Abstract: A detector assembly of a spectrometer device which includes a built-in test gas chamber, has a housing defining a chamber with a first end having a first aperture and a second end having a second aperture opposite the first aperture. While light transmissive windows can be mounted in the opposed apertures to enclose the chamber, it is preferred that a focusing lens be mounted in the first aperture and a detector in the second aperture in order to enclose the housing ends and define the chamber. The chamber has a cone-like inner surface tapering from the first aperture to the second aperture. The housing has a test gas inlet in communication with the chamber and disposed proximate the first end thereof. A test gas outlet is in communication with the chamber and disposed proximate the second end. The test gas inlet is so oriented as to introduce test gas into the chamber on a tangent to the first end, first aperture resulting in a tangential flow path direction within the cone-like chamber.

Abstract: An air conditioning unit for mounting on the roof of a bus is comprised of a vehicle air conditioning section 12 and a separator condenser section 14 which in their installed relation are fastened together along the line 52, the central part of the unit having a standing space 38 between the operating parts of the air conditioning section and the condenser section to facilitate ready access from that standing space to both of the sections. Additionally, side spaces are provided along both the sides of the unit by means of detachable panels spaced outwardly from the interior parts of the sections so as to provide space for routing of refrigerant and other lines.

Abstract: The system of the invention includes a downender station 10 which receives and secures a spent fuel assembly 20 in a vertical disposition and is then pivoted to a horizontal position after the upper nozzle has been removed, and a second station 12 generally aligned with the first station includes a multiple rod gripper 56 which is used to grip onto the exposed fuel rod ends and pull the fuel rods to an upper horizontal location in the second station, with horizontal and vertical combs 60 and 62 maintaining the original square pitch array of the rods, and the rods are then dropped into a reconfiguring structure 70 where they assume a more compact array, the rods then being pushed by pusher 74 into a storage canister 26 carried by the downender below the fuel assembly 20. The arrangement permits compacting fuel rods from two fuel assemblies into a storage canister 26 having approximately the same transverse cross-sectional area as a single fuel assembly.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and system for detecting and measuring a tritium gas leak. The method comprises collecting and concentrating any tritium gas escaping from a container in a reservoir over a predetermined time period. The concentrated gas sample is then directed to at least one of two detectors, a highly sensitive ion chamber or a highly sensitive proportional counter. The activity of the gas sample, as indicated by one or both of the detectors, is related to the concentration time interval to provide a measurement of sample activity accumulated per unit time. Calibration with a known tritium leak allows the sample activity per unit time to be read as a leak rate.

Abstract: The invention comprises an improved end effector for a robot which is particularly advantageous in applications such as placing flat pack integrated circuits on circuit boards. The end effector includes a vacuum-operated quill for picking up the integrated circuit from a predetermined location. A pressure spring mechanism is included in the end effector permits the flat pack to be held in the desired position with a predetermined force by utilizing the robot arm to compress the pressure spring a predetermined amount. Once the integrated circuit is positioned on the circuit board, the circuit is released and the quill moved away from the board a predetermined distance by a linear actuator included in the end effector without any motion of the robotic arm.

Abstract: A transport refrigeration system using a three-way valve 14 for either cooling mode operation and defrost and/or heating mode operation is provided with a thermal storage sink 28 having first and second heat exchangers 26 and 52 and a heat exchange medium 30 therein which serves to sub-cool refrigerant in its passage to the evaporator 36 in a cooling mode, and which serves to evaporate refrigerant in heat exchanger 52 in a defrost mode after the refrigerant has passed through the defrost heat exchanger 42 for defrosting evaporator 36. The stored heat in the medium 30 in the sink serves to hasten the defrost cycle.

Abstract: A solid-state defrost timer control for a transport refrigeration unit includes an oscillator 68, counter 66, flip-flop 74, and termination timer 88 which are provided with temperature reference signals from comparator U1, sensor failure condition signals from comparators U2 and U3, manual defrost and air switch defrost signals from switches S1 and S2, temperature set point signals from temperature set point device 42 and unit drive signals from line 64. Among the operating features are that the device will accumulate time only when the evaporator coil temperature is less than a pre-established temperature and will retain and hold time when the coil temperature is above the pre-established temperature.

Abstract: A flow and pressure control valve system is provided in which a control valve body 18 has a bore 22 therein with a slidable piston 24, the piston being biased to the left by spring 32 to a stop 38, with ports 16 and 26 opening to the bore 22 in the pressure end portion of the bore, the port 16 being connected to a positive displacement pump 28 and the port 26 connected to a reservoir 30 through a two-way valve, a third port 40 being connected to an actuatable device 10 and a fourth port 42 being connected to the reservoir 30 and functioning as a pressure regulator port after the two-way valve 28 is closed, and the piston 24 is retracted to the right as in FIG. 2 so that the device 10 is first actuated, and the pressure is then regulated by the relation of the piston 24 to the pressure regulator port 42.

Abstract: A robot including a vision system for providing information to the robot to permit the robot to accurately place electrical components such as integrated circuits on a circuit board is disclosed. The vision system includes a first camera for generating signals indicating to the robot the precise location on the circuit board at which the components are to be placed. A second vision system provides to the robot information permitting the location and angular rotation of the component as held by the robot to be determined. The circuit board and component are then positioned in precise alignment by the robot and the robot places the circuit in the desired predetermined location.

Abstract: The harness formation interchange for use with a robotic end-effector includes a plurality of tool storage units at each robot work station. Each of the storage units incorporates a powered tool clamping assembly consisting of power driven clamps which move in a path normal to the longitudinal axis of an insertion tool finger to be clamped thereby. Additionally, the storage units are each provided with a powered latch release unit which moves around an insertion tool finger clamped by the power driven clamps to engage and release a tool latch mounted on the robotic end-effector.

Abstract: A clutch is provided in which the friction shoes 40a, b and c are attached to a hub 38 through leaf springs 48a, 48b, 48c with the leading end of the leaf springs, relative to hub rotation, being connected to the leading end portions of the hub surfaces 38a, b and c, and the trailing end portions of the springs being connected to the trailing end portions of the shoes, the originally flat leaf springs assuming a shallow S-shape by being connected to the parts, this S-shape of the springs absorbing torque peaks from the internal combustion engine driving the clutch.

Abstract: In a gripper device including a power frame of a motor 10, shaft 12, sun gear 14, planetary gear 16, gripper assembly shaft 18, gripper lever 20, gripper finger 22, a clutch 24 is interposed in the power train to each gripper finger and is controlled to provide a low force coupling transmittal when the fingers are moved in a position to contact the object 26 to be gripped, and after all fingers have contacted the object, the clutch provides for the transmittal of a relatively higher force adequate to permit handling the object without slipping.

Abstract: A bypass oil filter arrangement for a refrigerant compressor of a transport refrigeration unit is provided in which a minor portion of oil outputted by a positive displacement oil pump is fed through the filter 62 while the major portion of oil from the pump is fed through the pressurized lubricating system of the compressor as indicated by arrows 36, the oil being supplied from the high pressure pump cavity 52 which is also in communication with the pressure regulator bore 44 containing a special pressure regulator 92 having a low pressure side 90 to which oil is returned through conduit 66 from the filter 60.

Abstract: A secondary chamber 40, 64 is provided in a refrigerant suction accumulator 24 to receive liquid refrigerant through return tube 22 from a refrigerant evaporator 20 and is provided with a drip hole 50, 72, to limit the level of refrigerant buildup in the sump 52 under operating conditions of a refrigeration unit in which large quantities of liquid refrigerant are returned to the accumulator.

Abstract: A two-axis wrist module includes a roll part 14 rotatable about a first axis A--A driven by shaft 38 coupled through harmonic drive unit 42 functioning as a speed reducer and shaft 44, and a bend part 16 carried by the roll part for rotation about the axis B--B and driven by shaft 68 and shaft 72 coupled to the bend part by the second harmonic drive unit functioning as a speed reducer, the entire wrist module being self-contained in that the motor means for obtaining the two-axis movement is provided in the power enclosure 10 of the wrist module and independent of any powering transmitted mechanically to the wrist module.

Abstract: An arrangement is provided for statically sealing between the inner shroud 12 of individual stator vanes of a gas turbine, and a seal housing 14 provided with a radially outwardly open channel 22 into which is received a plurality of outer seal segments 24, and which includes a radially outwardly open channel 33 throughout the length of each outer seal segment and with a plurality of inner seal segments received in the channel, with the outer seal segments being biased outwardly by the springs 36, and the inner seal segments 34 being biased outwardly into sealing contact with individual inner shrouds by the concentric inner compression springs 38 carried by the outer seal segments 24.

Abstract: A frame 50 having box section frame members 42 is connected by spider inserts 36 and 52 at the four corners of the frame which are linked through chains 34 to four frame handling devices 14 which include a pneumatic cylinder 16 operated to lower the frame to the horizontal 50B position in the tank with the cylinders 16 then being operated to tilt the frame in the tank about three different axes (FIGS. 5-7) to insure a complete coating of all the members of the frame and the purging of air from all entrapping cavities and/or corners of the frame.

Abstract: A programmable assembly system for performing any of a variety of operations for different batch assemblies wherein at least some of the batches have different end points is obtained by using a limited capability, high reliable, high speed pick and place robot 30 mounted on a machine base 10 which has the capability of shifting its table 14 in any of three perpendicular directions so that any style changeover between batches the machine base is operated in a program manner to set up for a different batch operation.