Abstract: A beam director for an optical ranging system for measuring relative distance changes between first and second retroreflectors in which a beam of radiation is introduced between the first and second retroreflectors by a steering beam splitter pellicle positioned obliquely therebetween. A portion of the beam is reflected by the pellicle onto the first retroreflector, which reflects it back through the pellicle onto the second retroreflector, which in turn reflects it back onto the pellicle where it interferes with the radiation beam being initially introduced thereon. The pellicle is rotatable about two axes positioned substantially perpendicular to the radiation beam reflected between the first and second retroreflectors and steers the beam to compensate for relative movements of the retroreflectors. The arrangement is such that translation of the pellicle along any of three axes does affect the optical path difference between the retroreflectors.

Abstract: A highpass feedback loop for A.C. coupled amplifier circuits is disclosed, by means of which pulse undershoot recovery is accelerated. The feedback loop includes an operational amplifier which goes into limiting above a selected amplitude threshold so that for pulses exceeding the threshold the amplifier frequency response is unaffected.

Abstract: A cooled mirror structure useful in a high power laser optical system, constructed with a substrate formed of a material having a thermal conductivity peak in a cryogenic temperature operating range. During operation, the temperature of the substrate is maintained within the cryogenic temperature operating range to maintain the thermal conductivity within the peak, while the low cryogenic temperature also results in an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion for the substrate. The combination of high thermal conductivity and a low coefficient of thermal expansion provides a mirror structure capable of handling extremely high energy flux loadings with a minimum amount of resultant surface deformation.

Abstract: An arrangement for laser beam welding wherein at least one of the components being welded is formed of a material which is substantially transparent to radiation at the wavelength of the laser welding beam. A layer of welding material is placed over the surface area of the weld joint, and is a type of material which is substantially absorbent of radiation at the wavelength of the laser welding beam. The welding material is then irradiated by the laser beam through the component which is substantially transparent thereto for a sufficient period of time to cause melting of the welding material and fusion thereof to the two components being welded. The present invention has particular applicability to welding with a Nd-YAG laser of components formed of silica-containing material, such as fused silica or titanium silicate, and wherein the welding material placed at the weld surface area is a titanium based material.

Abstract: A bi-directional film transport device includes an upper and lower plate member having a separation gap between a first and second pair of drive rollers, the bytes of which are positioned adjacent the gap. A single drive motor is rigidly rotationally coupled to drive the first and second pair of drive rollers and the plate members function to eliminate the tendency of the film to buckle, which in turn maintains the film in the proper plane of focus. As a result of this simple arrangement, complex clutch mechanisms which are otherwise employed to maintain tension during bi-directional operation have been eliminated. Side walls coupled between the plates parallel to the path of film travel prevent skewing of the film driven by the short low inertia high speed drive rollers.

Abstract: The circuitry required to obtain a ing that of the quadrature pair, the bits of a multibit binary word are gated with a coarse index taken from the code disc. The multibit binary word includes square waves already available in the multiplier and an additional bit obtained from a logical combination of the pair of quadrature signals.

Abstract: An imaging system with an enlarged depth of field for use with a means for focusing an image, including: means for sensing an image sample from each of a plurality of portions of the image at each of a plurality of optical distances from the means for focusing; means for determining the relative focus of the image samples derived from a portion of the image at each of the plurality of distances; and means responsive to the means for determining for choosing, for each of the plurality of portions of the image, the image sample having a desired focus.

Abstract: An arrangement for interferometrically recording in a single interferogram a full development of the contour of a symmetrical reflective surface, such as an internal or external cylindrical or conical surface. An optical system projects a light wave onto the reflective surface such that a reflected wave is formed. The reflected wave is interfered with a reference light wave to generate an interference pattern, and only a selected portion of the interference pattern is projected onto a film medium for recording. The reflective surface is scanned with the projected wave by relatively moving the projected wave relative to the surface, and synchronously therewith, the projected interference pattern is moved relative to the recording medium in a manner such that the information recorded on the film medium is a full development of the contour of the reflective surface.

Abstract: An optical memory for storing human readable pictorial information and machine readable digital information within the same format together with a method and apparatus for recording such information. In accordance with the invention, information is formatted as human readable imagery with the machine readable digital data being stored as picture elements of the image.In accordance with a presently most preferred embodiment, each of the many picture elements (pixels), which together comprise the image, are formulated as a plurality of spots, the modulation level of each of which are independently controllable among several levels for recording information digitally within the picture elements, while at the same time, providing the picture elements with the proper optical density values to provide a visual analog presentation of the image.

Abstract: A unique light attenuator is positioned between a bank of lamps and the underside of a light diffuser which supports a subject to be photographed in a process camera, such light attenuator comprising a first circular pattern of constant width, constant density lines and a second superimposed pattern of straight lines which compensate for nonuniformity of illumination of the subject.

Abstract: An adaptive gain integrator circuit is provided having a first integrator for producing an output which is proportional to the ambient light noise level and the amplitude of the laser illumination signals applied thereto. A second feedback circuit having a noise-only integrator is provided to maintain the noise level applied to the first integrator substantially constant despite wide variations in the amplitudes of ambient light detected by the system, thereby to reduce the false alarm rate and increase the sensitivity of the system.

Abstract: A test assembly is provided for decreasing the skill and time required for aligning the code detector unit with an optical encoder disc. The output signals from the encoder assembly are conditioned to remove DC offset and to balance the amplitudes of the signals. The conditioned signals are used to generate a staircase display on an oscilloscope by weighting the signals and summing them in parallel circuits to provide parallel multiphase signals. Those signals are converted to square waves which are summed to provide the staircase. The timing of the staircase is indicative of the phase relationships of the multiphase signals. The relationship of those signals is in turn dependent on the phase relationship of the output signals from the code detector.

Abstract: A small roulette calculator is provided, which may be carried in the pocket of a player, to indicate to the player when certain bet patterns, easily memorized by the player are favorable, which patterns occupy major segments of the wheel being targeted, e.g., half of the wheel. The relative velocity between the spinning ball and the rotating wheel head is measured early in the roll and the measured relative velocity data is converted into favorable bet indicating data by programming the calculator in accordance with empirical data derived by operation of a standard size roulette wheel. Compensation is also provided for preventing changes in the direction of the rolling of the ball from thwarting the operation of the calculator.

Abstract: A source of pulse waves is coupled to a first transmission line and a second transmission line, the inputs of each line being parallely coupled. The input of the first line is in series with its characteristic impedance. The outputs of each line are series coupled for summation of the output voltage of each line. The first line develops a voltage having a opposite polarity of the voltage of the applied signals. Summation of the output voltages of the two lines effects the required cancellation for pulse waves having a pulse width larger than the difference between the time delay of each line. A device for utilizing the pulses is connected between one output of the first transmission delay line the grounded output of the second transmission line.

Abstract: A flexible sheet transport system comprising a primary mechanism for feeding the flexible sheet at a predetermined velocity in either a forward or a reverse direction, a tension roller assembly disposed in the path of the flexible sheet so as to be frictionally engaged thereby, an auxiliary drive mechanism for applying tension to the flexible sheet, a coupling assembly connected between the tension roller assembly and the auxiliary drive mechanism and driven thereby in a given sense tending to rotate the tension roller in a direction to move the flexible sheet in the reverse direction. Included in the coupling assembly is a slip coupling that slips in response to application of a given torque and a unidirectional coupling that prevents movement of the coupling assembly in a sense opposite to the given sense.

Abstract: An electronically tunable optical filter utilizing noncollinear acousto-optic interaction in a birefringent crystal. The directions of optical and acoustic waves are chosen so that large angular aperture is obtained for an interaction geometry wherein the light beam is perpendicular to the group velocity of the acoustic wave. The transverse configuration provides maximum optical aperture for the tunable acousto-optic filter.

Abstract: A relatively narrow printing head scans across photosensitive material and in one scan generates a line of characters thereon. Digital control signals selectively illuminate the LEDs formed within a matrix thereof. A flexible loop of flat fiber optic filaments having their input ends coupled to the LEDs and having their output ends positioned within the print head, enables the use of a relatively small number of fiber optic filaments and yet provides for extremely high-speed recordation of the characters upon the film which contacts the print head. After a line has been photographically recorded, the film is stepped in a direction perpendicular to the direction of scanning of the print head and another line is recorded. An inexpensive and highly accurate print head carriage is disclosed, along with a unique belt drive for driving the carriage without inducing torque therein, owing to possible misalignment of the drive belt.

Abstract: A luminous trace of varying length is produced upon a first non-centralized portion of the screen of a cathode ray tube used in a phototypesetter for generating characters, and is precisely imaged upon positions of a photosensitive medium. The concentration of the electron beam to generate the required trace eventually burns out the phosphor. The life of the tube is greatly extended by thereafter rotating it to position a second non-centralized portion of the screen at the optical projection axis, and so on, and thus, the cathode ray tube life is greatly extended.

Abstract: An elongated sheet transport and guidance system including a drive roller mounted for rotation on a frame and adapted to engage and frictionally drive the sheet along its longitudinal axis and a pinch roller engaging the drive roller and mounted for rotation on an axis parallel thereto, the pinch and drive rollers being arranged to straddle and exert a pressure on that portion of the sheet passing therebetween. Also included in the system is a first means for inducing a first pressure level between the pinch and drive rollers in a region adjacent one longitudinal edge of the traveling sheet and a second means for inducing a second pressure level between the pinch and drive rollers in a region adjacent the opposite longitudinal edge of the sheet. In response to the output of a sensing means that senses lateral displacement of the traveling sheet, a control mechanism varies the difference between the first and second pressure levels.