Abstract: A method for making a horn antenna array includes the steps of making first and second equal-size printed-circuit half-horn-elements, and offset-juxtaposing element pairs to make horn elements having a dielectric lip or step. A ground plane defining mutually intersecting crossed slot sets is loaded with horn elements with their lips interlocking near the slot crossings, to define the horn antenna array. The horn elements can be fed by pins extending through portions of the ground plane and into an aperture adjacent the feed elements of the horn elements. Electrical connections are made by fusion joining after the array is assembled.

Abstract: A plasma jet system includes a housing with an opening. A plasma generator is coupled to ionize a fluid in the housing. An electromagnetic accelerator is coupled to generate an electric field that accelerates ionized fluid in the housing toward the opening. A controller can modulate the frequency of the electric field to cause the ionized fluid to form a plasma vortex flow through the opening. A magnetic field is applied normal to the direction of the plasma vortex flow to mitigate the momentum of the electrons. The electrons slowed by the magnetic field can be collected and conducted to a location where they are re-inserted into the plasma vortex flow to maintain charge neutrality.

Abstract: A shared beamformer flexibly allocates beams among phased array antenna apertures of a satellite (or other type of platform). By sharing the beamformer among the apertures, if one aperture is not providing useful coverage (due to orientation, traffic volume, signal frequency, signal polarization, etc.), the beams may be reallocated to one or more other apertures that are providing useful coverage. To share the beamformer among the phased array antenna apertures, a selector network (e.g., one or more switches) is used to select which particular apertures are to send or receive signals.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a vessel has a liquid-plane greater than one meter2/(metric ton)2/3 and includes a hull having a total length and a plurality of hull portions each having a length that is less than the total length. Each hull portion buoys the vessel. Each hull portion also protrudes above the liquid-line and includes a wetted area that does not contact the wetted areas of other hull portions when the boat accelerates through Froude numbers between 0.4 and 0.6. In addition, each hull portion includes a cross-sectional area having a perimeter defined by the edge of the wetted area and having an area defined by a plane that intersects the hull portion at the perimeter. The vessel's liquid-plane is the sum of each hull portion's cross-sectional area divided by the cube root of the square of the weight of the boat is at least one.

Abstract: A VCSEL settling fixture provides for a plurality of VCSEL chip packages to be selectively tested within a burn-in or environmental chamber having a remote pendant controller. The settling fixture includes a mounting frame including a plurality of recesses and throughbores for positioning and aligning the VCSEL's on the mounting frame. The mounting frame further includes a plurality of terminal blocks in proximity to the recesses for interconnecting the mounting frame with the controller. An activation system including a plurality of electrical contacts electrically connects the individual VCSEL chip packages with the terminal blocks so that the controller can selectively trigger a laser output from the VCSEL chip package.

Abstract: A current source modulator (202; 302, 502) provides power to radar transmitters. The modulator comprises a power supply (210, 310, 510) providing, when enabled, a known current to a storage capacitor (145). A comparator circuit (220) provides a signal (V220) when voltage (VC) across the storage capacitor (145) falls a reference voltage, and an enable circuit (225) responds to the comparator signal (V220) and an ON command signal to enable the power supply (210, 310, 510). The modulator (202, 302, 502) further includes a network (220N) associated with the comparator circuit (220) to retain the value of the signal (provide hysteresis) when the voltage across the storage capacitor is above the reference voltage. The modulator (202, 302, 502) may include a second network (320N) associated with a second comparator circuit, operable to retain a second signal when capacitor (145) voltage VC is above a reference voltage. In this aspect, there is a rapid charge and a trickle charge that reduces any charging overshoot.

Abstract: Methods for adhering polyimide dielectric materials to copper-, titanium-, aluminum-, or copper-and-titanium-containing portions of a substrate are described. The methods include the steps of applying adhesion promoter to a clean surface of the substrate, and curing the adhesion promoter. SPIE varnish is applied over the cured adhesion promoter, and is itself cured. A further layer of adhesion promoter is applied over the cured SPIE varnish, and is cured. The polyimide dielectric material is then laminated to the adhesion promoter. Cleaning of the copper-containing substrate portions is performed by etching with etchant including cupric chloride, cleaning of the titanium-containing substrate portions is performed with etchant including HF, and cleaning of copper- and titanium-containing portions is performed by HF etching followed by cupric chloride etching. Aluminum-containing portions of the substrate are not etched.

Abstract: Objects such as pieces of mail are stacked without making significant mechanical contact with the objects by an apparatus producing a laminar flow of air over a surface which defines or parallels the desired path of movement for the objects. The objects are placed to form a barrier between the laminar air flow and ambient air so that movement, such as turning an edge of the object to prevent impact on other objects and regulation of direction velocity and kinetic energy of the motion of the objects, may be guided by the Coanda effect of the laminar flow of air. The placement of the objects thus provides an acoustic barrier to reduce the generation and propagation of noise by the high pressure air used to create the laminar flow of air. An air amplifier reduces the volume of high pressure air required to control the movement of the objects.

Abstract: A diffraction grating coupled infrared photodetector for providing high performance detection of infrared radiation is described. The photodetector includes a three-dimensional diffractive resonant optical cavity formed by a diffraction grating that resonates over a range of infrared radiation wavelengths. By placing a limited number of p/n junctions throughout the photodetector, the photodetector thermal noise is reduced due to the reduction in junction area. By retaining signal response and reducing the noise, the sensitivity increases at a given operating temperature when compared to traditional photovoltaic and photoconductive infrared photodetectors up to the background limit. The photodetector device design can be used with a number of semiconductor material systems, can form one- and two-dimensional focal plane arrays, and can readily be tuned for operation in the long wavelength infrared and the very long wavelength infrared where sensitivity and noise improvements are most significant.

Abstract: A system and method reorients flat articles in a serial stream, by receiving a horizontally moving, serial input stream of substantially vertically oriented flat articles each having a downwardly oriented primary edge, laterally diverting the flat articles in the serial input stream alternately between a pair of separate paths, impeding horizontal movement of each flat article in each separate path, accelerating each flat article with impeded horizontal movement in the direction of its primary edge, and delivering substantially horizontally oriented flat articles from each separate path.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for singulating articles received in a slug and/or manipulating such articles to create a controlled gap between a trailing edge of a leading article and a leading edge of a successive article, while targeting a desired throughput. For singulation, a plurality of belts are mounted adjacent to each other with a slide chute between each pair of adjacent belts, articles moving from an infeed belt and passing from one belt to another through the chute therebetween. A plurality of sensors are positioned such that there is a single control sensor for at least selected ones of the belts, each control sensor sensing article position on a corresponding belt. Controls are provided for operating each belt in response to a corresponding control sensor, an operative state of a downstream belt and/or a difference between the desired throughput and detected throughput.

Abstract: A full-wave bridge switching power supply includes first and third “serially” connected switches and second and fourth serially connected switches. An output transformer has one end of its primary winding connected to the juncture of the first and third switches and the other end connected to the juncture of the second and fourth switches. The switches are provided with zero-voltage switching signals by way of transformers. In order to avoid the switch-slowing effects of transformer inductance, a subsidiary power supply is associated with each switch. The subsidiary power supplies of the first and third switches are coupled to the control electrodes (gates) of the first and third switches at turn-on, and the subsidiary power supplies of the second and fourth switches are applied during turn-off.

Abstract: A method allows determination of the presence of, the frequency of, and or the timing of a coded signal distributed in time, as for example a direct-sequence spread-spectrum signal or a signal having a coded header. According to the method, the received signal is correlated (16, 216, 316) with small sections of the spreading or header code, to produce partial correlations, as for example a 1024-chip spreading code is correlated in eight- or sixteen-chip portions. The result of each partial correlation is delayed (32, 232, 332/350) by an amount which results in temporal congruence or simultaneous occurrence of the partial correlations at a Doppler processor. The processor processes the simultaneous partial correlations, to produce signals which recur in the appropriate frequency bin at the recurrence rate of the spreading code. The frequency bin identifies the frequency of the received signals, and the time of the appearance of the signals at the bins is indicative of the time.

Abstract: A data processing system provides development of complex schedule plans under user control by using sorting and grouping processing to interface between a relational database and a scheduler application. The sorting and grouping processing provides for user-interactive editing of data in the database by presentation of groupings of activities developed in accordance with attributes of the activities concurrently with activities which are not included in a group. Editing of the group based on the presentation of other activities allows the user to apply acquired knowledge and understanding of the subtleties and dynamics of the activities and to make business decisions which therefore do not need to be represented in the scheduler application. Changes to data in the database are logged in a notebook or scratch-pad store so that data may be returned to its original or any prior state.

Abstract: The present invention provides a matched mode antenna feedline desiged to achieve simultaneous modal impedance matching with a multiple mode N-fold symmetric or N-fold polygonal antenna such as, for example, spiral antennas, sinuous antennas, modulated arm width (MAW) spiral antennas, log periodic dipole (LPDA), monopole (LPMA) arrays, and an N-fold polygonal antenna. In one embodiment, the matched mode antenna feedline (10) includes a plurality of transmission lines (20) arranged in a circular cluster around a central axis (12). Each transmission line (20) extends from an input end (22) thereof connectable with a device such as a beamformer to an output end (24) thereof connectable with an antenna feedpoint. A transition section (30) is provided between the input and output ends (22, 24) of each transmission line (20) wherein the transmission lines (20) are smoothly transitioned from a decoupled state proximal to the input ends (22) thereof to a coupled state proximal to the output ends (24) thereof.

Abstract: The invention is a satellite assembly comprising at least three flat housings in a plane for containing the payload of the satellite, each housing having at least two inflatable tubular members coupled by a first end thereto and by their second ends to separate adjacent housings. The individual housings have protrusions about their respective peripheries for attaching the tubular members at least equal to the number of the tubular members coupled thereto.

Abstract: A method for improving the determination of tracking and motion analysis information obtained from a set of received data points is presented. The method comprises selecting a determined number of data points for processing, determining at least one cost analysis matrix for each information item included in the selected data points, quantifying each of the at least one cost analysis matrix with regard to a known form; and providing a presentation for each of the quantified matrices. An operator may then discard those presented matrices that provide minimal levels of information and retain those that provide significant levels of information.

Abstract: A method and system for accessing information or data from distributed databases is disclosed. Generally, the method includes the steps of receiving an unstructured query from a user, generalizing the query to expand the query, receiving from the user selected terms of the expanded query, searching a directory for database tables and/or attributes matching the selected terms, and generating a pictorial query using database tables suggested as relevant by the search. Thereafter, an SQL query may be generated to retrieve the relevant data from the actual distributed databases.

Abstract: Systems and methods that increase the maximum data rate capacity per optical carrier on an optical link. The present invention intensity modulates an optical carrier with one or more (microwave) carriers that have been higher order modulated (M-ary ASK, PSK, QAM, and the like) using bandwidth efficient modulation. Consequently, as the number of bits/symbol is increased, the bit rate increases without an increase in occupied bandwidth. Thus, 2 bit/Hz or more of optical channel bandwidth may be transmitted.

Abstract: A system and apparatus provide for the packaging of electronic components as well as a monitoring system to periodically check and adjust connections between the various electronic components. A multichip module (MCM) may be employed with an interposer and circuit card interface to comprise an electronic assembly. Each of the components in the assembly includes external electrical contacts which provide for the conduction of electrical signals between the components as well as to remotely located systems. The electronics assembly further includes an actuator assembly which is employed to apply a compressive force to the electronic components in a stacked configuration and to periodically measure the resistance over a feedback circuit to determine that there is still a good electrical connections between the contacts. If the measured resistance is above a predetermined level, the compressive force may be increased to improve the electrical connections.