Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Raytheon Company

Joseph A Wysocki

Michael R Vince

Gregory L Tangonan

Stephen W McCahon

Stephen C Rand

Ronald B Chesler

Patrick J Fitzgerald

John T Kenna

John T Fialko

William M Clark, Jr

Joseph L Pikulski

Jesse N Matossian

Robert L Seliger

Antonio C Pastor

Frederick G Yamagishi

Lynwood W Swanson

John Steven Szalay

Anthony L Gentile

Mark W Utlaut

Edward F Ryntz, Jr

Victor Wang

George H Hulderman

David L Persechini

Frans G Krajenbrink

Vincent L Jones

Wilbur M Bailey

Edmund K Storms

Arlie G Standlee

Anthony E Bell

Robert J Morrison

George R Blair

Robert G Behrens

Eugene G Szklarz

Laurie Keiko Taira-Griffin

Robert G Wilson

Alfred M Schwider

The end face (32) of the optical fiber (24) of a fiber optical terminal (10) is finished by installing the fiber in a terminal ferrule (18), cleaving an end of the fiber close to the end face (54) of the ferrule, and heating the cleaved fiber end face so as to soften its end face and cause it to assume a smooth, rounded configuration. The heating is accomplished, for a glass fiber, by application of the beam of a carbon dioxide laser (60) to the optical fiber end face. The heat softened end face assumes a smooth, rounded configuration that minimizes back reflection. A system including a laser (105), shutter (102), beam expander (108) and parabolic mirror (110) heats the fiber end face that is positioned at the parabola faces by a three axis manipulator (156,158) and holder (152). Orthogonal viewing systems (126, 142) enable visual monitoring of the process.

Heat formed optical fiber end face

A mechanical regulation system for controlling tow line payout between the aerobody and a towing vehicle. The system comprises a housing, a nonrotating spool, and a tow line wound around the spool that is coupled between the aerobody and the vehicle. The regulation portion of the present system comprises a rotatable wedge-shaped tube, having the tow line wrapped around it. A rotatable mechanical regulator is slidably coupled to the wedge-shaped tube. The regulator is adapted to rotate with the tube and move transversely along the length of the tube as the tow line is removed from the spool. A brake mechanism is provided as part of the regulator, and a brake drum is disposed adjacent the periphery of the regulator that is contacted by the brake mechanism.

Mechanical tow line regulation system for an airborne towed aerobody

A launching and regulation system that incorporates an expendable towing and deployment mechanism for use with a towed aerobody that provides for launching and controlled tow line payout between the towed aerobody and a towing vehicle. The system comprises a housing, a nonrotating spool disposed in the housing, and a tow line wound around the spool that is coupled between the aerobody and the vehicle. The tow line preferably comprises a photonic, fiber optic, link. The launching mechanism comprises a plurality of impulse cartridges for deploying the aerobody and severing the tow line at a predetermined time. A spring piston is disposed inside a wedge-shaped tube that confines expanding gasses within the tube that are generated by an impulse cartridge and moves the spring piston to launch the aerobody. The regulation mechanism may comprise a mechanical system or adhesive resin system. The mechanical system comprises a rotatable wedge-shaped tube, and the tow line is wrapped around it. A rotatable mechanical regulator is slidably coupled to the wedge-shaped tube. The regulator rotates with the tube and move transversely along the length of the tube as the tow line unwinds. A brake mechanism and a brake drum are provided to control payout of the tow line. The adhesive resin system comprises an adhesive resin coating disposed on the tow line that has an adhesion coefficient that permits it to peel off of the spool at a predetermined rate. Either regulation system provides the ability to control the rate at which the tow line comes off of the spool such that tow line tension is regulated during deployment. A severing mechanism is provided for severing the tow line using an impulse cartridge.

Airborne towed aerobody employing an expendable towing/deployment

An optical fiber fusion splicer apparatus (20) comprises a laser power source that produces a laser beam (32) having a laser beam axis (26). The laser power source includes a laser (22), a shutter (28) that controllably blocks and passes the laser beam, and an optical system (30) that expands the diameter of the laser beam. A parabolic mirror (34) has its axis coincident with the laser beam axis (26) and a bore (48) therethrough coincident with the laser beam axis (26). Optical fiber clamps (42, 46) hold the two optical fibers (40, 44) with their axes coincident with the laser beam axis (26) and their ends (62, 64) at the focal point (38) of the parabolic mirror (34). A sensor (82) measures the power reaching the optical fiber ends (62, 64) at the focal point (38) of the parabolic mirror (34), and a controller (72) controls the power level of the laser (22) responsive to the power measured by the sensor. The alignment of the optical fibers (40, 44) is sensed, preferably by a reflective device (74) that measures their internal reflectance or a video camera (68) that images their peripheries, and the optical fiber ends (62, 64) are aligned responsively.

Optical fiber laser fusion splicer

An optical fiber (22) is tested for payout properties by supporting it on a payout support (24 ), preferably in the form of a hollow frustum of a cone, and attaching an unsupported end (26 ) of the optical fiber (22) to a projectile (42) that is thereafter propelled rapidly by expanding gas. The expanding gas is preferably generated explosively or by pressurizing the rearward end of the stationary projectile (42) and then releasing the projectile (42). A pneumatic gun (40) suitable for such testing has a barrel (44) sufficiently large to receive the projectile (42), a latching mechanism (60) that releasably engages the projectile (42), a closure (50) at the rearward end of the barrel (44) with a bore (58) therethrough concentric with the axis of the barrel (44) through which the optical fiber (22) passes and is drawn. The pneumatic gun (40) further includes a gas reservoir (48) that supplies a pressurized gas to the back side of the projectile (42). In operation of the pneumatic gun (40), the gas pressure is raised to a desired level with the projectile (42) latched, and then the latching mechanism (60) is released to permit the projectile (42), and attached optical fiber (22), to move rapidly forward as the gas expands.

Method and apparatus for testing optical fibers

The resistance to wear-induced failures during forming operations of non-ferrous die tooling materials, such as epoxy-based and zinc-based materials, is improved by treating the surface of the die tooling. In one approach, the surface of an organic-containing or metallic substrate is coated with a silicon-modified organic materials and then implanted with ions of an inert gas to transform the organic material to a silicon carbide-rich layer. In the other, nitrogen ions are implanted into the surface of a zinc-based alloy.

Die improved tooling for metal working

A process is provided for the controlled growth of titanium carbide. Essentially, relatively fast, or low temperature growth, favors growth of single crystals having (100) orientation, while relatively slow, or high temperature growth, favors single crystals having (111) orientation. The process obviates the need for any seed crystals and permits growth of rods having diameters exceeding 1 cm.

Orientation control of float-zone grown TiC crystals

A fiber optic buffer defect detection system including a laser, for illuminating the fiber buffer with a collimated beam of light energy, and detectors for detecting any scattering of the beam, from a defect in the fiber buffer. The detectors are mounted to collect scattering out of a radial plane defined by the angular rotation of the beam about the fiber at the point of intersection of the beam with the fiber buffer.

Optic fiber buffer defect detection system

An improved polarization preserving birefringent fiber optic member is provided having cross-sectional circular cladding and core members of soft glasses. A metallic coating of an approximately circular configuration, that is offset from the axis of the core and cladding members, is provided with sufficient thickness to provide an anisotropic variation in compressional strain on the core member to create the anisotropy of the refracted index of the core member for preserving polarization characteristics. The optical fiber can be formed by heating a mechanical composite of a core rod and cladding tube, drawing the core and cladding to form a fused fiber and transporting the drawn fiber through a coating bath to provide the variation in thickness.

Polarization preserving optical fiber and method of manufacturing

Cylindrical rods of titanium carbide or other refractory material with uniform, high density are prepared by hot pressing plates from powders of the material, with a uniaxial pressing pressure applied to the broad faces of the plate. Bars of square cross section are then cut from the plate and machined to cylindrical rods. The process is particularly suited to the preparation of refractory material preforms to be used in single crystal growth by the float zone method. Titanium carbide rods having a highly uniform density of about 96% that of the theoretical maximum can be readily prepared and then grown into titanium carbide crystals.

Fabrication of rods of uniform high density from powders of refractory

A liquid metal ion source and alloy for the simultaneous ion evaporation of arsenic and boron, arsenic and phosphorus, or arsenic, boron and phosphorus. The ionic species to be evaporated are contained in palladium-arsenic-boron and palladium-arsenic-boron-phosphorus alloys. The ion source, including an emitter means such as a needle emitter and a source means such as U-shaped heater element, is preferably constructed of rhenium and tungsten, both of which are readily fabricated. The ion sources emit continuous beams of ions having sufficiently high currents of the desired species to be useful in ion implantation of semiconductor wafers for preparing integrated circuit devices. The sources are stable in operation, experience little corrosion during operation, and have long operating lifetimes.

Liquid metal ion source and alloy for ion emission of multiple ionic

A process and apparatus for preparing a glass fiber circumferentially coated with an amorphous metallic alloy, wherein the glass fiber is drawn to substantially its final diameter and then coated with amorphous metallic alloy. The coating is accomplished by passing the drawn glass fiber vertically through an opening formed between two circumferentially abutting, counter-rotating, circumferentially grooved rolls having a pool of a glass-forming alloy continuously supplied from a crucible and supported in the nip of the rolls adjacent the opening. The drawn glass fiber first passes through the pool of molten alloy and then immediately into the opening defined between the two rolls, whereby the metallic alloy coated onto the drawn glass fiber is rapidly cooled to form an amorphous coating.

Process and apparatus for preparing glass fibers coated with amorphous

There is disclosed a metallic clad glass fiber optical waveguide suitable for use as a high-strength optical transmission line, e.g., for high capacity communications systems and for sensors operating at high temperature. At least two metallic claddings or coatings are formed on the glass waveguide structure, which comprises a core and glass cladding, by coating the glass fiber with at least one of the metallic coatings as it emerges from the furnace with a metal or alloy. The first metal or alloy employed is one that is substantially chemically inert with respect to the material comprising the glass fiber at the deposition temperature during coating of the metal or alloy onto the glass fiber. The second metallic coating may be of the same composition as the first, in order to repair pinholes or to increase the thickness. Alternatively, the second metallic coating may be of a different composition than the first in order to provide the waveguide with mechanical properties that are different than either layer alone could provide. Specific electrical and magnetic properties may also be provided. The metallic coatings prevent chemical or mechanical damage to the glass surface. A plastic coating is optionally provided for additional protection of the metallic surface.

Multiply coated metallic clad fiber optical waveguide

Growing community of inventors

Oxnard, CA, United States of America

Joseph A Wysocki