Abstract: An optical fiber is bent to form a discontinuous curve through which light can be injected into the fiber or extracted from the fiber. The bend can be formed by securing a portion of the optical fiber in a fixture and laterally displacing a portion of the fiber outside the fixture using a depressor. The depressor can be an integral part of the securing fixture or a separate device. The securing fixture can be adjustable so that the degree and location of the bend can be varied. Injected light can be sourced from a second optical fiber, and extracted light can be supplied to a second optical fiber which can have a lens at its free end.

Abstract: A seal assembly is provided for use in a hydraulic actuator of the type including a cylinder, a piston movably disposed in the cylinder, and a piston rod connected to the piston and extending from an end of the cylinder. The seal assembly comprises a seal member formed of a material impervious to hydraulic fluid and having an inner edge and an outer peripheral edge. The inner edge of the seal member defines a central opening which is larger than the outside diameter of the piston rod for receiving the rod. The outer edges of the seal member are attached adjacent the end of the cylinder so that the inner edge of the seal member is radially spaced from the outside diameter of the piston rod and the seal member forms a fluid impervious wall for preventing hydraulic fluid from contacting the elastomeric portion of the bearing assembly.

Abstract: A modular spray cooling system 10 for cooling electronic components in enclosures containing electronic components that dissipate heat and therefore require cooling. The modular system is mounted in a sealed enclosure 12 with an inside wall 14. A spray cooling module 26 is detachably mountable within the sealed enclosure 12. The coolant is distributed to a spray manifold card 48 that is provided with nozzles. Localized cooling is accomplished with the use of individual nozzles 17. The spray cooling module 26 atomizes the evaporative coolant through nozzles 22 so that liquid droplets of the coolant are delivered to the electronic components, and cooling of the components occurs upon evaporation.

Abstract: A modular spray cooling system 10 for cooling electronic components in enclosures containing electronic components that dissipate heat and therefore require cooling. The modular system is mounted in a sealed enclosure 12 with an inside wall 14. A spray cooling module 26 is detachably mountable within the sealed enclosure 12. The coolant is distributed to a spray manifold card 48 that is provided with nozzles. Localized cooling is accomplished with the use of individual nozzles 17. The spray cooling module 26 atomizes the evaporative coolant through nozzles 22 so that liquid droplets of the coolant are delivered to the electronic components, and cooling of the components occurs upon evaporation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a number of techniques for laminating and interconnecting multiple high-layer-count (HLC) substrates to form a multilayer package or other circuit component. A solder bump may be formed on the conductive pad of at least one of two HLC substrates. The solder bump preferably is formed from an application of solder paste to the conductive pad(s). An adhesive film may be positioned between the surfaces of the HLC substrates having the conductive pads, where the adhesive film includes an aperture located substantially over the conductive pads such that the conductive pads and/or solder bumps confront each other through the aperture. The HLC substrates then may be pressed together to mechanically bond the two substrates via the adhesive. The solder bump(s) may be reflowed during or after the lamination to create a solder segment that provides an electrical connection between the two conductive pads through the aperture in the adhesive film.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for adjusting the clock delay in systems with multiple integrated circuits has a controller, a programmable clock generator and a plurality of integrated circuits, each integrated circuit including a data flip-flop, a programmable delay and a clock-fanout tree, wherein the clock delay in the integrated circuits is adjusted to match the inherent delay in the integrated circuit having the longest inherent delay.

Abstract: An array module containing an array of electronic units is mounted in an installation frame. The electronic units can be mounted by rails in a hermetically sealed array housing and blind-mate connectors can connect the units to a rear plate. Blind-mate connectors also can connect the rear plate to the installation frame for external connection. A plurality of resilient mounts are fastened to the installation frame to protect the frame and storage array module from external shock. A thermal transfer mechanism transfers thermal energy between the electronic units and a region exterior to the installation frame. The electronic units can be enclosed in hermetically sealed chambers having side rails for rigidly fastened to the unit and a resilient support connecting the side rails to at least one of the covers of the hermetically sealed chamber.

Abstract: A military quick launching bridge system has a bridge with two track supports and a laying mechanism, having an advancing support with two support sections A laying device cooperates with the laying mechanism and has a hydraulic device, a cable pull, and an electronic control. The track supports have parallel ramps with transverse pipes near their ends, and the support sections have transverse beams near their ends engaging the transverse pipes of the ramps. A pin wheel gear is provided on the advancing support. The support sections have running surfaces for supporting rollers of the laying device. The laying device has a transverse transporter with a telescoping pipe on gliding plates, supporting rollers for the ramps on the telescope pipe, and drivers adjacent to the supporting rollers. Expanding cylinders extend and retract the telescoping pipe and the ramps.

Abstract: The invention is a method for increasing the capacity of an electrical component, such as a bus bar, to carry an electrical current. The method comprises the step of exposing the electrical component to an evaporative fluid that is in fluid and thermal contact with the electrical component. Upon heating, fluid undergoes a phase change at least partially to a vapor state. Thus, electrical energy in the form of heat generated by the flow of current is dissipated at least partially by the evaporative fluid. As a result, the temperature of the electrical component is maintained within an acceptable range when carrying the electrical current.

Abstract: A multi-mode fuze for a munition has at least one sensor that generates an electrical output dependent on a rate of deceleration when the munition impacts a target, a logic circuit electrically coupled to the at least one sensor effective to discriminate between a soft target and a hard target dependent on the electrical output and a fuze that transmits a detonation signal to an initiating explosive to thereby detonate the munition. The detonation signal is transmitted at a time dependent on target discrimination. The multi-mode fuze of the invention may be incorporated into an explosive projectile that includes an aerodynamically shaped metallic casing, an explosive contained within the metallic casing and an initiating explosive contacting the explosive. The multi-mode fuze communicates with the initiating explosive to trigger detonation of the explosive either on impact with a hard target or following a delay on impact with a soft target.

Abstract: An outlet unit for providing a supply voltage to the prongs of a plug comprising a housing having a plurality of electrically conductive plug channels for receiving the prongs of the plug, a shutter rotatably mounted to the housing and operative in one of a first and a second position, the shutter having openings for receiving the prongs of the plug wherein only when in the second position the openings of the shutter and the plug channels are aligned permitting axial displacement of the prongs into the housing, and a strike plate located between the housing and the shutter for preventing the rotation of the shutter to the second position absent axial displacement of the prongs sufficient to engage the strike plate.

Abstract: A high speed data transfer system includes a WAU (201) which is utilized to provide high speed data access to satellite transferred data. The system is configured such that a plurality of data utilization devices (205) may access the high speed data via wireless links to the WAU (201). Advantageously, high speed data services may be provided to users without the users requiring individual satellite antennas.

Abstract: A method for cooling bus bars 12,14 in order to increase their current-carrying capacity while saving space and weight. The method comprises the steps of providing a housing having an interior wall; locating a distribution manifold 20 within the housing, the distribution manifold comprising a hollow bus bar 12,14; communicating to the manifold a supply of an evaporative coolant 18, 18′; and delivering the coolant 18, 18′ outwardly under pressure so that upon exiting the manifold 20, the coolant 18, 18′ undergoes a phase change from the liquid to the vapor state. Heat is extracted from the manifold 20 at least as quickly as heat is generated by the flow of current. The extraction of heat by the flow of coolant 18, 18′ and evaporation maintains or lowers the temperature of the bus bar and enables a given size of bus bar to carry more current without a significant rise in temperature. The invention also includes an apparatus 10 for cooling bus bars 12,14 in an electrical circuit.

Abstract: A new modulation/demodulation method and apparatus are described for use with RF communication. A transmitter (1001T) modulates information onto a plurality of carrier signals transmitted simultaneously over a corresponding plurality of frequencies using cepstral modulation. A receiver (1003R) receives the plurality of carrier signals and demodulates the signals utilizing cepstral demodulation. Receiver (1003R) monitors the carrier signals and in response to predetermined conditions selects a cepstral constellation to be utilized. Receiver (1003R) provides the cepstral constellation information to a transmitter (1003T) that, in turn, transmits the cepstral constellation information to a receiver (1001R), in turn, provides the cepstral constellation information to transmitter (100T). Transmitter (1001T) utilizes the selected cepstral constellation information to modulate the next transmission of the plurality of carrier signals.

Abstract: A satellite vehicle compensation system (100) predicts the motion of two satellite vehicles and enhances the predictions with real-time updates of one or both of the vehicles. Using feedback loops (132, 134), the differences between the prediction and the actual motions are looped back to improve the accuracy of the motion predictor.

Abstract: A hyperspectral image encoder (10) for compressing hyperspectral imagery includes a differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) loop (26) to perform data decorrelation in the spectral domain and a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) processing means (28) to perform decorrelation in the spatial domain. The DPCM loop (26) determines an error image between a present image at the input of the encoder (10) and a predicted image. The DWT processing means (28) then divides the error image into a plurality of frequency subbands and quantizes information within the subbands in accordance with a plurality of predetermined quantization states to provide a coded output signal. In one embodiment, an interband predictor (24) is provided to predict an image, for use in calculating the error image, using the coded output signal.

Abstract: A system is presented for compression of hyperspectral imagery. Specifically, DPCM is used for spectral decorrelation, while an adaptive 2-D discrete cosine transform (DCT) (22) coding scheme is used for spatial decorrelation. Trellis coded quantization (23) is used to encode the transform coefficients. Side information and rate allocation strategies (36) are discussed.

Abstract: A method of determining the position of a satellite in a near geosynchronous orbit includes receiving at least one main lobe signal from an antenna on a first GPS satellite. A GPS signal, including GPS time and Doppler, is received from a pseudolite positioned on the Earth and an approximate position of each of a plurality of second GPS satellites is determined from an onboard almanac. Side lobe signals and accompanying noise are received from antennas on the plurality of second GPS satellites. The GPS signal and known sequential data bits are used for sorting or integrating the side lobe signals from the accompanying noise and the position of the satellite in a near geosynchronous orbit is determined using the one or more main lobe signals and the sorted side lobe signals.

Abstract: A self-tapping threaded insert (20) for threadedly mounting another component by a threaded central connector (50). An assembly (24) of the insert (20) and a mounting member (22) for threadedly mounting the insert are assembled by a method for mounting the self-tapping threaded insert. The insert (20) has a threaded shank (26) that is threaded into a partially tapped hole and has a shank end with flutes (32) of a construction that provides self-tapping. Upon final torquing, a locking flange (42) of the insert (20) locks against a surface (46) of the member (22) as threads of the insert shank (26) are completely engaged with the hole.

Abstract: A training projectile that utilizes flutes or flats to augment roll damping characteristics and thereby cause the projectile to crossover into a gyroscopically unstable trajectory pattern at a predetermined time. Prior to the crossover, the training projectile maintains a gyroscopically stable trajectory, which enables extrapolation to ascertain the trajectory of a non-training projectile that does not have an augmented roll damping section. The unstable trajectory pattern substantially reduces the distance the training projectile can traverse, thereby reducing the amount of area required for a training range.