Abstract: The subject invention discloses a conventional method and apparatus for classifying terrestrial moving vehicles in which the seismic signal generated by the vehicle is broken into its Rayleigh and acoustically coupled components. The ratio of the Rayleigh component to the acoustically coupled component is used to classify the vehicle as heavy or light.

Abstract: Orthogonal components of electromagnetic field perturbations due to objects characterized by electric or magnetic dipoles are measured along orthogonal axes in a plane. The components are proportional with (3 cos.sup.2 .theta.-1) and (3 cos .theta. sin .theta.), where .theta. is the bearing of the dipole center relative to the device for measuring the field components. .theta. is readily determined from these equations and the range of the object can also be determined from knowledge of the dipole moment.

Abstract: Method and means are disclosed for rapidly tuning a laser over a large number of wavelengths. The means of the present invention includes first and second reflecting means which define the optical resonating cavity of a laser, and further includes a dispersive means adapted to sequentially select and direct one and only one of the wavelengths of light from the beam emitted by a laser's amplifying medium along a path back through the laser's amplifying medium as one of the reflecting means is continuously rotated. One embodiment of the present invention forms the rotating reflecting means as a faceted polygonal solid with at least one face thereof being a Littrow reflective grating. A pulsed laser is adapted to tune to a different wavelength of light each time some or all of the grating faces of the polygonal solid are rotated to intercept the longitudinal axis of the laser.

Abstract: A high density, low power dissipating semiconductor memory cell is provided by connecting first and second inputs of a means for maintaining current in one of two conditions to first and second bit lines, by first and second diodes, respectively. Conveniently, the means for maintaining the current in one of two conditions includes first and second transistors operating in the normal current mode. Standby current is provided to the base of the first transistor through the first bit line and first diode, and to the base of the second transistor through the second bit line and second diode.

Abstract: Pulse stability is provided to a pulsed gas filled electrical discharge device by an electrical circuit including first and second electrical energy storage means, with the energy stored in the first storage means being substantially greater than the energy stored in the second storage means. A first voltage corresponding to the energy stored on the first storage means is applied to the input of the gas filled device. A second voltage corresponding to the energy stored on the second storage means is periodically switched to combine with the first voltage and be input to the gas filled device. The period for switching is precisely controlled, preferably with a piezoelectric crystal, and is selected to combine the first and second voltages just before the first voltage reaches the natural breakdown voltage of the gas within the gas filled device.

Abstract: A bipolar OR logic circuit includes input diodes directly connected to a switching transistor. A first current source is coupled to the transistor's emitter and a load is directly connected to and between the collector and a voltage reference point. A second current source, connected to the transistor's base, sets the switching point of the transistor. The output is taken at the collector. A second bipolar transistor can be cross coupled to the first transistor to provide a voltage reference for the base of the first transistor and/or shift the logic level by taking the output at the emitter of the second transistor.

Abstract: First and second signals are selected from a plurality of sequentially fed, a.c. coupled signals. A difference signal which is the difference between the first and second signal is generated. The times during which the first signal exceeds the second, and during which the second signal exceeds the first, are determined. The larger of these two times is selected and an average of the difference signal over this larger time is generated. The average is added to the second signal. Means for implementing these steps, including an all analog embodiment are disclosed.

Abstract: Thermal energy is deposited within the body of an infrared transparent material. The thermal energy heats a radiating material which is opaque and strongly emitting over infrared wavelengths. An infrared image is then radiated from the radiating material. The thermal energy is deposited within the infrared transparent material preferably by providing a reticulated surface and scanning across an exposed portion of the thermal conductor with an electron beam or a laser.

Abstract: An electrical control circuit includes a first energy storage means adapted to store electrical energy in response to a potential source of a first polarity relative to a reference point in said circuit, thereby providing a first voltage of a first magnitude; a second energy storage means adapted to store electrical energy, without affecting said first energy storage means, in response to a potential source of a second polarity relative to said reference point, thereby providing a second voltage of a second magnitude; and means for electrically connecting said first and second energy storage means so as to provide an output voltage related to the sum of said first and second magnitudes. Four embodiments are presented with two embodiments arranged so that substantial voltage is supplied to a load only when said first and second energy storage means are connected by an electrical connecting means.

Abstract: Disclosed is an instantaneous floating point amplifier which continuously generates an offset correction voltage level for each possible gain word controlling an internal cascaded amplifier. The offset voltage levels are digitized and stored until an input data signal is received. A portion of the output analog-to-digital converter system for the floating point amplifier is utilized on a time sharing basis to regenerate an analog offset correction voltage. The offset correction voltage is input into a summing network inserted into the amplifier circuit between internal preamplifier and amplifier components. When the input signal has been grounded, the offset correction voltage is disconnected from the input summing network and the floating point amplifier is cycled through its gain operations.

Abstract: Means and methods are provided for determining the energy content of a hydrocarbon fuel by infrared spectroscopy. The relationship between the energy content of the fuel and the number of carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds in the fuel is disclosed. This relationship is utilized to determine the energy content of the hydrocarbon fuel by measuring the concentration of such carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrocarbon bonds by infrared spectroscopy. A first embodiment irradiates a hydrocarbon fuel with infrared radiation of wavelengths at which specific carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds strongly absorb. A detector array and microprocessor process the data to compute the energy content of the fuel or rate of energy consumption by a device using the fuel. A second embodiment exposes the hydrocarbon fuel to infrared energy by using frustrated total internal reflection.

Abstract: Means and methods are provided for processing the quantity Si which corresponds to a point i in space where Si=(Xi.sup.2 +Yi.sup.2).sup.1/2 and Xi and Yi are quantities lying along mutually orthogonal axes in the space. Si is approximated by the expression A.vertline.Xi.vertline.+B.vertline.Yi.vertline. where A and B are constant coefficients selected to minimize the error in value of Si according to a selected error computation. A and B can be approximated as a binary power series with each series including a preselected number of terms. Another embodiment does not require means for approximating A and B as binary power series, but segments the coordinate space into m sectors and computes and Am and Bm for each of said m sectors. A particularly advantageous application of the invention is its use in a device and method for processing edge data concerning an edge in an optical image where Si is the Sobel, Prewitt or Roberts square root edge operators.

Abstract: An optical filter comprising a first substance which is substantially transparent to light within a selected first frequency range and having a first index of refraction; and a second substance which has at least one resonance frequency within said first frequency range and having a second index of refraction which is substantially the same as said first index of refraction at all of the frequencies within said first frequency range except for frequencies near said resonance frequency.

Abstract: An electronic switching circuit is provided for controlling transfer of electrical power from an alternating polarity electrical power supply to a load means through use of a field-effect transistor device as a primary power controlling element. The circuit also is arranged such that the alternating polarity electrical power supply provides power for operating further circuit components used to direct operation of the primary power controlling element. Certain of these further circuit elements can be prevented from drawing electrical power in certain situations.

Abstract: An optical imaging device includes an optical device comprising means for absorbing at least one wavelength of light incident thereupon, a first layer of a first material having a first index of refraction and being in thermal contact with the absorbing means, and a second layer of a second material having a second index of refraction which is larger than the first index of refraction and which forms an interface with the first layer. The first layer is placed between the absorbing means and the second layer. The phase, amplitude or both phase and amplitude of the reflected light can be modulated by thermally induced changes in the first index of refraction. A method of modulating a first optical beam with a second optical beam is also provided.

Abstract: A semiconductor capacitance transducer includes adjoining integrated sensor and reference capacitance transducers formed from silicon wafers. The transducers are parallel plate transducers which are structurally the same except that one plate of the sensor transducer is a thin force sensing diaphragm which deflects in response to selected environmental phenomena while the corresponding plate of the reference transducer is adapted to deform in response to some, but not all, of the selected environmental phenomena. By comparing the capacitance of the transducers, the effects of the phenomena which deform the reference transducer can be distinguished from the effects of the phenomena which do not deform the reference transducer. A particular application of the present invention allows thermal effects on the sensor transducer to be distinguished from the effects of pressure.