Abstract: An ETC igniter and compatible electrical connector for enabling an ETC gun to be used in a battlefield setting in close proximity with personnel and sensitive electronic equipment. This is accomplished by providing a current path to and from the igniter that is electrically isolated from all other portions of the gun. The connector and igniter are adapted to be capable of withstanding the high connection forces necessary to prevent arcing and the extreme stresses imposed during firing of the gun.

Abstract: Method of welding titanium using gas metal arc welding procedure where the shielding for the weld included torch shielding gas only and no trailing or backup shielding. The technique used here is a departure from known titanium welding specifications wherein extensive shielding is required.

Abstract: Described herein is a system for the management of security domains. The system comprises a managing security domain (10), a firewall (70) and two or more managed security domains (80, 100). The managing security domain (10) includes a plurality of nodes (12, 14, 16) of which one is a management node (16) for managing the domain (10). Each managed security domain (80, 100) comprises a plurality of nodes (82, 84, 102, 104). The management node (16) operates in conjunction with the firewall (70) to manage the managed domains, the firewall (70) allowing the transfer of information across domains having different security levels.

Abstract: This invention relates to antennas (26, 28, 30 32, 34) including an integrated array of antenna elements (36). More particularly, the invention relates to antennas (26, 28, 30 32, 34) in which the array of antenna elements (36) can be reconfigured to suit a multitude of system functions, such as radar, electromagnetic warfare (EW) and communication. Such antennas (26, 28, 30 32, 34) are often referred to as ‘common aperture antennas’ and find use on many platforms including airborne vehicles, ships and boats. An antenna (26, 28, 30 32, 34) is provided that comprises a plurality of antenna elements (36), the antenna (26, 28, 30 32, 34) being operable with sets of the antenna elements (36) organized into first order groups (14, 46) and with sets of first order groups (14, 46) organized into sets of second order groups (18).

Abstract: Described herein is a splice chamber for accommodating excess optical cable obtained when making a fusion splice connection between two reels of cable. The chamber comprises two portions which define a space for the optical cable. The chamber is constructed to divide into two longitudinal half portions along a longitudinal line, but each end is retained until conditions are suitable for release. The space inside of the chamber is shaped to determine the bend radius for the enclosed optical cable and protects the cable during storage and handling. When a predetermined force is applied to one end of the chamber, the two longitudinal half portions separate to release the optical cable stored therein, pivoting about the other end.

Abstract: A warhead device comprising explosive charges and effect elements or effect agents for incorporation in a missile. The warhead device consists of a number of modules or modular charges (1a–1f) arranged to be actuatable between two or more pivotal positions in the cross-section of the warhead device. Each module comprises outer walls (9–14) that one by one are directed outwards depending on the position or pivotal position assumed by the module. Each outer wall of each module comprises warhead effect elements and/or effect agents that differ from the other warhead effect elements or agents. The outer walls that are directed outwards simultaneously form or are part of the common outer wall of the warhead device, and project a selectable warhead effect from the warhead device.

Abstract: A conversion kit for providing a sealed environment for containing a remote monitoring system transmitter and providing electrical connections between the transmitter and an existing environmentally sealed cable harness. The existing cable harness is terminated by a boot adapted to surround a cylindrical structure for environmental sealing contact therewith. The conversion kit includes an adaptor cable harness having terminations at a first end for mating with the terminations of the existing cable harness and terminations at a second end for mating with connectors of the transmitter. The conversion kit also includes an enclosure for containing the transmitter. The enclosure is formed with cylindrical structure at an open end thereof which is surroundable by the boot.

Abstract: An amplifier circuit controls the output current through an inductive load. A signal is amplified by one or more op amps, and sourced into a back to back coupling of an NPN transistor and a PNP transistor. In a positive circuit segment, current is sourced to an inductive load, and in a negative segment, current is sunk from the inductive load. The current at the output of the inductive load flows through a resistor, and the resultant voltage drop is negatively fed back to the op amp.

Abstract: A multi-port junction is used in combination with an Inverse Fourier Transform to detect distance to fault in an RF transmission line or waveguide without the use of heterodyne down-conversion circuits. To provide an ultra-wide bandwidth frequency domain reflectometer the output ports of the multi-port junction are used to calculate distance to fault and return loss. The Inverse Fourier Transform algorithm is modified to take into account both phase shift per unit length of the transmission line and attenuation per unit of length in the transmission line, with the output of the modified Inverse Fourier Transform being applied to a module that subtracts out the effect of previous faults by solving for the distances ahead of time before knowing amplitudes and for solving for amplitude at each prior fault starting with the first fault. The output of this module is then used thresholded to remove the effects of noise, secondary reflections and inconsequential peaks.

Abstract: A four-port junction is substituted for a six-port junction in a frequency domain reflectometer, which reduces the parts count and therefore cost and size of the reflectometer while improving reliability. The frequency domain reflectometer can alternatively be used as an insertion loss tester. An algorithm including the Hilbert Transform is used to directly calculate the estimated reflection coefficient from the output power measured at only two output ports.

Abstract: A system is provided for rapidly prototyping monolithic microwave integrated circuit modules to provide an experimental structure that can be physically made to operate by stereolithographically rendering an SLA part directly from the designer's drawings and by coating the part with a conductive layer, with the smoothness being better than 0.001 inch and with the dimensional accuracy being better than 3 mils for some applications. In one embodiment, the coating for the SLA model is made from either rhodium or gold having a thickness of less than 1/10,000th of an inch, with a nickel barrier being first deposited followed by the gold. The particular SLA plastic is a high temperature plastic to prevent bubbling during the metal deposition step which in one embodiment involves sputtering. The coated model has a microfinish of Ra<0.001 inch, with active devices being electrically attached to the coating through the use of conductive adhesives or eutectic solder.

Abstract: A miniature broadband monopole antenna design configured with integrated band-selecting filtering is disclosed. The antenna is electrically folded, and includes top and bottom monopole sections, with a meanderline to provide an inductive load between the two sections. The overall antenna structure can be embedded in a relatively small, RF transparent, composite structure (e.g., such as the fin of a guided munition), and has minimal impact on aerodynamics (low drag). The top, bottom, and meanderline elements of the antenna operate together to collectively provide multi-band operation (e.g., 30 MHz to 3 GHz).

Abstract: A system is provided for increasing the number of users capable of communicating over a wireless network to permit multiple users to transmit information simultaneously on the same channel or frequency in which a Viterbi decoder-based signal separation system is used to pull apart or uncorrupt the otherwise interfering signals on the channel. In one embodiment, two users are assigned to the same channel, with a joint parameter estimation pre-processor being utilized to provide an estimation of the power, time and frequency offsets and phase of the incoming signals. The joint parameters estimated by the parameter estimation unit are applied to a signal separator which recovers and pulls apart the two signals.

Abstract: Performing approximate diagonalization of a correlation metric by user permutation to improve Multiuser Detector (MUD) processing. The system reorders the entries in the S-Matrix in order to move the bit decisions closer together in the decision tree. In one embodiment the reordering is a sequential pairwise correlation.

Abstract: The accelerometer has a base (2), an outer planar ring-like support frame (17) fixedly bonded to the base (2), and an inner planar ring-like support frame (18) flexibly suspended within the outer frame (17) by mounts (19) connecting the inner frame (18) to the outer frame (17) so that the inner frame (18) is spaced from the base (2), co-planar with the outer support frame (17) so as to provide flexible suspension for the inner support frame (18) reducing compressive and/or tensile forces on mounting legs (4) flexibly mounting a proof mass (3) in the inner support frame (18).

Abstract: A fairing arrangement for bridging an aircraft fixed structure (14) and a control surface (10) hingedly mounted on and angularly displaceable with respect to the aircraft structure is provided, together with a method of producing a flexible seal member for such an arrangement. The fairing arrangement includes first and second fairing portions (22, 24) on the fixed aircraft structure (14) and control surface (10) respectively with an intermediate flexible seal (26) disposed between them. The flexible seal (26) is of composite construction being made of rubber-like material with a series of reinforcing plies (341 to 345). The plies are of fabric construction and the seal is deformable to accommodate differential movement between the first and second fairing portions (22, 24) to provide a continuous seal therebetween.

Abstract: GaAs substrates with compositionally graded buffer layers for matching lattice constants with high-Indium semiconductor materials such as quantum well infrared photoconductor devices and thermo photo voltaic devices are disclosed.

Abstract: Arrangements for preventing electrical energy from lightning strikes against aircraft dissipating via aircraft fasteners 10 in an aircraft structure of composite materials in which a fastener 10 is covered with a layer of an insulating material 30 and a layer of a conductive material 32 is arranged to cover the insulating material 30 and extend over and beyond the lateral edges of the fastener 10, and preferential dielectric breakdown paths are provided at the edges of the conductive layer 32 distant from the fastener 10 so that in the event of a lightning strike electrical energy is not dissipated via the fastener 10, risking arcing and sparking, but instead from the edges of the conducting layer 32 to the underlying aircraft skin 12.

Abstract: A method of producing an aircraft assembly tool for supporting an aircraft component comprising the steps of: determining the predetermined positions and orientations in space at which the component should be supported; designing a fixture frame to provide support at predetermined locations of the frame associated with said predetermined positions; constructing the fixture frame by selecting elongate members having predetermined lengths and connecting the elongate members together with releasable fasteners; constructing a plurality of pick-up devices, each having a receiving element for carrying the component; mounting the pick-up devices to the fixture frame at the predetermined locations; and moving each receiving element about/around the orthogonal axes to align the receiving element with a respective predetermined position and orientation.

Abstract: An accelerometer having a plate-like proof mass (1), flexible mounting legs (2) each co-planar with the proof mass (1), a ring-like support (3), in which the proof mass (1) is moveably mounted, with each mounting leg (2) being connected at one end to the proof mass (1) and connected at another end to the support (3) and with the mounting legs (2) extending substantially perpendicularly to the sensing direction, a plurality of interdigitated capacitor fingers mounted, in a gaseous medium, in the ring-like support (3) for sensing linear movement of, and for providing gaseous medium squeeze damping for the proof mass (1) in the sensing direction, with the fingers, proof mass (1), mounting legs (2) and support (3) being co-planar and formed from a single plate of mono-crystalline silicon, which fingers comprise fixed first, second, third and fourth arrays (5, 6, 7, 8) of laterally spaced fingers extending substantially perpendicularly to the sensing direction and away from the support (3) towards to the proof mas