Abstract: A novel Communications Management System architecture (CMS) supports asset, frequency and key management functions in a multi-unit, multi-network communications system and automates the planning required for effectively carrying out tactical communications in such an environment. CMS matches the detailed frequency and key distribution required for radio networks supporting such an operation, and consolidates all of the information required to operate such a radio system into a single database. The CMS architecture provides a flexibility to allow for specialized key and frequency assignment generation, net communications planning, distribution planning of communication equipment, deployment planning and asset planning and generation of Communications Information (CI). The architecture provides an integrated approach that enables such communication planning/management functions to be tied together into a single software program to assure verification of data and eliminate duplication of effort.

Abstract: A connector system includes a plug connector that latches to a receptacle connector when mated thereto, and which discourages unqualified personnel from unlatching the connectors to unmate them. The plug connector has a pair of narrow release passages (64, 66, FIG. 3) for receiving small rods (60, 62) of a release tool, the plug connector having a thin breakable barrier (70, 72) near the top of each passage. Unqualified mechanics hesitate to break the barriers, and even when the barriers are broken there are only small passages for viewing the latching mechanism. A pair of pin contacts (20, 22, FIG. 14) of the receptacle connector, are connected together until the two connectors are mated, by the use of a wire conductor (210) that has a portion that is wound into a coil (212) that is forced over one pin contact, the coil having an arm (216) that presses against the other pin contact. A bent metal strip contact having one end (90, FIG.

Abstract: A power closure system for a motor vehicle includes a closure, a closure frame, an electric motor, a first displacement sensor and a microprocessor. The electric motor has an output shaft. The closure frame defines a seated position of the closure. The displacement sensors both indicate rotation of the drive motor output shaft, with the second sensor being offset from the first sensor. The microprocessor includes means for measuring a first time for the output shaft of the motor to rotate a predetermined amount using signals from the first sensor. The microprocessor also includes means for measuring a second time for the output shaft of the motor to rotate a predetermined amount using signals from the first sensor. As well, the microprocessor includes means for establishing a reference, or limiting, time signal for the second time signal using the first time signal. The microprocessor has means for comparing the second signal to the reference or limit signal.

Abstract: A steering column mounted stalk switch apparatus includes an elongated shaft having a hub fixedly mounted at one end. The hub fixedly engages one end of a hollow knob housing. An aperture is formed in the opposite end of the housing and movably receives a button therein having at least one electrical contact mounted thereon. A carrier is slidably mounted in the housing for movement between a plurality of discrete positions and includes a projection extending externally through a side wall of the housing. Electrical contacts are mounted on the carrier and engage conductive tracings on the circuit board as the carrier is moved between the discrete positions.

Abstract: A quick connector includes a retainer for detachably engaging male and female components of the quick connector together. The retainer includes an annular base with a recess mountable over a radially enlarged flange on the male component and circumferentially spaced legs extending axially from the base. An aperture in each leg engages a projection on the female component to interconnect the male and female components together. First and second seal members, each having the same inner diameter, but different outer diameters are pre-mounted on the male component and simultaneously engage different diameter portions of a stepped bore in the female component upon insertion of the male component into the female component.

Abstract: A hydraulic braking system with slip control, comprising a working piston guided within the brake pressure generator, a booster piston of a hydraulic brake force booster for actuating the working piston at least one wheel brake connected to the brake pressure generator and an electrically excitable auxiliary pressure source adapted to be connected to the brake force booster, a control and regulating electronic unit for detecting the wheel rotating pattern and for controlling the wheel braking pressure by pressure modulating valves. An electronic sensor is provided for detecting the relative movement between the pressure rod and the booster piston, the output signals of which are capable to influence the excitation of the auxiliary pressure source. This will permit the brake force boosting, if need be, to be effected independently of actuation forces put in manually, with anti-locking control/traction slip control functions being readily exercisable at any time.

Abstract: A MOS driver circuit has a first output transistor and a second output transistor which are driven in push-pull into a conducting state by a first driver stage having first high impedance and first low impedance elements and a second driver stage having second high impedance and second low impedance elements, respectively. The high impedance driver elements drive the output transistors into a conducting or nonconducting state and the low impedance driver elements hold the output transistors in the nonconducting state. The junction of the output transistors can be connected to a load. A holding stage for each driver stage is cross coupled to a high impedance driver element of one output transistor and the low impedance driver element of the other output transistor, so as to drive one output transistor in the conducting state while holding the other output transistor in a nonconducting state. As a result, shunt currents between the output transistors are avoided even in the presence of output noise.

Abstract: In a process for fitting a round cable provided with a number of single wires with a multi-way, preferably flat, plug into which the single wires are placed, the single wires have their free ends stripped of insulation and are fitted with contacts. In such a process, assembly can be carried out in a cost-effective manner and the risk of damage to the small contacts is greatly reduced. Provision is made for the single wires to be placed alongside each other in a wire holder of the plug, for the ends projecting beyond the wire holder to be cut to the same projecting length and stripped of insulation to the same length and for a contact carrier to be provided with the corresponding number of adjacent contacts and connected to the end of the wire holder receiving the single wire ends, and for the opposing regions of stripped single wire ends and connection elements of the contacts to be interconnected to make electrical contact.

Abstract: A lock apparatus selectively locks and unlocks a rotatable shaft from rotation. A brake disc is formed with opposed lock surfaces. First and second lock rings rotatably mounted on first and second bearing members are alternatingly moved by rotation along spaced projections on the adjacent first and second bearing members into locking engagement with the lock surfaces on the brake disc and away from the brake disc to an unlocked position. An outer member of each of the bearing members is held in a fixed position by engagement with first and second end caps mounted on the brake disc. An inner bearing member is axially movable with respect to the outer bearing member to bring bearings disposed in outer and inner races on the outer and inner bearing members into contact with thrust faces on the outer and inner members as axial force is imposed on the rotatable shaft to enable rotation of the shaft.

Abstract: A fiber optic connector is described which has an alignment sleeve (70, FIG. 3) for surrounding fiber-holding ferrules (44, 68), wherein the sleeve can deflect to receive a slightly misaligned mating ferrule and wherein the assembly can be readily removed for cleaning. The sleeve is expandable in diameter and is contained in a hood (80) that surrounds the sleeve and that forms front and rear shoulders (82, 84). The hood loosely surrounds the sleeve and the hood is loosely contained in a connector housing passage (34), to facilitate reception of a slightly misaligned mating ferrule. A hood alignment sleeve assembly includes a front body (50) and a rear retention sleeve, or body, with a spring (56) spanning them, the front body being attached to the hood, and the hood shifting forward and rearward with the sleeve. The hood includes a front hood piece (152) forming the front sleeve-abutting shoulder and a rear hood piece (154) forming the rear shoulder.

Abstract: An adapter (12, FIG. 1) is described, for mounting a passthrough on a panel (14) to hold by a wire cable or optical cable, wherein the adapter can be installed by merely pushing it rearwardly into a hole (20) in the panel. The adapter includes a tubular passthrough (16) and a molded plastic clip (18) that is mounted on the passthrough. The clip has a front end (40, FIG. 3) that forms a large washer to abut the front face of the panel, and has a sleeve (46) extending rearwardly from the washer with a rear sleeve end (50) that closely surrounds the passthrough. The sleeve has a pair of U-shaped slits (56, 64, FIG. 2), with the base of each U-slit lying most forward, to leave a latch (62, 66) having a rear latch end merging with the rest of the sleeve and a free front latch end (124, FIG. 3) which can abut the rear face of the panel. The passthrough has a recessed portion (76) into which the latches are deflected when the adapter is inserted rearwardly through the hole in the panel.

Abstract: A windshield wiper system for automotive vehicles includes a mechanism for causing a wiper blade assembly to swing, relative to the wiper arm, between an extended position of the wiper blade assembly and a retracted position of the wiper blade assembly. More specifically, the mechanism causes a link, which is attached to the wiper blade assembly, to swing as the wiper arm moves into and out of the hidden park position. A first embodiment includes a "four-bar linkage" which transfers to oscillatory movement of a drive arm of a wiper system to pivotal movement of the link over a limited range of motion of the drive arm corresponding to movement of the wiper blade assembly into and out of the hidden park position. A second embodiment includes a cam element which selectively engages a fixed pin over a range of motion of the drive arm corresponding to movement of the wiper blade assembly into and out of the hidden park position.

Abstract: An apparatus enhances performance of an occupant restraint system of a vehicle. A signal is generated based on vehicle dynamics and selectively places at least one safety module in a heightened state of awareness in response to the signal. The vehicle dynamics can include at least one parameter based on wheel movement. The parameter based on wheel movement can be provided by an anti-lock brake control system and/or a traction control system, or the like. The safety module capable of being placed in a heightened state of awareness can include a three-point seatbelt, an airbag, a pyrotechnic buckle pretensioner and/or an electro-mechanical retractor pretensioner or the like.

Abstract: A vacuum brake power booster for automotive vehicles includes a booster housing whose interior is subdivided into a vacuum chamber and a working chamber by a moveable wall. A control housing carries the moveable wall and accommodates a control valve which controls a pressure differential acting upon the moveable wall. The control valve has at least two sealing seats cooperating with an elastic valve member and is operable by an actuating rod. One of the sealing seats is operable, irrespective of the actuating rod, by an electromagnet whose armature is in force-transmitting interaction with one of the sealing seats. An electrical switching apparatus is also included, the control signals of which influence the current supply of the electromagnet thereby enabling its deactivation. The switching apparatus are operable by a relative movement between a valve piston and the control housing.

Abstract: An apparatus is responsive to a reaction force of intermeshing gear members that transmit force through an angle. The gear members include an elongated enveloped worm with a longitudinally extending axis of rotation and an output gear with an axis of rotation offset from and perpendicular to the longitudinally extending axis of the worm gear. The worm gear is movable axially in response to a predetermined reaction force or predetermined torque force. At least one biasing member is disposed adjacent one end of the worm gear, and preferably both ends of the worm gear, for centering the worm gear with respect to the output gear when subjected to a force below the predetermined reaction force or predetermined torque force.

Abstract: A brake system arranged for the control both of the brake slip and of the traction slip is presented. In order that during a traction slip control action the brake circuits are rapidly supplied with the required volume of hydraulic pressure fluid at a sufficiently high pressure level, a medium-pressure accumulator is provided which is connected to the suction side of the pump and whose pressure supplied upstream of the pump is higher than the resistances in the brake circuit, in particular higher than the sum of the opening pressures of the suction-side and delivery-side valves of the pump plus the resistance of the wheel brake.

Abstract: A night vision device that uses low cost optics in a balanced arrangement that corrects for distortions created by the low cost optics. The night vision device is a monocular assembly that uses a Gen II or a Gen III image intensifier tube. An objective lens assembly, containing a plurality of low cost lenses, is positioned in front of the image intensifier tube so that the objective lens assembly directs low intensity light onto the input surface of the image intensifier tube. A collimator assembly is positioned proximate the output surface of the image intensifier tube, wherein the collimator assembly collimates the visible image produced by the image intensifier tube. The collimator assembly is comprised of lenses that are identical in shape, size and material to the lenses found within the objective lens assembly. However, the lenses in the collimator assembly are arranged in reverse, as a mirror image of the lenses in the objective lens assembly.

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic-field sensor with a Hall effect device, a power supply, and an evaluating facility, which can be supplied with a Hall signal from the Hall-effect device and comprises an input amplifier, a storage element, and a signal superposition unit. To improve the accuracy of the magnetic-field sensor, in a first phase, a balancing signal for balancing the measurement-signal path with respect to an interface can be produced with the evaluating facility, the balancing signal being storable in the storage element, and in a second phase, the balancing signal stored in the storage element can be applied through the signal superposition unit to the interface, where it is superimposed on a Hall signal.

Abstract: A carrier frequency based system employs a capacitive probe which is located at a predetermined desired fluid detection level in a fluid containing vessel. The probe forms one plate of a capacitor where the other plate is formed by the fluid in which the probe is immersed. A carrier frequency is injected into the fluid by means of a suitable oscillator and at a frequency which is close to the system resonant frequency. When the probe is immersed in fluid, the probe will receive a predetermined carrier frequency of an amplitude determined by the system. The output of the probe is coupled to suitable sensing circuits which monitor the amplitude of the signal frequency coupled to the probe. When the fluid level recedes and therefore a portion of the probe or the total probe is out of fluid, the capacitance of the system changes.

Abstract: A valve housing has a chamber formed therewithin, and an inlet and an outlet for accommodating fluid flow through the chamber along a given flow path. The housing further confines a free ball therein, and hydraulic-fluid filed compartments with flexible walls. Intermediate the inlet and outlet, the housing has a valve seat formed. Fluid pressure in the chamber causes one compartment to collapse and the flexible wall of the other to expand. The expanding wall, and capturing fluid flow, moves the ball to the seat to halt flow through the chamber, after an initial period of free flow. The method comprises providing the chambered housing, disposing the ball in the chamber, communicating the inlet with a pump outlet, and confining the flexible-walled compartments in the chamber.