Abstract: A safety belt system having separate lap and shoulder belts. The belts are attached to a double spool belt retraction mechanism which is spring biased to retract the belts. Each spool has associated with it a ratchet wheel and a pawl movable into engagement with the ratchet wheel to prevent extension of the associated belt under certain conditions. A pendulum type inertial member is associated with each pawl and is operable under certain conditions of vehicle acceleration and attitude to move the associated pawl into engagement with the related ratchet wheel. The system includes a belt tension eliminating mechanism which prevents retraction of the shoulder belt under certain operating conditions and a member associated with each pawl which prevents the pawl from rattling under certain operating conditions.

Abstract: The invention is an integrated hydraulic control circuit for actuating the thrust reversers and variable exhaust nozzle on high preformance gas turbine engine powered aircraft. The hydraulic circuits for both systems are integrated into a single housing and are served by common elements. The circuit for the deployment and stowage of the thrust reverser buckets is hydraulically sequenced inhibiting the application of hydraulic power to the actuators prior to withdrawal of the locking pin. In a like manner, the thrust reversers must be fully retracted before the locking pin is deployed. The hydraulic circuit for the thrust reversers also includes a pressure compensating circuit which reduces the pressure applied to thrust reverser actuators with the thrust reversers in the stowed position.

Abstract: A content induced transaction overlap communication system for transmitting data over a single communication channel between a plurality of senders and at least one receiver. The senders simultaneously transmit the highest order bits of their data word, one bit at a time in serial fashion and monitor the state of the communication channel. Transmission of data bits is terminated by all senders which detect a difference between the state of their transmitted data bit and the state of the communication channel. Bit competition performed at the end of each transmitted data word determines among those senders still having data bits remaining to be transmitted which sender has lexicographically the next smallest word and activates that sender to transmit its remaining data bits. This procedure continues until all of the senders have completed the sending of their data word.

Abstract: A positive displacement air delivery system for an internal combustion engine having a multiple chamber positive displacement air pump and a control valve for directing the output of the air pump to either the engine's catalytic converter or to the engine's air intake for supercharging the engine. The control valve interconnects the individual input and output ports of the air pumps chamber in a predetermined arrangement for optimum efficiency of the pump under the various operational modes of the engine.

Abstract: Disclosed is a moving map display having a mass memory storing a complete map of the terrain to be traversed by a vehicle, a scan memory storing a portion of the complete map corresponding to the area immediately surrounding the vehicle, a computer for controlling the updating of the portion of map stored in the scan memory and for controlling the refreshing of the map data displayed on a cathode ray tube display, a scan memory address generator receiving parameters computed by the computer for generating addresses sequential outputting the digital map data stored in the scan memory in a predetermined sequence, a video display generator for converting the map data output from the scan memory for utilization by the cathode ray tube display, and a timing generator for synchronizing the generation of the addresses by the scan memory address generator with the scan field of the cathode ray tube display.

Abstract: An address generator responsible to input parameters for generating addresses to read out the content of a memory along parallel lines disposed at an angle to the orthogonal rows and columns of storage elements. The address generator has a first pair of registers coupled by an adder to generate line corrected X addresses, a second pair of registers coupled by an adder for generating first address corrections, an adder summing said line corrected X addresses with said first address corrections to generate X addresses, a third pair of registers coupled by an adder to generate line corrected Y addresses, a fourth pair of registers coupled by an adder to generate second address corrections, and an adder summing said line corrected Y addresses with said second address corrections to generate Y addresses.

Abstract: A fuel distribution control system for an internal combustion engine including means for detecting the instantaneous rotational velocity of the engine's crankshaft to generate a torque impulse amplitude signal and a phase angle signal, an amplitude correction circuit for correcting the torque impulse amplitude signal as a function of the phase angle signal, means for generating an amplitude error signal for each corrected torque impulse, and means for accumulating said amplitude error signals to generate individual fuel correction signals for each engine cylinder. The fuel correction signals are added to the fuel quantity signals generated by a fuel control computer in response to the operational parameters of the engine and a fuel delivery device responds to the combined fuel quantity and fuel correction signals to deliver a quantity of fuel to each engine cylinder tending to equalize the torque contribution of each cylinder to the total output torque of the engine.

Abstract: A fuel distribution control for the fuel control system of an internal combustion engine having a fuel control computer generating fuel delivery signals indicative of the engines fuel requirements, means for delivering fuel to the engine in response to said fuel delivery signals and means for generating amplitude signals indicative of the magnitudes of the torque impulses generated by the individual cylinders, the fuel distribution control comprising means for correcting the amplitude signals as a function of the cylinders position along the engine's crankshaft and engine speed, means for generating an average amplitude signal for each cylinder, means for generating an individual difference signal for each cylinder indicative of the difference between the average amplitude signal for the individual cylinders and the average amplitude of all the cylinders, means for generating a fuel correction for each individual cylinder from said difference signals, and means for summing the fuel correction signal with the

Abstract: A continuous fiber composite having carbon micro-fibers dispersed in the resin filling the interstices between the continuous fibers to enhance the transverse properties of the composite. The carbon microfibers are made by soaking carbon fibers in an intercalating acid solution comprising a mixture of fuming nitric and sulfuric acid to weaken the intercrystallite bonds. Gentle stirring of solution separates the carbon microfibers from the host fibers. The microfibers are then separated from the intercalating acid solution and washed to remove the residual acid.

Abstract: An anti-log power amplifier for energizing a reversible electric motor of an electrically assisted power steering system for an automotive vehicle. The power amplifier has a preamplifier which amplifies the output signal of a torque sensor detecting the torque applied to the vehicle's steering wheel, an anti-log signal generator exponentially modifying the amplified output signal, a pulse width modulator converting the exponentially modified signal to a pair of complementary pulse width signals, and a pair of bridged power amplifiers for energizing the reversible electric motor in response to the complementary pulse width signal. The bridged power amplifiers are further responsive to the exponentially modified signal for increasing the electrical power delivered to the reversible electric motor under high torque loads.

Abstract: The invention is a multicomponent thermoplastic interpenetrating polymer network blend having a particulate loaded homopolymer as the network stabilizing phase.

Abstract: The invention is a method for welding together two parts with the help of ion implantation. The method comprises weakening the chemical and atomic bonds of the surface and near surface atoms of at least one of the surfaces to be welded together by ion implantation techniques. The ion implanted surface may then be cold or diffusion welded to the surface of the other part using conventional methods. The method is particularly applicable to welding together parts of dissimilar metals normally difficult to affect a satisfactory weld.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting between analog signals and corresponding digital signals that is accurate relative to the actual value of the input signal, and not relative to the upper limit on the analog input signal. The method and apparatus are disclosed in terms of a serial-feed-back A/D converter that performs an A/D conversion through a plurality of cycles equal in number to the number of bits in the digital output word. In each cycle a comparison voltage is tested to determine if the bit output for the cycle is high or low. The comparison voltage is the amplified difference of the comparison voltage for the preceding cycle and another reference signal. The scale factor for the amplification of the difference between the two signals is one value if the bit value for the preceding cycle was high, and another complementary value if the bit value for the preceding cycle is low.

Abstract: Signal information is converted between analog and digital form in a two-step process employing conversion apparatus having stable, but not necessarily highly accurate components. The component tolerances on such conversion apparatus are much greater than those normally allowed on conventional conversion apparatus of equal accuracy. In an A/D conversion, an analog signal is first converted into an (n+m)-bit digital word in a special purpose digital code unique to the specific A/D conversion apparatus. The (n+m)-bit word is then translated into an n-bit word in binary digital code in accordance with a predetermined relationship therebetween. In a D/A conversion, an n-bit digital word in a binary digital code is first translated into a corresponding (n+m)-bit digital word in the special purpose digital code. The (n+m)-bit word is then converted into an equivalent analog signal; the latter step being performed by a conversion apparatus unique to the special purpose digital code.

Abstract: Signal information is converted between analog and digital form in a two-step process employing conversion apparatus having stable, but not necessarily highly accurate components. The component tolerances on such conversion apparatus are much greater than those normally allowed on conventional conversion apparatus of equal accuracy. In an A/D conversion, an analog signal is first converted into an (n+m)-bit digital word in a special purpose digital code unique to the specific A/D conversion apparatus. The (n+m)-bit word is then translated into an n-bit word in binary digital code in accordance with a predetermined relationship therebetween. In a D/A conversion, an n-bit digital word in a binary digital code is first translated into a corresponding (n+m)-bit digital word in the special purpose digital code. The (n+m)-bit word is then converted into an equivalent analog signal; the latter step being performed by a conversion apparatus unique to the special purpose digital code.

Abstract: A fuel distribution control system for equalizing the amplitude of the torque impulses imparted to the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine having a fuel control computer generating fuel quantity signals indicative of the engines fuel requirements, fuel delivery means delivering fuel to the engine in response to the fuel quantity signals and means responsive to the instantaneous rotational velocity of the engine's crankshaft for generating signals indicative of the amplitude and phase angle of the torque impulses imparted to the engine's crankshaft by the individual cylinder.

Abstract: A flexible coupling having molded plastic flexible diaphragms and a molded composite spacer shaft is disclosed. The flexible diaphragms have an axially formed convoluted bore shrunk fit onto a mating convoluted surface of the spacer shaft. The flexible diaphragms are attached about their periphery to radial flanges of input and output members adapted to be connected to rotatable shafts.

Abstract: An improved detection circuit for an ion mass air flow sensor having a feedback circuit from the differential output of the sensor to the regulatory input of the high voltage supply. The feedback signal provides a second order correction to the output voltage of the high voltage power supply. This second order correction of high voltage power supply output voltage compensates the differential output of the sensor as a function of the airflow's pressure.

Abstract: A surface acoustic wave gyroscope which detects a change in the propagation velocity of a surface acoustic wave as a function of the rotational velocity of a medium on whose surface the acoustic wave is propogated, is disclosed. In a first embodiment using a fixed frequency oscillator to generate the surface acoustic wave, the change in the propagation velocity is detected as a phase shift between the generated and detected waves. In an alternate embodiment the detected surface acoustic wave is used as a feedback signal to an amplifier to form an oscillator whose frequency varies as a function of the surface waves propagation velocity. In the preferred embodiment, two surface acoustic waves are generated in opposite directions about the cylindrical surface of a substrate.

Abstract: The invention is an integrated hydraulic control circuit for actuating the thrust reversers and variable exhaust nozzle on high performance gas turbine engine powered aircraft. The hydraulic circuits for both systems are integrated into a single housing and are served by common elements. The circuit for the deployment and stowage of the thrust reverser buckets is hydraulically sequenced inhibiting the application of hydraulic power to the actuators prior to withdrawal of the locking pin. In a like manner, the thrust reversers must be fully retracted before the locking pin is deployed. The hydraulic circuit for the thrust reversers also includes a pressure compensating circuit which reduces the pressure applied to thrust reverser actuators with the thrust reversers in the stowed position.