Abstract: The present invention relies upon a free space magnetic field in a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) chamber for forming high quality thin films made from diverted ions from a plume evaporated from an ablated target illuminated by a pulsed laser beam. The magnetic field exerts a qv X B Lorentz force upon the ions that is orthogonal to the magnetic field and to their direction of travel in the plume, and curves the ions toward the substrate, while neutral particulates continue to pass by the substrate so that the large neutral particulates are not deposited on the substrate. A shield prevents the deposition of plume species in direct line of sight between the target and the substrate so that only charged ions curved by the magnet are deposited on the substrate. A permanent magnet is used to separate charged species from neutral species.

Abstract: Frequency stabilization of an atomic system is improved by closed loop stabilization of the power level of an atomic excitation signal. A second harmonic atomic Rabi response varies with excitation power level so that power modulation of the atomic excitation and demodulation of the second harmonic response produces a power error signal for closed loop power level control using a voltage controlled attenuator. The atomic system also includes conventional frequency stabilization closed loop control using a voltage controlled oscillator. Both power and frequency modulation of the excitation signal generate a complete atomic response from which both power and frequency error signals are generated for both power and frequency closed loop stabilization.

Abstract: A linear flexure washer bearing in a bolt interface assembly allows relative differential thermal expansion and contraction motion between a component plate and a base plate fastened together by a bolt without inducing large strains and stresses upon the bolt. The flexure washer bearing functions as a thin spacer between the component and base plates enabling high preload tightening of the bolted assembly while enabling relative bidirectional motion of the plates. The flexure washer is a multiple blade flexure assembly with thin flexure blades arranged unidirectionally between the top and bottom flexure plates. The elastic flexures bend to enable relative alternating unidirectional motion while the full strength of the bolt remains available to the support the component plate without creating high friction shear forces.

Abstract: A power supply system and method provides for smooth transitions between a utility power, transitory instantaneous power, and backup power in the event of a utility power failure of a utility supplying power to a load. As the utility power weakens due to a failure of the normal utility power supply, a synchronous machine becomes immediately a generator and supplies the required instantaneous power to the load. In order to maintain a constant speed on the synchronous machine, a high speed flywheel rotating faster than the synchronous machine provide kinetic energy that is magnetically coupled to the synchronous machine through an electromagnetic clutch to provide the synchronous machine with the required energy until the utility recovers from its failure. The control means enable smooth transitions by phase synchronization when transiting between utility power, instantaneous power and backup power.

Abstract: A pseudo gyro emulates mechanical gyros by software processes by processing space system appendage measurement data and reaction wheel tachometer data within reference and control systems of a satellite using principals of conservation of momentum to compute the vehicular bus angular velocity rate data by accounting for the momentum transfer between the satellite, the bus, and the appendages for providing accurate relative vehicular position and angular velocity rate data as an integral part of attitude reference and control systems now having higher reliability, longer life times, lower power consumption, and more accurate vehicular angular velocity rate data generated within high bandwidth operations.

Abstract: The turbo encoding process repeats the bits of the systematic data and appends the flushing tail bits prior to interleaving and encoding by the second constituent turbo encoder for providing an interleaved repetitive second encoded output for turbo decoding as a repetitive turbo code method to reduce the error floor of turbo coding. Preferably, the repetitive systematic string is also encoded by the first encoder and is transmitted providing repetitive transmitted first encoded sequence and a repetitive transmitted systematic sequence from the turbo encoder. The turbo decoder operates on three repetitive sequences and perform bit deletion among r repetitive systematic bits after conventional turbo decoding. The repetitive sequences may also be subjected to encoder puncturing and decoder bit insertion as an alternative enhancement.

Abstract: A micromechanical valve for communicating a fluid is constructed from n-type and p-type materials forming a peltier junction interface which can be selectively cooled to freeze the fluid into a plug to obstruct the flow of fluid, or selectively heated to melt the plug to communicate the fluid in a tube extending through the junction. A plurality of valves connected in series can be used together as a pump to pump the fluid from an inlet through the valves to an outlet. Selective heating and cooling of the junction provides varying fluid pressures and/or plugs along the tube to pump the fluid through the tube.

Abstract: A micromachined reflector antenna system is integrated onto a substrate by firstly etching a reflector aperture surface defining a dish cavity in an oxide layer and secondly rotating a hinge over the reflector aperture surface with the hinge being used as the reflector central feed. The micromachined reflector antenna system can be made with an array of reflector antennas and integrated onto a single substrate with front end receiver circuits operating as a high frequency receiver on a chip with reduced size and cost and operating at hundreds of GHz.

Abstract: A power system consisting of parallel connected current-mode power converters combined with a voltage error signal on a shared-bus used in common for controlling all of the power stages for improved consistency, reliability, and performance in both transient and steady states. Near uniform current sharing is achievable without sacrificing the voltage regulation performance. The improved system offers faster settling time under step loads, consistent small signal characteristics and large signal responses regardless of mismatches of components values such as reference voltages, and reduced output impedance variations in magnitude and phase even during various modes of operation.

Abstract: A satellite communication method enables a low earth orbit data collecting mission satellite to conveniently achieve continuous, real time, and cost effective global connectivity by "plugging in" to a constellation of low earth orbit communication satellites designed to provide mobile satellite service for terrestrial users. Orbit parameters for the mission satellite are selected to generate a nodal regression rate matched to that of the communication satellites so that initial alignment of orbit planes is sustained maintaining a favorable geometry between the communicating satellites. The resulting intra-satellite geometry is exploited through use of widebeam crosslink antennas, simplified pointing techniques, and variable transmission rates for optimum communication efficiency from the mission satellites to communication satellites and ground receivers.

Abstract: A system includes a first transducer and a second transducer coupled together through a coupling medium communicating input and output undulating pressure waves between the first and second transducers for the transfer of input and output data between an external controller and an embedded sensory and actuating unit. The controller providing input data signals energizing the first transducer and the embedded unit providing output data signals energizing the second transducer collectively for bidirectional communication of data between the controller and embedded unit for functional sensor and actuator process control. The primary advantage of the system is the bidirectional transfer of data through a coupling medium without the use of electrical power wires for controlling embedded sensors and actuators.

Abstract: A pumping method is used for pumping a fluid from an inlet to an outlet of a pump having a plurality of micromechanical valves. Each micromechanical valve is for communicating a fluid and constructed from n-type and p-type materials forming a peltier junction interface which can be selectively cooled to freeze the fluid into a plug to obstruct the flow of fluid, or selectively heated to melt the plug to communicate the fluid in a tube extending through the junctions. A plurality of valves connected in series can be used together as a pump to pump the fluid from the inlet through the valves to the outlet. Selective heating and cooling of the junctions provides varying fluid pressures and plugs along the tube to pump the fluid through the tube.

Abstract: An extended spatial acquisition method extends the spatial acquisition range for tracking antennas. The method employs a multiple feed cluster to sense the received signal with high sensitivity and to spatially acquire the received signal when uncertainty in the received signal arrival direction exceeds several beamwidths. A main beam consisting of a collection of beams including a central beam and surrounding beams of the cluster extend the spatial acquisition range to include the surrounding beams. Feed signal strengths are measured to determine where within the extended field of view a desired signal arrives and then the antenna is repositioned to point the central beam toward the desired signals after which central beam tracking occurs.

Abstract: A three-pair measurement method determines the amplitude and phase transmission response of frequency translating devices including a device under test and two test devices using a vector network analyzer and a controller where one of the devices has reciprocal frequency response characteristics. The characterization of single sideband and double sideband devices such as mixers, is preferably performed by combining data from analyzer two-port swept measurements. The measurement method provides a low-pass equivalent transmission response of the devices.

Abstract: A current mirror includes a reference transistor connected between the current source and current transistor and receives a reference voltage level and for providing a mirror voltage to a mirror transistor providing a current load to a driver connected to the mirror transistor of the current mirror for operating a logic circuit in a static current mode offering lower power dissipation at high frequency clock rates and for providing stable output signal logic levels insensitive to operating conditions such as varying external radiation well suited for CMOS circuit operation.

Abstract: A method controls the load currents of current mirror loads of logic circuits, for lowering power dissipation at high frequency clock rates while providing stable output signal logic levels insensitive to operating conditions such as varying external radiation well suited for CMOS circuit operation. The method enables segmented control of logic circuits for powering up operational circuits while powering down dormant circuits for efficient power utilization.

Abstract: An estimator structure include a nonlinear modified Kalman filter for initial estimate and plurality of bias estimators and a parallel bank of Kalman filters for ambiguity resolution and providing final estimates. The estimator structure is useful for real-time computation of ionospheric propagation delay introduced in the navigation signals by dual frequency GPS receivers.

Abstract: The present invention relies upon a free space magnetic field in a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) chamber for forming high quality thin films made from diverted ions from a plume evaporated from an ablated target illuminated by a pulsed laser beam. The magnetic field exerts a qv.times.B Lorentz force upon the ions that is orthogonal to the magnetic field and to their direction of travel in the plume, and curves the ions toward the substrate, while neutral particulates continue to pass by the substrate so that the large neutral particulates are not deposited on the substrate. A shield prevents the deposition of plume species in direct line of sight between the target and the substrate so that only charged ions curved by the magnet are deposited on the substrate. A permanent magnet is used to separate charged species from neutral species.

Abstract: A fast modulated lapped transform (MLT) method and architecture for image compression and decompression systems minimizes blocking artifacts associated with JPEG based discrete cosine transform (DCT) image compression systems. The MLT method combines fast block processing capabilities of wavelet transforms and fast block processing of DCT image compression systems. The modular and pipeline MLT architecture is fast by block processing but avoids the visual blocking artifacts that can be seen in most DCT-based compression systems. Improved MLT processors are implemented by an infinite impulse response filter operating on a product of the MLT window function and the input data stream. Forward and reverse MLT processors include a new fused multiply-add logic for fast computations and localized interconnections. The MLT processors can be combined into a bank of parallel processors in a one dimensional MLT architecture, which can be used for two-dimensional image transformation.

Abstract: Broadband particulate absorbers include a suspended container for containing particulate beads that absorb vibration energy over a broad bandwidth so reduce coupled vibrations of mechanical systems over the broad bandwidth. The absorbers preferably include two opposing aluminum containers for containing particulate teflon beads. The aluminum containers are suspended and separated by aluminum I-beams attached to stringers of a rocket subjected during lift off to atmospheric pressure vibrations exerted on the vehicular skin coupling vibration through the stringers to trusses supporting sensitive inertial navigation payloads. The absorbers can be finely tuned using variably thick mass or various amounts of beads for reducing peak vibrations coupled into the payloads.