Alcatel

Other

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Alcatel Telecommunications Cable

Robert A Spencer

Daniel D Uhm

Christopher A Hamner

David C Lam

Duane A Felton

A Luneburg lens is used in conjunction with a patch antenna array. The patch antenna array is conformed or adapted to cover a portion or backside of the Luneburg len's surface with the backplane of the conformed antenna array defining a field of regard (FOR) in which objects are detected and tracked. A processor is connected to a receiver/exciter module which connects to transmit/receive modules which are connected to the individual patch antennas through a network of MEMS switches. In a receive mode, selected subarrays of the conformed patch antenna array are scanned during selected time intervals with the sum and delta beams being formed coherently in amplitude and phase to realize amplitude monopulse sensing and angle tracking of an object.

Conformal array, luneburg lens antenna system

The present invention provides an improvement to a fiber optic draw furnace having a heating element (,) arranged inside a furnace shell (,) for drawing an optical fiber (F) from a preform (P). The fiber optic draw furnace (,) has one or more pieces of fiber draw furnace insulation (,) to separate the heating element (,) from the furnace shell (,) for reducing the thermal transfer therebetween. At least one of the pieces of fiber draw furnace insulation (,) is made from rigidified high purity graphite felt that provides highly efficient thermal insulation between the heating element (,) and the outer furnace shell (,). The rigidified high purity graphite felt insulation (,), (,) includes either a bottom insulation ring (,), a cylindrical insulation insert (,) or a cylindrical insulation canister (,).

Fiber optic draw furnace having a heating element and a furnace shell, featuring rigidified high purity graphite felt insulation therebetween

The present invention provides an improvement to a fiber optic draw furnace for drawing an optical fiber from a preform. The fiber optic draw furnace has a heating element having a shape for enclosing and heating the preform, and has a graphite liner having a corresponding shape to the shape of the heating element for providing a barrier between the heating element and the preform. In the fiber optic draw furnace, either the graphite liner is a high density extruded graphite liner that is impregnated with vitreous carbon completely through its entire graphite liner matrix, or the heating element is a high density extruded graphite heating element that is impregnated with vitreous carbon completely through its entire graphite heating element matrix, or both.

Impregnated vitreous (glassy) carbon graphite liner and heating element

An optical fiber furnace having an access port for a preform is disclosed. The access port includes a gas pressure generation and sensing device and an automatic shutter door assembly. The gas pressure generation and sensing device responds to a sensed gas pressure built up around a new preform being inserted into the optical fiber furnace, for providing an automatic shutter door opening signal. The gas pressure generation and sensing device also responds to a sensed outwardly flowing purge gas pressure escaping around an exhausted preform being removed from the optical fiber furnace, for providing an automatic shutter door closing signal. The automatic shutter door assembly responds to the automatic shutter door opening signal, for opening the automatic shutter door assembly for inserting the new preform into the optical fiber furnace. The automatic shutter door assembly also responds to the automatic shutter door closing signal, for closing the automatic shutter door assembly after removing the exhausted preform from the optical fiber furnace.

Optical fiber graphite furnace featuring an automatic shutter door

A bubble stripping and coating apparatus for stripping entrained gas from the surface of a fiber, then coating the fiber with a coating material having a bubble stripping and coater body and a die assembly. The bubble stripping and coater body has a bubble stripping gas entrance for providing a bubble stripping argon gas to a bubble stripping gas chamber for stripping entrained gas from the fiber and having a die assembly bore. The die assembly is arranged in the die assembly bore, and has a guide die having a lower guide die opening with a diameter of less than 0.016 inches.

Apparatus for bubble stripping and coating a fiber

A shoe upper is divided into front and back parts which are hinged together at the shoe sole. The hinge may comprise a creased part of the sole or a mechanical hinge. The parts are held in either an open position or a closed position by a tension spring or a rigid element. The spring and element are pivotally secured to the shoe sole so that their longitudinal axis will be above and extend across the rotational axis of the hinge when the shoe is flat. Additionally, the distance between their points of connection will be less than the corresponding length of sole between said points. This will provide a low stress open position and a higher stress closed position. The stress is created by tension in the spring or by the inherent resilience of the shoe sole counteracting the compression force caused by drawing together the points of connection when a user steps into the shoe.

Snap-on hinged shoe

An apparatus useful for cleaning the debris-laden transmission of an assembled bicycle having a bicycle frame, the transmission including chainrings and a free wheel gear cluster. The apparatus comprises a first reservoir adapted to be secured to the bicycle in proximity to the chainrings, the first reservoir including a first receptacle adapted to hold a quantity of liquid cleaning composition and to collect debris removed from the chainrings; and a second reservoir adapted to be secured to the bicycle separately from the first reservoir in proximity to the free wheel gear cluster, the second reservoir including a second receptacle adapted to hold a quantity of liquid cleaning composition and to collect debris removed from the free wheel gear cluster.

Growing community of inventors

Roanoke, VA, United States of America

Robert A Spencer