Abstract: A method and apparatus for a helmet mounted display with a cathode ray tube for mounting on the torso of the operator are disclosed. A disconnectable cable supplies an information bearing signal to a signal conditioning circuit for mounting on the torso of the operator and a low voltage signal to a high voltage supply also for mounting on the torso of the operator. The high voltage supply provides the necessary high voltage for the operation of the cathode ray tube. The signal conditioning circuit provides the horizontal and vertical deflection signals and a decoded and amplified information bearing signal to the cathode ray tube. The cathode ray tube converts the information bearing signal into CRT images. A reducer, adjacent to and facing the cathode ray tube display face, reduces these CRT images and presents them to an optical fiber bundle which in turn presents the reduced CRT images to an expander.

Abstract: A plurality of components are mounted within a portable housing which may be mounted inside an elevator car on top of the door frame. The components comprise a people sensing means for detecting individual persons entering and leaving the elevator car and providing signals indicative of each such person and the direction of movement, and further comprise height sensing means for providing a signal indicative of the altitude of the portable housing, a clock for providing a time signal indicative of the time of day and a signal processor responsive to the person signal, the floor signal and the time signal for storing the time of day of a particular stop, the number of people entering and leaving and the floor.

Abstract: A fiber carrier provides an effective coupling means between a cleaved facing surface of an optical fiber and a light port in a mounting surface of an integrated optical device. Both the fiber carrier and the integrated optical device have an anisotropic thermal expansion property along the same known optic axis and both are substantially similar in magnitude to each other. The fiber carrier is positioned with the integrated optical device so that both the carrier optic axis is parallel to the device optic axis and so that an auxiliary surface of the carrier is parallel to the device mounting surface. The optical fiber is then bonded to the fiber carrier so that the plane of the optical fiber cleaved facing surface lies in the plane of the carrier auxiliary surface. The carrier auxiliary surface is finally bonded to the device mounting surface so that the optical fiber cleaved facing surface is placed in registration with the light port in the device mounting surface.

Abstract: A method for pigtailing an optical fiber to a lithium niobate integrated optical device (I/O chip) is shown and described wherein the bonding between the I/O chip and the optical fiber is a metallic bond. The lithium niobate may be attached to a metallic substrate which is welded to a metallic fiber optic carrier which is in turn welded to a metallized optical fiber. The fiber optic carrier may also be made of non-metallic materials which are given a metallic coating prior to attachment to the I/O chip by means of a metallic bond such as welding.

Abstract: Each engine of a multi-engine aircraft is monitored to determine if it has become inoperative during a critical flight mode such as takeoff or landing. If so, the propeller of the inoperative engine is feathered and the remaining engine or engines is uptrimmed. A "state machine" indicative of the various states of the aircraft is established and the present state of the aircraft is stored in a non-volatile memory; if an electrical power interruption occurs during a critical flight mode the identity of the present operating state may be quickly recalled for immediate refeathering of an inoperative engine and reuptrimming of the remaining engine or engines.

Abstract: A magnet wire oven for an in-line drawing fabrication process is controlled by means of a local operator control station having a plurality of menu screens stored therein for operator call-up and control via a remote controller for controlling a plurality of oven parameters. The remote controller is located in an output of the way location so as to efficiently utilize floorspace while at the same time controlling a large number of parameters in one main controller unit. The local operator station comprises a local signal processor, a keyboard, a display and an input/output port. The remote controller comprises a remote signal processor, a multiplexer and a plurality of analog loop controllers. The remote controller may also include either analog or digital input/output devices or both.

Abstract: A resettable current limiter is started using an externally generated reset signal, latches on and continues conducting until an overload current is sensed, at which time the limiter shuts off load current. An FET is used both as a series pass element anda load current sensing element. A comparator senses the source of drain voltage drop across the FET and provides a shutdown signal to the FET's gate upon sensing an overload. The limiter may also comprise a solid state switch for positively shutting off the FET using an externally generated off signal. The reset signal reponse circuitry may be set up to be edge triggered to protect against an external short. The reset signal may be a level change or may be a periodic signal. A zener diode may be used for both protecting the FET against excessive voltages and against current surges.

Abstract: A metal diaphragm impulse pump with no valves is disclosed. The pump may be used in an angular velocity sensor utilizing the Coriolis effect on a fluid jet. A magnetic core is mounted within an anvil and a drive coil is wound around the core. The drive coil may be driven sinusoidally and the diaphragm, which is mounted on the anvil responds with a vibratory motion in like manner. Sensing poles are provided in quadrature with the drive coils and may be used to sense the vibratory motion and thereby control the fluid flow.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the fast retrace of the electron beam in a cathode ray tube are disclosed. A deflection signal is presented to a cathode ray tube deflection system upon the detection of the end of the retrace period of the deflection signal so that a cathode ray tube electron beam can scan across the screen of the cathode ray tube. Upon detecting the beginning of the retrace period of the deflection signal, a forcing signal is presented to the cathode ray tube deflection system. The presenting of the forcing signal to the deflection system quickly reverses the direction of the current flow through the deflection system and allows for the electron beam to slew to its initial position and settle before the end of the normal retrace period.

Abstract: In a magnet wire fabrication process in which the drawing of wire is "in-line" with the enameling process, it is often a requirement that the drawing machines be supplied with electrical power from the utility grid rather than relying on an "in-house," closely regulated supply of electrical power. In such cases, during voltage dips on the grid, the drawing machine motors will slow down while the wires continue to be pulled from the drawing machine at the same speed as before. A wire accumulator is interposed between the drawing machines and the enameling oven to prevent breakage of wire by providing an accumulation of wire to be used in the event of such a voltage dip. The present invention discloses an apparatus for controlling the various channels of the accumulator so as to provide roughly equivalent amounts of wire in each channel so that the integrity of all channels during a power dip is assured. A central operator control station for effecting the desired control is disclosed.

Abstract: The fabrication of magnet wire in an "in-line" drawing-enameling process is monitored by a local operator control station having an alarm display format screen stored therein for operator call-up via a remote controller for displaying a plurality of alarmed parameters in a time ordered sequence. The local operator station includes a local signal processor, a keyboard, a display and an input/output port. The remote controller includes a remote signal processor, a digital input/output device, and a plurality of modular cassette tape players. The first to occur alarm is sensed and is verbally annunciated while, at the same time, the alarm signal is stored and time tagged. If one or more alarms subsequently occur, an operator may wish to determine the nature of these later occurring alarms and the exact sequence in which the alarms occurred.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for monitoring a rod mill and flexible wire drawn and annealed from a stiff coil of rod in the rod mill are disclosed. The fault signals provided by an eddy-current tester are counted on a per unit time basis in order to permit the detection of rod mill problems before serious deterioration of the mill occurs. This is accomplished by direct observation of an increasing rate of fault signal occurrence. A totalized fault signal count is also provided to aid in detecting low quality wire. This is accomplished by direct observation of uniformly high levels of fault signals. A control function is disclosed whereby the rod mill is shutdown in the presence of a high rate of increase in fault signal occurrences. A "change coil" message may be sent upon detecting uniformly high levels of faults. Fault signals are stored and identified for purposes of traceability.

Abstract: A high efficiency current limit circuit comprises a current sensor, a control unit responsive to the current sensor for providing a control signal to a solid-state series pass element which limits load current. A thermal safety circuit provides overtemperature circuit protection. Together, the current limit circuit and thermal safety circuit provide continuous short circuit protection (of indefinite time duration) with automatic recovery upon removal of the short.

Abstract: A wire prebreak/break sensor is disclosed for use in a low cost verbal annunciator system for use in monitoring a wire fabrication process. Wire exiting a drawing machine is accumulated and has its tension controlled by a dancer arm. According to the present invention, a wire accumulator having a plurality of channels is used as a wire prebreak/break sensor. The accumulator comprises a plurality of rods having sheaves on a end of each supported on a support structure to which each rod is pivoted on an axis. A plurality of position sensors are responsive to the positions of the various rods and provide a position signal having a magnitude indicative thereof. An operator input device is responsive to operator initiated input action for providing input signals indicative of wire gauge. A signal processor is responsive to the position signals and to the operator input signals and retrieves a pair of boundary signals in response to the magnitude of the gauge size input signals.

Abstract: A Power-On-Reset (POR) Circuit compares a logic supply voltage to a reference voltage and provides a logic voltage validity signal if the logic voltage is greater than the reference voltage; the circuit delays, on startup, the validity signal for a selected period and then provides a drive signal for driving a solid-state switch which provides an open circuit on the presence of the drive signal, indicating logic voltage validity, and a short circuit in its absence, indicating invalidity; and the circuit immediately disables the drive signal if the logic voltage falls below the reference voltage. The selected start-up delay period is independent of the supply voltage magnitude.

Abstract: The insulation of a plurality of grounded wires may be tested subsequent to fabrication and prior to spooling by use of a corresponding plurality of modular circuit boards installed in a continuity tester. Each modular circuit board has its own on board DC power supply and clock generator for enhancing isolation, thereby decreasing crosstalk between channels and reducing spurious "sympathetic" faults. AC or DC high voltage testing may be selected. Isolation is also enhanced by using a sheaves separated by teflon insulators, all mounted on a common rod.

Abstract: A method for phase biasing a fiber-optic SAGNAC rotation sensor is disclosed comprising the inclusion near one end of the sensing coil of a phase modulator consisting of a second coil of fiber free to rotate independently of the sensing coil. The modulator coil is made to oscillate and the desired phase difference modulation is produced by means of the SAGNAC effect in the oscillating coil. Two novel modulator drivers are disclosed. Both have a rigid support hub having radially extending spokes which bend in mechanical synchronism in response to a piezoelectrically induced motive force. The optical fiber is wrapped like a rim around the outside of the spokes for being rotated in an oscillatory manner to effect the desired phase difference modulation.

Abstract: A printed circuit board heat sink retainer is disclosed comprising a mating pair of sawtoothed bars with slidably engaging teeth. The bars are laterally spread apart and held by a forcing device, which may be a screw or a spring, in order to push against and hold a heat sink in a channel. The distance between successive teeth may be constant in both bars or may be constant in one bar and may decrease in a direction toward the forcing device in the second bar.

Abstract: A high optical efficiency dual spectra pyrometer for measuring the temperature of a target includes an optical guide for collecting and guiding a target optical beam to a detection module which comprises an interference filter and photodetectors adjustably positioned to provide efficient coupling of the target optical beam thereto. The pyrometer additionally includes a signal processor which receives the signals from the photodetectors, as well as signals indicative of an estimated fireball equivalent black body temperature and the spectral width difference between the two detector signals, and provides a compensated temperature signal.

Abstract: A plurality of redundant channels in a system each contain a global image of all the configuration data bases in each of the channels in the system. Each global image is updated periodically from each of the other channels via cross channel data links. The global images of the local configuration data bases in each channel are separately symmetrized using a voting process to generate a system signal configuration data base which is not written into by any other routine and is available for indicating the status of the system within each channel. Equalization may be imposed on a suspect signal and a number of "chances" for that signal to "heal" itself are provided before excluding it from future votes. Reconfiguration is accomplished upon detecting a channel which is deemed invalid. A reset function is provided which permits an externally generated reset signal to permit a previously excluded channel to be reincluded within the system.