Abstract: A system is disclosed in which a geographic area of interest can be selected, and information corresponding to the selected area can be downloaded and displayed by a user in an efficient and timely manner. The geographic area of interest may initially be selected by various input means such as a map, longitude/latitude coordinates, a global positioning system (GPS), and the like. Once the particular geographic area has been selected, geographic information corresponding to the selected area is downloaded to the user. The geographic information may include photographic images, radar, radio transmission, cell phone transmission, time sequenced images, ground moving target information, air moving target information, maritime moving target information, red or blue force identification and/or potential hazard areas information. The geographic information may be stored in a suitable data storage system such as a server. Alternatively, the geographic information may be generated real time and downloaded to the user.

Abstract: An optical bench 10 is cast from a single piece of material and provided with a number of optical component supports 14 which extend upwardly from a base 12. The optical component supports 14 are integral with the base 12, increasing their rigidity. The bench 10 may be cast with additional material in strategic areas to allow for future optimization of the bench 10—for example, the mounting of specific optical components throughout the bench 10. Further, the bench 10 may be provided with regions 24, 26, and 28 of varying rigidity by placing support struts 68 closer together in areas where greater rigidity is required. Apertures 30 may be provided in the bench 10 to enable the routing of conduits through the bench 10.

Abstract: A method to determine at least one characteristic of a material having a spatially modulated nonlinear susceptibility includes measuring scattered light in response to an incident beam provided to at least one surface of the material. An indication of patterning of the material is determined based on the measured scattered light.

Abstract: An electrical generator for use in conjunction with a heat exchange system having an evaporator and a condenser is presented. The electrical generator may include a control circuit, a moderator and a working spool. The moderator may include a moderator cylinder having a moderator chamber and three moderator ports in fluid communication with the moderator chamber. The three moderator ports are respectively in fluid communication with the evaporator, the condenser and the working spool. The moderator and working spool each may include a coil surrounding at least a portion of a cylinder having a piston slidably disposed therein. The working spool coil is configured for generating current upon movement of the working spool piston. Movement of the working spool piston is achieved through the selective admission of the working fluid to the working spool as controlled by the moderator and the control circuit.

Abstract: A coiled circuit device is produced by forming a circuit layer on a substrate. Optional insulator layers may be disposed above and below the circuit layer. The circuit layer, which may be memory, control, or other circuitry, is released from the substrate such that it coils into a dense, coiled device. A stressed coiling layer may be included which effects coiling when the circuit layer is released.

Abstract: A technique for suppressing stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in fibers intended to handle high powers. A fiber is embedded in an elongated embedding material to form an embedded fiber structure. The embedded fiber structure is formed either as a cantilevered beam or as one or more turns around a circular or elliptical path, and then the entire structure is deformed to apply a desired strain that varies along the fiber length and results in suppression of SBS. In one embodiment, the embedded fiber structure is deformed by applying lateral and generally diametric force across the turns of the structure, resulting in changes to its curvature. In another embodiment the embedded fiber structure initially has a helical shape, which is deformed by stretching or twisting to change its radius. In either embodiment, a desired strain profile is obtained by selecting the position of the fiber with respect to a neutral axis.

Abstract: The invention is a thermal insulation tile for providing thermal protection of the external surface of a vehicle. In detail, the tile includes a rigid ceramic core having top and bottom surfaces, side surfaces and parallel front and rear surfaces at a 15 to 45 degree angle to said top surface. A cover completely surrounds the core and is bonded thereto. A plurality of rigid rods extends through the core and the cover and are bonded thereto. The rods are at an angle of between 10 and 30 degrees to the top surface of the core, with the angle thereof in an angular direction opposite to the front and rear surfaces of the core.

Abstract: Soft handover of a mobile unit is facilitated on a wireless network from base station to base station. The network can employ multi-channel receivers to receive signals from mobile units within range, including mobile units assigned to neighboring base stations. Information associated with received signals, such as an indication of their signal strength, can be relayed to a central location for assessing whether the mobile unit should be assigned to another base station, and implement reassignment of one or more mobile units based on such assessment. Soft handover reduces dropped calls when the connection from mobile to base station is unexpectedly lost. The second BTS can add a carrier to communicate with the mobile unit and provides the mobile unit with the necessary parameters, such as frequency and time slot data, to complete the handover or the connection can be established through a variety of contingency plans.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a distributed array of antenna elements for receiving a radio frequency signal on a satellite communications link, wherein the radio frequency signal includes a known preamble; a plurality of mixers for translating the radio frequency signal to a plurality of baseband signals having in-phase and quadrature components; a processor for applying weights to the baseband signals, wherein the weights are found adaptively in response to the preamble in combination with decision-directed feedback when the preamble is not present; and a receiver for processing the weighted baseband signals. A pre-processor can be used to create sub-arrays of the antenna elements using maximal-ratio weighting. A method performed by the apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: An MMIC chip is disclosed that includes a planar substrate having a first surface and a second surface, a conductive layer having an opening on the first surface, a transmission line on the second surface, at least one conductor extending from the conductive layer to the second surface defining a waveguide around the opening, wherein the transmission line is connected to the at least one conductor such that a signal traveling along the transmission line is guided toward the opening in the first side by the at least one conductor.

Abstract: Ultra-high speed semiconductors that are usually very thin and therefore very fragile still require connection to a circuit board and a heat transfer pathway. Ultra-high speed circuits and semiconductor devices are provided with a carrier plate formed on the backside of a wafer or substrate by a variety of deposition methods. The carrier plate is a series of metal layers, each being selected to enable the attachment of a relatively thick copper carrier plate to the backside of the substrate or wafer.

Abstract: A technique for generating very-high-order Hermite functions needed for accurately simulating operation of various devices and structures involving propagation of electromagnetic waves. By using modified recursion formulas, the technique generates asymptotic Hermite functions, smooth Hermite functions or optimized smooth Hermite functions, allowing for very high orders of the functions to be generated without the intermediate function values becoming so large as to exceed the capacity of conventional computers. The disclosed method for generating smooth Hermite functions provides for generation of well-behaved functions of order 30,000 or higher.

Abstract: An improved system for infrared (IR) imaging of terrain is disclosed wherein or or more IR cameras may be used at one or more locations to record images at multiple focal planes. The images are all taken of the same field of view but at varied focal planes. Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) may be used to track each camera location and each camera captures images of the object. Information regarding the orientation of the camera may also be measured. The digital information from the images from each camera at varying focal planes, the distance from the object to each camera, orientation of camera and the GPS location of each camera is transferred to a computer where the data is processed through the use of merging and photogrammetry software utilizing appropriate algorithms to convert the multiple images into a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image with improved depth of field.

Abstract: A method and computer program to assign certificates/private keys to a token. This method and computer program allows a user to access a certificate authority and have certificates/private keys that are used for signature, encryption and role purposes generated and downloaded to the token. The use of secure communication lines and computers is not necessary since the token contains a unique token ID and private key, while the certificate authority contains the associated public key for the token. The certificate generated is wrapped in the public key and only the token, having the associated private key, may activate the certificate.

Abstract: A method of aligning a lens assembly to a focal plane array is provided. The method may comprise the steps of providing an upper cold shield which holds the lens assembly, providing a lower cold shield for holding the focal plane array, mounting the upper cold shield onto the lower cold shield, lowering the temperature of the upper and lower cold shield to a cryogenic level, translating the upper cold shield with respect to the lower cold shield until the lens assembly is aligned to the focal plane array while the upper and lower cold shields are at the cryogenic temperature levels, and fixing the upper cold shield to the lower cold shield while the upper and lower cold shields are maintained at cryogenic levels.

Abstract: A mail destacker is provided that includes a destacker plate and a retractable protrusion that can move between an article erecting position and a retracted position.

Abstract: A system and method for combining plural low power light beams into a coherent high power light beam by means of a diffractive optical element operating as both a beam combiner and beam sampler. An oscillation source transmits a master signal that is split into plural beams propagating at a common wavelength. Each beam is phase locked by a corresponding phase modulator according to a phase correction signal. The beams are directed through a fiber array to the diffractive optical element to allow efficient coherent combination of the beams at a desired diffraction order. The diffractive optical element includes a periodic sampling grating for diffracting a low power sample beam representative of the combined beam. A phase detection stage detects phases of constituent beams in the sample beam from which the phase correction signals are derived and fed back to the phase modulators.

Abstract: The present invention provides a spectral filter for an optical sensor. The spectral filter includes a substrate having a focus region and a defocus region, a panchromatic filter region disposed on the focus region of the substrate and a multi-spectral filter region disposed on the defocus region of the substrate. The panchromatic filter region includes a plurality of panchromatic pixels, while the multi-spectral filter region includes a plurality of multi-spectral pixels. Each of the multi-spectral pixels includes a plurality of color pixels.

Abstract: A fiber laser system and a related method for its use, in which one or more fiber laser amplifiers are cryogenically cooled and optimized to operate at a desirably high efficiency. Versions of the laser system using either thulium or erbium doped fibers are disclosed. In a high power version of the system, the outputs of multiple fiber lasers are coherently combined. Cooling by a selected liquefied gas, such as nitrogen, is applied to the fiber laser amplifiers and, optionally, to pump diodes and to optical elements used to combine the outputs of the fiber laser amplifiers.

Abstract: A laser diode assembly has a laser diode. The laser diode has an emitting surface and a reflective surface opposing the emitting surface. The laser diode has first and second side surfaces between the emitting and reflective surfaces. A first electrically-insulating heat sink is attached to the first side surface of the laser diode via a first solder bond, and the first heat sink has a first cooling channel. A second electrically-insulating heat sink is attached to the second side surface of the laser diode via a second solder bond, and the second electrically-insulating heat sink has a second cooling channel. A substrate has a top side and a bottom side, and the top side being in communication with a first bottom side of the first electrically-insulating heat sink and a second bottom side of the second electrically-insulating heat sink. The substrate has a flow channel system for passing a coolant to the first cooling channel and the second cooling channel.