Abstract:
A coupling mechanism (11) comprising a receptacle (13) having an open cavity (31) therein, a plug (15) receivable in the cavity (31), and a rotatable coupling member (17) drivingly coupled to the plug (15) and coupling the plug (15) to the receptacle (13). A locking member (19) is mounted on the coupling member (17) for rotation with the coupling member (17) and for translation relative to the coupling member (17). A spring (21) acts between the locking member (19) and the coupling member (17) and urges the locking member (19) to translate with the coupling member (17). Translation of the locking member (19) is limited so that the spring (21) is compressed to store energy. A cam track (33) and a cam follower (105) have interlocking members which are driven into interlocking relationship by the stored energy in the spring (21) when the locking member (19) and the receptacle (13) are in a predetermined angular position relative to each other. The interlocking members retain the locking member (19) against rotation relative to the receptacle (13).
Abstract:
A system is coupled to a pointing mirror (12) for stabilizing it and its line-of-sight (13) from three-dimensional rotational disturbances (omegai, omegaj, omegak) exerted thereon. First and second two-degree-of-freedom dynamically tuned gyroscopes (26, 28) are secured to the mirror and placed respectively on its elevation and azimuth axes (22, 24). The first gyroscope (26) is coupled to electronic apparatus (30) to provide inertial rates (omega4*, omega2*) of the mirror respectively about an axis (13) angled from a line (17) normal thereto and about the elevation axis. The second gyroscope (28) is coupled to the electronic apparatus to provide inertial rates (omega2, omega3) of the mirror respectively about its pitch and yaw axes. Inertial rates (omegae, omegad) of angular motion of the mirror respectively about its line-of-sight pitch and yaw axes (e, d) are calculated from the inertial rates (omega4*, omega2*, omega2, omega3), and summed to zero so that torquers (23, 25) stabilize the mirror and its line-of-sight about its elevation and azimuth axes.
Abstract:
Multipactor device (10) has a waveguide bandpass filter structure (14) including a plurality of spaced pairs of opposing electrodes (16, 18) defining respective gaps therebetween in which multipactor action can occur in response to input microwave power in excess of a predetermined level. A radioactive source (50) of beta particles provides electrons within the bandpass filter structure (14) to ensure a very rapid commencement of multipactor action. The radioactive source (50) includes a disk (58) coated with a tritium compound (60) and mounted in a transverse bore (52) adjacent to the bandpass filter structure (14).
Abstract:
An image processing system is disclosed which is adapted for use in a system having means for storing in a planar array a plurality of output data samples from a scanning image detector. The invention generates first and second hexagonal sampling patterns within a window on the array. The hexagonal sampling patterns include a first set of data samples with a plurality of peripheral data samples, defining each hexagon, and a data sample at the center of the hexagon. The first and second hexagonal sampling lattices share a common data sample. The generation of the hexagonal sampling patterns is achieved by timing the sampling of the scanning image detectors. A weight is assigned to each data sample within each of the hexagonal sampling lattices and performs a convolution operation on the hexagons to provide a final value for assignment to the common data sample. The convolution operation is performed by coupling each data sample in each hexagon with an adjacent data sample in the hexagon. The coupling is effected by adding the products of the weights associated with each data sample and associated data sample for each coupled pair of data samples to provide first, second, third and fourth lines with first, second, third, and fourth associated line values respectively. Next, each line is coupled with an adjacent line by adding the associated line values to form first and second parallelograms with first and second associated values respectively. The parallelograms are then coupled by adding parallelogram values to provide a third hexagon with an asociated value. Finally, the first and second hexagons are coupled by adding the associated hexagon values to provide the final value for the common data sample.
Abstract:
A composite material (22) includes droplets (24) of a liquid crystal material dispersed within a matrix (26) of a photopolymerized polymer. The material (22) is prepared by forming a solution of the liquid crystal material and a monomer, and then polymerizing the monomer with light. The solubility of the liquid crystal material in the polymer is less than in the monomer. As polymerization progresses, a portion of the liquid crystal material separates as a second phase in the polymer matrix (26). The liquid crystal can be any suitable such material that is soluble in the monomer and less so in the polymer, and the monomer is a polymerizable acrylate or methacrylate. Liquid crystal devices are prepared by forming the composite material between two electrically conducting substrates.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein is a method of purging and sealing a heat pipe (10). An end cap (20) is brazed to the end of a heat pipe (12). The end cap (20) has a hole (28) therethrough, through which the heat pipe is charged. After charging, the heat pipe can be sealed simply by pinching the end cap to cold weld the hole shut, and at the same time any excess portion (40) of the end cap can be severed off. Using this process the end cap takes up less of the condensor zone, providing for more efficient heat exchange. Additionally, the seal is more reliable.
Abstract:
A cryogenic cooler (10) includes a dewar (14) spaced from a cold finger (12). In the space (18) between the dewar and the cold finger, a trace amount of a noncondensable gas, preferably neon, is added to the air to maintain the thermal conductivity between the cold finger and the dewar and thereby to prevent temperature cycling in the cooler.
Abstract:
A vehicle location system incorporating a plurality of ground enhancement stations (10) and at least one satellite (8) to receive encoded transmissions from a radio transmitter aboard a user vehicle (2). The satellite (8) transmits the signals received directly from the user and those relayed by the ground enhancement stations (10) to a base station (14) where a computer (88) calculates the position of the user on the basis of the time difference between the time of arrival of the signals. The use of the ground enhancement stations (10), located throughout the area in which the user is to be located provides lower geometric dilution of precision than purely satellite or purely ground base system, and in combination with the relatively simple transmitter (44) aboard the vehicle (2) and transponders at the ground enhancement stations (10) and satellite (8), substantially reduces the cost of deployment of such a system.
Abstract:
A three-terminal device which exploits the resonant tunneling of carriers is disclosed, with resonant tunneling through higher energy levels in a central quantum well for high speed operation. The new type of unipolar transistor has a base region consisting of the quantum well with reduced base resistance. The second highest subband is used for electron tunneling, thereby reserving the lower subband for a high electron carrier density which lowers the base resistance. The base is undoped to reduce impurity scattering. In a preferred embodiment the double-barrier structure is Ga1-y' Aly' As-Ga1-xAlxAs-GaAs-Ga1-xAlyAs-Ga1-yAlyAs. Alternative embodiments of the invention make use of other III-V or II-VI materials, such as InGaAs-GaAs-GaAlAs (with InGaAs as the well), or HgTe-CdTe. Since the lowest level is always populated, the GaAs well will be conductive, making it feasible to modulate the base region.
Abstract:
A process for preparing a T-gate (24) utilizes four layers (32, 34, 36, 38) of resist material on a substrate (12), which typically includes the remaining components of a field effect transistor. The first three layers (32, 34, 36) on the substrate (12) are photosensitive to deep ultraviolet light, while the fourth (38) or top layer is photosensitive to mid-range ultraviolet light. A narrow slitlike opening (42) is first formed through the top layer (38) by exposing with mid-range ultraviolet light and developing the exposed region. A pattern is formed in the three underlying layers (32, 34, 36) by exposure with deep ultraviolet light, using this opening (42) in the top layer (38) as a mask, and an opening (46) through the three underlying layers is formed by sequentially developing the pattern. The width of the opening (46) in the layer (32) contacting the substrate (12) is narrower than the width of the slit (42) in the top layer (38), but somewhat wider in the other two underlying layers (34, 36). Upon metallizing this structure and lifting off the metallization, the resulting T-gate (24) has a short gate length but a massive head (30) to reduce parasitic resistance losses.