Abstract: A fiber optic package in which a plurality of fiber optic cables are encapsulated in a layer of flexible material which in turn is bonded to the surface of a low mass, low profile, apertured stiffener member. A portion of the encapsulating material extends beyond the edge of the stiffener and is configured into a plurality of tongues that encapsulate individual ones of the fiber optic cables. The stiffener member is fastened to an apertured backplane. Fittings on the ends of the fiber optic cables extend through the clearance apertures in the stiffener member and the backplane to feed the fiber optic cable to the front face of the backplane for coupling to an associated optical component.

Abstract: An antenna distribution network for an antenna array which provides independent sum and difference aperture excitations and enables a reduction in the difference channel radiation sidelobe levels. The circuit operates to smooth out the step discontinuity in the complex signal excitation of the radiating aperture in the difference mode by reducing considerably the amplitude of at least two corresponding elements located on opposite sides of the array center. A circuit of four four-port hybrid devices is employed, and introduces no effect when in the sum mode.

Abstract: A symbol/raster generator system for a CRT display system is described, having the capability of generating raster-scanned display signals or vector symbology. The system includes a polar coordinate transformation circuit which transforms polar coordinate beam deflection data into corresponding X and Y beam deflection control signals. The system includes an angle accumulator for accumulating incremental angular data over time, and sine and cosine PROMS for providing the sine and cosine of the accumulated angle value. X and Y multiplier circuits provide respective incremental dX and dY values corresponding to the respective products of the cosine and sine values with a step size value dR. The incremental dX and dY values are accumulated over time to provide the X and Y beam deflection signals. The system further includes circuits for providing the angle data and step size dR so as to generate rasters, 8 and 16-side characters, curved and slanted characters, conic symbology, and other types of special symbols.

Abstract: A burn-in heating circuit for an integrated circuit including a burn-in clock generator for producing a burn-in clock signal that is provided to the clock buffer of the clock distribution system of the integrated circuit. The operating frequency of the burn-in clock is at or close to the maximum frequency that the clock distribution system can reliably sustain with valid logic levels, so that the highest possible self-heating can be achieved by power dissipation in the clock distribution system. A comparator that is responsive to a temperature signal representative of the integrated circuit junction temperature and a signal indicative of the desired burn-in temperature modulates the clock generator so that the junction temperature of the integrated circuit resulting from self heating is close to the desired burn-in temperature.

Abstract: Variable array thinning to achieve efficient radar pulse shaping for advanced radar waveforms such as pulse burst or monopulse doppler. At the beginning of the pulse, only a few elements, spread out over the array, are turned on. The effective amplitude can be controlled with precision because each element is either off or at saturation. High efficiency is maintained because the off-state of each element is long enough so that prime power is not consumed.

Abstract: An efficient wideband low noise microwave signal generator for active radars. Separate transmit drive (TD) and receiver local oscillator (LO) signals are generated by use of a single programmable reference generator and two frequency synthesized signals separated in frequency by an offset precisely equal to the transmit drive offset. The frequency synthesized signals are respectively summed and subtracted in frequency with the reference generator signal to obtain signals which may be selected as the TD and LO signals.

Abstract: A microwave circulator circuit having a multiple port lumped-element circulator, and a common node reactance network for coupling the lumped element circulator to the common ground plane of the microwave circuit with which the circulator circuit is utilized.

Abstract: A fluorescent lighting structure having an inner glass envelope and an outer glass envelope surrounding the inner glass envelope, an ionizable gas contained within the volume between the inner and outer glass envelopes, an electrode structure disposed on the inside surface of the inner glass envelope, a phosphor coating disposed on the outside surface of the inner glass envelope, and an ultraviolet reflective coating on the inside surface of the outer glass envelope. Excitation of the electrode structure causes discharge of the ionizable gas that produces ultraviolet radiation, which in turn excites the phosphor coating to emit visible light.

Abstract: Apparatus for blanking and collating a plurality of individual pyrolyzable sheets having electrical circuit patterns formed thereon from an integral pyrolyzable sheet having the electrical circuit patterns for the individual sheets printed thereon, where the individual pyrolyzable sheets comprise layers of a hybrid module. The apparatus includes a die having substantially identically sized openings for supporting the integral printed pyrolyzable sheet, a punch assembly engageable with the die for blanking the integral printed pyrolyzable sheet into a plurality of substantially identically sized sheets having electrical circuit patterns formed thereon, and a collation structure located beneath the means for receiving the blanked sheets from the die and for stacking the blanked sheets.

Abstract: A solid state high power microwave amplifier module. The module incorporates a stacked assembly of integrated low temperature cofired ceramic substrates forming a monolithic structure containing all the microwave circuitry required to combine the output power of a large number of monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier chips, a heatsink and a power supply. One substrate defines an input radial power divider circuit for dividing the input signal into input signals for each power amplifier chip. The second substrate includes the power amplifier chips and a radial combiner circuit. The output of the combiner to coupled to an output waveguide in the heatsink. The module is lightweight and small in size, and of high reliability since the number of wire bonds is greatly reduced since most of the microwave circuitry and connections can be formed as part of the integrated structure.

Abstract: A separable inductive coupler for transferring electrical power across a dielectric medium using magnetic induction. Its coil geometry allows for easy disassembly of primary and secondary circuits. When primary and secondary coils are mated, an extremely low leakage inductance transformer is formed. This provides for good high frequency operation at high power density. The coupler allows electrical power transfer without metal-to-metal contact. The design allows easy removal of the primary or secondary coil from the transformer. The coil geometry has very low leakage inductance and very low high-frequency resistance which allows high frequency operation. The power transfer density is much higher than previously achieved with separable inductive couplers. Approximately 6000 watts has been transferred through a version of the present separable inductive coupler having a volume of 25.8 cubic inches, yielding a power density of 230 Watts/cubic inch.

Abstract: A holographic head-up display having first and second superimposed reflection holograms supported by a vehicle windshield, and first and second playback sources respectively associated with the first and second reflection holograms and positioned such that reflection by the windshield of playback illumination from one playback source is toward the other playback source. In particular, the first and second playback sources are configured such that the centerlines of the playback beams provided by the first and second playback sources are coplanar in a common plane that is substantially normal to the holograms, with the centerlines intersecting generally in the hologram layers and having substantially the same angle of incidence on the hologram layers as measured relative to normal in the common plane.

Abstract: A head-up display for vehicle including a windshield having first and second opposing air interfaces for partially reflecting imaging illumination at a predetermined air interface to produce a primary virtual image viewable by the operator of the vehicle, and a half-wave retarder interposed between the first and second air interfaces of the windshield for rotating the linear polarization of illumination transmitted therethrough. An imaging illumination source provides linearly polarized imaging illumination to the first air interface of the windshield at an angle which is selected to enhance the reflection of S-polarized light and the transmission of P-polarized light, with the polarization being selected so as to provide S-polarized imaging illumination at the predetermined beam splitting air interface.

Abstract: A hologram efficiency adjusting process that includes scanning the brightness effect of a hologram, which is either the hologram to be adjusted or a hologram representative of the hologram to be adjusted, to provide brightness vs. position information. The brightness information is utilized to produce a variable duty cycle half-tone mask that contains a pattern defining the areas of the hologram which are to be removed, with the pattern being unresolvable by the viewer of the hologram from which holograms have been removed pursuant to the mask pattern. The hologram to be adjusted is then photoresist coated and etched in accordance with the mask. Alternatively, the brightness information can be utilized to directly expose, for example by a laser scanner, photoresist disposed on the hologram to be adjusted.

Abstract: An automatically gain controlled multiple approximation analog to digital converter including a gain controlled amplifier responsive to the difference between an analog input signal and an analog version of a digital approximation of the analog input signal for providing a gain controlled analog residue signal, a quantizer for converting the gain controlled analog residue signal to a gain controlled digital residue signal, a digital divide circuit for dividing the gain controlled digital residue signal by a factor representative of the gain contained therein to provide a restored digital residue signal representative of the analog residue signal before it was amplified by the gain controlled amplifier, and a summing circuit for adding the restored digital residue signal and the digital approximation to provide the output of the gain controlled analog to digital converter.

Abstract: A variable frequency synthesizer including a modulo N counter having a count limit N that is a product of prime numbers and responsive to a digital control word for providing a digital ramp signal representative of the phase of a sinewave, an inversion circuit responsive to the digital ramp signal for producing a digital triangular signal having a frequency determined by the control word, and conversion means for converting the digital triangular signal to an analog triangular signal. Selecting the count limit N as a product of prime numbers substantially reduces spurious distortion due to time step quantization of the digital ramp signal.

Abstract: A bidirectional boundary scan circuit cell for use in boundary scan testing of device interconnections including a scan flip-flop, a first multiplexer responsive to the scan flip-flop and to a device output if the associated pin is for an output function for controllably providing as its output a replica of the scan register output or the device output, a three-state buffer responsive to the output of the first multiplexer and having its output connected to the associated device I/O pin, an input buffer whose input is connected to the associated device input/output pin and whose output comprises an input to the device if the associated I/O pin provides an input function, and a second multiplexer responsive the input buffer and a serial scan input for controllably providing as the input to the scan flip-flop a replica of the output of the input buffer or a replica of the serial scan input.

Abstract: The present invention is a computational method, defined by a computational algorithm, that automatically corrects synthetic array radar (SAR) focus errors more accurately than conventional procedures. The novel feature is that the present method estimates residual phase errors by forming fourth-order subarray products in lieu of conventional second-order subarray products. As a result, a pull-in range for residual phase errors is vastly improved. The present invention advances the state of the art by creating a SAR autofocus method that has an unlimited pull-in range for both a quadratic and a cubic phase errors. The invention thus extends the operational range and resolution of SAR systems, and enables the effective use of the SAR sensor with a limited (less expensive) motion compensation subsystem. The present invention provides for a phase difference autofocus method that estimates the residual quadratic and cubic phase error that often requires only one autofocus iteration.

Abstract: A hologram exposure system that includes a spherically curved mirror surface positioned adjacent a substrate/hologram assembly that includes a spherically curved hologram recording layer supported by a spherically curved substrate surface, wherein the spherically curved mirror surface is concentric with the spherically curved substrate surface. A first rotating means provides for rotation of the curved mirror surface about a first axis that passes through (a) the center of curvature of the spherically curved substrate surface that supports the hologram recording layer, and (b) a point on the hologram recording layer that allows for convenient rotation about the first axis; and a second rotating means provides for rotation of the curved mirror surface about a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis and intersects the first axis at the center of curvature of the substrate surface that supports the hologram recording layer.

Abstract: A binocular, stereoscopic helmet visor display is described, wherein a polarization x-prism is used to separate the left eye imagery from the right eye imagery when each channel has a unique polarization. Separate image sources generate the left and right eye imagery, and the respective left and right image light is passed through polarizers so that the respective left and right image light is of opposite polarizations. The polarized left and right image light is combined through a common optical relay and passed to the x-prism which separates the polarized light, sending the "p" polarized light out one channel to one eye, and the "s" polarized light out the other channel to the other eye. Once the channels are separated, the images are projected to the observer's eyes.