Trw Limited

Other

Robert E Brooks

Lee O Heflinger

Madan M Sharma

George L Clark

Ralph F Wuerker

Donald C Winter

David Penunuri

Chandrasekhar Roychoudhuri

An improved laid-on labeler is designed for substantially increased operating speeds when compared to prior art systems. The labeler includes an articulating labeling arm with a label peel blade. The labeling arm is attached to a support structure at a pivot point immediately above and below which are a respective pair of deflecting idler rollers through which a continuous label web is fed. With the label web being supported at the pivot point of the labeling arm, torque on the labeling arm from starting and stopping the label web is minimized. The label web passes between a drive roller and respective nip rolls on both a pay-out and a take-up side which relieves differential tension on the label web as it passes over the peel blade, thus minimizing or eliminating tearing and breaking of the web as drive speeds increase. Control is via a PLC, which also controls a variety of optional features.

High speed labeler

Apparatus for multiplexing or demultiplexing multiple laser beams of different wavelength. In multiplexing, the outputs from multiple diode lasers are combined in such a manner as to produce a practically parallel set of beams for direction onto a diffraction grating. The latter component deflects each beam from its normal path by an angular amount determined from the wavelength of the incident light. The angles of incidence of the multiple beams are chosen to provide angles of diffraction that are practically identical for all wavelengths under consideration. In demultiplexing, similar apparatus includes a diffraction grating to provide angular dispersion of the multiple wavelengths, at least one lens to magnify the angular differences, and a set of detectors positioned in the paths of the dispersed beams of different wavelengths.

Wavelength multiplexing of lasers

A beam deflection system for use in optical radar, communications, or optical display apparatus, having the ability to scan multiple 'target' clusters that are widely scattered over a large angular field. In its transmission mode of operation, the system switches a laser beam sequentially across an array of focal elements, moving the beam at high speed, since total beam movement across the array is limited to only a few degrees. The system includes an expansion telescope, which expands the succession of beams from the array of focal elements and directs them onto an array of larger, movable optical elements, such as gimbaled mirrors, which direct the successive beams toward scattered target areas in a large angular field. The system also includes a beam scanning device, for 'microscanning' the beam through a number of separately resolvable positions within the field of view of each of the array of focal elements.

Agile optical beam steering system

A device, and a corresponding method for its operation, for converting binary electrical signals into optical form and for scrolling the optical signals across an array of liquid crystal cells. The device in its two-dimensional form includes an array of rows of liquid crystal cells of the ferroelectric smectic type, input circuits for applying binary signals to an input cell in each row, and a three-phase clocking circuit connected to the remaining cells in each row, to propagate the states of the input cells rapidly into successive cells across the array, in the same manner as a shift register, but with the signals being stored in optical form for ease of processing in optical processing apparatus.

Scrolling liquid crystal spatial light modulator

A system for deriving parallel data from a source, such as a detector array within an enclosed cryogenic volume utilizes remote optical sensing of micromechanical modulators so as to minimize power requirements and heat loss while providing full bandwidth operation. Subgroupings of the detector elements are used in multiplexed fashion to drive high speed micromechanical modulators in binary fashion until the entire detector array has been scanned. The deflection states of the micromechanical modulators are remotely sensed by optical means and the parallel data then reassembled or processed as desired. With this configuration the detector and modulator arrays may be disposed compactly within a cryogenic enclosure and external thermal inputs limited to low levels.

Spatial light modulator systems

Dynamic variation of the functional properties of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device is achieved by using photoconductive material on a wave propagating substrate and illuminating the material with changing light patterns. Photoconductive materials, such as lead sulfide or cadmium sulfide, are used that are essentially dielectrics and have substantially no effect on SAW propagation when not illuminated, but under suitable levels of illumination become resistive and interact with the electric fields of the waves to dissipate energy as heat. Scanning control of the areas of illumination may be used to attenuate sidelobes and scattering in a wideband system, while intensity variations may be used to amplitude modulate the waves.

Surface acoustic wave systems and methods

An apparatus for indicating the position of a movable member, such as a manual control lever, which uses light signals. The apparatus includes at least three light guides and means for introducing distinctively different, cyclically varying light signals into at least two of the light guides. The degree of optical coupling between the third light guide and each of the other two light guides is controlled in accordance with the position of the movable member. An indication of the position of the member is then provided by detecting the third light signal and indicating the extent to which it exhibits the distinctive characteristics of the first and second light signals.

Position indicator employing light guides

A system for processing of multifrequency input signals to provide a Fourier transform output is provided which can, for example, partition a wide input frequency band into a number of narrow bands and concurrently detect the presence of one or more signals of different frequency in the input. An array of input wave energy transducers is energized with the broadband signal, and by virtue of progressive shifting of the transducers relative to the propagating medium (such as a surface acoustic wave substrate) generates one or more composite wavefronts dispersed at frequency dependent angles. An array of output transducers are disposed along a focal region, each responding to wave energy within a specific frequency range received at its location due to dispersion of the composite wavefront. Such systems preserve phase coherence while responding to multiple input frequencies, but are compact and mass producible at relatively low cost.

Signal processing system and method

A novel hologram functioning as a multiple lenslet array of high density in which the lenslets have selected small spacings and relatively long focal lengths is disposed in a holographic data recording system to provide an object beam along a selected axis. Using the holographic lens array, a data hologram may be recorded with improved uniformity between data points, efficiency, hologram illumination, and with minimization of data beam blockage. In preparing the novel hologram, a coherent object beam may be used to define a plurality of sources for simultaneous recording of a plurality of lenslets. The lenslets of a refractive precursor array defined by a commercially available fly's eye lens may be illuminated simultaneously, and selected size, shape, spacing and f- number characteristics for the lenslets may be achieved by concurrent optical transformation of the individual beamlets before recording. The precursor array may advantageously be immersed in a surrounding fluid of controllable refractivity, to substantially increase the effective focal length at the precursor lenses, and enable a substantially larger area of each lenslet to be used.

Holographic lens array and method for making the same

Apparatus and method wherein a photographic plate is doubly exposed by pulsed laser illumination to record successive instants in the history of an object under consideration. The doubly exposed plate is then developed and the photograph or hologram is used to reproduce the object in full three-dimensional detail including subtle changes in the object in the form of interference fringes where the hologram is illuminated with continuous laser illumination.

Growing community of inventors

Manhattan Beach, CA, United States of America

Robert E Brooks