摘要:
An ion thruster comprises a chamber in which propellant is ionised and an accelerator grid, whereby a flow of ions out of the chamber provides reactive thrust. Charge exchange between neutral atoms of propellant and fast moving ions produces slow ions which impact on the accelerator grid and erode it by sputtering, thus limiting the lifetime of the thruster. The invention includes an accelerator grid comprising a layer which includes graphite providing resistance to erosion and a support layer which overcomes the restrictions on engineering and strength of graphite. The accelerator grid can be constructed by machining a block of graphite 12 to produce an upper surface 13, to which the molybdenum grid 14 can be fixed. The block 12 can then be cut away to permit the graphite to be machined to the same contour as the surface 13. Apertures are drilled through the graphite using the existing apertures of the grid 14 as guides.
摘要:
A digitally controlled beam former for a spacecraft which includes means for periodically calibrating the feed paths of the spacecraft's antenna array by measuring the apparent movement of the centre of a reference signal and a nominal signal and utilising the measured data to compensate for at least the phase drift in the antenna feed paths. The measured data may also be used to compensate for amplitude and phase drift in the antenna feed paths.
摘要:
Data compression processing is carried out using binary Tree-Searched Vector Quantisation in which the direction of branching at each node of the tree is decided by comparison of an input vector (6) with a single code vector (B(n)) and an associated Scalar value (A).
摘要:
A digital chirp generator for generating linear frequency modulated signals, comprises a plurality of frequency/phase accumulators 10 pipelined together. Each frequency/phase accumulator includes a frequency accumulator driving phase accumulator. In the pipelined configuration the frequency accumulator and the phase accumulator of each frequency/phase accumulator are interconnected with the corresponding accumulator of the neighbouring frequency/phase accumulator.
摘要:
Data compression processing is carried out using binary Tree-Searched Vector Quantisation in which the direction of branching at each node of the tree is decided by comparison of an input vector (6) with a single code vector (B(n)) and an associated Scalar value (A).
摘要:
Beam steerers are used in optical communications to direct a light signal towards a selected angular direction. Conventionally, the light signal is finely steered by employing mirrors to reflect the light signal. A beam steerer, arranged to direct a light signal in a free space optical communications system includes a pair 6,7 of lenses, through which a light signal 17 is transmissible, the lenses having opposite and substantially equal optical power, and displacing means 8,9 for translating one lens with respect to the other, transverse to an optical axis of the lenses. The provision of lenses permits the angular deflection of the beam per unit distance translation of a lens to be selected, as this is dependent on the optical power of the lenses. Selection of this ratio is not possible with mirror-based beam steerers.