Abstract: A placement apparatus for co-planar placement of electronic components on a component carrier using a rotational placement arm in which the electronic component is moved between the base or loading position of the placement arm and the near-placement position substantially on a circular path, and in which the component is moved linearly between the near-placement position and the placement position.

Abstract: An apparatus for leveling (136) a circuit board (105) against a rail (128, 130) of a part placement machine (102) comprises a plate (200) and at least one spring (404, 506, 507, 508). The circuit board (105) can have any one of a plurality of different predetermined thicknesses. The plate (200) is positioned beneath the rail (128, 130) and has first and second sides (204, 300). The first side (204) is dimensioned to support the circuit board (105). The plate (200) is moveable to a first predetermined distance from the rail (128, 130). The first predetermined distance is no smaller than a smallest one of the plurality of different predetermined thicknesses of the circuit board (105). The at least one spring (404, 506, 507, 508) is carried on the second side (300) of the plate (200) to bias the plate towards the rail (128, 130). The at least one spring (404, 506, 507, 508) is compressible to accommodate the circuit board (105) between the plate (200) and the rail (128, 130).

Abstract: A tricycle is driven by an electric motor supplied by batteries recharged by solar panels. Electric braking is used. The batteries and a battery charger are enclosed in a thermally insulated compartment and the batteries are kept warm in cold weather by the heat produced by the battery charger and by electric braking. The solar panels are mounted on the roof of the passenger cabin and/or on the insulated compartment and are oriented towards the sun by a stepper motor.

Abstract: A cutting mechanism having a movable carriage and two cutters. Each cutter has an anvil that opposes a blade, and one of these is a roller that rolls against the other for progressively biasing material against the blades, producing cuts through the material. The rollers are rotatably mounted to the carriage, which is mounted to a lead screw that controls the position of the carriage. As the carriage moves across the material, the rollers roll, and the material is cut. The space between the anvil and the blade of at least one of the cutters can be varied to disengage that cutter so that the rolling of the roller will not cut the material. The engagement and disengagement of the cutter is dependent on the position of the carriage.

Abstract: A method of detecting thread wear for drill pipe and drill casing that are connectable end-to-end at threaded joint connections includes the providing of a pair of pipe joints to be joined coming each having end portions with threads that engage upon assembly. A projection is place on a first of the pipe joints near the joint end portion, the projection facing a second pipe joint during assembly of the pair of pipe joints. The joints are connected together and observed after assembly to determine weather or not the projection has become mechanically deformed or has scratched the surface of the opposing joint to thereby indicating worn condition of the threads.

Abstract: A gas spring with a sealing and bearing assembly received within a casing of the gas spring adjacent to a rod slidably received through the assembly for axial reciprocation. The assembly has an annular retaining ring received within the casing, an annular bearing with a throughbore through which the rod reciprocates carried by the retaining ring, an annular retainer carried by the retaining ring downstream of the bearing, and a sealing member received within the retaining ring adjacent to the retainer and in firm engagement with the rod and retaining ring to provide a gas-tight seal between the rod and the retaining ring to prevent the escape of gas from the gas spring. The retainer preferably has a dovetail flange extending therefrom and the sealing ring has a complementarily shaped recess molded or press-fit onto the flange to attach the sealing ring to the retainer. The retainer is preferably firmly clamped to the retaining ring by rolling its upper edge over the retainer.

Abstract: Small boats being trailer launched from steep ramps are in danger of spilling water over the transom if the bow is held high by the trailer. The invention is for a two component jack screw mechanism that can lower the trailer tongue below the trailer hitch without disconnecting it from the towing vehicle. One component coupled to the trailer tongue has a vertical tower that fits within a second tower attached to the second component that is coupled to the trailer hitch. A manually operated crank attached to a jack screw within the two towers lowers the tongue and the bow of the boat so that the boat may float from the trailer.

Abstract: A natural heat dissipation device for a microprocessor. The microprocessor is conventionally mounted to a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board contains a recess that is cut-out directly below the microprocessor. Heat sink material is attached to the microprocessor through the recess. The heat sink material attached to the bottom of the microprocessor may be used alone or in conjunction with a an attached metal tray or case under the printed circuit board.

Abstract: A central control module generates nominal values for braking based on a pedal input value form a pedal sensor which detects actuation of the brake pedal by the driver, and sensor signals representing wheel speeds. First and second brake control modules transmit sensor signals to the central module, receive nominal values from the central module, and transmit nominal values to the actuators. The first brake control module receives the pedal input value from the pedal sensor directly, and calculates the nominal values as a function of the pedal input value when the central module has failed.

Abstract: Circuitry for a brake system with traction slip control by brake management, wherein the traction slip control thresholds are variable, in excess of which braking pressure is introduced into the wheel brake of the overspeeding wheel. After the overspeeding of a wheel of a driven axle and the commencement of the control, the traction slip of the second, non-controlled wheel of the driven axle is determined and evaluated to produce a correction factor which adapts the traction slip control thresholds of the controlled wheel to the instantaneous slip of the second, non-controlled wheel.

Abstract: A brake monitoring device for railroad cars is provided with a first comparison device which compares the electrical brake power equivalent signal with a first standard value, judges whether or not electrical brake power is generated and closes the locomotive brake deficit check circuit with an interlock device when such electrical brake power equivalent signal is smaller than such first standard value and which opens the locomotive brake deficit check circuit when it is larger. Such brake monitoring device also includes a second comparison device which compares the electrical brake power equivalent signal with a second standard value which judges whether or not electrical brake power is supplied to the brake power of the trailer car. Such device closes the trailer car brake deficit check circuit with such interlock device when the electrical brake power equivalent signal is smaller than the second standard value and opens the trailer car brake deficit check circuit when it is larger.

Abstract: A connecting end portion of a planar circuit body and method of making same in which an end portion is directly formed into a terminal thereby improving conductivity and simplifying the connection. According to one embodiment, a connecting end portion of a flat cable is formed by laminating a rectangular circuit conductor with an insulating cover material, a terminal member is fixedly secured to the planar circuit conductor at an end portion of the circuit conductor with a conductive adhesive agent, and plated metal layer is formed thereon.

Abstract: A powered circular saw blade on a vertical shaft is supported on a slide which is slideably mounted on a guideway having feet to enable moving the assembly around on a building sub-floor. The feet are adjustable to enable raising or lowering the guideway base and, thereby, the saw blade. A blade guard is affixed to the guideway base and shaped to admit the saw assembly to an inside corner of a building room. The blade is normally retracted behind the blade guard but can be advanced to position ahead of the guard as the guard is braced against a door jamb or the like and the slide is pushed toward the door jamb to advance the blade into cutting position. Immediately upon release of the advancing force manually applied, a return spring returns the blade to retracted protected position.

Abstract: An electropneumatic brake control valve unit capable of operating at the interface of the emergency brake portion or the service brake portion of a standard brake control valve as a retrofit unit or operating as a stand alone electropneumatic unit. The unit includes electric valves responsive to electrical signals and sensed brake pipe pressures to operate pneumatic valves to control the brake cylinder. The pneumatic valves are also operable independent of the electric control valves so as to allow braking with the electrical controls off or disabled. The unit can operate in combination with a complete brake control valve or with either or none of its emergency and service portions.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a spindle motor using a fluid bearing. The spindle motor includes a hub having a support member for supporting a disk storage medium and a magnet, a fixed member having a coil, for holding the hub rotatably, and a fluid bearing provided between the hub and the fixed member. In this method, the hub is secured to the fixed member through the fluid bearing. This method includes a step of grinding a support surface of the support member. In this grinding step, a grinding member is applied to a part of the support member, and other part of the support member is pressurized by a pressurizing member to prevent the hub from falling down due to the pressurization by the grinding member.

Abstract: Proposed is a novel wiring circuit board for mounting of a semiconductor chip suitable for free mounting and demounting thereof. The wiring circuit board comprises: an insulating base plate provided with electrodes on one surface and having an opening for insertion of the semiconductor chip; bonding wires each connected to one of the electrodes at one end, with the other end appearing in the opening at a position just to come into contact with the electrode of a semiconductor chip inserted into the opening; and a resinous encapsulating layer covering the opening and embedding the bonding wires. A method for the preparation of this wiring circuit board is also disclosed in which accurate positioning of the ends of the bonding wires appearing in the opening of the base plate is accomplished by using a dummy chip provided with etching-resistant false electrodes and inserted into the opening followed by subsequent removal by etching after completion of the bonding work of the bonding wires.

Abstract: An apparatus for the dimensionally accurate cutting of a product carrier (1) which is in the form of a strip, is transported further in a cyclic or continuous manner in the longitudinal direction and has cells which are arranged one behind the other and are sealed in an airtight manner comprises a rotating cutter roller (15), which severs the product carrier (1) in each case in the region of a sealing web (4) which is situated between two cells (2), is arranged transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction and is provided with a lattice-like embossing (19). In order to identify and localise the sealing web (4), an optical reflection sensor (6) is arranged above and/or below the product carrier (1) and generates an AC voltage signal which corresponds to the lattice structure when the sealing web (4) is located in the region of the reflection sensor (6), the number of periods being a measure of the width b of the sealing web (4).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing low cost hermetic Integrated Module Assembly (IMA) packaging, where an aluminum coating (24) is deposited on a poly-tetrafluoral-ethaline substrate (20), the aluminum coating (24) is selectively etched to form a waveguide window (26) and the substrate (20) is selectively treated over the waveguide window (26) to produce a non-conductive hermetic seal. The substrate (20) is then joined to a metal carrier (28) containing the waveguide (30). As a result of using selectively treated low cost substrates to produce hermetic seals, more expensive substrates are not required to form hermetic seals over substrate to waveguide interconnections.

Abstract: An interposer is formed by forming a laminate comprising a first sheet of electrically insulating material and a second sheet of conductive material. The first sheet has a first plurality of apertures therethrough and the second sheet is laminated to the first sheet to close the first plurality of apertures. Material is removed from the second sheet around the first plurality of apertures to form conductive pads, the pads closing the first plurality of apertures. A third sheet of electrically insulating material is attached to the second sheet. The third sheet has a second plurality of apertures therethrough, the third sheet being positioned relative to the second sheet such that the apertures of the second plurality are closed by the conductive pads. In a preferred form, the third sheet is positioned relative to the first sheet so that the apertures of the second plurality are not in registration with the apertures of the first plurality.

Abstract: The current invention is directed to multiple fish hook hold-downs to secure a connector housing to a circuit assembly at least prior to or during soldering of electrical terminals mounted in the connector to the circuit board. The multiple fish hook hold-down comprises contact portions whose one ends are joined together to form a common adjoining portion, intermediate portions whose proximal ends are integral with the other ends of the contact portions, and fish hook portions integral with distal ends of the intermediate portions. The multiple fish hook hold-downs are initially placed in the connector housing at the contact portion of the hold-down. Prior to assembly, the circuit assembly and the connector housing with the hold down in place may be separately transported. When assembling, fish hook portions of the hold-down are placed in a hold-down engagement hole, and the fish hook portions anchor themselves on an inside surface of the hole so as to secure the connector housing onto the circuit assembly.