Abstract: A meteor burst communication network is disclosed that consists of a plurality of meteor burst communication stations that relay radio messages off of meteor burst trails from one station to another. Each station includes an antenna operably coupled to a receiver and transmitter, a display, a message input device, a computer operably connected to the aforementioned equipment, and a clock that provides a time base to the computer. The computer provides instructions to the transmitter and outputs to a display. The program determines if a message has been received by the receiver. If a message has been received, it is stored in the computer memory. The computer then instructs the transmitter to transmit a probing message for a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: A navigational control system directs an autonomous vehicle to travel along a floor from a first location to a destination within an environment, and includes a propulsion module having a processor that receives navigation control signals for directing the motion of the module and provides position signals. At least one reflective, encoded stripe is applied to the floor of the environment. If stripe detecting means, mounted to the module, detects the stripe, recognition signals are provided. Ranging means mounted to the module measures the range between the vehicle and any object within a predetermined distance of the vehicle.

Abstract: The present invention provides a marker float release that includes a houg; an electromagnet mounted to the housing having an electromagnetic core; and a buoyant element having a permanent magnet. The buoyant element is positioned against the housing so that the permanent magnet is magnetically attracted to the electromagnetic core with sufficient force to hold the buoyant element adjacent to the housing when the housing and the buoyant element are submerged in water by inducing a magnetic field in the electromagnetic core. A flexible line having one end attached to the buoyant element and another end attached to the housing links the buoyant element to the housing. Magnetic field reversing means is operably coupled to the electromagnet for selectively reversing the magnetic field of the electromagnetic core, thereby permitting the buoyant element to be released from the housing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a circuit for eliminating quadratic and offset errors in the output of a CMOS four-quadrant analog multiplier. These errors are eliminated by feedback circuits that each include one or more CMOS four-quadrant analog multipliers.

Abstract: A sensor for remotely detecting an angular position of a shaft rotatable within a frame includes: first means for generating collimated first, second, third, and polarized optical beams; second means positioned proximate to the first means for receiving and combining the first, second, third, and polarized optical beams into a composite optical beam having an intensity; and a code wheel fixedly mounted to the shaft and interposed between the first and second means. The code wheel includes first, second, and third channel mask patterns and a first polarizing filter positioned to transect the first, second, third, and polarized optical beams, respectively. Interaction between the code wheel and the light beams results in the composite light beam being encoded such that the angular position of the wheel is functionally related to the intensity of the composite opitical beam.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pneumatically powered actuator having hydraulic control for both locking and controlling the velocity of an output rod without any sponginess. The invention includes a double-acting pneumatic actuator having a bore, a piston slidably engaged within the bore, and a control rod connected to the piston. The double-acting pneumatic actuator is mounted to a frame. A first double-acting hydraulic actuator having a bore, a piston slidably engaged within the bore,and a follower rod mounted to the piston is mounted to the frame such that the follower rod is fixedly connected to the control rod. The maximum translation of the piston within the bore of the first double-acting hydraulic actuator provides a volumetric displacement V.sub.1. The present invention also includes a second double-acting hydraulic actuator having a bore, a piston slidably engaged within the bore, and an output rod mounted to the piston.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for fabricating ohmic contacts on semiconducting diamond. A carbide forming metal is deposited over a surface of the semiconducting diamond. In some applications, one or more layers of an intermediate metal are deposited over the carbide forming metal. A corrosion resistant metal is then deposited over the intermediate metal, if present, or the carbide forming metal. The semiconducting diamond and metals are heated in an inert environment at a temperature anywhere from 350 to 1200 degrees Celsius.

Abstract: The present invention is a battery charging system that provides automatic oltage selection, short circuit protection, and delayed output to prevent arcing or pitting. A second embodiment of the invention provides a homing beacon which transmits a signal so that a battery powered mobile robot may home in on and contact the invention to charge its battery. The invention includes electric terminals isolated from one another. One terminal is grounded and the other has a voltage applied to it through a resistor connected to the output of a DC power supply. A voltage scaler is connected between the resistor and the hot terminal. An On/Off controller and a voltage mode selector sense the voltage provided at the output of the voltage scaler. The On/Off controller provides an output whenever V.sub.a <V.sub.H <V.sub.b, where V.sub.a is a reference voltage, V.sub.H is a voltage across the terminals, and V.sub.b is a reference voltage. The voltage mode selector provides an output whenever voltage V.sub.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for launching and recovering a submersible vessel from a ship, and includes a gantry that pivots in an arc extending over and beyond the aft deck of the ship. A lift line passes about a head sheave that pivots from the top of the gantry and threads through a saddle that also pivots from the top of the gantry. The saddle is clamped to the vessel. The lift line is connected to the top of the submersible vessel and passes about a ram tensioner which may be mounted on the deck. After a winch pays out the lift line to lower the vessel into the ocean, the saddle is disconnected from the vessel and the lift line is rethreaded back out of the saddle. A tether provides a communicative link between the ship and the vessel, and may pass about a hanging sheave suspended from the gantry when the vessel is in the ocean. Recovery of the vessel is the reverse of deployment.

Abstract: A sensor provides remote angular orientation sensing. A rotational signal transmitted to a rotatable input shaft mounted in an encoder body causes the shaft to rotate. Light signals are transmitted through a digital code wheel mounted to the shaft. As the code wheel and shaft rotate, the light signals passing through the code wheel are superimposed with light pulses corresponding to incremental and directional changes of angular position of the code wheel with respect to the encoder body. The light signals are propagated through an optical fiber to a remote combination digital and analog circuit which converts them into a digital representation of the angular position of the code wheel.

Abstract: A video line digitizer for digitizing predetermined lines of successive fes of a composite video signal includes a video line digitizer for converting the analog component of the video signal into a series of digital data representations. The composite video signal consists of successive frames. The frames each consist of a fixed number of lines represented by a fixed number of pixels. The pixels each have an associated intensity value reflected in the resulting digital data representations. The video line digitizer also provides synchronization signals decoded from the composite video signal to an address decoder/controller which determines the beginning of each horizontal line of the image. A high-speed RAM receives the digital data representations from the video line digitizer and stores them in address locations provided to the RAM by the address decoder/controller when the RAM is enabled by a data processor.

Abstract: A dual-polarity nonvolatile MOS analog memory cell is disclosed that comprises two pairs of complementary metal oxide field effect transistors. Each pair includes a p-channel and an n-channel transistor. The gates of each transistor are all operably coupled in common to form a common floating gate. The sources of the transistors of the first transistor pair are operably coupled to a common ground. The sources of the second pair of transistors are operably coupled together to form an output junction. Positive voltage applied to the drain of the n-channel transistor of the first transistor pair causes a positive analog value to be stored in memory when there previously was no value stored in memory, or increases a value previously stored in memory. Negative voltage applied to the drain of the p-channel transistor of the first transistor pair causes a negative analog value to be stored in memory when there previously was no value stored in memory, or decreases a value previously stored in memory.

Abstract: The present invention provides an interactive method for testing the working memory of a test subject. The method includes displaying several encoded symbols randomly positioned on a video display for a predetermined period of time. The position of each encoded symbol corresponds to Cartesian coordinates on the video display. Each symbol has a predetermined priority that must be ascertained by the test subject based on recognized variables associated with each uncoded symbol. The symbols are deleted from the video display after expiration of the predetermined period. Then, unencoded symbols are displayed on the video display in the same pattern as were the encoded symbols so that there is a cardinal relationship between the Cartesian coordinates of the unencoded symbols and those of the encoded symbols. Each encoded and unencoded symbol having identical coordinates forms a symbol pair.

Abstract: A direct current power supply for instantaneously providing tens of kilows of electrical energy for brief periods, such as 100 ms, during momentary power interruptions between a load and an electrical power source having a supply voltage includes a capacitor having an initial voltage charge preferably greater than the supply voltage. The cathode of a zener diode is operably coupled to the capacitor. The anode of a second diode is operably coupled to the anode of the zener diode. A solid state switch has a power input operably coupled between the capacitor and the cathode of the zener diode, a power output operably coupled between the anodes of the zener diode and second diode, and an enabling input, so that the switch may be triggered to conduct electrical power whereby voltage from the capacitor is conducted through the switch to the anode of the second diode when an enabling signal is provided to the enabling input.

Abstract: The invention converts the voltage output of a DC source to a higher voltage. A germanium transistor start-up circuit receives a DC supply voltage input and includes an astable multivibrator which produces a square wave voltage output that is transformed to a substantially DC steady-state voltage output by a transformer and a capacitor. This elevated voltage is provided to an oscillator circuit which provides two square wave outputs. Each output is provided to an array of invertors operably coupled to an array of field effect transistors. The transistors are operably coupled to a power transformer. The square wave outputs of the power transformer are full wave rectified to provide a DC output having a higher voltage than the system input voltage. The power transformer also provides another full wave rectified voltage which disables the start-up circuit to eliminate parasitic energy losses attributable to its continued oscillation.

Abstract: A four-quadrant analog multiplier circuit provides an output which is protional to two voltage inputs that each represent a multiplicand. In a first embodiment, the circuit comprises a complementary pair of field effect transistors having gain constants equal in magnitude and in which the p-channel threshold voltage is larger than the n- channel threshold voltage. The gates of the transistors are coupled in common. One input is added to a bias voltage and the voltage sum is applied to the common gates. The other input and its inverse are separately applied to source/drain terminals of the two transistors, while the remaining source/drain terminals are coupled in common to provide an output node. A second embodiment of the invention is composed of two circuits as described above, where the polarities of the inputs to one pair of transistors are reversed relative to those of the second pair, and the output nodes of the individual pairs are coupled together.

Abstract: A bioluminescent detector is disclosed for detecting and measuring in situ bioluminescence generated by marine microorganisms. The detector includes a laminar flow chamber, a turbulent flow chamber in fluid communication with the laminar flow chamber, and a photon detector network positioned with the turbulent flow chamber. The detector is dropped over the side of a ship which may be underway and sinks at constant velocity. As the detector descends, ocean water flows through the laminar flow chamber and then into the turbulent flow chamber where fluid turbulence subjects any bioluminescent organisms present to shear stress, causing them to generate photons that are detected by the photon detector network.

Abstract: A system which limits the intensity of a snap load imposed in a tether or cable, used, for example, in the recovery of an object at sea, includes a floating plate for connection to the cable and a support housing for connection to the object being recovered. The system also includes an actuatable mechanism extending between and connected to the plate and housing. The actuatable mechanism is movable from an initial position toward a deflected position in response to the introduction of a snap load in the cable caused by the occurrence of the sudden removal of a slack condition in the cable.

Abstract: A method for remotely detecting the angular position of a rotatable code wheel is provided by generating two sine wave modulated light beams which are orthogonally polarized with respect to each other. The beams are combined and then directed through a polarization filter mounted on the code wheel. The combined beam incurs a phase shift with respect to a reference signal which depends upon the position of the code wheel. The combined polarized beam provides angular position resolution between zero and ninety degrees, but lacks quadrant resolution. Two other light beams are directed to a two channel digital mask pattern imprinted on the code wheel. The mask pattern encodes these latter beams with "on" or "off" pulses to provide quadrant resolution. The beams are converted to digital electric signals which are received by a programmable read oly memory (PROM). The PROM provides an output corresponding to the angular position of the code wheel to a display.

Abstract: An air/sea temperature probe is disclosed which can be deployed from a moving ship to detect the temperature profile of the atmosphere and ocean beyond the thermal influence of a ship. The probe includes a temperature transducer which utilizes a bifilar wire that provides a very quick air temperature time constant. The transducer is mounted within a radiation shield having low thermal conductance to minimize thermal and solar radiation contamination and is coupled to a signal processing network. In operation, the probe is deployed from a ship and provides temperature telemetry via an electrical data link coupled between the signal processing network and a receiving transducer located onboard the ship.