oscillator is phase locked with the received signal includes a quadrature phase detector receptive to a quadrature-phase-shifted oscillation from the oscillator and the received signal. Means are provided to subtract the direct-current component of the output of the main phase detector from the direct-current component of the output of the quadrature phase detector to provide a phaselock-indicating signal which is substantially zero when the oscillator is out-of-lock with the received signal, and which is high when the oscillator is in-lock with the received signal.

Abstract: Apparatus to test the divergence of a beam from a laser includes a beam expander, aperture-forming means, an off-axis parabolic mirror positioned to image the beam from the aperture in a Fraunhofer plane, and a vidicon camera to translate the spatial distribution of light energy along a horizontal line in the Fraunhofer plane to an electrical signal indicating the difference between a light energy peak and a light energy valley. The aperture-forming means includes a V-shaped slit which is movable relative to a member with a horizontal slit so that the aperture formed can be changed from a single aperture to two apertures having an increasing separation. The amount of separation of the apertures when the electrical signal goes through zero is an inverse measure of the divergence of the light beam from the laser under test.

Abstract: A tracking band-pass filter useful for locking onto, and passing, an input signal which changes rapidly in frequency. The filter has a frequency pass band controlled by a rectangular voltage waveform which is derived from the output signal passed by the filter. The filter output signal is translated from a sine wave to a pulse wave. The period between each two successive pulses is measured by counting the cycles of an oscillator during each respective period. The time-representing count is inverted to a frequency-representing count which controls the duty cycle of a rectangular wave used to make the filter track the changing frequency of the input signal.