Abstract: It is known to use springs to deploy steering fins on board projectiles, each fin having its own spring and a separate mechanism for latching it in its deployed position. Described herein is an integral spring/latching mechanism which is operable to deploy a plurality of fins and then to latch them in their deployed positions. The mechanism comprises a single piece of spring material which is formed such that a first portion engages with the projectile body and a plurality of second portions each exerting a spring force on respective fins to deploy the fin and to latch it in its deployed position, the second portions extending radially outward with respect to the first portion when deploying the fins.

Abstract: A mechanism for rotating a missile control surface 6 about an axis 26 from the illustrated stowed position within the missile to a deployed position in which it extends radially from the missile axis M--M and for then turning the surface about radial axis 13 so as to steer the missile. A single drive motor 22 is coupled by worm 20 to a bevel gear 18 mounted in a bracket 12, the bracket being turnable about axis 13 with respect to a fixed support 10. The control surface 6 is fixed via arm 23 to a bevel gear 24, which gear is mounted to the bracket 12 for rotation about axis 26 and is engaged with gear 18. While the surface 6 is stowed, a sprung locking pin 14 carried by the bracket 12 is held in engagement with support 10 by gear 18 so that rotation of the motor 22 rotates gear 18 with respect to bracket 12 and hence rotates gear 24 along with arm 23 and control surface 6 about axis 26.

Abstract: A fibre optic gyroscope is provided with temperature compensation means which impose on the coiled fibre a thermal coefficient of expansion which is selected to be approximately equal in value to the refractive index temperature coefficient of the fibre, thereby reducing the Scale Factor temperature coefficient. The temperature compensation means may be in the form of a former element or a coating applied to the fibre.

Abstract: An automated industrial processing or manufacturing installation including a series of computer controlled facilities such as machine tools, workpiece and tool conveyors, and storage devices is controlled by a computer system wherein the control software is structured as a series of elemental function modules which intercommunicate by way of a high level communication interface. The functions are structured so as to fall into one of the categories job-route sequencer, activity managers, controllers and servers with a route-sequencing module controlling the sequence in which various activities are performed in relation to a processing or manufacturing job being carried out by the installation, each activity manager distributing activities to a group of controllers for which it is responsible, and the controllers being responsible for executing activities as and when they are received from the associated manager, the servers meanwhile providing general services for the other elements of the system.

Abstract: An automatic demisting system primarily for aircraft windscreens in which a microprocessor is used to control heating to ensure that the internal surface of the windscreen is maintained above the dewpoint temperature of the adjacent air, but the windscreen is not wastefully heated when heating is unnecessary, for example when the windscreen is subject to kinetic heating.

Abstract: A satellite orbiting arrangement including an orbiting cluster of co-operative satellites in which inter-satellite communication is to be maintained substantially constantly, the arrangement further including an inter-satellite communication satellite positioned remotely from the cluster in an orbit selected to maintain at least approximate station with the cluster and to enable communication with each satellite of the cluster to be maintained substantially constantly.

Abstract: Matrix arrays, in particular infra-red arrays, suffer from non-uniformity in output from the individual elements in the array. This is due to each element in the array having for example, its own characteristic responsivity and leakage current, and is seen in the array output as a pattern of offset values. These offset values must be removed from the output of the array if useful digital information is to be obtained. One known method of doing this is to show the array a black body at a known uniform temperature and use the output from the array to cancel the offset values. However, the dynamic range of the system is directly related to the range of offset values obtained and also to the size of the digitizer. Large-size digitizers have relatively slow sampling rates and in order to have a higher sampling rate, a small-size digitizer must be used. The signal processing system described herein corrects for offset values and is able to provide a high sampling rate by using a small-size digitizer.

Abstract: A ring laser gyroscope may be oscillated or dithered about its sensing axis to the known `lock-in` effect. The diether motion can comprise an alternating component plus a random component generated by a random noise generator, e.g. a noise diode. The use of a true random noise generator may not always be practicable. Herein, there is proposed the dithering of a ring laser gyroscope with a motion including a component having a specifically Gaussian probability density. Such a component can be formed using a so-called pseudo-random sequence generator based on a shift-register.

Abstract: Gyroscopes, particularly those with permanent magnet torquers, may be temperature sensitive. A temperature signal may be derived and used to correct the temperature dependent parameters such as gyro scale factor. Herein, instead of or in addition to such correction, it is proposed to regulate the gyro temperature by varying the torquer signals and hence controlling the power dissipated in the torquer coils. The torquer signals may comprise positive- and negative-going pulses of fixed amplitude and having respective durations appropriate to produce the required torquing effect. Then, the dissipated power can be controlled by varying the durations of the inter-pulse dead-zones.

Abstract: A cabinet (1) for stowage of electronic printed circuit boards (2,3,4) for example, is adapted for permanent installation in a vehicle structure by allowing the boards to be readily removable. The cabinet can thus be readily cooled by both air and fluid jackets (10,13, and 13,12) which are permanently connected to different sources of cooling flow.

Abstract: A method of forming a stiffened panel from first and second metal sheets, at least the first sheet being capable of both superplastic deformation and diffusion bonding, and also provided with at least one control region of different thickness compared with other regions of the sheet, includes the steps of:attaching the sheets together at a series of attachment lines across their faces, the attachment lines and the control region or regions being in predetermined relationship with one another, placing the attached sheets in a mould and heating to within that temperature range within which superplastic deformation and diffusion bonding takes place,urging those areas of the first sheet between the attachment lines away from the second sheet by a common differential pressure at a rate within that range of strain rates at which superplastic deformation occurs to form a series of cavities between the two sheets such that peripheral parts of those areas urged away from the second sheet form side walls of neighboring

Abstract: A ring laser gyroscope has a primary ring 13 including a gas discharge tube 4 enclosing an active lasing medium. The gyroscope has additionally a secondary, passive ring 14 optically coupled to the primary ring 13 by a partially transmissive mirror 8. A mirror 15 of the secondary ring 14 is adjustable, under the control of a feedback loop 19, to vary the optical path length of the secondary ring 14 so that the latter resonates at one of the longitudinal modes of the primary ring 13, thereby enhancing this mode and concentrating the output power of the gyroscope in one frequency, while suppressing other longitudinal modes of the primary ring.

Abstract: A projectile includes forward and rearward stage motors 12 and 10 respectively, and a boost separation device 11 releasably connecting the two together. The boost separation device includes an impingement plate 17 slidably mounted on the rearward stage motor 10, and a cruciform shaped locking strip element 20 is secured to the deflector plate. The free ends of the arms 21 of the element 20 are received in a groove 27 provided in a rearward portion of the casing of the forward motor. On ignition of the forward motor, its propulsion gases drive plate 17 rearwardly, thus drawing the ends of arms 21 out of the groove 27, thus to allow separation of the rearward stage motor.

Abstract: An aircraft data acquisition system, especially a test data system, wherein a central control and acquisition computer receives data from a plurality of remote sub-units each comprising a power supply and a local computer and being connected via a series of input/output modules to respective sets of sensing transducers. Each input/output module comprises a circuit including a series of links which can be made or unmade to adapt the module for driving and/or processing the output of any of a wide variety of transducer types.

Abstract: A method of making a stiffened panel including subjecting two metal sheets, at least one capable of superplastic deformation and diffusion bonding, which are positioned face to face, to a bonding and deforming process during which the sheets are joined to one another at a series of spaced joint lines across their faces, the joint lines being interrupted by non-joined regions along their lengths but being otherwise substantially continuous, and during which parts of at least said one sheet between the joint lines and the non-joined regions thereof are superplastically deformed in a mould to form a series of cavities between the two sheets, portions of at least said one sheet on respective sides of each of the joint lines and the non-joined regions thereof being moved to form sidewalls of two neighboring cavities, these sidewalls being urged to lie adjacent one another over substantial parts of their areas, so that they become diffusion bonded, one to another, to form a common sidewall of neighboring cavities,

Abstract: An oscillatory drive mechanism for a member to be driven comprises a flexural element (12) having a first portion (14) rigidly attached to a datum with respect to which the member is to be driven, and a second portion (15) rigidly attached to the member, the first and second portions (14,15) being interconnected by one or more first interconnecting members (17) which in the main determine the spring characteristics of the flexural element (12), and one or more second interconnecting members (18) having a dimension, generally in the direction of drive, less than the corresponding dimension of each first interconnecting member (17) and at least one of the second interconnecting members (18) having drive means (21) attached which, when energized, flexes the associated second interconnecting member, which in turn moves the second portion (15) of the flexural element relative to the first portion (14) so as to oscillate the driven member.

Abstract: Automatic tape laying apparatus for laying epoxy resin impregnated carbon fibre tape includes a table onto which lengths of tape are laid for profiling to shape and size, a curved form tool on which the profiled lengths of tape are laid-up to form an article to be cured, a roller to transfer the profiled lengths from the table to the tool and to effect laying-up thereon, the roller having suction ducts on its surface to hold the lengths of tape in place during transfer which suction is progressively de-activated and replaced with blowing as the roller is rolled over the form tool and progressively lays-up the profiled tape onto the tool.