In a time division multiple access communication system, burst time acquisition is accomplished automatically and rapidly taking advantage of the known range to the satellite. When the transmitter is turned on or when burst synchronization is lost, a low power acquisition signal, occurring at the frame rate and controlled in time by the burst synchronizer start pulse, is transmitted. At the receiver, an aperture is generated providing a window occupying all or a portion of the time slot assigned...

A data acquisition interface unit for interconnecting hard contact switches and other similar binary data sources to a data receiving station, such as a digital computer. The interface comprises a panel having data source input terminals organized into word groups of several bits each and an address terminal and common terminal for each word. Address selection means are provided for connecting the common terminal of each word to system ground in a sequential fashion thereby to systemmatically tr...

A small automatic test system having input connections for a multiplicity of test points from an outside system to be tested. This test unit rapidly scans through the test points and measures the voltage value at each point as compared to a predetermined tolerance range recorded in the test system memory, giving a GO and NO GO type of display along with the measured value and the corresponding test point number of a NO GO measurement. The limits defining the tolerance range for each test point m...

A waveform acquisition circuit for both real-time and equivalent-time acquisition modes with a smooth transition between modes. The circuit includes a control circuit which causes an analog-to-digital converter to take samples of an analog waveform in precise time relationship with preselected data points along the time axis of the waveform. The data points may be preselected in accordance with a variable increment.

In a digital processing system in which a plurality of control units communicate with each other and with memory over a common bus, an arbitration circuit associated with each of the control units tests for priority among the units requesting access to the bus, granting access to the highest priority unit as soon as the bus is not busy. Priority is determined by priority numbers assigned to each unit. Priority is tested simultaneously in each unit in synchronism, each unit using common lines on ...

Data from vending machines are acquired by a resident data acquisition unit (DAU) implanted in each vending machine. This unit senses coins in, coins out, products dispensed and door openings, among other activities, and provides a data base which records all of these activities. Each vending machine data acquisition unit (DAU) is interrogated by a data transfer unit (DTU) carried by a route service person and the information from each DAU is stored in the data transfer unit. The data transfer u...

A data acquisition system for a hot metal handling operation uses optical transmission of data from a plurality of hot-metal stations to a control computer. Preferably the computer transmits control instructions to operators via the optical link. In an aluminium pot-line arrangement the mobile transceiver may be mounted on the service crane.

A method of target acquisition and lock-on-launch strike capability of self uided explosive canisters, such as imaging missile systems and imaging artillery projectiles, by launching an imaging sensor platform over the battlefield area and transmitting imagery of the battlefield to an image processing computer system and an image receiving on-board microcomputer. The sensor platform may be an artillery television camera fired over the battlefield and parachute deployed, or an airlift sensor plat...

A Fourier transform NMR spectrometer incorporates a digital acquisition processor which provides a sequence of gating states specifying properties of the excitation, decoupling, and homogeneity spoiling pulses, lock channel operation and the like. Each gating state, together with the selected persistance time for the corresponding state, occupies one of a sequence of words supplied by the acquisition processor to a FIFO buffer. Timing control means, initialized from the persistance time portion ...

A data acquisition system utilizing a microcomputer and incorporating a plurality of monitors each adapted to produce an electrical signal indicative of a physical condition of apparatus to be monitored. The electrical signals are fed via multiplexing equipment and analog-to-digital converters into the microcomputer which is equipped with print-out means. The system is such that the level of any one or all of the signals from the respective monitors can be printed out as well as a change in the ...