Other

The United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of the

Robert A Frosch

Robert W Rosser

Satoshi Nagano

Robert L Mueller

James B Stephens

Eldon L Jeffers

Rudolf A Schindler

Terry L St Clair

Harry R Allcock

John P O'Brien

Anne K St Clair

Theodore F Ciszek

Frank J Lombardi

Peter Wood

Charles G Miller

Samuel Berkman

Jose D Giner

Daniel B Leiser

Lansing M Carson

Larry T Taylor

Graham C Shaw

Richard R Thomas

Izhak Etsion

William M Ingle

Yea-Chuan Milton Yeh

Lien C Yang

Howard E Goldstein

Robert E Frazer

Atul Jain

Marnell Smith

Milton H Brockman

Harold E Temple

Amitava Gupta

John A Parker

Ara N Chutjian

Taylor G Wang

Thomas N Meyer

Allan J Zuckerwar

Arden Sher

Kazimiera J Paciorek

John E Ohlson

Earl R Collins, Jr

Gerhard A Koepf

Thomas Anthony Tombrello, Jr

Marvin H White

Donald Elliott Brooks

Charles B Wolf

David S Wang

Daniel D Elleman

Salvatore R Riccitiello

James B Laudenslager

Kam Y Lau

Hubert C Vykukal

David A Stewart

Reinhold H Kratzer

James M Kendall, Jr

Daniel D Lawson

Paul M Sawko

Thomas J Pacala

Patricia A Brown

Marshall Y Huang

Theodore J Wydeven

Kenneth R Sidman

Joseph T Bloch

Harry Levin

William D Kray

Stephen R Peck

Harold G Bush

Charles L Hamermesh

Abdus S Khan

Stephen W Thompson

Lock R Young

Steve D Gaalema

Grace L Picciolo

Antal K Bejczy

Michael J Kavaya

Lester J Owens

Russell W Johnson

Roger A Korus

Richard E Haskell

Madan M Sharma

Guy M Pelchat

Eric G Laue

James B Reswick

George D Doland

Thomas I Ito

John Holmes

Marshall F Humphrey

Emmett W Chappelle

Richard P Tschirch

David G Elliott

M Kudret Selcuk

C Martin Berdahl

Richard E Wallsom

Chialin Wu

John M Hedgepeth

Victor S Reinhardt

Allen G Ford

Jovan Moacanin

Gene R Petersen

A bioluminescent assay for ATP in water borne bacteria is made by adding nitric acid to a water sample with concentrated bacteria to rupture the bacterial cells. The sample is diluted with sterile, deionized water, then mixed with a luciferase-luciferin mixture and the resulting light output of the bioluminescent reaction is measured and correlated with bacteria present. A standard and a blank also are processed so that the light output can be correlated to bacteria in the sample and system 'noise' can be substracted from the readings. A chemiluminescent assay for iron porphyrins in water borne bacteria is made by adding luminol reagent to a water sample with concentrated bacteria and measuring the resulting light output of the chemiluminescent reaction. The light output is correlated with bacteria present. A standard and a blank are also processed so that the light output can be correlated to bacteria in the sample and system 'noise' can be subtracted from the readings. Modifications may be made in the methodology to differentiate between live and dead bacteria. An automatic system automatically performs a biolumenscent ATP assay on a concentrated bacterial sample. Reservoirs are provided for the sample, standard and blank. These are sequentially mixed with nitric acid from a reservoir by using two channels of a peristaltic pump. This acid mixture is then mixed with sterile, dionized water from another reservoir using two additional channels of a peristaltic pump and the resulting mixture is then mixed with a luciferase-luciferin mixture from an additional reservoir by employing two more channels of a peristaltic pump. The resulting solution flows through a photometer which indicates the level of the bioluminescent light reaction.

Rapid, quantitative determination of bacteria in water

An apparatus for processing multidimensional data with strong spatial characteristics, such as raw image data, characterized by a large number of parallel data streams in an ordered array, comprises a large number (e.g. 16,384 in a 128.times.128 array) of parallel processing elements operating simultaneously and independently on single bit slices of a corresponding array of incoming data streams under control of a single set of instructions. Each of the processing elements comprises a bidirectional data bus in communication with a register for storing single bit slices together with a random access memory unit and associated circuitry, including a binary counter/shift register device, for performing logical and arithmetical computations on the bit slices, and an I/O unit for interfacing the bidirectional data bus with the data stream source. The massively parallel processor architecture enables very high speed processing of large amounts of ordered, parallel data, including spatial translation by shifting or 'sliding' of bits vertically or horizontally to neighboring processing elements.

Massively parallel processor computer

A synthetic aperture radar correlation system including a moving diffuser located at the image plane of a radar processor. The output of the moving diffuser is supplied to a lens whose impulse response is at least as wide as that of the overall processing system. A significant reduction in clutter results.

Clutter free synthetic aperture radar correlator

An apparatus is described which provides a numerical indication of the cloudiness at a particular time of a day. The apparatus includes a frame (18) holding several light sensors such as photovoltaic cells, with a direct sensor (12) mounted to directly face the sun and indirect sensors (13-16) mounted to face different portions of the sky not containing the sun. A light shield (30) shields the direct sensor from most of the sky except a small portion containing the sun, and also shields each of the indirect sensors from direct sunlight. The relative values of the outputs from the direct and indirect sensors, enables the generation of a numerical indication (56) of the degree of cloudiness at a particular time of day.

Cloud cover sensor

A single-frequency multibeam synthetic aperture radar for large swath imaging is disclosed. Each beam illuminates a separate 'footprint' (i.e., range and azimuth interval). The distinct azimuth intervals for the separate beams produce a distinct Doppler frequency spectrum for each beam. After range correlation of raw data, an optical processor develops image data for the different beams by spatially separating the beams to place each beam of different Doppler frequency spectrum in a different location in the frequency plane as well as the imaging plane of the optical processor. Selection of a beam for imaging may be made in the frequency plane by adjusting the position of an aperture, or in the image plane by adjusting the position of a slit. The raw data may also be processed in digital form in an analogous manner.

Multibeam single frequency synthetic aperture radar processor for

A method and apparatus are provided for indicating the altitude of the tropopause or of an inversion layer wherein clear air turbulence (CAT) may occur, and the likely severity of any such CAT, which includes directing a passive microwave radiometer on the aircraft at different angles with respect to the horizon. The microwave radiation measured at a frequency of about 55 GHz represents the temperature of the air at an 'average' range of about 3 kilometers, so that the sine of the angle of the radiometer times 3 kilometers equals the approximate altitude of the air whose temperature is measured. A plot of altitude (with respect to the aircraft) versus temperature of the air at that altitude, can indicate when an inversion layer is present and can indicate the altitude of the tropopause or of such an inversion layer. The plot can also indicate the severity of any CAT in an inversion layer. If CAT has been detected in the general area, then the aircraft can be flown at an altitude to avoid the tropopause or inversion layer. The detection method can also be utilized to enable an aircraft to fly at an altitude at which the winds are most favorable for reducing fuel consumption.

CAT Altitude avoidance system

A method and apparatus for convection control of metallic halide vapor density in a metallic halide laser (10). More particularly, an apparatus is disclosed wherein a reservoir (48) containing copper chloride (62), which in the exemplary embodiment is the metallic halide chosen, is heated so that the copper chloride is maintained in a liquid form. The apparatus includes a means for flowing a buffer gas, which in the exemplary embodiment is neon, over the liquid copper chloride to provide a mixture of copper chloride vapor and neon (72') above the liquid copper chloride. A conduit (50) for providing fluid communication between the reservoir (68) containing the copper chloride vapor/neon mixture and the laser (10) is also included. The copper chloride vapor density in the laser is related to the liquid copper chloride temperature and the neon flow rate through the reservoir (68). In accordance with a further feature of the exemplary embodiment, neon is also provided directly to the laser in order to provide a further means of controlling the copper chloride vapor density in the laser.

Method and apparatus for convection control of metallic halide vapor

A thermal reactor apparatus and method of pyrolyticaly decomposing silane gas into liquid silicon product and hydrogen by-product gas is disclosed. The thermal reactor (1) has a reaction chamber (21) which is heated well above the decomposition temperature of silane. An injecter probe (100) introduces the silane gas tangentially into the reaction chamber (21) to form a first, outer, forwardly moving vortex (22) containing the liquid silicon product and a second, inner, rearwardly moving vortex (23) containing the by-product hydrogen gas. The liquid silicon in the first outer vortex (22) deposits onto the interior walls (28) of the reaction chamber (21) to form an equilibrium skull layer (26) which flows to the forward or bottom end of the reaction chamber where it is removed. The by-product hydrogen gas in the second inner vortex (23) is removed from the top or rear of the reaction chamber by a vortex finder (30). The injecter probe (100) which introduces the silane gas into the reaction chamber (21) is continually cooled by a cooling jacket (110) having water circulating therethrough to keep the temperature of the silane gas well below its decomposition temperature prior to being introduced into the reaction zone.

Thermal reactor

A new and improved secure communication system is provided. A product code, formed from two pseudorandom sequences of digital bits, is used to encipher or scramble data prior to transmission. The two pseudorandom sequences are periodically changed at intervals before they have had time to repeat. One of the two sequences is transmitted continuously with the scrambled data for synchronization. In the receiver portion of the system, the incoming signal is compared with one of two locally generated pseudorandom sequences until correspondence between the sequences is obtained. At this time, the two locally generated sequences are formed into a product code which deciphers the data from the incoming signal. Provision is made to ensure synchronization of the transmitting and receiving portions of the system.

Random digital encryption secure communication system

A mechanical end joint system, useful for the transverse connection of strut elements to a common node, comprises a node joint half 15 with semicircular tongue 14 and groove 60 and a strut joint half 24 with semicircular tongue 25 and groove 21. The two joint halves are engaged transversely and the connection is made secure by the inherent physical property characteristics of locking latches 12 and 26 (FIGS. 1-6) or by a spring-actioned shaft 70 (FIG. 7). A quick release mechanism (FIG. 7) provides rapid disengagement of the joint halves.

Mechanical end joint system for structural column elements

NiCrAl alloys are improved by the addition of zirconium. These alloys are in the .beta. or .gamma./.gamma.'+.beta. region of the ternary system. Zirconium is added in a very low amount between 0.06 and 0.20 weight percent. There is a narrow optimum zirconium level at the low value of 0.13 weight percent. Maximum resistance to cyclic oxidation is achieved when the zirconium addition is at the optimum value.

NiCrAl ternary alloy having improved cyclic oxidation resistance

A method and device for detecting the presence of a substance having predetermined characteristics. More particularly, a device is disclosed wherein a discharge grid (20) is provided having a sufficiently high voltage potential across its grid electrodes (32 and 36) so that the substance having the predetermined characteristics will cause an electric spark discharge to occur between electrodes, the electric spark discharge altering the predetermined characteristics of the substance by oxidation and/or vaporization so that the substance is no longer detectable by an electric spark discharge. A means for counting the number of electric spark discharges is provided (96), a count providing an indication of the concentration of the substance having the predetermined characteristics. One embodiment disclosed detects longitudinally extending carbon fibers suspended in a gaseous medium (12). Another embodiment provides for the detection of carbon fibers (66) adhesively attached to a collection tape (68). The tape is positioned against the discharge grid (70) and a high voltage is periodically applied across the grid electrodes (71 and 72) until electric spark discharges no longer occur.

Method and device for detection of a substance

An optical temperature gauge using a semiconductor crystal (12) having a band-edge shift property which is temperature dependent. An external narrow band light source (10) provides optical excitation through an optical fiber (11) and light energy thus passed through the crystal (12) is conveyed by a second optical fiber (13) to a light-to-electric transducer (14) at an external location, the crystal (12) thereby being locatable in cryogenic or other systems, to provide remote read-out. The light wavelength is varied (scanned) in a repetitive pattern in source (10), the instantaneous wavelength passing over the band-edge wavelength during each cycle of the scan. The timing of the crossover is related to the temperature of the crystal by electronic means (15 and 17). Several alternative elements of instrumentation are disclosed. A variation in the basic measurement apparatus is also disclosed, in which the band gap voltage of a light source (10) such as a laser diode is evaluated at the time of band-edge crossover in the crystal (12) and converted to a temperature value.

Optical crystal temperature gauge with fiber optic connections

A discriminator aided technique for acquisition of phase lock to a suppressed carrier signal utilizes a Costas loop which is initially operated open loop and control voltage for its VCXO is derived from a phase detector that compares the VCXO to a reference frequency thus establishing coarse frequency resolution with the received signal. Then the Costas loop is closed with the low-pass filter of the channel having a bandwidth much greater (by a factor of about 10) than in the I channel so that a frequency discriminator effect results to aid carrier resolution. Finally, after carrier acquisition, the Q-channel filter of the Costas loop is switched to a bandwidth substantially equal to that of the I-channel for carrier tracking.

Discriminator aided phase lock acquisition for suppressed carrier signals

An electronically controllable apparatus is described which modulates a continuous wave laser beam 22 so as to produce an output beam 42 consisting of coherent 'pulses' that are electronically controllable as to both pulse repetition rate and pulse width. The apparatus includes two acoustic devices 24, 26 positioned so that the laser beam passes through them in sequence, and apparatus 32 or 34 for passing sound waves through the devices to frequency shift the laser radiation as well as to diffract it. Each acoustic device such as 24 generates sound waves containing a group of frequencies which result in spaced pulses. The spreading of a laser beam at 40 which emanates from the first acoustic device 24 is countered by the second acoustic device 26 to produce a collimated, coherently pulsed, laser beam 42.

Coherently pulsed laser source

Growing community of inventors

US

Robert A Frosch