Abstract: A detector for detecting ionizing radiation comprises a scintillator 10 selected to emit light in response to incidence thereon of radiation to be detected, at least one detector 16 for detecting said emitted light, and at least one optical waveguide 12 for transmitting said emitted light to said detector 16. The optical waveguide typically comprises a flexible solid or hollow fiber that can be incorporated into a flexible mat or into a fiber-reinforced structure, so that the detector is integrated therewith.

Abstract: The invention relates to a launched aerial surveillance vehicle, more specifically to a grenade or under-slung grenade launcher (UGL) aerial surveillance vehicle, a surveillance system and methods of providing rapid aerial surveillance. The vehicle once deployed is capable of autonomous flight paths, with basic inputs to change the circular flight paths, so as to build up surveillance for an area of interest. The vehicle comprises at least on optical sensor, which may be IR or visible range, to survey the area of interest, and feed the images back to at least one remote user.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for analysing a process. An exemplary method includes: generating a process template; and determining a probabilistic model specifying the process template. The method can include use of task nodes for tasks of the process; observables nodes for observables that may be caused by performance of the tasks; and a background activities node, wherein observables may further be caused by background activities of the background node. The method can include use of task nodes for tasks of the process; observables nodes for observables that may be caused by performance of the tasks; and a background activities node, observables may further be caused by background activities of the background node. The method can include measuring values of an observable corresponding to one of the observables nodes; and updating a probabilistic estimate of the process state using the measured values.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for finding a bias voltage (20) corresponding to a quadrature point of an optical modulator, the modulator comprising a biasable component which is configurable to be biased by application of the bias voltage (20) such that the modulator operates at quadrature, the method comprising: providing a target for the output power of the modulator which corresponds to quadrature; applying, to the biasable component, a bias voltage (20) having an initial value; thereafter, finding a value for the bias voltage (20) that biases the biasable component such that the output power of the modulator is within a pre-defined range of the target by, starting at the initial value, alternately increasing and decreasing (or decreasing and increasing) the bias voltage (20) with gradually increasing amplitude; and identifying the found value for the bias voltage (20) as a bias voltage corresponding to a quadrature point of the optical modulator.

Abstract: A communications management system, including a configurable router, and method, for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), arranged to selectively route data between a plurality of avionic subsystems/communications resources on the UAV and a plurality of transceivers on the UAV, the routes selected being determined at least in part according to a desired red and black data separation of data to be transmitted from the transceivers and/or a red and black data separation of data being received by the transceivers.

Abstract: A wearable antenna assembly incorporates a coplanar waveguide feed in one of the arms of a two-arm spiral antenna. The antenna has relatively high impedance compared with the feed line from a suitable radio but the coplanar waveguide feed is simply modified to provide a quarter-wave transformer adjacent to the feed connection to the antenna and at least one further impedance transformation step on a tangential extension of the feed at the outer edge of the spiral antenna.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for the formation of optical fiber structures. An exemplary fiber laying head houses a source of optical fiber material to which an adhesive coating is applied prior to laying the adhesive-coated optical fiber material onto a substrate. The fiber laying head can also house a radiation source that generates a radiation beam to cure the adhesive in the adhesive-coated optical fiber material to form a bond between the adhesive-coated optical fiber material and the substrate.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for controlling a bias voltage supplied to an optical modulator, the modulator comprising a biasable component, the biasable component being configurable to be biased by application of the bias voltage (20) such that the modulator operates at quadrature, the method comprising: providing a target for the output power of the modulator, the target for the output power of the modulator being an output power corresponding to the modulator operating at quadrature; applying, to the biasable component, a bias voltage (20) having an initial value of 0V; and, thereafter, varying the bias voltage (20) until the value of the bias voltage (20) is the value that is closest to the initial value and that biases the biasable component so that the output power of the modulator is within a pre-defined range of the target output power.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for controlling a bias voltage (20) supplied to an optical modulator that comprises a biasable component configurable to be biased by application of the bias voltage (20), the method comprising: providing a target for the modulator output power; applying, to the biasable component, a bias voltage (20) that biases the biasable component so that the output power is within a pre-defined range of the target; monitoring the output power and, if the output power of the modulator is determined to be outside the pre-defined range, varying the value of the bias voltage (20) to bring the output power back within the pre-defined range; and monitoring the optical input to the modulator and, if it has been disabled, maintaining the bias voltage (20) at its current level for a pre-determined length of time that is dependent upon how long the modulator has been operating at quadrature.

Abstract: There is disclosed armor having an outer metallic layer, an inner fiber composite layer, and a supporting framework between the inner and outer layers. The supporting framework can include projections from the outer layer arranged to mechanically interlock with the fibers of the fiber composite, and can be arranged to provide an open region between the inner and outer layers that can be filled with a functional filler material.

Abstract: A method, and apparatus for the performance thereof, comprising providing a first meta-model (8, 9) thereby providing a basis for a first model; providing a second meta-model (8, 9) thereby providing a basis for a second model; providing the first model; and using the first model and a set of transformations between the first and second meta-models (8, 9), determining the second model; wherein either, the first model is of a given task; the second model is of an autonomous vehicle (2); and the method further comprises providing the autonomous vehicle (2); or the first model corresponds to a given autonomous vehicle (2); the second model corresponds to a task; and the method further comprises using the given autonomous vehicle (2) to perform the task.

Abstract: An analog modem circuit and carrier recovery method are disclosed for use between an RF receiver and a digital modem circuit configured for receiving a baseband RF input signal, and including an up-converter with frequency supplied by an up-converter voltage controlled oscillator, VCO; a down-converter with frequency supplied by a down-converter VCO; a Costas loop sub-module; and baseband outputs from the down-converter to a digital modem circuit. The up-converter feeds the down-converter, and the Costas loop module performs Costas loop functionality on the output of the down-converter to control the up-converter VCO frequency output to thereby control modification of rotation of symbols of the baseband signal.

Abstract: A vehicle remote control device includes a communications device for transferring vehicle movement control signals to a remote vehicle and a touch-screen interface configured to present a graphical representation of the remote vehicle and to allow a user to manipulate the graphical representation on the touch-screen. A conversion component converts the manipulation of the graphical representation into vehicle control signals for transfer by the communications device.

Abstract: The following invention relates to an improved lens apparatus for use in a head up display (HUD), particularly for providing a deployment means for a HUD. The deployment device comprises a servomotor and cord assembly to move the carrier, wherein the carrier is biased, such that the first action is to deploy the lens, and then cause subsequent movement of the lens through an arc.

Abstract: An optical waveguide (2) arranged to transmit light under total internal reflection has a first diffractive grating region (8) arranged to receive light and diffract the received light along the optical waveguide (2), an intermediate diffraction grating (10) optically coupled to the first diffractive grating region (8) arranged to expand received light in a first dimension and a second diffractive grating region (9) optically coupled to the intermediate diffraction grating (10) arranged to expand light in a second dimension, orthogonal to the first dimension and to output the light expanded in the first and second dimensions from the optical waveguide (2) by diffraction. The first and second diffractive grating regions (8,9) are fabricated as a common grating whereas the second grating is fabricated above the common grating in an area where the common grating is erased by a coating.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating capabilities of a system (e.g. an autonomous vehicle) with respect to the performance of a task, the method including: providing a first model corresponding to the task; providing a further model corresponding to the system; providing a plurality of mappings from one model to another model; determining whether there exists a transformation trace either (i) from the first model to the further model, or (ii) from the further model to the first model, wherein each transformation trace includes one or more of the specified mappings; and evaluating the capabilities of the system with respect to the task dependent upon the existence of the transformation trace.

Abstract: A projectile detection system, and method of detecting a projectile (for example a bullet), for use on a vehicle (100) (for example a helicopter), the projectile detection system comprising: a radar antenna array (4) arranged to transmit and receive microwave signals so as to provide a plurality of detection segments (40, 42, 44, 46) of a volume of airspace (38); one or more processors (3) arranged to: determine which segments (40, 42, 44, 46) microwave signals reflected by a projectile (10) are received from; determine timing information relating to a time order in which the received microwave signals are received; and determine directional information relating to a direction of travel of the projectile (10) using the determined segments (40, 42, 44, 46) and the determined timing information; wherein the microwave signals have a frequency between 1 GHz and 30 GHz.

Abstract: A method of secure information sharing between a first domain and a plurality of destination domains, the method comprising: a. Processing a file at the first domain to establish a set of attributes of the file, the attributes of the file comprising a destination attribute for determining permitted domains to which the file may be sent, b. Encrypting the file at the first domain using the attributes of the file, and thereby generating an encrypted file, c. providing the first domain with, for a first destination domain, a first egress data guard comprising a destination attribute associated with the first destination domain, d. identifying that the encrypted file is desired to be communicated to the first destination domain, e.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for determining whether a provided object track (24) is abnormal, an object track (24) being a set of values of a physical property of an object (2) measured over a period of time, the method comprising: providing a model comprising one or more functions (26), each function (26) being representative of an object track (24) that is defined to be normal; assigning the provided object track (24) to a function (26); and comparing the provided object track (24) to the assigned function (26) to determine whether that object track (24) is abnormal. Providing the model comprises: for each of a plurality of objects (2), determining an object track (24), wherein the determined object tracks (24) are defined as normal object tracks (24); and using the determined tracks (24), performing a Gaussian Processes based Variational Bayes Expectation Maximisation process to learn the one or more functions (26).

Abstract: A hardware device for monitoring and intercepting data packetized data traffic at full line rate, is proved. In high bandwidth embodiments, full line rate corresponds to rates that exceed 100 Mbytes/s and in some cases 1000 Mbytes/s. Monitoring and intercepting software, alone, is not able to operate on such volumes of data in real-time. An exemplary embodiment comprises: a data delay buffer with multiple delay outputs; a search engine logic for implementing a set of basic search tools that operate in real-time on the data traffic; a programmable gate array; an interface for passing data quickly to software sub-systems; and control means for implementing software control of the operation of the search tools. The programmable gate array inserts the data packets into the delay buffer, extracts them for searching at the delay outputs and formats and schedules the operation of the search engine logic.