Abstract: A coaxial cable based electronic component or circuit is described. The circuit comprises one or more coaxial cables, each having an inner conductor which is surrounded by an insulating material and an outer conductive shielding sleeve is disposed about the insulating material. A window of predetermined size is made in the outer conductive shielding sleeve for access to the inner conductor for incorporating same as an integral part of an electronic component or circuit. The insulating material forms at least part of an electrically insulating support and electrical shield for the electronic circuit. The conductor has opposed terminal ends for connection thereto.

Abstract: A broadband directional coupler and method of constructing same is disclosed. The coupler is formed from a first and second coaxial cable each of which has an inner conductor surrounded by an insulating material and an outer conductive shielding sleeve about the insulating material. An elongated opening is formed in the outer conductive shield sleeve axially along a predetermined length of the cable. The insulating material in the elongated openings is formed with mating surfaces extending substantially parallel to the inner conductor along a predetermined length. The first and second coaxial cables are connected together along a predetermined length of the mating surfaces with the surfaces in juxtaposed contact and the shielding sleeves of the first and second cables fused together about the elongated opening.

Abstract: Three types of temperature compensated fiber optic external cavity strain sensors and methods of operation thereof are disclosed as well as an intensity-based fiber optic external cavity sensor and system. The fiber optic external cavity sensors each comprise an input optical fiber and a wire bonded together in spaced axial alignment by a connecting sleeve wherein respective ends of the fiber and the wire face one another and are spaced apart a predetermined distance to define an air gap. The ends of the input fiber and wire form two reflective surfaces. The temperature compensation methods involve either keeping the air gap unchanged with respect to temperature variations or having a temperature sensitive reflector at the tip of the wire. An intensity-based external cavity sensor comprises an input fiber which is a single mode fiber. An optical bandpass filter is deposited at the end of the single mode fiber. A reflector is also provided at the end of the wire.

Abstract: A characteristic matrix S(j,i) of the system is preformed such that each row j is preformed at a predetermined constant optical path difference. Light from a laser is transmitted through the system at n different laser wavelengths, and a different datum is obtained at each wavelength whereby to obtain a set of n different data. A vector is formed from the n different data, and the characteristic matrix is multiplied by the vector to obtain a correlation vector. The maximum amplitude element of the correlation vector points to the row of a matrix which has the greatest correlation with the obtained data, so that the predetermined optical path difference of that row indicates the phase of the interferometer of the system. In a separate embodiment, the data vector is divided by the characteristic matrix to obtain a second matrix, and the second matrix is used to form an absolute deviation vector.

Abstract: An elliptical core fiber has a first end and a second end, the second end comprising a mirrored surface. An in-line polarizer is formed along the elliptical core fiber, and the first end is connected to a single-mode optical fiber by a misaligned splice. Sensors of this nature are formed in a grid and detect acoustic emissions which are caused by breaks in the composite material.

Abstract: A transmitter section of the arrangement includes an altimeter transmitter and a Doppler transmitter. The transmitters both provide frequency-modulated outputs. The altimeter transmitter is linear-FM while the Doppler transmitter is sine-FM.

Abstract: A transmitting channel includes a pulse generator unit for generating frequency or phase code modulated pulses having a common centre frequency. The pulses are transformed to a transmitting frequency in the transmitting channel. An antenna, which is connected to the output of the transmitting channel, radiates the transformed frequency pulses and receives return signals. A receiver channel processes the return signals. The receiver channel includes a pulse compressor unit for compressing the return signals. Each pulse to be transmitted consists of two or more sub pulses, at least one of the sub pulses being substantially longer than at least another one of the sub pulses. Each sub pulse is coded with a different compression code. The compression code of each sub pulse having a low cross-correlation property with the compression codes of all other sub pulses, all sub pulses having the same center frequency.

Abstract: An adaptive signal processor, used for discriminating between a desired signal and several undesired signals, includes an arrangement of sensors, which samples the signals and forms a set of parallel electrical outputs each of which is proportional to a different linear combination of the desired and interfering signals, a set of complex weights, each of which multiplies a corresponding one of the electrical outputs thus forming a set of weighted signals, a coherent summing junction which coherently sums the weighted signals, thus producing a final output of the processor and a set of improved control loops which sample the parallel electrical outputs and the final output and generate from them a set of control signals to control the complex weights so as to drive them to optimal, steady states, and thereby to suppress the interfering signals and to preserve the desired signal at the final output of the processor.

Abstract: The antenna is adapted to be connected to a coaxial cable and includes a dielectric carrier board and a radiating element undulating longitudinally of the carrier board. The carrier board and radiating element are disposed in a conductive channel which has side walls adjacent the side edges of the carrier board. An input transition means is provided between the center conductor of the coaxial connector and the undulating track to provide a transition from the impedance of the coaxial cable to the impedance of the radiating element of the sandwich-wire antenna. When the antenna may, or may not, be connected to a coaxial cable, the side walls extend above the carrier board for such a height that the radiating aperture, which comprises the gap between the top edges of the side walls, presents a resistive load in the plane of the radiating element.

Abstract: A plurality of beam forming networks are connected to a plurality of antenna array elements. Each beam forming network has a plurality of output terminals equal to the plurality of antenna array elements. A respective one of the terminals of each beam forming array is connected to a respective one of the antenna array elements through a simple junction. The system can produce multiple beams from a single array of antenna elements and is low-loss, and thus appropriate for radar applications, because it obtains isolation between beams by applying orthogonality principles.

Abstract: The waveguide includes an input section and a short circuit section which each have a hollow interior of like size and shape enclosed by a surrounding wall. In arrangement, the input and short circuit section are in spaced alignment, and the stripline is interposed in the gap between the two sections. The stripline includes ground planes on either side thereof, and apertures are cut into the ground planes of the same size and shape as the hollow interiors, and, in arrangement, the apertures are in alignment with these hollow interiors. A wall of pins is disposed between the two sections whereby to simulate the continuation of the waveguide walls. The position of the transition may be arbitrarily chosen to suit the design of the stripline circuit.

Abstract: An integrated flexible optical transducer element includes an elongate substrate having parallel surfaces. Optical waveguides are disposed on the surfaces. The surfaces are tapered at least at one end of the substrate.

Abstract: A first planar printed circuit board and a second planar printed circuit board are assembled to intersect each other at right angles to each other. Each board includes a microstrip realization of a drooping dipole antenna. The realization comprises, for each planar board, two vertical parallel feed lines with a radiating element extending from each feed line. Each of the feed lines is fed 90.degree. out of phase with the other feed line on the same board.

Abstract: The invention relates to a status display system for aircraft which system receives signals from sensors/transducers monitoring a plurality of parameters and subsystems of the aircraft. The system then displays text identifying faulty ones of the parameters or subsystems in a prioritized sequence. With the system of the invention, only a single indicator is needed to identify a plurality of faults as compared to available systems wherein each parameter and subsystem is monitored by a separate device including a separate display. Thus, the present invention is an improvement over the prior art in that: (1) it requires less cockpit space for displaying faults, and; it presents faults in order of priority so that the pilot does not have to make decisions about the most important fault to attend to when, as in the prior art systems, faced with a plurality of fault indications on a plurality of fault indicators.

Abstract: The disclosure teaches a method, and an apparatus for carrying out the method, for determining the time between TO and FRO received waveforms from the time reference scanning beam (TRSB) of a microwave landing system (MLS). In accordance with the invention, the time interval between the TO and FRO received waveforms is determined by correlating the received waveforms with apriori waveforms representative of the TO and FRO waveforms respectively. The apriori waveforms are generated by having a process construct matched filters for these waveforms. A FRO received waveform is used to provide an apriori representation of a TO received waveform and vice-versa. In one embodiment of the invention, the TO and FRO waveforms which are used to construct the matched filters are time reversed.

Abstract: Present parameter value indicators are wasteful of space and expense and have parallax error if viewed at an angle. This invention is a vertical strip bargraph comprising separately illuminated squares of different colors to indicate values of the parameter without parallax error and economical of space and expense.