Abstract: An antenna including an electrically conductive portion defined substantially by a self-similar geometry present at multiple resolutions. The electrically conductive portion includes two or more angular bends and is configured to radiate broadband electromagnetic energy. The antenna further includes an electrically non-conductive portion that structurally supports the electrically conductive portion.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a discone antenna including a cone-shaped element whose physical shape is at least partially defined by at least one pleat.

Abstract: An antenna includes at least one element whose physical shape is at least partially defined as a second or higher iteration deterministic fractal. The resultant fractal antenna does not rely upon an opening angle for performance, and may be fabricated as a dipole, a vertical, or a quad, among other configurations. The number of resonant frequencies for the fractal antenna increases with iteration number N and more such frequencies are present than in a prior art Euclidean antenna. Further, the resonant frequencies can include non-harmonically related frequencies. At the high frequencies associated with wireless and cellular telephone communications, a second or third iteration, preferably Minkowski fractal antenna is implemented on a printed circuit board that is small enough to fit within the telephone housing.

Abstract: An antenna system includes a fractalized element that may be a ground counterpoise, a top-hat located load assembly, or a microstrip patch antenna having at least one element whose physical shape is at least partially defined as a first or higher iteration deterministic fractal. The resultant fractal element may rely upon an opening angle for performance, and is more compact than non-Euclidean ground counterpoise elements or the like. A vertical antenna system includes a vertical element that may also be a fractal, and a vertical antenna can include vertically spaced-apart fractal conductive and passive elements, and at least one fractal ground element. Various antenna configurations may be fabricated on opposite surfaces of a substrate, including a flexible substrate, and may be tuned by rotating elements relative to each other, and/or by varying the spaced-apart distance therebetween.

Abstract: A cylindrically conformable antenna (130) is formed on a flexible substrate (60) and preferably comprises a complex pattern (40) coupled to the first feedline (45) and, spaced apart from the complex pattern (40), a patch (80) that floats electrically. The complex pattern (40) preferably is a fractal pattern, deterministic or otherwise, but need not be a fractal. The shape, size, and position of the patch (80) relative to the complex pattern (40), as well as the complex pattern (40) itself, produces multiple frequency bands of interest. These bands may be varied by varying the relative parameters associated with the patch and complex pattern. The resultant antenna is substantially smaller than conventional antennas for the same frequency band, has a natural 50 ohm feed impedance and performs substantially as well as larger conventional antennas.

Abstract: An antenna system includes a fractalized element that may be a ground counterpoise, a top-hat located load assembly, or a microstrip patch antenna having at least one element whose physical shape is at least partially defined as a first or higher iteration deterministic fractal. The resultant fractal element may rely upon an opening angle for performance, and is more compact than non-Euclidean ground counterpoise elements or the like. A vertical antenna system includes a vertical element that may also be a fractal, and a vertical antenna can include vertically spaced-apart fractal conductive and passive elements, and at least one fractal ground element. Various antenna configurations may be fabricated on opposite surfaces of a substrate, including a flexible substrate, and may be tuned by rotating elements relative to each other, and/or by varying the spaced-apart distance therebetween.

Abstract: An antenna includes at least one element whose physical shape is at least partially defined as a second or higher iteration deterministic fractal. The resultant fractal antenna does not rely upon an opening angle for performance, and may be fabricated as a dipole, a vertical, or a quad, among other configurations. The number of resonant frequencies for the fractal antenna increases with iteration number N and more such frequencies are present than in a prior art Euclidean antenna. Further, the resonant frequencies can include non-harmonically related frequencies. At the high frequencies associated with wireless and cellular telephone communications, a second or third iteration, preferably Minkowski fractal antenna is implemented on a printed circuit board that is small enough to fit within the telephone housing.

Abstract: A cylindrically conformable antenna is formed on a flexible substrate and preferably comprises a complex pattern coupled to a first feedline and, spaced-apart from the complex pattern, a patch that floats electrically. The complex pattern preferably is a fractal pattern, deterministic or otherwise, but need not be a fractal. The shape, size, and position of the patch relative to the complex pattern, as well as the complex pattern itself, produces multiple frequency bands of interest. These bands may be varied by varying the relative parameters associated with the patch and complex pattern. The resultant antenna is substantially smaller than conventional antennas for the same frequency band, has a natural 50 &OHgr; feed impedance and performs substantially as well as larger conventional antennas.

Abstract: An antenna system includes a ground counterpoise or a top-hat located load assembly having at least one element whose physical shape is at least partially defined as a first or higher iteration deterministic fractal. The resultant ground counterpoise may rely upon an opening angle for performance, and produces a more compact antenna system relative to prior art non-Euclidean ground counterpoise elements. A vertical antenna system may be fabricated with fractal ground elements and a vertical element that may also be a fractal. Gain characteristics of antenna systems utilizing a fractal ground counterpoise are no worse than prior art, larger, systems, and exhibit improved vertical polarization characteristics, and a termination impedance of about 30.OMEGA.. A vertical antenna system preferably includes vertically spaced-apart fractal conductive and passive elements, and one or more fractal ground elements.

Abstract: A microstrip patch antenna having reduced size is implementing by providing a substrate having on one surface a conductive fractal pattern, and having on the other surface a conductive pattern that may (but need not) also be a fractal pattern. The fractal pattern is of order N.gtoreq.1, and if fractal patterns are formed on each substrate surface, the fractal family and fractal iteration number may be different. So fractalizing at least one conductive surface permits reduction of substrate dimension may be reduced to one-eighth wavelength.

Abstract: A first fractal antenna of iteration N.gtoreq.2 in free space exhibits characteristics including at least one resonant frequency and bandwidth. Spacing-apart the first fractal conductive element from a conductive element by a distance .DELTA., non-planarly or otherwise, preferably .ltoreq.0.05.lambda. for non-planar separation for frequencies of interest decreases resonant frequency and/or introduces new resonant frequencies, widens the bandwidth, or both, for the resultant antenna system. The conductive element may itself be a fractal antenna, which if rotated relative to the first fractal antenna will alter or tune at least one characteristic of the antenna system. Forming a cut anywhere in the first fractal antenna causes new and different resonant nodes to appear. The antenna system may be tuned by cutting-off a portion of the first fractal antenna, typically increasing resonant frequency.

Abstract: An image processing system and method which may be used for standalone deconvolution or, alternatively, may be employed as a staring point for very rapid convergence with subsequent use of prior art deconvolution methods. Processing speed is improved because the sequential requirement of the CLEAN method is relaxed. Fractional removal of noise is accomplished for multiple features within the image during the processing of a single subtractive iteration. Thus the number of iterations can be significantly reduced allowing dramatic reduction of the subtractive stage and a resulting increase in overall processing speed.

Abstract: A method and system for deconvolution derived from the CLEAN technique. The nonlinear CLEAN method, combined with a priori knowledge of the point spread function allows for extraction and subsequent transmission of the non-redundant information. The point spread function is then treated as the redundancy function. Thus, the data set may be regarded as a convolution of the non-redundant information with the redundancy function. Since the non-redundant data is a small subset of the overall data set, images and/or other data may be transmitted over narrowband channels using the system of this invention. Effective data compression may be further enhanced by using the system of this invention prior to additional compression or encoding techniques based upon the digital data and digital compression techniques.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing noise and enhancing the dynamic range of an image data set gather from an array (12) of transducers (T). The method includes the step of processing the image data set in a digital computer (17) by a noise reduction technique, such as deconvolving the noise component by means of a CLEAN or other algorithm. Thereafter the artifact image data introduced by the noise reduction technique is reduced by masking the processed image data set with the original image data set. This masking is done by multiplying each data value in the processed image data set by the corresponding data value in the original image data set. The method further includes scaling and normalizing the masked data and finally displaying the same on an image display device (42).

Abstract: An apparatus (10) and method for real-time reduction of noise components from echographic images. A plurality of scan line processor circuits (22) are connected through an interface (18) to an echographic imaging apparatus (20), such as an ultrasonic imaging device. Each scan line processor circuit (22) receives a row of dirty image signals (24) and simultaneously and independently performs a one-dimensional side lobe subtraction of noise components (a deconvolution of the dirty beam pattern) from the row of signals using a CLEAN algorithm. After subtraction, the resulting clean components are convolved by the scan line processor circuits (22) with a clean beam pattern to smooth the image for display. Finally, the clean image signals optionally can be masked by a masking multiplier (52) to remove processing artifacts and compressed by a compression device (56) to enhance contrast. The resulting masked and compressed clean image signals (26) are then displayed on a display device (17,20).

Abstract: An apparatus and method to generate low power ultrasonic, echograph images of selected stationary and moving target objects having high resolution. The apparatus and method include: an apparatus for transmitting a plurality of ultrasonic signals into a selected area of tissue, and apparatus for receiving the corresponding ultrasonic echo signals for each of the transmitted signals. A correlator autocorrelates and cross-correlates the transmitted and received ultrasonic signals. The correlated signals are summed, combined in ratios and partitioned into visibility amplitude data, visibility phase data, differential phase data, closure amplitude data and closure phase data for mapping. The preferred apparatus and method thereafter perform a non-linear image processing, either by an iterative side lobe subtraction signal processing procedure to remove signal noise and/or by an interative hybrid mapping signal processing procedure.

Abstract: A connector arrangement comprising a flexible, preferably molded, preferably plastic sheet having upstanding projections on one surface which are adapted to be received in corresponding, complementary shaped receptacles on the opposite surface of the sheet, such that with the projections in the receptacles, the two surfaces are connected together. The projections may have barbs on them or a ring around them and the receptacles then have cooperating grooves for receiving the barbs or rings for holding the projections in the receptacles. The projections may be conically shaped and the receptacle complementary shaped. The sheet may be of such thickness and the projections and receptacles of such heights that the receptacles extend up into the projections.

Abstract: A drinking straw in which the hollow tube has inlet and outlet ends that are coextensive with an engagement that engage walls of a drinking vessel to hold the straw and the vessel together and in which the an engagement includes turns which are a continuation of the tube and form an integral part of the flow path of the drinking straw.

Abstract: A hood-like device detachably attached to the window ledge of the door inside the car which conceals the locking handle protruding through the window ledge and prevents unintended unlocking of the car door.

Abstract: A fluid operated power generating system comprises a power producing unit or an array of such units adapted to be positioned in a flow of fluid. Each unit includes end walls configurated to cause fluid to flow therealong in a rectilinear path and has a passage leading therethrough from a lateral inlet to a lateral outlet. The through passage defines a constricted zone causing the velocity of the fluid passing through the passage to increase and the pressure of the fluid to drop in the constricted zone. A rotary device is in communication with the constricted zone and the pressure differential in the zone rotates the device.