Abstract: A pay program signal is scrambled in an exclusive OR circuiit by a scrambling signal (Ks) derived from a random number generator. The pay program signal is converted into a broadcasting signal by a converter. A transmission information processor alters every month, for example, the contents of an initial value signal applied to the random number generator in order to change a scramble mode. The information processor transmits, via the converter, cipher signal (Ei) for descrambling the pay program signal in, for example, the next month. The cipher signal (Ei1) is stored in a RAM of a subscriber. At this time, a memory area into which the cipher signal (Ei1) is to be stored is designated by a distribution page flag (DP) transmitted from the information processor. The information processor also designates the memory area storing the cipher signal (Ei1), by means of a reference page flag (RF), which is to be used. The key data is used as data to determine a descramble mode of the random number generator.

Abstract: In CATV systems employing one-way addressable converters in a subscriber's premise, a computer at the system head-end develops tagged messages for display on the subscriber's television to both promote upcoming pay-per-view events and to acknowledge a subscriber's order for the pay-per-view event.

Abstract: A ship-borne sonar heave compensation system measures the heave at time of transmit and at the expected time of receive of a bottom-echo which is approximated by the previous depth determination corrected for heave. Using these values of heave, the depth of the detected bottom-echo is corrected to provide the true depth corrected for heave. A chart recorder reads out from memory the sonar return signals, including the bottom-echo, corrected for these heave values to present a true picture of the bottom contour.

Abstract: A cylindrical member for preventing a roundabout of the supersonic wave is arranged around the transmitting and receiving opening of one of the sender or receiver of a supersonic wave device for a vehicle which is installed on the vehicle. Thereby the phenomenon of the roundabout of the supersonic wave is reduced and at the same time the duration time of phenomenon of the roundabout of the supersonic wave is decreased and the object of the short distance can be sensed.

Abstract: A cryptographic system is used for the secure transmission of digitized signals to a plurality of receivers. At the transmission end, a key consisting of two blocks, each including a plurality of key fragments, is generated. For each transmission session, different sets of key fragments may be periodically selected from one of the key blocks and used to encrypt the signals. Data indicative of the set selection is generated. The key is distributed to each receiver. The set selection data is transmitted to all receivers along with the encrypted signals and used to construct the key fragment set for decryption of the transmitted signals. During the transmission session, the other key block may be varied to form a replacement key which is distributed to each receiver. At the end of the session, the functions of the key blocks are interchanged in all receivers at one time by selecting a set in the varied key block for use in encryption and decryption.

Abstract: In a TV signal scrambling system for use in a CATV network wherein premium programs are transmitted over cable, by broadcast transmission and the like with the sync pulses of the color TV signals suppressed, a processor is provided which processes the color components separately from the luminance and sync components so as to remove coherency (constant phase relationship) between the color subcarrier and the sync pulses. The separately processed components with the coherency removed are recombined to provide the composite TV signal which is scrambled and transmitted to the subscribers. Subscribers having television receivers of the type which recover sync signals by count down techniques from the color subcarrier, such as those using some integrated circuits (chip sets) are then made unable to recover the sync pulses unless equipped with an authorized descrambler.

Abstract: A stretched vertical interval pulse is developed by a transistorized integrating circuit supplied with a composite sync signal applied to a data recovery and unscrambler circuit in a television decoder. The decoder includes a pair of transmission gates that are controlled respectively by VNX and VIX signals developed in the unscrambler circuit. The VNX signal is supplied through an OR gate to the normal transmission gate and the output of the vertical interval pulse stretcher is applied to the other input of the OR gate for delaying cutoff of the transmission gate by the VNX signal until occurrence of horizontal line 10, thus precluding blanking of post equalizing pulses.

Abstract: An arrangement for deciphering and decoding television pictures which were scrambled at transmission by submitting the video signals to cyclic permutations from the addresses x.sub.i of points of cut produced by a pseudo-random digital address generator. Said video signals being separate components such as analog components of the MAC type, the arrangement comprises for recreating the permuted signals two sets of random access memories (Y.sub.1, Y.sub.2) and (C.sub.1, C.sub.2, C.sub.3, C.sub.

Abstract: A portable animal control unit includes circuitry incorporated in a miniature housing for generating an animal influencing modulated soundwave in the ultrasonic frequency range. A first oscillator produces an output signal for driving an ultrasonic transducer, the output signal having a center frequency in the ultrasonic range. A second oscillator produces an output control signal for modulating the frequency of the first oscillator, the modulation rate being determined by the center frequency of the second oscillator output signal and the amount of deviation of the second oscillator from the center frequency.

Abstract: A pay television system generally comprises a signal generating center, signal distributers and subscriber devices. The center produces and combines a television signal and a control signal and supplies the combined signal to a common cable, and each distributer includes subscriber units which receive the television signal through a first filter and control units which receive the control signal through a second filter.

Abstract: A CATV television system has the sync and color subcarrier reference information replaced in the horizontal blanking intervals with compressed digital audio data. The digital audio data is in the form of a modified duobinary signal having data sampling points selected to coincide with the zero crossings of a color reference subcarrier. A phase locked loop provides the master clock for the signal generator and the data sampler. A horizontal interval detector circuit recovers a 1.8 MHz CW signal of greater than one half line duration, followed by a white horizontal identification pulse of 4.7 microseconds width, that are supplied in place of the pre-equalizing, vertical sync and post equalizing pulses in the vertical interval.

Abstract: A non-contact sensor system measures distance from a reference plane to many remote points on the surface of an object. The set of points at which range is measured lie along a straight line (N points) or are distributed over a rectangular plane (M.times.N points). The system is comprised of a pattern generator to produce a 1.times.N array of time/space coded light rays, optionally a means such as a rotating mirror to sweep the coded light rays orthogonally by steps, a linear array camera to image subsets of the light rays incident on the object surface, and a high speed range processor to determine depth by analyzing one-dimensional scan signals. The range camera output is a one-dimensional profile or a two-dimensional area range map, typically for inspection and robotic vision applications.

Abstract: A target member mounted on a stationary object, such as a pallet, includes at least three reflector elements. An identifying means, such as a high intensity light source, and an imaging sensor are carried by another, movable object, such as a forklift truck. The reflector elements are so configured as to form images of the identifying means with said images defining a plane oriented other than normal to align from the identifying means to that plane, the images also defining a circle that does not include the identifying means. The target member may be in the form of a vertically oriented planar support member on which are mounted a pair of convex mirrors and a concave mirror. The images of the identifying means in the mirrors are detected by an imaging sensor, such as a television camera, and the directions of each of the images at the camera are used to determine all six degrees of positional information of the sensor with respect to the target.

Abstract: A photo-electric converting device includes storing parts which store electric charges obtained through a photo-electric conversion process respectively from reflected light received when light projection is performed by light emitting apparatus and another reflected light received when no light is projected by the light emitting apparatus. The device computes storage signals produced from the storing parts and detects an electric signal which corresponds solely to reflected light resulting from light projection performed by the light emitting apparatus.

Abstract: A satellite TV system including a plurality of channel strips and a control computer wherein each channel strip includes a tuner and a modulator matched to each other and are both computer controlled. The tuner selects the particular satellite signal and the modulator selects the particular channel position on the TV. Both tuner and modulator circuits include a divide by 2 component which permits use of lower cost electronic components while producing high quality TV pictures or other outputs.

Abstract: A television receiver receives a scrambled television signal with a suppressed sync pulse which is restored by a decoder coupled to the receiver. The receiver also includes a noise inverter which alters blanking interval noise pulses below a threshold level to prevent the noise pulses from disrupting the operation of other receiver circuits. The operation of the noise inverter is inhibited when the decoder is operative in the presence of a scrambled signal.

Abstract: A velocity interferometer has a continuously variable sensitivity and is particularly applicable to the study of the movement of reflecting polished surfaces or back-scattered rough surfaces. The interferometer is a Michelson interferometer with a widened field comprising in a per se known manner a light splitter and two light reflectors, one of which is associated with a medium having parallel faces. The medium is constituted by a fluid in which the associated reflector is immersed and displaceable in translation parallel to the path of the light falling on it, the other reflector also being displaceable in translation parallel to the path of the light falling thereon.

Abstract: An enciphering key distribution system comprises a transmitter having an address generator for generating the addresses of those subscribers to which a first enciphered TV signal is to be distributed. An enciphering generator generates a second enciphering, in response to the individual addresses, on a one-to-one correspondence with the individual subscribers. A multiplier produces a product which is associated with all the subscribers. An adder adds the first enciphered signal to the product. The system also comprises a receiver having a divider for dividing the signal transmitted from the transmitter by one of the second encipherings on a basis which is assigned to the particular subscriber or receiver.

Abstract: Novel means are disclosed for conditioning a standard color-television composite signal, such as the NISC composite, so that pictorial information is represented according to Nyquist samples which are very coarsely quantized and therefore regenerable. This conditioning does not affect compatibility with a standard receiver or perceptibly reduce the quality of a picture displayed thereon. Carefully designed dither, such as 3-dimensional nasik dither, is employed to preserve picture information and quality despite coarse quantization.An improved receiver also regenerates the received signal so that unwanted noise, distortion and interference are removed. The disclosure exemplifies the teachings of the invention in terms of broadcast and cable television systems and video recording systems. An improved videodisk record is disclosed and means whereby, in a pay-television system, the picture incorporated into a standard composite signal may be key-encrypted according to a private cryptographic key.

Abstract: The beam of a laser radar is moved over the field of view by means of a p of scanner/trackers arranged in cascade along the laser beam. One of the scanner/trackers operates at high speed, with high resolution and a narrow field and is located in the demagnified portion of the laser beam. The other scanner/tracker operates at low speed with low resolution and a wide field and is located in the magnified portion of the laser beam. The two scanner/trackers complement each other to achieve high speed, high resolution scanning as well as tracking of moving targets. A beam steering telescope for an airborne laser radar which incorporates the novel dual mode scanner/tracker is also shown.