Abstract: A strap restrains full extension of an evacuation slide until a bag on the slide inflates to extend and unlace a cord to separate the strap coupling the restrained segments of the slide. The device is especially useful as a back-up restraint in escape slides of the dual chamber variety wherein the inflation of one but not the other of the chambers will not create sufficient pressure to break a primary restraint device employing shear pins separable by a predetermined pressure being attained in the inflatable slide chambers.

Abstract: The container (12) has an inflation opening (46) which is closed by a valve (56) with seals (66) compressed by spring (90) pressure during the packing process. Air is removed from the container (12) for deflation by a vacuum pump (20) and excessive vacuum necessary for deflating the container (12) in a reasonable time but which is too high for the packing process and may damage the valve (56) or seals (66) is limited by a vacuum control unit (20) adjusted to maintain the vacuum below a predetermined vacuum and then admit atmospheric air over that level. The vacuum control unit (20) may have a screw adjustment (34) engageable with a spring (36) for increasing or decreasing pressure on an inlet valve member (32).

Abstract: Existing conveyor belt rip detection systems presently incorporate a synchronous detector circuit for increasing the rejection of electrical noise. In order for the detector circuit to work at peak efficiency, the input signal occurring when an antenna is over the detector probes must be tuned in phase with the reference signal. The circuit to effect such tuning includes a light emitting diode as an indicator for determining the optimum phase tuning of the oscillator signal through the probes and antennae to a related synchronous detector for achieving maximum signal to noise ratio. A thumb wheel switch is employed to shift the phase of one of the signals with respect to the other to effect the tuning while the light emitting diode is utilized to detect when the thumbwheel switch has shifted the signals into an optimum synchronous relationship.

Abstract: A dimensionally stable sealant and spacer strip comprising an elongated ribbon of deformable sealant enveloping and having embedded therein spacer means extending longitudinally of the ribbon of sealant. The thickness of the enveloping sealant extends beyond the spacer means in an amount sufficient to maintain a continuous sealing interface under applied compressive forces but insufficient to permit substantial distortion of the strip under such applied compressive forces.

Abstract: High resolution character generator for producing rows of characters to be scanned on a display medium. Input data defining characters to be printed in ordered rows of text is sorted to provide specifications for the characters which being on each successive scan line. These specifications are stored initially in an input buffer, and specifications for characters which have been partially printed in a previous scan line are stored in an active character buffer. For each scan line, the character specifications are read first from the active character buffer and then from the input buffer until an end of line specifier is reached. For each character specification received, a font memory containing data defining the characters is cycled. The data from the font memory is decoded and presented to the display medium on a line by line basis.

Abstract: A heterojunction diode laser which achieves transverse mode control by providing adjacent to the active region layer of the laser a layer having a thickness substantially less than the thickness of the active region layer and of a material having a bandgap higher than the bandgap of the material of the active region layer. All transverse modes have increased penetration into a lossy substrate via the thin layer with the loss being least for the lowest order mode such that only the lowest order mode can be made to lase at low pumping current levels.

Abstract: A processing system adapted to control a sequential automated device to a state determined by the immediately preceding state. The system comprises a read only memory (ROM) (or alternatively a static RAM) having coded at each address in bit positions 2 through n the address of either the output signal to be controlled, the input signal to be sensed or the next ROM address. Bit position 0 indicates whether an output or input is to be selected and bit position 1 either determines the desired state of the input that is selected or routes the 2 through n bit position address to select the output or to set a new address for the ROM. Accordingly bits 0 and 1 from the ROM are combined with the selected input in a logical circuit comprising gates and inverters to either increment the ROM address buffer or jump to a new address.

Abstract: An optoelectronic device comprising a light-sensitive device which produces or modifies an electric current in dependence upon the intensity of light incident thereon, and a light-emitting device arranged to emit light in response to said electric current and so disposed that part of said emitted light is incident upon the light-sensitive device to provide positive feedback.

Abstract: A hammer protection circuit automatically disconnects a power supply from a hammer actuating coil in order to inhibit current flow through the coil when such current flow is either greater than a predetermined level or present for greater than a predetermined time period. The circuit comprises charging means coupled to the coil for charging up to a voltage level proportional to the level and duration of the current flow through the coil, comparator means coupled to the charging means for comparing the voltage level with a reference voltage and for generating an output signal when the voltage level bears a predetermined relationship toward the reference voltage, and means coupled to the comparator means and to the power supply and responsive to the output signal for disconnecting the power supply from the coil.

Abstract: Apparatus for segmenting a buffer memory into two-dimensional sectors such buffer memory having stored herein, in scan-by-scan format, bits representing the image of a document. The sectors comprise sections of adjacent scan lines arranged in a two dimensional array. Included in the apparatus is an address generating means which provides the address arrays for such sectors during the segmenting sequence and an encoding means which inspects the data in each segment. In the instances where all of the data in one sector represents background image a single bit code is transmitted. In all other instances the sector data is transmitted in its entirety. The same address generating and encoding means can be utilized in the receiving mode to reconstruct the code into corresponding data arrays to thus provide an image.

Abstract: A paper transport system used in connection with a thermal analog recorder is provided. This system engages the paper for a predetermined length of time and subsequently releases it employing mechanical means. Roller means are provided for engaging and transporting a heat sensitive paper. When the test paper is inserted into the nip formed between the roller means, a tapered resistor element residing on at least one of the rollers is made to develop a non-uniform temperature profile when energized from the output of a test source which permanently marks or records on the test paper. An improved method of single channel thermal analog recording is also disclosed employing this device.

Abstract: A phase-sensitive transducer apparatus comprises first and second relatively movable members wherein the first relatively movable member has a plurality of windings and the second relatively movable member has a winding. Means are included for applying a first input signal to one of the windings of the first relatively movable member and a second input signal to another of the windings of the first relative movable member. An output signal is induced on the winding of the second relatively movable member. The first and second input signals are sinusoidal in nature of substantially identical frequency and peak amplitude and are phase-displaced by a predetermined amount, and the output signal is substantially constant in peak amplitude and variable in phase during relative movement of the first and second relatively movable members.

Abstract: Decoding apparatus for separating clock and data pulses from a double-frequency pulse train, including a retriggerable window one-shot, a bit shift compensation circuit, clock rate tracking means, data bit and clock bit gates, means for keeping track of whether a specific pulse is a data pulse or a clock pulse, and means for actuating the data bit and clock bit gates, based on the status of the system and the state of the window one-shot. The apparatus also provides means for detecting when a clock pulse is missing, including circuitry which simulates the detection of a clock pulse to the rest of the device to keep the system status and timing properly synchronized to the pulse train data.

Abstract: A serial printer comprises a carriage, a print member rotatably mounted to the carriage, drive means coupled to the print member for rotating the print member in a desired direction and at a desired speed, and control apparatus coupled to the drive means for generating a control signal to control the direction and speed of rotation of the print member.

Abstract: A keyboard encoding system which utilizes electronic hysteresis to prevent undesired key stroke encoding. The output of a capacitive switch matrix is supplied to a sense amplifier which has its sensitivity increased if a particular switch of the switch matrix was closed the last scan cycle. The status of the switches of the switch matrix during the last scan cycle is provided by a shift register having a number of stages equal to the number of switches of the matrix. The sense amplifier includes a comparator which receives an input indicative of the state of a particular matrix switch during the present scan cycle and an input from the shift register indicative of the status of the particular matrix switch the previous scan cycle. If the input from the shift register is high, the sensitivity of the sense amplifier is increased.

Abstract: An apparatus in which a quantity of particles is stored for being dispensed gradually therefrom. The particles remain stored therein when the apparatus is stationary, and are discharged therefrom when the apparatus undergoes oscillatory movement.

Abstract: An optical system for minimizing the speckle observed in a projected image, the image being produced by a projection display device. Coherent or non-coherent light illuminates the projection display device image and an image thereof is formed at an intermediate image plane. A narrow angle diffuser is positioned at the intermediate image plane and produces an enlarged illuminating aperture at the Fourier transform plane. The relatively large angle subtended by the illuminating aperture at a second image plane reduces the spatial coherence of the image formed thereat.

Abstract: A ribbon cartridge comprising a housing, a supply reel containing a supply of ribbon wound thereon, a take-up reel, means for rotatably mounting the supply reel at a first location in the housing, means for rotatably mounting the take-up reel at a second location in the housing, the second location being spaced both vertically and horizontally from the first location, and means for transferring ribbon along a predetermined path from the supply reel onto the take-up reel.

Abstract: In a serial printer comprising a carriage movable along a predetermined path, a print member rotatably mounted to the carriage and including a plurality of character elements, first drive means coupled to the print member for rotating the print member to a desired rotational position, second drive means coupled to the carriage for moving the carriage to a desired position along the path, and control apparatus coupled to the first drive means for controlling the direction and speed of rotation of the print member and coupled to the second drive means for controlling the direction and speed of movement of the carriage, the control apparatus comprising first means for receiving and storing a first signal indicative of the desired rotational position of the print member, second means for receiving and storing a second signal indicative of the desired linear position of the carriage, means coupled to the first and second means for receiving and storing for generating a third signal if the first signal was received

Abstract: A buried-heterostructure (BH) diode injection laser capable of operating at low room temperature thresholds and in the lowest order TE, TM or TEM modes. The laser has an elongated groove in a substrate with the groove extending through a pump current confining layer with a central portion of the active layer substantially completely within the groove and substantially completely surrounded by light guiding and carrier confining layers of material having a lower index of refraction than the index of refraction of the material of the active layer. The light guiding and carrier confining layer in contact with the substrate has a central depression within the elongated groove and the central portion of the active layer is bowl-shaped and within the depression such that light waves produced by carrier recombination within the central portion of the active layer when the laser is forward biased are guided in the central portion of the active layer such that the laser produces a light beam having reduced width v.