Abstract: An electrode is provided comprising a metal base and, on at least a portion of the metal base, a conductive material comprising a metallic mixture of antimony and lithium. This electrode may be utilized in an apparatus for electrochemical treatment of radioactive waste.

Abstract: A digital amplitude modulator receives a plurality of phase coherent input signals from a plurality of amplifiers (A1-An) respectively representing the bits of a plural bit digital word and converts them to a single output signal on an output with a first plurality of transformers having transformer ratios which vary substantially in accordance with a power of two corresponding to the significance of the bit represented by the input signal being converted thereby and a second plurality of transformers having primaries connected to the first plurality of transformers, respectively, and secondaries all connected in series together to an output terminal and transformer ratios which vary in substantial accordance with the same powers of two that the transformer ratio of the first plurality of transformers to which they are connected vary.

Abstract: This invention relates to an injector in which fluid is injected into a reaction region 30 after pressurization and translation in traveling cells 20 between crests 46 of traveling waves of one or more waveplates 12 made of shear transducer material. Multiple phases of applied electrical stimulation cause electrical segments of the waveplate to form traveling waves by shearing in a predetermined sequence of amplitudes. Inlet wave amplitude taper 14 provides a prescribed state of inlet fluid acceleration. Outlet wave amplitude taper 18 predetermines the degree of mixing of two or more exiting fluids. Self filtering, valve action, high pressure, and high mass flow are provided with few and relatively benign modes of apparatus degradation due to friction. High system efficiency results from absence of rubbing and the recirculation of stored energy. The fluid delivery rate is smooth, continuous, and electrically variable. Balance of the mass flow rate of two or more fluids is electrically controlled.

Abstract: A backlighting system for use in generating collimated light for illuminating LCD matrices. The system includes a plurality of lenses arranged in an array on one side of a planar substrate, a plurality of luminescent phosphor dots located on the opposite side of the substrate from the lenses at the focal points of the lens and a mechanism for stimulating the phosphor dots to emit light. The phosphor dots may be responsive to ultraviolet light in which case a fluorescent lamp adapted for emitting ultraviolet light may be used to stimulate the dots to emit visible light. The visible light is then collimated by the lenses and directed for backlighting a display matrix.

Abstract: A color matrix display including a color matrix reflective filter (10) having groups of reflective red, green and blue (R, G, B) color elements (12) arranged in subgroups (20). The elements (12) of each color group (R, B, G) in each subgroup (20) are aligned with pixel subgroups of a matrix control element or LCD (18). The color elements (12) of the reflective filter transmit light (26) of their associated color to an aligned pixel associated with that color and reflect back (30) light of other colors to a reflective light assembly (16) for reuse. The color matrix reflective filter (10) is made by selectively exposing selected areas of a holographic optical element, or HOE, with a light of colors other than the color desired to be transmitted by that element (12) of that selected area.

Abstract: A passive uniplanar double-balanced star RF mixer, comprising a substantially planar support substrate with a conductive layer of material disposed on one side and a slotline and first, second, and third coplanar waveguides formed therein which are configured to accommodate different frequencies. The first waveguide is bifurcated on one end into two waveguide branches which form first and second waveguide terminations each physically coupled to one end of the slotline. The second waveguide is electrically coupled to the first waveguide at a location spaced apart from the branches. The third waveguide is electrically coupled to the slotline at a position located approximately equi-distant from the slotline ends. A first grounding element is connected to the grounds of the first and third waveguides, and is positioned adjacent to the first branch termination. A conductive surface is enclosed by the waveguide branches and the slotline.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for drawing energy management circles on electronic flight instrument system displays which includes a microprocessor for making several initial inquiries regarding the orientation of the circle with respect to the display and issuing write or don't write commands for each point on the circle without the need for individually analyzing each point as to whether it is located on the display screen.

Abstract: A photosensitive element 46 absorbs at least a portion of an incident write beam 40, causing a spatially varying electric field to be applied across a layer of a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) 48, thereby forming a pattern of local polarizations corresponding to the spatially varying electric field. In one embodiment, a signal beam is modulated with a phase variation characteristic of a particular aberrator. The signal beam is then combined with a substantially plane wave reference beam to form interference fringes. These interference fringes are directed as a write beam onto photosensitive layer 46, forming a hologram in FLC layer 48 which can be read optically. An incident beam of light can be diffracted by a hologram formed in the FLC layer, thereby modulating the incident beam of light with the phase variations comprising the hologram.

Abstract: An improved fly by wire or fly by light system which provides for a smooth manual override of the autopilot function by allowing the pilot to modify the autopilot command to the control surfaces by physically manipulating the yoke to a position different than that commanded by the autopilot.

Abstract: A calibration system includes a transducer 36 positioned proximate to a physical disturbance monitoring system sensor 20. A test signal generator 34 causes the transducer 36 to produce an acoustic signal simulating a physical disturbance proximate to the sensor 20. The output of the sensor 20 responsive to the acoustics simulation signal may be compared to a predetermined reference signal to verify the calibration of the sensor 20.

Abstract: A luminaire including one or more fluorescent tubes and associated reflectors for use in backlighting a projection type liquid crystal display matrix. The reflectors have special arcuate shapes designed to forwardly project light to the display matrix and also to direct diffuse light outward from behind the fluorescent tubes so that all of the light generated by the tubes can be efficiently projected for use in illuminating the display matrix.

Abstract: A regulated current source is used to drive the cathodes of a hot cathode gas discharge lamp. In one embodiment, the regulated current source is time shared between the lamp cathodes and the lamp arc.

Abstract: A system for controlling for gain and phase errors due to mismatches between signal channels in direct conversion receiver having a pair of signal channels carrying I and Q baseband component signals which are in quadrature. In accordance with the system new I' and Q' signals are generated which may be viewed as analogs of the I and Q baseband components but which are related to twice the phase angle defined by the original I and Q baseboard components signal components. Phase angles are determined based on the original I and Q baseband components signals and the new I' and Q' signals. An error signal is then formed from these signals which can be analyzed to determine the gain and phase errors affecting the I and Q baseband components. These components can then be adjusted to correct for gain and phase errors in order to compensate for hardware mismatches between the signal channels in the receiver.

Abstract: This invention drives a piezoelectric element by transferring energy from one element 5 to another 6 by way of an intermediate inductor 4. Additional energy is obtained from an energy source 1 to make up for internal losses and for the work performed by the piezoelectric elements. The energy is transferred as needed by switches which are operated by a controller for proper timing of energy transfer between the elements and energy boosts from the energy source.

Abstract: Aliasing on a video display resulting from digital sampling and appearing as jagged lines and crawling movement is eliminated by controlling the intensity of video display pixels as a function of distance from the ideal line location. Intensity values are stored in an intensity lookup table as a function of two values. For the middle portion of a line, the two values are the shorter of the distance from a pixel in either the x-direction or y-direction and the smaller of the slope with respect to the x-axis or the y-axis. For line end points, the two values are the distances of the pixel from the end point in the x-direction and the y-direction.

Abstract: The continuous bipolar mechanical output of a nonrectifying transducer is synthesized when the electrical segments 2 of a rectifying transducer are alternately switched into and out of a resonant loop in synchronism with polarity changes of the alternating drive signal. The known extraordinary transduction efficacy of a diverse class of rectifying transducer materials is thereby advantageously applied, while the known high electrical efficiency of resonance is also applied. Continuous bipolar transduction provides essential ingredients for the synthesis of nonsinusoidal mechanical output waveforms that afford extraordinary mechanical efficiency in a growing class of mechanical actuators, such as forcers, positioners and rubless walkers. Electrical resonance, in combination with nonsinusoidal mechanical waveforms, therefore provide a segmented rectifying transducer drive system of extraordinary efficacy.

Abstract: This invention is for a single lamina twisting transducer made of an electrodeformable material. The twisting transducer has responsivity vectors which are curved or circular in nature so that when an electric field is applied the transducer will twist, exserting an angular force rather than a linear force as prior art transducers do. The twisting lamina can be stacked with a common electrode between them. The transducers can be used in actuators to provide angular forces in actuators. When combined in actuator stacks with linear transducers the actuator stack can be controlled in six degrees of freedom. Thus accurate moving and positioning of objects can be accomplished by use of such an actuator stack. Further since such an actuator stack is sensitive to accelerations in six degrees of freedom it can be used in making an accelerometer. Other uses for twisting actuators are for motors and rotational positioning of objects.

Abstract: Adjustable gap hydrostatic bearings and adjustable gap seals wherein the adjustable gaps are useful to compensate for wear, thermal expansion, journal speed, and radial deflection of the journal. A housing 10 is adjacent to a journal 2. The housing contains an annular electrodeformable material 5 which will expand or contract radially with the application of voltage and thus adjust the gap between the liner material 3 and the journal.

Abstract: An actuator has teeth for providing large forces to an object to be moved without experiencing slipping or sliding on the surfaces of the actuator or object. The actuator moves in smooth walking cyclic steps, first engaging the object by meshing the actuator's teeth with the teeth of the object, while moving at the same speed as the object, moving the object, retracting from the object while moving at the same speed as the object, and then retracing to its beginning position for starting a new cycle. The controller for the actuator obtains information about the relative position of the teeth for smoothly meshing the teeth and moving the object. The controller precisely moves the actuator for proper tooth meshing by using mechanical summing of actuator layers, each receiving electrical impulses of a precise number of waves of a known wave form.

Abstract: A self-timed bus arbitration and digital data transfer system is provided for a computer network having multiple master and slave devices sharing a digital data bus. Each master device includes a bus arbitration logic circuit having a time delay element. Each master contending for access to the data bus outputs an identifier on signal lines connecting the master devices. After a period of time comprising the slowest master's operational delay, the bus arbitration circuits determine, on a prioritized basis, which particular master shall have access to the data bus at that time. Upon gaining access, the particular master provides a request signal on a control line connecting the master and slave devices and provides an address on an address bus that may be multiplexed with the data bus. After each slave has decoded the address, as determined by the slowest slave's delay, an acknowledge signal is provided on the control line to the particular master so that data transfer may proceed to/from the selected slave.