Abstract: An electrical switch mounted on a circuit board and providing tactile feedback includes a domed tripper (18) and an elastomeric actuator (16) with a rod having an upper operating end (78) that can be depressed to snap down the tripper and close the switch. The actuator has a lower sealing lip (62) extending in a 360° circle around the tripper and lying against the circuit board upper face, to form a sealed cavity (56) containing the tripper. The 360° sealing lip of the actuator is pressed down against the circuit board by a cap (14) that has a side wall (26) with a lower edge (38) pressing down against the sealing lip. The cap has feet (42) extending down through holes in the circuit board, the feet having latches (48) that hold the cap in place.

Abstract: A PC card of standard width and thickness (e.g. 54 mm and 5 mm) is constructed to receive a chip card of smaller width and thickness (e.g. 18 mm and 0.8 mm) so the PC card can used to connect contact pads of the chip card to an electronic device such as laptop computer into which the PC card is inserted. The PC card includes a sheet metal cover with a top cover portion (13) having a flat region that is deep drawn to form a ramp (30) that extends downwardly to an aperture (31). A chip card can be slid down along the ramp and through the aperture, and along an internal path portion in the card to engage contacts on a circuit board. Guides on opposite sides of the internal path portion can be formed by tabs (36, 37) partially punched out of the cover portion, parts fastened to the underside of the top sheet metal cover portion, and/or parts or components mounted on the circuit board.

Abstract: A miniature electrical switch is closed when a pusher (44) is pushed forwardly (F) to snap down a snap dome tripping member(36) and push a contact blade (50) against a contact part (28). Forward sliding of the actuator is converted into downward movement of the snap dome, by a rigid lever (48) of generally T shape, with a rear branch (51) having laterally spaced trunnions (60) for pivoting and a center section (52) with a cam follower upper surface (76). A ramp (94) at the front of the push member depresses the cam follower as the actuator slides forward. The trunnions are of largely rectangular cross section and pivot on an edge (130).

Abstract: Electronic Warfare (EW) systems aboard aircrafts are used to protect them from guided missile by denying threat radar systems the ability to track the aircrafts. In a typical operation, a threat radar system transmits RF signals aimed at the target aircraft. The surface of the target reflects a portion of the incident signal back towards the threat radar antenna where the reflected signal is detected, allowing the threat radar system to determine the target's range, angle and velocity. The present invention relates to EW systems that are dependent on measuring the RF phase of a signal transmitted by a target tracking threat radar. The use of the invented technique will make it possible to implement a robust Electronic Counter-Measures (ECM) technique, known as Cross-Eye, using two airborne platforms. The technique is very effective in preventing a threat radar from tracking a target aircraft and guiding a launched missile to the target aircraft.

Abstract: An electrical component includes an initial structure (40) molded of an insulative first material and having a plurality of regions (81, 82, 83) that each forms a passage (42), with the regions being largely separated to leave gaps (90, 92, 94) between them, but with the regions joined by small tabs (44). The initial structure is plated everywhere, including along the passages and on the tabs. A quantity of second insulative material (108) is overmolded to the plated initial structure to fill the gaps between them but not some portions of the passages. The tabs then can be cut away to electrically isolate the platings on the different regions, and to thereby electrically isolated contacts, such as the outer conductors of coaxial connectors, installed in the passages while the regions that form the passages are mechanically held together by the overmolding second material.

Abstract: A method and system for determining pump cavitation is disclosed. In accordance with the principle of the invention, changes in dynamic fluid pressure within a pump are monitored and compared to a determined cavitation alarm pressure. The determined cavitation pressure is determined as a known percentage of a known non-cavitation pressure. Fluid cavitation is determined when the change in dynamic fluid pressure falls below the determined cavitation alarm pressure. In a further aspect of the invention, a remaining mechanical seal operational life can be determined by maintaining a total time of fluid cavitation and reducing the expected life by the known operational time of the pump and the time the pump is in cavitation.

Abstract: Range measurements useful for determining a device's position are screened to eliminate unacceptable measurements. A two-stage range measurement screening technique involves a coarse screening stage that includes comparing the range measurement to an estimated expected range and a fine screening stage that includes comparing the range measurement to the computed fading-average range. Range measurements that fall within both coarse and fine screening windows are deemed acceptable and are supplied to a position tracking filter together with their estimated measurement accuracies. Range measurements that do not fall within either the coarse or fine screening window are discarded and do not corrupt the position solution. The accuracies of acceptable range measurements are determined from multiple factors including the measurement offset from a fading-average of previous range measurements and the standard deviation of the previous range measurements.

Abstract: A universal contact assembly for an image intensifier tube wherein the pin socket and flat are both parts of an integrally formed unit. The pin socket has a through hole for accepting a wire lead to be soldered. A method of making a universal contact assembly wherein the pin socket shell and flat are machined from a single piece.

Abstract: A connector has an insulative frame (52) and has rows (34, 36) of identical contacts (70) for engaging pads on a smart card, where at least one of the contacts that otherwise could engage a pad, is used to close or open a switch to detect the presence of a smart card.

Abstract: In an optical system having a detector means and processor means in which imaging data is obtained comprising noisy blurred scene data containing an object to be reconstructed, and noisy blurred background data of the same scene, a method for increasing the spatial resolution of the imaging data produced by the optical system, comprising the steps of converting the imaging data into a first matrix, regularizing the first matrix by performing nth order Tikhonov regularization to the first matrix to provide a regularized pseudo-inverse (RPI) matrix and applying the RPI matrix to the first matrix to provide a reconstructed image of the object.

Abstract: A double pole, manual reset switch that is sealed from its application environment. The switch comprises a shell and a base assembly including an actuator, terminals and blade/contacts. After the switch actuator is depressed to a “make” position, it must be manually lifted back to a “break” position. The switch has an epoxy seal along the bottom between the shell and base, heat shrink material around an opening where wires pass through, and an O-ring on the actuator for sealing the top of the switch. The components of the switch are easily assembled in the base prior to insertion of the base assembly into the shell. The wires extend from the switch adjacent to each other at an end, and in an alternate embodiment of the switch, the wires extend in pairs from a rear side of the switch.

Abstract: Apparatus and method of achieving diversity in reception of plural digital broadcast signals. A stream of a complete set of code bits is generated from one or more sources of data bits. A first Critical Subset of code bits is chosen or selected for a first channel (e.g. a specified puncturing pattern is applied to the stream of a complete set of code sets). A second (e.g. alternative) Critical Subset of code bits is chosen or selected for a second channel (e.g. a second or alternative puncturing pattern is chosen for the second channel). Further alternative Critical Subsets may be chosen for any additional channels. All the channels are transmitters, some can incorporate time delay to achieve temporal diversity. Moreover, the order of transmitting the code bits on each channel can be different (for example, the interleaving depths can be different).

Abstract: A strain relief attachment (10) is provided for coupling to the combination of an electrical connector (12) and a cable (14, 90, 92) extending from the rear of the connector, to provide strain relief for the cable. The attachment includes a housing (40) having a through passage (46) and having a front housing portion (42) that receives the electrical connector and a rear housing portion (44) that passes the cable. The rear housing portion has a slot (102) on one side to enable the fixing of the cable by pressing sidewardly through the slot to press the cable against an opposite side of the housing rear portion. For large cables, a simple tie (106) wrapped tightly around the housing rear portion presses directly against the cable. For smaller cables, an insert (120) that is molded as part of the housing, slides through the slot and presses the cable against the opposite side of the housing, with a tie pressing the insert against the cable.

Abstract: A method and system for determining fluid flow rates through a motor driven pump controlled by a variable speed drive is disclosed. The variable speed motor drive is used to characterize a pump fluid flow for a plurality of motor torque values at a plurality of known pump speeds. These characterized pump flow rate/torque values/speed are stored and used to determine a pump fluid flow at a measured pump speed and motor torque by interpolating between the known characterized fluid flow/torque/speed values. In another aspect of the invention, the pump flow rate at a measured torque, at a specified characterizing speed value is determined by interpolating between known characterizing pump flow rates. The determined pump flow rates can then be used to determine pump flow rates at a measured speed by interpolating between corresponding speed values which bound the measured speed.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to obtaining dynamic wet pressure in a wastewater treatment plant. A difusser submerged in wastewater is connected to an air supply. This diffuser has an air flow regulator, a diffusion element to discharge the air into the wastewater, and a plenum situated between the element and the flow regulator. Pressure taps sense pressure in the pipe and the plenum. Manometers are used to determine hydrostatic head, pressure drop across the element, and pressure drop across the air flow regulator. Air flow regulator pressure drop and pressure/flow characteristics may be used, with other required information, to calculate dynamic wet pressure across the diffusion element.

Abstract: A method and system for determining pump cavitation is disclosed. In accordance with the principle of the invention, changes in dynamic fluid pressure within a pump are monitored and compared to a determined cavitation alarm pressure. The determined cavitation pressure is determined as a known percentage of a known non-cavitation pressure. Fluid cavitation is determined when the change in dynamic fluid pressure falls below the determined cavitation alarm pressure. In a further aspect of the invention, a remaining mechanical seal operational life can be determined by maintaining a total time of fluid cavitation and reducing the expected life by the known operational time of the pump and the time the pump is in cavitation.

Abstract: A radio direction finding system for a low signal quality transmission signal performs a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on an entire received RF band into a number of FFT bins, each serving as an IF filter. The contents of each FFT bin are demodulated to decode a frequency signature from the encoded RF signal. A signal-to-noise ratio comparator receives the FFT baseband samples and determines the signal level from the known frequency signature. The FFT baseband buffer with the greatest SNR corresponding to a particular FFT frequency bin is outputted as a direction finding metric.

Abstract: A retainer (60) at the rear of each passage (14) that holds an optical fiber terminus (30), abuts the rear end (62) of a spring to normally retain the terminus while allowing its removal, with the retainer being rugged, easily manipulated, and of small diameter to allow numerous passages to lie close together. Each retainer has a primarily cylindrical outer surface (74) but with a pair of projections (80, 82). The rear portion of the passage has a first part (90) through which the retainer can be slid forwardly while the retainer is in an initial rotational orientation. A third passage part (94) receives the retainer and allows it to be turned from the initial orientation (60A) to a lock rotational orientation (60B). A second passage part (92) that lies between the first and third passage parts, allows the projections to move rearwardly into recesses (112) that prevent rotation of the retainer and that have forwardly-facing shoulders (114) that abut the retainer to limit its rearward movement.

Abstract: Front and rear optical fiber connectors (12, 14) can be mated and unmated from the front, while the rear connector and the rear portion (54) of the front connector can be removed for cleaning and replacement from the rear. A jackscrew (30) with a handle (32) at the front, extends through the connectors and has a threaded rear end (34) for engaging a nut (36) on the rear connector. The jackscrew also can be operated from the rear to remove the rear connector for maintenance. A spring (182) urges the jackscrew forwardly, to allow a person to sense when the jackscrew has not engaged the nut. A front connector frame (50) has a vertical divider (200) forming a pair of cavities (62, 63) that receive shaped body elements (54, 55). U-shaped brackets (164, 166) hold a back plate (52) to each connector. Alignment pins (144, 146) are coupled through springs (320) to the rear connector.