Abstract: An optical fiber polishing arm assembly comprises a base, at least one side support, an overarm, and a lock shaft. The at least one side support is operatively connected to the base and has a first radial edge with at least one notch. The overarm is pivotally operatively connected to the base and includes a lock bore selectively aligned with the at least one notch. The lock shaft extends at least partially through the lock bore and is configured and arranged to selectively engage the at least one notch.

Abstract: A vehicle fuel system includes a vapor recovery canister containing a primary carbon bed and a secondary carbon bed. Each carbon bed is configured to capture hydrocarbon material associated with fuel vapor discharged from a vehicle fuel tank.

Abstract: A vehicle fuel system includes a vapor recovery canister containing a primary carbon bed and a secondary carbon bed. Each carbon bed is configured to capture hydrocarbon material associated with fuel vapor discharged from a vehicle fuel tank.

Abstract: A low complexity, high performance trellis decoder adapts the complexity of the trellis decoding process based on a current condition of the communications system. A trellis structure of nodes and branches is developed to decode the sequence of symbols received over a communications channel. Each set of nodes in the trellis represents the possible values of a received symbol at one time instant. Each branch defines a specific transition between nodes at different time instants, and each branch has an associated branch metric or weight. A linkage of branches between the nodes and the trellis defines a path through the trellis that represents one possible symbol sequence, and an accumulated metric/weight is generated for each possible path through the trellis. A variable number M survivor paths through the trellis is determined based on their accumulated path metric/weights. The value of the variable M depends on the current condition of the communications system.

Abstract: An optimum communication system employs an encoder coupled to a mapper and two parallel branches, each branch having a transmit filter a digital-to-analog converter, a low pass filter and a modulator coupled in series. Both modulators are coupled to a summer which provides an rf signal to a transmit antenna. A second antenna is coupled to a first down converter, an IF filter, a second down converter, an analog-to-digital converter and a decoder. The encoder is optimized by choosing a desired minimum Euclidean distance between symbols multiplied by the average to peak transmit power ratio (MPDR), an encoder alphabet and a number of constellation points. All possible encoder states and all possible input symbols are permutated to result in a plurality of encoder sets. The minimum distance between coded symbols and a P.sub.ib /P.sub.ab power ratio for each code set is determined. The encoder is adapted to output an encoder set U having a largest P.sub.ib /P.sub.

Abstract: An optimum communication system for communicating on adjacent frequency bands with minimal interference between adjacent channels comprises an encoder that is serially coupled to a mapper and two parallel processing branches, each processing branch having a transmit filter a digital-to-analog converter, a low pass filter and a modulator coupled in series. Both modulators are coupled to a summer, and an rf amplifier having a transmit antenna. The encoder is optimized by choosing a desired minimum Euclidean distance (DMED) between symbols, an encoder alphabet and a number of constellation points, permutating all possible encoder states and all possible input symbols to result in a plurality of encoder sets U, determining an in-band to adjacent band power ratio P.sub.ib /P.sub.

Abstract: A TDMA RF received signal is demodulated by first being filtered with a fixed transversal filter having a characteristic selected for matching a fixed square root raised cosine pulse characteristic of the received signal. The filtered signal is then adaptively filtered for compensating for a time varying impulse response of the channel. The adaptive filtering is performed initially during a synchronizing portion (preamble) of the filtered signal in accordance with a fast recursive least squares algorithm. Subsequent filter adaptation to a data portion of the filtered signal is accomplished in accordance with a computationally less expensive normalized least mean square procedure. The adaptive filter repetitively applies a modified Viterbi algorithm to blocks of 2D symbols, such that D symbols are released for adapting the adaptive filter means during the data portion of the filtered signal and the signal.

Abstract: An adaptive Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) (40) for a digital cellular mobile radio channel demodulator (30) employs a Complex Fast-Kalman Adaptation algorithm (56) to track channel variations. Sensitivity to sample timing jitter is reduced by providing the DFE with fractionally spaced feed-forward taps (50'). Deficiencies inherent in using a reduced precision implementation are overcome by adding a dither signal to sets of operations in the algorithm, the dither signal comprising an appropriately selected Gaussian random variable. For small delay spreads of approximately one third of a symbol duration or less, a resulting degradation in Bit Error Rate is avoided by switching the DFE out of the circuit or by reducing the number of taps of the DFE. For delay spreads of less than 40 microseconds and greater than approximately 10 microseconds, a (2,3) fractionally spaced DFE provides an adequate compromise between complexity and performance.

Abstract: A received time division multiple access (TDMA) signal having a time slot comprised of a plurality of symbols including at least one sequence of synchronizing symbols and a plurality of data symbols is demodulated by adaptively filtering the received signal to minimize inter-symbol interference due to an effect of channel signal propagation delay. The adaptive filtering step is performed by processing the received signal with a multi-stage lattice decision feedback equalizer having (M=N.sub.1 -N.sub.2) stages followed by (N.sub.2 -1) two-dimensional stages. A metric is next formed for each of the stages in accordance with a predetermined mathematical relationship between the output signals of each of two stages. A plurality of the formed metrics are next accumulated over a plurality of time slots.

Abstract: When folded the step stool is self standing and has a narrow width to permit the step stool to be stored in otherwise unusable spaces. When the legs are extended, a stable triangular support for two or more steps is provided. The vertical uprights of the device carry a handgrip positioned well above the level of the highest step to be useful when a person is on the highest step and during ascent and descent of the steps.