Abstract: A coaxial phase shifter for shifting the phase of a signal being transmitted along a transverse electromagnetic transmission line. The phase shifter is in line with the transmission line's inner conductor, such that it is very compact and such that the transmission line's outer conductor need not be modified. The phase shifter includes electrically-conductive fingers arranged in spaced, confronting relationship with each other, to capacitively couple the signal from one segment of the transmission line's inner conductor to another. In addition, the phase shifter is configured to provide an input impedance at both of its ends that matches the characteristic impedance of the transmission line.

Abstract: The present invention provides an economical yet effective system for the protection of the command link of ground controlled beacon tracking satellites. The invention includes means for detecting the amplitude and/or phase modulation of a composite signal which results from the beating of an intruder's carrier signal with an uplink beacon. A bandpass filter is included for guaranteeing that the low frequency sweep of the beacon signal and the high frequency data communication signals are passed through the receiver without interference. The resulting output of the bandpass filter corresponds to the intruder's carrier. This signal is rectified to provide a DC signal. A first comparator is provided for comparing the output of the detector to a first threshold which gives an indication as to whether or not the intruder is attempting to saturate an intermediate frequency (IF) stage of the satellite's receiver. A second comparator is provided for comparing the above-identified DC signal to a second threshold.

Abstract: A spacecraft is mounted in a cradle secured in the space shuttle by means of a suspension system including four cradle attachment members secured to the upper longeron bridge of the shuttle, in which provision is made for movably mounting one attachment member on the cradle to provide a component of movement substantially normal to the adjacent longeron bridge to accommodate misalignment between the longeron bridges and the attachment members without the need for removing the spacecraft and cradle from the shuttle.

Abstract: Operating at real-time data rates, the disclosed hardware network generates a signal which closely approximates the Mth-largest of a set of R input data signals. The operational basis of this network is a comparison (121-127) between the input data (101-107) and a monotonically-scanning reference function (110). At that point (140, 150, 160) when the lower (R-M+1) of the inputs have been equaled by an increasing reference, the reference has become the same as the Mth-largest and is used (119b, 165, 170, 175) as the filter output. Analogous operation is achieved with a decreasing reference.When the number R of inputs is odd and M is made equal to ((R+1)/2), the network becomes a real-time median filter.

Abstract: A transformerless drive circuit for operation of a switch mode regulator includes a turn-on circuit and a turn-off circuit coupled to a control terminal of the switch, respectively, for inducing a state of conduction in the switch and for terminating the state of conduction. The switch is, in the preferred embodiment, a P-channel DMOS field-effect transistor (FET) with a source electrode connected to the positive voltage terminal of a power supply, and with the drain terminal connected to load circuitry of the regulator. The gate electrode serves as the control terminal. The regulator includes a sensor of output voltage and circuitry for providing a pulse-width modulated control signal for designating the average amount of current to be passed by the switch. The turn-on circuit and the turn-off circuit share a common diode which operates alternately for conduction or turn-off.