Abstract: The efficiency of one or more LED installations is achieved by holding the junction temperature of an LED at a low level by soldering the LED die to a small threaded metallic piece, such as a nut, which is then clamped to a larger piece having a lower thermal resistance to the air or other heat conducting medium surrounding the combination. Each of the die-nut subassemblies can be fastened to the larger metallic piece closely together without endangering any previously fastened die-nut subassemblies, thus achieving denser groups of installed LEDs. Assemblies according to this invention can operate efficiently in an electrical system several thousand meters long.

Abstract: An electrically grounded land surface mounting for an electrical fixture such as an airport runway approach light is disclosed. A flanged member connects a frangible coupling to a long, straight steel rod driven into the ground at the site. The coupling accepts a post supporting the light and can be broken if an aircraft wing or tire should strike it. The flanged member is adjustably clamped onto a first end of the rod extending above the surface of the ground at the site, and the remainder of the rod is buried in the ground at the site to discharge any electrical charge in the fixture or in the atmosphere around the fixture in accordance with the National Electrical Code or other grounding requirements.

Abstract: A lamp fixture is disclosed having a construction which permits a dome above a light source to drain the condensate which forms on its inside surfaces to drip areas along the lower portions of the sides of the dome which are beyond the reach of the light source or its electrical components. The condensate drops from the drip areas onto the inside surfaces of a lamp fixture lens disposed beneath the dome, runs down the inside surfaces of the lens, and issues through weep holes through the lower extremities of the sides of the lens onto a horizontally disposed surface outside the lens. The condensate evaporates from or drips away from the horizontally disposed surface.

Abstract: A discharge circuit for and method of operating a flashlamp are disclosed in which the flashlamp is reliably operated repetitively while reducing current surges from the electrical power source. A switch means is provided for shunting recharge energy through a non-reactive means around an energy storage means for the flashlamp. The rate of recharging the energy storage means is reduced at the beginning of recharging below the rate which would allow the flashlamp to conduct before intentional triggering of a flash.

Abstract: A radiation receiver is disclosed which, with no moving parts, detects both the azimuth and elevation of radiation in a panoramic field external to the receiver. The receiver includes at least one radiation sensitive element and a refractor. The refractor includes a plurality of prisms distributed on the walls of the refractor and forming a distributed focal plane adjacent to the refractor. The radiation sensitive element is located in the depth of field of the focal plane, and the image of at least one portion of the source of radiation is focused by the refractor from the far field of the refractor onto the radiation sensitive element. The disclosed combination reduces the possibility of damage by the radiation to the radiation receiver.

Abstract: A panoramic light emitter of an omnidirectional horizontal light beam with very sharp cut-off in the vertical plane is disclosed. The sharp cut-off prevents interference near airports. High average powers are attainable because the light source can be distributed rather than be a point source. The omnidirectional-in-the-horizontal-plane light emitter with a high degree of vertical beam control is achieved by combining a generally cylindrical refractor with an internally emitting open-ended generally conical light source. The internal emitting surface of the conical light source is in the focal plane of the cylindrical refractor. The refractor sharply images the source with its edges, and that image is projected panoramically as the light beam having sharp cut-off at the edges of the image. The external surface of the conical light source does not emit, thus preventing undesired angles of light from passing out through the refractor.

Abstract: A panoramic light emitter of an omnidirectional horizontal light beam with very sharp cut-off in the vertical plane is disclosed. The sharp cut-off prevents interference near airports. High average powers are attainable because the light source can be distributed rather than be a point source. The omnidirectional-in-the-horizontal-plane light emitter with a high degree of vertical beam control is achieved by combining a generally cylindrical refractor with an internally emitting open-ended generally conical light source. The internal emitting surface of the conical light source is in the focal plane of the cylindrical refractor. The refractor sharply images the source with its edges, and that image is projected panoramically as the light beam having sharp cut-off at the edges of the image. The external surface of the conical light source does not emit, thus preventing undesired angles of light from passing out through the refractor.

Abstract: A method of reliably operating flashlamps with most of the stored energy charged to a voltage below the minimum specified electrode voltage is also disclosed. The flashlamp discharge control method allows reliable operation of the same variable voltage energy storage capacitors with more than a ten-to-one selectable variation of lamp Effective Candella Power for visual signalling. The disclosed dynamic impedance matching method matches the energy storage capacitors to the lamp after the three terminal flashlamp is triggered to its manufacturers' specified "on" state in the conventional fashion. When the lamp's main discharge voltage becomes lower than the voltage of the more principal energy storage capacitors, discharge of those capacitors is begun, usually through a semi-conductor rectifier operated within its integrated limits.

Abstract: A high-energy high-efficiency electrical pulse transformer and a method of generating said high-energy electrical output pulses is disclosed.A pulse generating system including a multi-phase pulse source is coupled to a load through a multi-phase pulse transformer. The transformer comprises a core of ferromagnetic material that has a plurality of legs, one for each phase, and input and output windings associated with the core legs and coupled respectively to the pulse source and the load. Output pulses are generated by exciting each input winding with an input pulse of the corresponding phase so that the input windings are sequentially excited, inducing a flux in the corresponding core leg and generating an output pulse in the corresponding output winding.