Abstract: Logic circuit hardware is provided for dividing a binary fraction divisor into a smaller binary fraction dividend to provide a binary fraction quotient.Initially, the divisor is stored in a storage register with its sign in the highest order bit position and remains unchanged during the division operation. Initially, the dividend is stored in a dividend shift register and is shifted left one bit before being applied to a parallel adder to perform a partial divide operation. A clock signal is provided to time the division operations, wherein, the stored dividend is added to the stored divisor in a parallel binary adder. When the highest order or sign bit of the adder is positive, the sum of the dividend and the divisor are stored in the dividend register and a binary one is stored in a quotient register. When the highest order or sign bit of the adder is negative, the dividend register is shifted left and a binary zero is filled in the quotient register.

Abstract: A tri-level serial data stream and its inverted form are received and separated into data and clock for use with standard bi-level logic. The incoming tri-level signal and its inverted form are separately biased to permit a true differential comparison and signal detection. High common mode rejection of noise that is developed between a transmitter and receiver is thus provided.

Abstract: A system for overlapping macro instruction execution is described for use in a data processing system. A pair of control storage devices each store the micro instruction sets required to execute all macro instructions in the repertoire and are used for alternate macro instructions. Each of the controlled storage devices is addressable to entry addresses by the macro instructions. After entry, addressing is by the contents of the micro instructions with provision made for conditional branching. An overlap count storage device is provided for storing overlap counts for all possible sequences of macro instructions. These overlap counts define the number of micro instructions of the current macro instruction that must be executed before the next macro instruction can proceed. Micro instruction execution is by clock cycle and are counted as they are executed. The count is compared to the stored overlap count for the current sequence of macro instructions and overlap execution is enabled when comparison is found.

Abstract: Speech compaction/replay apparatus for real time monitoring speech and filtering out periods of relative slence from a recording of the speech. The recording also containing synchronization and time code information for ensuring that on replay and in terms of real time the audio output will essentially replicates the analog speech input. The apparatus and technique minimizing the amount of storage media required to store the speech.

Abstract: A non-dissipative battery charging circuit utilizing pulse width modulated constant current charging signals and having unregulated charging voltage stepped down by the use of a switching transistor and series inductor is described. Charging current is sensed and fed back to cause control of the charging cycle. Battery voltage is sensed and compared to a reference level for terminating charging when the battery is determined to be fully charged. A clocking and control system responsive to the feedback signals and the sensed voltage levels is described for controlling the activation and duration of application of charging current signals.

Abstract: A ground-to-air, voiced alerting system whereby a ground controller can communicate traffic warning messages to a pilot in an automatic fashion via a voice radio band and a voiced message generator. The system generally comprising means for transmitting a frequency shift key (FSK) encoded message to the pilot via the voice band and receiver means for decoding the same message. The decoding means, in turn, generally comprising means for identifying specific aircraft and additional means for decoding the message and producing the voiced message over the pilot's head set.

Abstract: Digital data is arranged into records for high density recording on a moving magnetic tape or other magnetic medium. A preamble and a postamble are formatted around a variable length data block to form a record for recording onto a movable magnetic medium. A unique character having a mirror image the same as the character is formatted after the preamble and before the postamble in order to allow recognition of the data when read in either forward or reverse direction. A flux change signal is always recorded in a ninth cell position of each character of the preamble, the postamble, the data and all other characters to be recorded, except in the ninth cell position of the unique character to insure a maximum of nine cell positions between successive clock signals and to permit immediate recognition of the end of a data block upon reading the unique character.

Abstract: A characteristic adder for use in a data processing system that performs floating-point arithmetic operations is described. A 1's complement subtractive adder is shown for forming the sum or difference of a pair of exponents under control of function control circuitry, along with an indication of which characteristic is larger for selecting which mantissa operand should be shifted for proper alignment. The function control circuitry responds to function signals to select addition or subtraction, provide the magnitude or complement of the results, and select between two available floating-point formats. Characteristic Overflow and Underflow is tested and signaled for each of the two possible floating-point formats.

Abstract: A modular bus system for reporting the status of a plurality of geographically distributed data points. The data points may be independently located or grouped with the status of each being monitored by a processor which is coupled to the data points via a bus multiplexer, a plurality of buses and a plurality of single point and multiplexed transmitters. Each bus may be coupled to a plurality of the transmitters and may be configured open or closed loop. The system operates to simultaneously interrogate each of the buses via interrogation signals, which also supply the power to the transmitters, and produces a serial response signal containing the status information of the interrogated data points.

Abstract: The present invention provides a spread spectrum waveform encoded altimeter. Spread spectrum carrier wave signals which are transmitted and later received are processed in a novel edge detecting apparatus which includes a plurality of individual detectors. A pair of detectors are provided to detect an early chip or signal. Another pair of detectors are provided to detect a late chip or signal. There is also provided a pair of edge chip detectors for detecting the center or locked on chip signal. Logic circuits are employed to sum the voltage signals from the detectors and to provide a control signal capable of adjusting a tracking generator to enable it to lock on to the received signal. An altimeter counter is provided which is started by a unique chip in the transmitted signal and stopped when the same unique chip is detected in the receiving and tracking loop.

Abstract: A memory array having a dedicated refresh flag memory (RFM) for maintaining a record of the array's addresses that are accessed during a refresh requirement interval (RRI) and means for reading the RFM during the RRI and refreshing those array addresses which weren't accessed during the operating interval of the RRI. The refresh operation being performed in a "burst" mode or in an "interleaved" mode during the RRI.

Abstract: An accurate radio frequency ranging system is provided for measuring the time of transmission of a signal from a first station to a second station and back to the first station without coherent turn-around of the signal. Each of the two stations is provided with its own range measuring means and its own reference clock. The first station range measuring device is started by the first station reference marker and is stopped by the second station reference marker start signal transmitted from the second station to provide a first range measurement. The second station range measuring device is started by the second station reference marker and is stopped by the reference marker start signal transmitted from the first station to provide a second range measurement.

Abstract: Apparatus for checking the correct operation of a parallel byte shifter of the type having a plurality of input ports connected to individual byte lines of a data bus. When predetermined byte lines to the byte shifters are selected, control means are provided to activate a set of shift select means connected to error checking circuits. The error checking circuits comprise logic gating means for checking the proper selection of byte lines and for storing a signal indicative of an error or absence of an input error in the error storage means. When the data byte is being transferred out or read out of the byte shifter, the error storage means is read out to determine the presence or absence of an output error from the error storage means.

Abstract: Apparatus for and method of providing single bit error correction and double bit error detection using through checking parity bits. A coding scheme is implemented which uses through checking parity bits appended to each byte as check bits. The remaining check bits are generated such that the combination of through checking parity bits and remaining check bits together provide single bit error correction and double bit error detection.

Abstract: A steerable directional antenna assembly steerable about two perpendicular axes is disclosed. It comprises a directional horn antenna rotatably mounted on a horseshoe gimbal to rotate about a first axis. A curved wave guide feed is connected at one end to the feed portion of the directional antenna. The wave guide feed is disposed such that its center of curvature is located on the first axis of rotation. The curved wave guide has a circumferential slot in its outer side, the slot communicating between the ambient atmosphere and the wave guide interior. The gimbal and directional antenna are rotatably connected to a pedestal which is enabled to rotate the gimbal and directional antenna about a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis. The antenna assembly further comprises a coaxial feed line which passes through an opening in the pedestal and is fixed to the pedestal. The outer conductor of the coaxial feed line is stripped away from one end of the line to expose the center conductor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for growing liquid phase epitaxial (LPE) crystals upon only one surface of a supporting substrate. The method requiring the insertion of a gasket between a pair of substrates, upon whose exposed surfaces it is desired to grow an LPE crystal. The gasket essentially acting to contain a meniscus of entrapped flux and thereby entrap an air bubble between the substrates so as to prevent growth upon the interior surfaces of the assembly.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of providing an amplified, directable laser light beam is disclosed. The apparatus includes two optical cavities sharing a common mirror. The first cavity is resonant and contains a laser rod intermediate a high reflectivity reflecting mirror of 100% reflectivity and a low reflectivity transmitting mirror of 10-90% reflectivity. The second cavity is antiresonant and contains a Faraday effect diffraction grating intermediate the low reflectivity mirror and a 100% reflectivity mirror. The laser light beam that passes through the transmitting mirror is directed normally incident to the surface of and passes through the Faraday effect diffraction grating. On the far side of the diffraction grating is a mirror of 100% reflectivity, which reflects the laser light beam back through the diffraction grating forming a pair of diffracted congruent 1'st order light beams and a single undiffracted 0'th order light beam.

Abstract: A spread spectrum carrier wave device, such as an altimeter, is provided having a transmitting antenna in close proximity to the receiving antenna. The reference signals being transmitted are electromagnetically coupled into the receiving system as undesirable signals. When the strength of the undesirable signals becomes stronger than the desired signals, they mask the desired signals and make them difficult to recover. The undesirable signals are removed from the receiving path by generating a replica of the undesired signals and applying them to an input of an adaptive processor with the signals in the receiving path. After the undesired signals are removed by the process of adaptive nulling, the desirable signals are recovered and processed.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of measuring the difference in intensity between two coplanar magnetic field vector components at two different points in space. The device is comprised of two interconnected, relatively large, loop patterns of opposite, flux cancelling, winding sense. One or both loops include a trimming element that is itself formed of two interconnected, relatively small, loop patterns of opposite, flux cancelling, winding sense. The device is analyzed for imbalance between the two large loops and is then balanced by placing a balancing superconducting disk of the proper characteristic in or near one of the two small loops of the trimming element. The so-trimmed apparatus forms a gradiometer of substantially improved mensuration.

Abstract: The present invention relates to apparatus for printing graphic forms simultaneously with information data. A graphic forms master is mounted on a relatively small forms drum which is coupled to rotate simultaneously with a photo-sensitive print drum. Light is reflected from the graphic forms master to a light sensitive transducer from where electrical signals, representing the graphics form, are transmitted to a signals merging circuit. Information data signals are also transmitted to the signals merging circuit. The signals merging circuit is connected to a single light source-optical system to selectively pass light to the photo-sensitive print drum in response to the electrical signals to provide an image thereon representing both the graphic form and the information data. Automatic lateral alignment of the graphic forms data and information data is accomplished through cooperation of an alignment mark on the graphic forms master with a portion of the signals merging circuit.