Abstract: An RF transmitter protection circuit for providing protection to a power amplifier includes circuitry for sensing the presence of an input excitation signal applied to the input of the power amplifier. Circuitry is provided for monitoring an output signal generated by the power amplifier at the output of the power amplifier and for generating a signal proportional to the output signal. Circuitry is further provided for applying the signal generated by the monitoring circuit to the input of the power amplifier in response to a loss of input signal detected by the sensor.

Abstract: An avionics line replaceable unit (LRU), of the type having numerous electronic circuit cards disposed therein in a parallel fashion. The cards being securely held in place when the cover of the LRU is screwed on thereby actuating a spring which transfers force to the circuit cards.

Abstract: A molten salt process vessel for treatment of hazardous materials such as explosive or propellant waste, employing a tall, thin vessel with sufficient height that salt splash from the molten salt at the bottom of the vessel can be controlled and hard salt deposits are prevented from forming on the walls which restrict the gas outlet. The vessel, e.g. of cylindrical shape, has an increased height to diameter ratio in the range of about 7:1 to about 12:1, to give additional clearance. As an additional feature the vessel diameter can also be adjusted to create a "necked-down" region just below the gas outlet duct adjacent the top of the vessel to increase product gas velocity of the gas containing entrained salt particles, to prevent sticking of such particles to the vessel walls and restricting the gas outlet duct.

Abstract: A telephone call may be made to a remote vehicle, such as a long haul truck, located in an unknown cellular telephone cell in a remote service area. The remote vehicle is provided with a cellular telephone, satellite data communications system and a position signal receiver for a system such as LORAN-C or Global Positioning System (GPS). If the control center desires to initiate a voice communication with the remote vehicle, the control facility transmits a voice communication request to the remote vehicle via a non-voice data communications satellite. The position signal receiver receives data from the LORAN-C or GPS transmitter indicative of the current geographic location of the remote vehicle and transmits the data to the control center via the data communications satellite. At the control center a computer with a data base identifying the geographic extent of relevant cellular telephone cells uses the location of the remote vehicle to identify the cell in which the remote vehicle is presently located.

Abstract: A system for monitoring, reporting, encouraging and rewarding proper operation of a vehicle from a fixed location including the appropriate selection of speed sensor, tacometer, fuel flow sensor, gear shift position sensor and brake pedal pressure sensor coupled to a performance monitor which compares the information from the sensors with predetermined acceptable ranges and issues an excess report when the sensed signals exceed the predetermined ranges, a receiver/transmitter for transmitting the excess report to the fixed location where a decision regarding whether to issue a driver bonus reward is made and communicated back to the receiver/transmitter which is coupled to a printer, display/keyboard on board the vehicle for printing a bonus check or notification reward in response to the determination received from the fixed location.

Abstract: Multiple motion controllers for controlling servo motors are connected by a digital communications link so that controlled axes of the motion controllers may be slaved together regardless of their physical proximity. A given controller broadcasts position or command signals on the communications link in response to a request report message from any another controller. A second request report message may stop the broadcasting to conserve link capacity. Time shifting implicit in the link messages is corrected by estimating the velocity of the master axis and extrapolating the position to the local axes' time of updating.

Abstract: A feed system for feeding solid propellant or explosive energetic materials, e.g. in the form of chunks, into a molten salt furnace for destruction of said materials by oxidation with air, while substantially avoiding the danger of detonation of such materials during feeding. The system comprises a feed hopper separated from the molten salt furnace by a barrier such as a concrete wall. The feed hopper is preferably vibrated to move the chunks of waste to an inclined chute which passes through a penetration in the barrier to the furnace, the chute also being preferably vibrated to facilitate passage of the waste material. The chunks of waste are discharged from the inclined chute either directly into the molten salt bath in the furance, or added incrementally thereto by a lock valve arrangement.

Abstract: A programming aid for troubleshooting real-time motion control programs controlling servo motors employs a graphical control language in which functionally related groups of instructions are represented by icons displayed on a programming terminal and interconnected by sequence lines to indicate the order of the instruction's execution. The programming terminal receives the address of the instructions being executed and identifies this address to a displayed icon to modify the icon thus indicating the internal operation of the program on a real time basis with little interruption of the control process.

Abstract: Diffusion resistant refractory such as alumina for containment of destructive fluorine and fluorine compounds in the molten salt oxidation of fluorine-containing organic waste, formed of a porous refractory such as porous alumina impregnated with a salt such as sodium carbonate, which is non-reactive with the refractory and compatible with the molten salt reaction medium, thereby effectively blocking diffusion baths for fluorine and its compounds from the molten salt bath through the refractory. Conventional refractories such as alumina bricks containing about 1 to about 25% open porosity can be placed in a molten liquid salt such as molten sodium carbonate, in a vessel which can be pressurized to force the molten sodium carbonate into the pores of the alumina brick to impregnate same and form alumina brick resistant to diffusion of fluoride-rich molten salt.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for improving the capture performance of frequency and phase locked loops. The invention permits improved capture performance while, at the same time, maintaining the signal-to-noise ratio performance of the loop while the loop is tracking. The invention estimates the transient response of an automatic control loop. This estimate is used to control elements added to a PLL to accelerate acquisition, and eliminate the noise contribution of those added elements while the loop is tracking. The system uses the variation in the gradient of the loop transient response to derive an estimate of the loop's distance from lock. The system then uses this estimate to control loop parameters which affect the loop's acquisition.

Abstract: A automated miniature fluorescent lamp processing station is disclosed which is used to fabricate miniature fluorescent lamps. The system includes: flow-through gas processing to enhance buffer gas purity, monitoring of the temperature of every lamp in a batch during processing to permit accurate determination of required bus buffer gas fill pressures, real-time determination of target filled pressure at the lamp temperature processing by use of a gas law algorithm and use of microprocessor interfaced sensors and transducers to effect the high level of automation typically required to fabricate avionics grade lamps.

Abstract: A ring laser gyro scale factor enhancement circuit connected between at least one power supply voltage level and a reference potential for conditioning at least a first and second input signal from a ring laser gyro assembly, the first and second input signals being essentially sinusoidal and having a common first input signal frequency, the second input signal having a predetermined first phase relationship with the first input signal for a first ring laser gyro rotational sense and a second predetermined phase relationship with the first input signal for a second ring laser gyro rotational sense.

Abstract: A variable pressure passive regenerative fuel cell system is provided wherein both the fuel cell and electrolyzer are designed to operate under variable pressure conditions.

Abstract: The FAULT TOLERANT GATE ARRAY USING DUPLICATION ONLY shown here renders AND-drives-OR, and OR-drives-AND, gate arrays as fault tolerant as when triplicated, but does so by only duplicating the array. A test input is added to each of gates of the bottom tier of the two arrays. When a test signal is applied, the same output should be produced by both arrays. This output should be the same as an expected test output, which is known in advance. When the test signal is withdrawn, the two arrays should continue to produce the same output as each other, although it may or may not be the same as the output under test. If any of these three conditions is not met, the failure may be used to determine the correct output, the failed array, and the nature of the failure.

Abstract: A purely chemical method for forming a layer of insoluble sulfides on semiconductor surfaces in order to passivate their surfaces and more particularly to a method of forming a layer of insoluble sulfides on a HgCdTe device surface.

Abstract: A MOVING VEHICLE CLASSIFIER WITH ITERATIVE DECONVOLVER ESTIMATOR deconvolves a signal in which a plurality of sensed signals, which originate from a common signal source (namely, a moving vehicle) and traverse differing signal paths, are used to formulate an initial unconstrained estimation of the signal source as a reference signal. Preselected constraints are placed on the reference signal to generate an estimate of the source signal, and of a source signal matrix, for the plurality of input sensors. A pseudoinverse of the source matrix is then used to form an estimate of the impulse response of the propagation paths for the signals. The estimates of signal path impulse response are used in combination with the input signals to again estimate the unconstrained reference signal. This is in turn used to estimate a new source signal matrix and path responses. These estimation steps are repeated in a series of iterative steps until a point of minimum variance from the received signals is reached.

Abstract: An apparatus for use as a connector in certain electronic applications. The disclosed apparatus teaches a connector assembly suitable for use in applications requiring minimal height restrictions while simultaneously affording a solderless, stackable, shielded connector assembly that may include a variety of electronic filtering. A described embodiment of the present invention includes a multi-walled encasement structure of electroplated construction housing a "pi" filter sandwiched between matching layers of resilient conductive layers, each layer having contact pads for coupling to contact pads of adjacent circuit board circuitry.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of using spatial nulling in antenna electronics to protect against interference signals. Nulling is achieved by computing and adjusting the computed complex weights values of "n" channels through the use of dithering of interfering signals of having power levels thereby allowing nulling of "n" minus one number of interfering signal. sources.

Abstract: An HF radio transceiving apparatus that maintains communication integrity by employing a plurality of receivers, each capable of operating in separate and independent communication modes. One embodiment of the apparatus includes an antenna, a programmed controller having a plurality of control signals, first and second receivers and a transmitter section. The receivers receive and demodulate radio signals transmitted from external radios in common or mutually exclusive communication modes, and provide link-data information to the programmed controller. The transmitter, responsive to the programmed controller and coupled to the antenna, transmits modulated data in one of the common or mutually exclusive communication modes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for classifying a signal among a plurality of potential signal sources or events in which a signal embodying values for predefined source features is received and conditional likelihoods are determined for the correspondence of each feature value with each of the plurality of events. The individual conditional likelihood values for each feature which corresponds to a common event are multiplied together to form an overall conditional likelihood that any event in question is the source of the signal. The total likelihood products are then sorted into maximum and minimum values, with the maximum likelihood forming a tentative output designation. The ranked values are then examined by a decision logic element to determine if they satisfy certain minimum absolute and relative value threshold limits to verify if the maximum or next higher level likelihood values designate proper output choices.