Abstract: One embodiment of the invention is directed to methods and apparatus for determining a variation of a calibration parameter of a pixel of the thermal sensor during operation of the imaging apparatus, after an initial calibration procedure. Another embodiment of the invention is directed to methods and apparatus for calculating a gain calibration parameter using first and second ambient temperature values and respective first and second resistance values for a pixel of a sensor. A further embodiment of the invention is directed to calculating an offset calibration parameter for at least one pixel using a gain of the at least one pixel between first and second times and an ambient temperature at a third time, wherein the pixel is exposed to both scene and ambient radiation at the third time.

Abstract: A method of registering reconnaissance image data with map data is disclosed, comprising recording image data at a plurality of positions, together with the role, pitch and height above mean sea level data from an airborne navigation system and imaging system, and recording altitude of a reconnaissance craft from an altimeter; obtaining a difference between said recorded altitude data, and an altitude calculated from said navigation system data and a map data; selecting a difference data having a lowest standard deviation, and at a position of said selected difference data generating a three dimensional surface data using a bi-quadratic equation; generating a bi-quadratic surface of each of a plurality of positions for which data is recorded; generating a difference data between said bi-quadratic surface data, and height data obtained from said map, and minimising an error between bi-quadratic surface data and said height data by translating said position data relative to said map data, until minimum error is

Abstract: A three axis sensor including a substantially planar vibrator resonator or having a substantially ring or hoop like structure with inner and outer peripheries e tending around a common axis, drive means for causing the resonator to vibrate in an in lane cos 2? vibration mode, carrier mode pick-off means for sensing movement of the resonator in response to said drive means, pick-off means for sensing in plane sin 2? resonator motion induced by rotation about the z-axis, drive means for nulling said motion, pick-off means for sensing out of plane sin 3? resonator motion induced by rotation about the x-axis, drive means for nulling said motion, pick-off means for sensing out of plane cos 3? resonator motion induced by rotation about the y-axis, drive means for nulling said motion, and support means for flexibly supporting the resonator and for allowing the resonator to vibrate relative to the support means in response to the drive means and to applied rotations, wherein the support means comprises only L support

Abstract: A method for the vacuum packaging of articles including at least the steps of: creating a plurality of recesses in a backing board; positioning at least one article on said backing board; placing a film substantially over said at least one article; and using a vacuum packaging machine to substantially package said at least one article, said at least one article being situated between the backing board and the film, wherein the thickness of the backing board is at least 2 mm. Also a packaged article, the article being packaged between a backing board and a film, wherein the backing board has a thickness of at least 2 mm and the backing board further has a plurality of recesses therein.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling voltage sequencing for a power supply having multiple switching regulators includes a first switching regulator, a second switching regulator, a first and second resistors, and a first and second transistors. The first switching regulator provides a positive output voltage at a positive voltage output. The second switching regulator provides a negative output voltage at a negative voltage output. When the voltage at a node between the first and second resistors exceeds a predetermined positive voltage, the first transistor turns on to limit the positive output voltage at the positive voltage output. When the voltage at the node between the first and second resistors drops below a predetermined negative voltage, the second transistor turns on to limit the negative output voltage at the negative voltage output.

Abstract: An imaging system is provided where radiation from object space (2) is incident on an array of detector elements (8) via an interferometer (3), the interferometer (3) Being scanned such that the output of each pixel comprises an interferogram B generated from the radiation received from a corresponding region of object space (2), enabling image data to be generated in dependence on the output of the pixels, which image data is derived from the spectral radiance associated with each pixel.

Abstract: The combination of a Vivaldi notch and a meander line loaded antenna for ultra wide bandwidth is provided with dual polarity by providing orthogonally oriented Vivaldi notched structures coupled to each other at the edges thereof. Mode selection is provided by selectively switching between linear and circular polarization modes through selective input coupling techniques. Each side of the dual polarity Vivaldi notch/MLA plates includes a bifurcated plate with one end of the bifurcated plate having exponentially curved Vivaldi notch surfaces ahead of a cavity opened at the rear end to the bifurcated notch. The side plates for the top plate structure are themselves Vivaldi notch structure, with their side plates being the ajoining top or bottom plate. In each case, internally carried meander lines connect the adjacent together.

Abstract: Combined Vivaldi notch and meander line loaded antennas are concatenated in an array to provide an ultra wideband antenna having a decreased low frequency cut-off due to the concatenation. In the concatenation process, plates of adjacent antennas are shared so that one plate is used for both of the adjacent antennas. In a preferred embodiment, the side plates and the top and bottom plates are identically configured.

Abstract: A system is presented that provides real-time performance for iterative multi-user detectors, such as Turbo MUDs, which are used to separate simultaneous transmissions on the same frequency, by permitting the MUD to use a less computationally intense, fast-processing algorithm and to correct for errors caused by the fast processing. In order to reduce the errors, a voting system is coupled to the output of the multi-user detector within the iterative system. The voting system provides confidence values on a bit-by-bit basis for the estimates made by the multi-user detector, with the confidence values then being utilized as soft inputs to a bank of conventional single-user decoders.

Abstract: A proximity fuze for use in a tube launched projectile carrying a payload, comprising an oscillator for generating a radio frequency signal which has a varying frequency, a single antenna for transmitting the radio frequency signal and for receiving an echo of the radio frequency signal, a first signal processor for generating a range signal corresponding to the time delay between the transmission of the radio frequency signal and the receipt of the echo signal, second signal processor for comparing the range signal with a reference signal and depending on the result of the comparison generating an activation signal for activating the payload, wherein a directional coupler is used for coupling the radio frequency signal from the oscillator to the antenna and to the signal processor and for coupling the echo signal from the antenna to the signal processor, and wherein the second signal processor comprises a threshold detector, a peak detector and a comparator, the threshold detector being for allowing the comp

Abstract: A wideband meander line loaded antenna is configured to be flush mounted to a conductive surface serving as a ground plane by embedding the meander line components within a conductive cavity surrounded at its top edge by the ground plane. The antenna thus looks out of a cavity recessed in the surface. By permitting flush mounting the meander line antenna, not only can the antenna dimensions be minimized due to the use of the meander line loaded antenna configuration, but in aircraft applications no part of the antenna exists above the skin of the aircraft, thereby to minimize turbulent flow. Moreover, when adapted to wireless handsets or laptop computers, the depth or thickness of the unit need not be increased when providing a wideband antenna, thus to minimize the overall dimensions of the device.

Abstract: A thermoplastic bonded energetic material which comprises a composition which comprises: Component A: an energetic filler material; and Component B: a polymeric binder for the energetic filler material; wherein the ratio of the weight of Component A present to the weight of Component B present in the composition is in the inclusive range from 1:10 to 1991:1 and wherein Component B comprises an intimate mixture of Ingredients 1 and 2 as follows: Ingredient 1: a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate; Ingredient 2: a copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile; the ratio of the weight of Ingredient 1 present to the weight of Ingredient 2 present in Component B being in the inclusive range from 1:10 to 10:1.

Abstract: Apparatus for treating a surface using a plasma discharge includes a first capacitor electrode of a first capacitor; a second capacitor electrode of a second capacitor; and an electrical connection for connecting the first capacitor electrode to the second capacitor electrode. The first capacitor electrode and second capacitor electrode are disposed in juxtaposition.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling voltage sequencing for a power supply having multiple switching regulators includes a first switching regulator, a second switching regulator, a first and second resistors, and a first and second transistors. The first switching regulator provides a positive output voltage at a positive voltage output. The second switching regulator provides a negative output voltage at a negative voltage output. When the voltage at a node between the first and second resistors exceeds a predetermined positive voltage, the first transistor turns on to limit the positive output voltage at the positive voltage output. When the voltage at the node between the first and second resistors drops below a predetermined negative voltage, the second transistor turns on to limit the negative output voltage at the negative voltage output.

Abstract: Antennas having a circular array of radiating elements are arranged to enable continuous 360 degree scanning of a sum and difference beam pattern. With a 108 element circular array, a sub array of 27 contiguous elements may be step scanned to 108 positions while maintaining sum and difference antenna patterns. Each scan step may require only two switch adjustments, one to initiate excitation of a contiguous leading element and terminate excitation of the trailing element, and the other to change coupling of a middle element from a divided power port of a left power divider to such a port of a right power divider. Configurations using sub arrays whose element complement is not evenly divisible into the total number of array elements, using sub arrays consisting of an odd number of radiating elements, or employing minimized feed network complexity are disclosed.

Abstract: A Turbo multi-user detector (MUD) processing system in multiple access communications channels that decreases the likelihood of improper decoding of the final values of interest, thereby allowing for a reduction in the number of iterations performed and lowers complexity without negatively impacting performance. The present invention comprises a multi-user detector serially concatenated to two decoder sections in such a manner that data flows iteratively from the MUD and to each detector stage and back to the MUD to correct for errors.

Abstract: A loading probe includes an elongated solid first body portion (1) shaped from a first material and capable of simulating the normal acoustic impedance presented to a transducer to be tested by a medium in which the transducer is to operate and a second elongated solid body portion (2) made from an acoustically absorbent material having acoustic impedance characteristics substantially matched with those of the first material from which the first body portion (1) is made. The material from which the second body portion (2) is made is chosen so as to be mouldable to the first body portion (1) to form the second body portion (2).

Abstract: A fuel inerting system, comprising a first supply means (2) to supply an inert gas to a fuel tank (8) to scrub the fuel therein when the ullage (16) of the fuel tank is inert, and a second supply means (4) to supply the inert gas to scrub the fuel (6) therein when the ullage of the fuel tank is not inert, the first and second supply means (2, 4) being individually operable by means of a valve arrangement (10), in such a manner that only one of the supply means is operable at any given time. The inert gas consists of nitrogen enriched air, produced by passing air from a pressurized area of the aircraft through a nitrogen separator located within, but removable from, the aircraft.

Abstract: The entire contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference. A method and apparatus for detecting and monitoring fractures in a structure by monitoring acoustic energy transmitted within the structure by receiving continuously over a period of time electrical signals from a plurality of acoustic tranducers carried by the structure in a pulse processor to form data bursts from pulses in the signals and deriving, for each of a plurality of the data bursts, delta-t values representing the differences between burst arrival times at each sensor, the delta-t values forming a delta-t pattern, and generating a damage indication signal when the delta-t pattern is repeated to a predetermined degree.

Abstract: The present invention is an amplifier for amplifying an optic signal. The amplifier includes a signal source transmitting the signal, which includes a signal portion in the L-band. The signal first passes into a first signal manipulator. The first signal manipulator is one or more collimators and/or concentrators and, in some embodiments, can include dichroics or optical manipulators known to those skilled in the art. An input pump is aligned to overlap the signal with pump light. From the first signal manipulator, the signal and the pump light intersects the erbium doped crystal, wherein the pump light excites the crystal and the signal impinges the crystal, amplifying the signal.