Abstract:
An electric fuse, mainly for an incandescent lamp comprising a length of readily fusible electrically conducting material formed with at least one region of reduced cross-section between adjoining regions of larger cross-section, and having around the smaller cross-section region a quantity of electrically insulating material in the form of grains adhering to each other and covered by a protecting coating.
Abstract:
An electronic token, preferably of the "smart card" type is affixed to an article and arranged for contactless coupling with a read/write unit. In order to overcome the problem of security of paper documents, an electronic token of the type including on-board processing and memory is affixed to the document, and in use the document is placed so that the token couples with an external read/write terminal. Secure information may be accessed from or added to the token only by an authorised person having the correct passwords. The token may also be provided on passports, cheque books, etc. It may further be provided on a vehicle and used to store licence and tax details, maintenance history and data relating to its owner or driver/operator.
Abstract:
The memory area within an electronic token of the 'smart card' type comprising a processor (4), memory (7, 8, 9) and input/output means (5) is divided into an execute only region and a non-volatile read/write region. A method of loading an applications program is described in which the program is loaded into a portion of the read/write region by software methods and in which the application program may be altered if the use of the card alters.
Abstract:
An optical device for use in forming a holographic record, comprising a polarizing beam splitter and a spatial light modulator arranged to derive from an incident beam a focussed image beam and a collimated reference beam, the device being of unitary construction and providing substantially equal path-lengths for the image and reference beams.
Abstract:
A communication system comprises a main station 1 which defines a time frame containing a variable number of time slots. Each of a plurality of substations 2, 3, 4 etc., includes selection means for selecting a time slot for transmission of information to the main station. Each substation has an identity number and it divides this identity number by the number of time slots currently set by the main station. The remainder left after this division process is used to select the time slot in which the substation will transmit its information to the main station. If two substations transmit in the same time slot the mutilated time slot is recognised by the main station at 15 and 16 and the number of time slots defined at 17 for the next frame is changed so as to prevent repetition of such mutilation.
Abstract:
Un circuit intégré comprend un circuit moniteur (1, 3) destiné à défaillir avant le reste du circuit intégré, tout en permettant au reste du circuit intégré de continuer à fonctionner. Un circuit d'avertissement indique quand le circuit moniteur (1, 3) tombe en panne.
Abstract:
In a free-space optical communication system utilising infra-red wavelengths a lens (2) used for directing optical signal energy, for example onto a detector device, has one surface formed with a profile in one plane at least such that the beam width in that plane of the incident optical energy that is directed onto the detector device, over a predetermined range of angles of incidence, is greater than a predetermined minimum value. The lens may have different profiles in two orthogonal planes, such that optical energy is directed effectively onto the detector device from a wider range of angles of incidence in one of those two planes than in the other.
Abstract:
An electric power measuring device wherein input analogue signals representative of instantaneous values of current and voltage are applied to a multiplier (23) and the product applied to a converter (35, 37, 41, 43, 45, 47) to provide a pulse output signal having a frequency representative of the product and hence of the level of power consumption. Compensation for offset errors in the multiplier is effected by periodically reversing the polarity of one of the inputs to the multiplier and effecting corresponding reversals at the input to the converter to avoid irregularities in the output pulse rate when the level of power consumed is low.
Abstract:
An electric stepper motor of the kind having a cylindrical permanently magnetised rotor (1) providing equally angularly spaced poles of successively opposite polarity around its circumference and a stator (19) providing pole pieces (35, 37) around the rotor at corresponding angular spacings and arranged for energisation by an electric current so that the stator pole pieces are magnetised with successively opposite polarity. The surfaces of the pole pieces (35, 37) facing the rotor (1) are skewed so that the spacing between the rotor and the facing surface of each pole piece increases in a given direction around the rotor axis, thereby to ensure that the rotor rotates in a predetermined direction each time the direction of the stator energisation current is reversed.
Abstract:
An electric power measuring device wherein input analogue signals representative of instantaneous values of current and voltage are applied to a multiplier (23) and the resulting product signal is applied to a converter (35, 37, 41, 43, 45, 47) to provide a pulse output signal having a pulse rate representative of the product, and hence of the level of power consumption. The converter is of the kind including a capacitor (35) which is charged during successive periods of equal duration by the product signal and a much larger reference signal which reverses at the end of each capacitor charging period until the capacitor charge does not reverse in polarity during a charging period, so that reversal of charge on the capacitor is assured during the next charging period, whereafter the direction of the reference signal is again reversed at the end of each charging period. The reference signal is constituted by a bias signal component in the output of the multiplier to avoid errors in the converter output pulse rate due to spurious variations in the output of the multiplier.