Abstract: A system which retrofits to an existing surveillance system and cooperates with sensors, video cameras and video monitors of the existing surveillance system. The system comprises a plurality of processing boards having a substantially similar architecture. Several frame grabber/frame storage processing boards are provided, each of which digitize the analog video signals from the video cameras and stores the digital data in a solid state buffer memory. Several display boards are provided to display the digitized video data on display monitors. A controller board controls the exchange of video data and command or control messages over a video link and between processing boards, respectively. Additional expansion boards may be added to support additional buffering and system options. Each processing board is built around a parallel processing computer chip.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting transient episodes includes parallel connected transient episode detectors (peripheral devices) to measure short-lived disturbances concurrently, each uniquely associated in series with one of a multiplicity of analog sensors. A shared memory connects an object sensor with its uniquely associated transient episode detector. The transient episode detector outputs signals through a second shared memory to a host disturbance processor. The transient episode detector adaptively tracks and masks background noise through use of a noise statistics stack. The stack is operated in two different modes: initialization and update. In the initialization mode, the stack operates in a recursive sort from the bottom up to replace initial dummy data with ordered noise level peak value measurements. In the update mode, only new significant non-redundant noise level peak values which fall outside of a defined central normal range of the stack are used to update the stack.

Abstract: A torpedo recovery system including an expandable sleeve surrounding a portion of the torpedo. Upon activation of the recovery system gas is introduced into the sleeve, causing it to expand. The sleeve is clamped firmly at two distinct longitudinal positions along the torpedo and is releasably clamped at a third longitudinal position. When the differential pressure between gas inside of the sleeve and water outside the sleeve reaches a predetermined threshold level, the releasable clamp releases the sleeve allowing it to gradually expand to form a doughnut-shaped floatation collar. The expanding sleeve provides gradually increasing drag to slow the torpedo and then positive buoyancy for lifting it to the water's surface.