Abstract: A quick connector assembly for coupling a flexible hose or tube to a bore formed in a housing thereby to establish fluid communication between the interiors of the hose and bore, respectively, comprises an elongate tubular male insert having one end adapted to receive and retain the tube about its periphery. The other end of the male insert includes a contoured external surface defining an external locking flange, and a pair of axially-spaced external circumferential grooves for receiving a pair of O-rings which ultimately sealingly engage complementary cylindrical sections of the housing bore upon insertion of the connector assembly thereinto. Prior to its insertion into the housing bore, the connector assembly includes a garter spring which is radially collapsed about the male insert's contoured external surface by an encompassing annular spring guide.

Abstract: A case is provided for receiving an electronic card (C), which includes a one-piece molded housing (10) that forms a pair of slideways (12, 14) that guide opposite side portions of the card and that includes upper and lower crosspieces (46, 20) that connect the slideways and that are vertically spaced. A separate electrical connector (60) is provided which includes a connector frame (61) and a plurality of electrical contacts (77) mounted on the frame, with each contact having an upwardly-projecting contact blade (63). The connector is mounted on the lower crosspiece of the housing, with the contact blades projecting through card-receiving slots (64) of the housing. The card receiver can have a butterfly shape, with each crosspiece having a middle section (36) of small length, and each crosspiece can be formed with large apertures (24, 28A, 28B), which reduce weight and cost.

Abstract: A connector assembly which includes a circuit board (18, FIG. 2 and 28, FIG. 3), a connector housing (40, 140), and a pair of flat flexible circuits (20, 22 and 30, 32). The flat flexible circuits have front end portions (50, 52 and 190, 192), where the circuit conductors form two spaced rows of connector contacts, and the circuits have stacked rear portions (60, 62 and 154, 156) where the conductors of the two flat flexible circuits are staggered and soldered to a single row of circuit board traces (80, FIG. 6).

Abstract: A language identification and verification system is described whereby language identification is determined by finding the closest match of a speech utterance to multiple speaker sets. The language identification and verification system is implemented through use of a speaker identification/verification system as a baseline to find a set of well matched speakers in each of a plurality of languages. A comparison of unknown speech to speech features from such well-matched speakers is then made and a language decision is arrived on based on a closest match between the unknown speech features and speech features for such well matched reference speakers in a particular language.

Abstract: A frameless IC card is provided, with a rear board support (26) to hold the rear of a circuit board, wherein a single design of rear board support can hold circuit board rear ends (24A, 24B, 24C) at a selected one of a plurality of different heights. The rear board support has top and bottom horizontal flanges (52, 54) and a plurality of vertical ribs (61-66) merging with the flanges, with the ribs being laterally spaced apart. A first set of vertical ribs (61, 62) has horizontal grooves (71, 72) of a first height extending into its front edge, with the grooves being about as thick as the circuit board, to closely receive the rear (24A) of a circuit board and thereby vertically position it. The rear board support includes a second set of ribs (63, 64) with horizontal grooves (73, 74) lying at a different height, to thereby hold a circuit board rear end (24B) at a different height, thereby enabling the same rear board support to hold circuit boards at selected heights.

Abstract: A composite small-diameter tubing resistant to interaction with materials conveyed therethrough such as liquids containing alcohols or corrosive agents which includes a cylindrical outer metal conduit having a hollow central shaft extending longitudinally therethrough defined by an interior wall; and a continuous non-reactive interior tube surrounded by and positioned within the cylindrical metal conduit. The tubing can be manufactured by a process which includes the steps of a) positioning a length of non-reactive tubing having a predetermined outer diameter within an inner diameter of metal tubing of essentially corresponding length, the metal tube having an unsealed side seam, wherein the inner diameter is greater than the outer diameter of the non-reactive tubing; and b) sealing and reducing the metal tubing to an outer diameter essentially equal to the predetermined outer diameter of the interior tubing. The non-reactive interior tube may be made of a suitable polymeric material.

Abstract: A layered tubing for use in a motor vehicle composed of a thick outer tubing having an inner and an outer face, the outer tubing made of an extrudable thermoplastic such as a polyamide such as Nylon 6; a thin intermediate bonding layer bonded to the inner face of the thick outer layer, the bonding layer composed of an extrudable melt-processible thermoplastic capable of sufficiently permanent laminar adhesion to the polyamide outer tubing; and an inner hydrocarbon barrier layer bonded to the intermediate bonding layer, the inner layer composed of an extrudable, melt processible thermoplastic capable of sufficiently permanent laminar adhesion with the intermediate bonding layer, the thermoplastic containing as a major constituent a fluoroplastic such as polychlorotrifluoroethylene, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymers and the like.

Abstract: A speech coding system employs measurements of robust features of speech frames whose distribution are not strongly affected by noise/levels to make voicing decisions for input speech occurring in a noisy environment. Linear programing analysis of the robust features and respective weights are used to determine an optimum linear combination of these features. The input speech vectors are matched to a vocabulary of codewords in order to select the corresponding, optimally matching codeword. Adaptive vector quantization is used in which a vocabulary of words obtained in a quiet environment is updated based upon a noise estimate of a noisy environment in which the input speech occurs, and the "noisy" vocabulary is then searched for the best match with an input speech vector. The corresponding clean codeword index is then selected for transmission and for synthesis at the receiver end. The results are better spectral reproduction and significant intelligibility enhancement over prior coding approaches.

Abstract: A power supply for a variable speed AC motor includes a waveform generator for generating a periodic pulsed waveform according to a desired motor speed, an adjustable source of DC potential, and an inverter coupled to the waveform generator and to the source of DC potential. The inverter provides an AC pulse train to the AC motor, the pulse train having waveform characteristics according to the pulsed waveform generated by the waveform generator to obtain the desired speed. The voltage amplitude of the pulse train provided to the motor is proportional to the DC potential whereby motor currents can be controlled at the desired motor speed by varying the DC potential.

Abstract: A cable plug is described for connecting a cable to the rear of an IC (integrated circuit) card of the PCMCIA type, which makes a simple ground connection between the cable shield and the card cover. Case shells (31, 32, FIG. 2 ) of the plug connector have rear ends with a crimp (37) and a bridge (40) that directly engage a cable shield (24). The case shells have front ends that form forwardly-projecting tabs (43, 44). The tabs project through slits (45, 46) of a carrier plate portion (12) and directly engage sheet metal cover portions of the IC card. The tabs lie slightly above and below plug parts (13, 14) of the carrier, so the front parts protect the tabs.

Abstract: A quick connector for fast connection of fluid carrying assemblies such as a mating tube and a fluid unit includes a connector body that houses the connector components and accepts a redundant clip, which is adapted to engage an upset bead of the male tube. The redundant clip is generally L-shaped and includes a retaining head that is inserted into the connector body and is adapted to engage the upset bead. A body portion, which extends along the side of the connector body and in the preferred embodiment is contoured to mate with the connector body, extends between the retaining head and a base member. The base includes a camming edge for facilitating the insertion of the retainer head into the connector body.

Abstract: A one-piece hooded socket contact is disclosed which is formed from a sheet metal blank having spaced trapezoidal-shaped fingers that extend from a forward edge of the blank. The fingers are bent rearwardly and the blank is formed into a cylinder forming the hood of the contact. The fingers extend inwardly toward the center axis of the hood to form the spring beams of the contact. The front portions of the fingers form a lead-in chamfer at the front of the hood.

Abstract: A right angle coaxial connector is disclosed which employs a die cast housing in which the center contact of the connector is mounted. The housing has a rearwardly-extending flap, and side walls that are perpendicular to the flap. The side walls have arcuate-shaped forming surfaces thereon over which the flap is bent downwardly to close the rear of the housing.

Abstract: A night vision device having an image intensifier tube, collimator lenses and at least one aspheric ocular lens are retained within a unistructurally formed optical bed. The optical bed is essentially a tubular structure having a large receptacle at one end to receive the image intensifier tube. The tubular structure is configured so that the various collimator lenses can be stacked within the tubular structure in a highly precise yet labor and cost efficient manner. A housing is provided that conforms to the shape of the electro-optical subassembly. The housing has a substantially similar ocular end structure and objective end structure. An objective lens assembly and ocular lens assembly are retained by the housing. Both the objective lens assembly and the ocular lens assembly contain at least one lens held with a commonly shaped lens casing.

Abstract: An amplifier circuit employing automatic gain control (AGC), with the gain responsive to a varying input signal level, and particularly adapted for manufacture as an integrated circuit. In a preferred embodiment, an error voltage is produced which is indicative of the difference between the RMS output voltage of the amplifier and a target RMS voltage. A ramp generator generates a ramp voltage in accordance with a digital count generated by a ripple counter. A comparator then produces a control signal in accordance with the difference between the ramp voltage and the error voltage. When the control signal is indicative of the amplifier output voltage differing from the target voltage, the gain is updated in accordance with the digital count and the count and ramp voltage are reset.

Abstract: A multi-layer tube comprises a metal tube having an outer surface and a zinc layer bonded to the metal tube outer surface, wherein the zinc layer is selected from the group consisting of zinc plating, zinc nickel alloys, zinc cobalt alloys, zinc aluminum alloys, and mixtures thereof. A surface treatment layer is bonded to the zinc layer, wherein the surface treatment layer is selected from the group consisting of a zinc/aluminum/rare earth alloy, phosphate, chromate and mixtures thereof. A first polymeric layer is bonded to the surface treatment layer, wherein the first polymeric layer is selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic elastomer, an ionomer, a nylon, a fluoropolymer, and mixtures thereof. A second polymeric layer is bonded to the first polymeric layer, wherein the second polymeric layer is selected from the group consisting of a nylon, a thermoplastic elastomer, a fluoropolymer, and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A terminal strip is described, of the type that includes connector modules that can be mounted end-to-end on a circuit board to provide a strip having the desired number of contact positions, which minimizes the number of separate connector modules that must be mounted, which minimizes the number of different module lengths that must be manufactured, and which increases the stability of the connector modules. Where rear modules are mounted to the rear of the connector front modules, the front and rear modules are laterally offset. Different length modules, that is, modules with different numbers of columns of contact positions, are manufactured, with the smallest module having a predetermined number of columns, the second smallest size having twice as many columns as the smallest, and the third largest size having four times as many columns as the first. Similar lengths of rear modules are provided.

Abstract: A connector is described which has contacts projecting through passages of an insulator, which provides a reliable fluid-tight seal at each contact. Each insulator passage (36, FIG. 7) has first and second passage portions (51, 52) of different diameters, and each contact has contact portions (56, 57) lying in corresponding passage portions, with each contact portion having an enlargement (41, 42) lying in interference fit with a corresponding passage portion. The different diameters of the passage portions and enlargements, provide a plurality of different seal locations, with each seal location being maximally deformed only by the enlargement which lies in an interference fit therein. A front end of the connector is retained within the rear end of a second connector, by a largely U-shaped spring (100, FIG. 5) whose base (102) can be depressed to move down the opposite legs (104, 106) of the spring.