The automatic information acquisition system includes a process for the control of a tunable radio receiver to automatically receive, decode, and store digitally-coded information which has been transmitted by radio. Key elements of the system include a general-purpose digital computer, a tunable radio receiver, a hardware signal decoder (multi-mode data controller), a hardware interface (Mark/Space detector), and controlling software. The software causes the radio receiver to scan a pre-set ran...

A high resolution event interval timing system measures short time intervals such as occur in high energy physics or laser ranging. Timing is provided from a clock (38) pulse train (37) and analog circuitry (44) for generating a triangular wave (46) synchronously with the pulse train (37). The triangular wave (46) has an amplitude and slope functionally related to the time elapsed during each clock pulse in the train. A converter (18, 32) forms a first digital value of the amplitude and slope of...

A portable data acquisition unit which features a sample order register which sets addresses in a multiplexer unit allowing one out of many electrical signals connected to the multiplexer to pass through at one time. The selected electrical signal is a sample which is transmitted to an A-to-D converter so that a digital signal is generated and passed to a communications port and then to a remote host device. A clock pulse increments the next address in the sample order list to the multiplexer to...

A method and apparatus 10 is disclosed for displaying a sequence of questions, for soliciting answers to these questions, for receiving the answers, and for storing the answers for later analysis. This methodology and apparatus 10 includes the use of a keypad which may be generated upon a display 18 by use of a timing interrupt signal, emanating from an operating system 66. This keypad may also be moved to several predetermined positions upon display 18.

A novel range based acquisition system includes a receiver for receiving PN encoded signals coupled to a novel range based variable dwell correlator which detects and acquires uniquely timed received transmitter PN encoded signals employing different search dwell times for each of the estimated ranges from which the receiver transmitted PN encoded signals are being propagated so as to enhance the speed of acquisition of said PN encoded signals.

A method of three-dimensional seismic acquisition comprising providing a plurality of substantially parallel source/receiver lines, each said source/receiver line comprising a linear array of seismic energy receivers at substantially equally spaced station intervals and a linear array of seismic energy sources located at each second station, adjacent source/receiver lines being spaced apart by two station intervals; initiating a seismic disturbance from one of said sources and receiving seismic ...

An event data recorder and method for recording data relating to a distinct event which pertains to operation of a mechanism. The recorder comprises a device for collecting data pertaining to such operation and formatting such data into a sequence of data elements. A circular buffer is linked to the collecting and formatting device for temporarily storing a number of data elements. The elements are stored on the buffer as a newest element continuously writes over an oldest element as a storage l...

A bus communication system is disclosed which provides low bus acquisition latency while supporting large block data transfers. A first device, which has control of a communication bus, detects a request for control of the bus during a transfer of the data to a second device. The first device then determines whether the transfer of data can be completed within a predetermined time period. A suspend signal is generated and transmitted to the second device in the event that the transfer of data ca...

A data acquisition device includes a receiver operable to receive a stream of data, a first input device operable to supply an identifier to identify data from the stream of data received by the receiver, a second input device operable to produce a signal indicative that data from the stream of data received by the receiver is valid, and storage operable to store the identifier supplied by the first input device in combination with data from the stream of data received by the receiver. The data ...

A system (20) for identifying and tracking targets in an image scene having a highly cluttered background. An imaging sensor and processing subsystem (21) provides a video image of the image scene. A size identification subsystem (23) removes background clutter from the image by filtering the image to pass objects whose sizes are within a predetermined size range. A feature analysis subsystem (24) analyzes the features of those objects which pass through the size identification subsystem and det...