Abstract: Compact triaxial multioscillator configurations are based upon frames of rhombic dodecahedron and truncated octahedral shapes as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,258. Three non-planar cavities, each comprising four intersecting bores, intersect within the frames. External Faraday rotator assemblies comprising reverse mirrors and associated permanent magnets in differing configurations eliminate the need for intracavity elements to obtain nonreciprocal splitting. In the rhombic dodecahedron-shaped frame, external Faraday rotator assemblies are fixed to three planar faces at each of which pairs of segments of each of the internal nonplanar cavities converge. In the truncated tetrahedral frame, a single external Faraday rotator assembly is fixed to the single planar face at which pairs of segments of the three nonplanar cavities converge in a pattern forming the apexes of a centered equilateral triangle.

Abstract: A flexible interlink for joining a first sensor of the type that includes a cylindrical mandrel for mounting a common optical fiber to a second sensor of a hydrophone that includes a cylindrical mandrel for mounting said fiber. The interlink includes an integral molded body of flexible material. Enlarged diameter ends are joined to the link by outwardly-tapered transition members. Resilient metal washers are fixed to the ends for locking onto the sensor. The washer includes radial elements that abut corresponding radial elements of the end. The radial elements of the washer are outwardly inclined, of greater length than the corresponding radial elements of the end and exceed the inner diameter of the sensor from tip to tip.

Abstract: A potted sensor coil for a fiber optic gyroscope includes an inter-layer stress relief layer of lubricating material. The coil is wound into a known pattern. Various coil configurations can be realized in which a coating layer of lubricant relieves stressing at the interface between the outer jacket of the fiber and the coil potting material.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes slidable valves. Horizontal valve seats of tapered design are associated with inlet and exhaust ports at the top of the engine's combustion chambers. The slidable valves are generally planar and tapered to conform to the valve seats. A rod is engaged to the rear of each valve and is spring-loaded. Movement of the slidable valves is effected through mechanical coupling of the rotation of the crankshaft to a rocker arm that is oriented substantially orthogonal to the rod whereby crankshaft rotation is translated into horizontal, sliding movements of the planar valves.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for image signal decoupling in position-transmitting high-vacuum electromagnetic radiation quanta or particle detectors. The electromagnetic radiation quanta or particles impinge on a spatially resolving anode structure through a photoelectron converter layer (in the case of electromagnetic radiation) and directly through an electron multiplier as an electron avalanche (in the case of particle radiation). The electron avalanche is first collected for a short time inside the vacuum on the anode side by means of a high-resistance, conducting semiconductor thin film, and is then read out capacitively from the outside through the glass bottom (counter-substrate) of the detector device as an image charge by means of a low-resistance anode layer of suitable structure. The capacitive decoupling permits high spatial resolution when the internal resistances of the charge collecting layer and the readout anode layer are optimally adapted to one another.

Abstract: A loop controller for a fiber optic gyroscope employs distributed data processing to compress numerous additional useful functions into each loop transit time. The architecture of the loop controller includes a field programmable gate array for generating variables of varying sign. In addition, the array acts to buffer the transmission of parameters between the gyro processor and an auxiliary processor. The auxiliary processor updates such parameters (which do not require updating every loop transit time) and a number of such parameters are multiplied by values generated by the array in operations performed by the gyro processor that replace what would otherwise require throughput intensive test and branch operations. The combination of the off-loading of selected variable and parameter generation and updating with programming of the gyro processor for parallel processing permits the loop controller to perform numerous useful operations not previously possible during a realistic loop transit time.

Abstract: A phase modulator applies sequences of artificial phase shifts in the region of overmodulation between light beams counterpropagating within the sensor coil of a Sagnac interferometer to obtain improved random walk performance. The sequences are composed of phase shifts of .+-.a.pi./2b and .+-.(4b-a).pi./2b where a is an odd integer and b is an integer greater than 1. The waveform for driving the phase modulator is derived from a 2.pi. radian mapping plotted so that adjacent driving signal values differ by a.pi./2b or -(4b-a).pi./2b in a first angular direction and by -a.pi./2b or by (4b-a).pi./2b in the opposite angular direction. Angular transitions about the mapping may be predetermined to generate a deterministic, random, or pseudo-random modulation sequence. In the event that a deterministic sequence is chosen, it is examined for orthogonality properties to assume zero average output bias from crosstalk.

Abstract: A golf tee includes an elongated member and a disk-like member for fixation orthogonal thereto. The elongated member includes a plurality of notches along its length and the disk-like member has a central aperture with bevelled internal edge for coaction therewith. The notches are arranged at a predetermined section of the elongated member so that the disk, which acts as a stop, can fix the height of the ball at an optimum position with respect to one of a plurality of standard golf club heads.

Abstract: A method for minimizing measured quantities determined from sensors affected by measuring failures and detected by a plurality of redundant sensors connected to form a measuring system by detecting and isolating the sensors affected by failures. Sensor values measured by all the sensors are mapped by a linear transformation into a vector in the parity space (parity vector). The dimension of the parity space is determined by the redundance of the measuring system (i.e., the number of sensors and the dimension of the quantity to be measured).The subspaces at each failure level that contain the largest proportion of the measured parity vector are determined by projection of the measured parity vector onto all possible subspaces. The best sensor combination at each failure level can be determined by omitting the sensor combinations belonging to such subspaces.

Abstract: A tool for guiding a surgical drill bit through the center of a target obstruction within a bone. An adjustable frame includes a pair of right angle sections mounted in a mirror image relationship. The sections are adjustably clamped to one another and, in turn, secure a vertical sleeve for guiding a surgical drill bit and a horizontal sleeve for accommodating an anchor pin within a coplanar arrangement. Various clamps associated with the frame elements and the sleeves permit a surgeon to adjust the tool so that the drill bit is guided through the vertical sleeve to the approximate center of the bone immediately below the obstruction while the pin anchors the frame to the bone.

Abstract: Apparatus for storing and dispensing crickets, as food, to a live reptile. A container possesses a smooth inner surface. A hollow tube, whose length exceeds the height of the container, possesses a smooth outer surface and an inner surface suitable for grasping by crickets. A top for the container has an interior aperture for accommodating the tube in a substantially-vertical attitude when inserted. A lateral aperture at the bottom of the container provides ingress for crickets into the tube while a cap at the top assures that the crickets cannot escape.

Abstract: A seismic gas shut-off valve includes a lock to control resetting after a seismic event. The valve includes internal first and second seats for a ball vale in which the first seat is elevated above the second seat and the second seat lies within the flow of gas from a supply line to a distribution line. A horizontal shaft is extendible within the valve body to reposition the ball valve from the lower second seat to the upper first seat after valve actuation. A lock comprising an integral three-sided bracket and padlock is selectively engaged to the reset shaft to prevent premature and unsafe resetting or "opening" of the valve after an earthquake. In an alternative embodiment, the bracket includes an elongated wing element that includes an aperture. The alternative embodiment is suitable for use as a wrench to operate the main gas shut-off of a residence or other building.

Abstract: A high precision micromechanical accelerometer comprises a layered structure of five (5) semiconductor wafers insulated from one another by thin oxide layers. The accelerometer is formed by first connecting a coverplate and a baseplate to associated insulating plates. Counter-electrodes, produced by anisotropic etching from the respective insulating plates, are fixed to the coverplate and the baseplate respectively. The counter-electrodes are contactable through the cover or baseplate via contact windows. A central wafer contains a unilaterally linked mass (pendulum) that is also produced by anisotropic etching and which serves as a movable central electrode of a differential capacitor. The layered structure is hermetically sealed by semiconductor fusion bonding. A stepped gradation from the top is formed at a wafer edge region for attaching contact pads to individual wafers to permit electrical contacting of individual wafers. The invention permits fabrication of a .mu.

Abstract: A digital circuit for adapting the output of a closed-loop accelerometer to a utilization circuit where the cycle time of the rebalance loop of the accelerometer is unrelated to the cycle time of the utilization circuit. A register receives and stores a digital value representative of measured acceleration and a bank of serially-arranged divide-by-two counters accepts the output of the rebalance loop clock. A gate arrangement makes one-by-one correlations between the states of the register and the outputs of the divide-by-two counters. A trigger circuit receives the gate outputs, providing a pulse when triggered by a downgoing edge of a square wave output of the gate array. A counter receives the pulse stream and is gated, in turn, in accordance with the cycle time of the utilization circuit so that the accelerometer data employed therein is representative of the portion of the acceleration occurring during a cycle of the utilization circuit.

Abstract: A connector for making and securing low loss optical contact between a first plurality of optical fibers, each including a ferrule-encapsulated terminal end, and a second plurality of optical fibers, each also including a ferrule-encapsulated terminal end. Each of the ferrules is individually fixed to a cap that includes an asymmetrical keying member. Male and female connector members include internal channels for accepting ferrule-fixed cups with predetermined angular orientations. Springs are axially aligned within the channels for independently urging each cup-fixed ferrule into optical contact with a mating ferrule. In this way, multiple rotational and axial alignments are simultaneously and independently achieved and maintained between mated pairs of optical fibers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for minimizing the effect of lateral velocity transients upon an aircraft inertial instrument calibration process of the type in which cross-track velocity is measured and utilized to correct for the east component of gyro bias error. A "cross-track position" value is obtained by integration of the cross-track velocity. A Kalman filter calculates a plurality of gain values corresponding to measurements of crab angle, lever arm, north and east velocity, heading angle and rate of change of heading angle and those gain values are applied to the cross-track position value to obtain error values for each of such parameters. The calculated error values are then employed as corrections to, or calibrations of, the inertial instrument outputs.

Abstract: An omnidirectional wind indicator. An elongated mast is rotatable about its axis with respect to a base support. The mast is of tapered design and flexible, resilient composition with flexibility increasing with distance above the base support. A three-sided flag includes a curvilinear leading edge. A sleeve is formed along the curvilinear edge for receiving the mast. When inserted, the upper end of the mast follows the curvilinear shape of the sleeve. The resulting configuration spring-loads the flexible upper portion of the mast to maintain the flag in taut alignment. Wind velocity is indicated by tails sewn to the trailing edge of the flag and by wings pivotally mounted transverse to the plane of the flag.