Abstract: A system for controlling slack in a winch rope associated with a vehicle can include a winch, a plow, and a support member pivotably coupled to the plow and carrying a pulley that receives the rope for raising and lowering the plow. A limit switch can be operatively associated with the winch and configured to selectively enable and disable lowering of the plow by the winch. A first member can be carried by the support member and operatively associated with the switch. A biasing member can bias the support member to a first position when a load on the winch rope is below a predetermined threshold. The first member can be in at least substantial alignment with the switch when in the first position. The switch can change an activation state upon the first member being in the first position to automatically disable lowering of the plow by the winch.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for powering and/or controlling electrically powered devices. A power supply system is operable to provide a voltage across at the active and the counter electrode assemblies of a transdermal delivery device. The system includes a power source and a magnetic coupling element.

Abstract: A finger mounted acoustic sensor. Various embodiments of the finger mounted acoustic sensors include sensors mounted within a casing designed to fit between fingers. The sensor may be rotated with respect to the casing. Other embodiments include mounting tubes for wearing on a finger. Sensors are embedded in the tube and on the rings such that they are easily positioned using technician's fingers. Other embodiments include rings for mounting sensors on and for steadying the sensors. The hand and finger mounted sensors may be used to provide necessary pressure to the sensor and yet provide a sensor that may be manipulated using hand and finger motion. In other embodiments sensors having a local disconnect are disclosed. Such disconnects may be attached to the clothing of a medical professional, attached via a wrist or armband or the like. Various sensor packages may be accompanied by the use of a flat or flex cable to minimize the torque necessary to manipulate the sensor.

Abstract: In one embodiment the present invention includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) system. The RFID system includes a reader system that generates electromagnetic energy, reader antennas that communicate information with RFID tags using the electromagnetic energy, switches that are coupled to the reader antennas. The reader system selectively controls the switches to short adjacent reader antennas. In this manner, the target (RFID tag) may be located with improved positional accuracy.

Abstract: In one embodiment the present invention includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) system with a shorting loop. The shorting loop at least partially surrounds the antenna. The shorting loop distorts the electromagnetic field generated by the antenna to improve the definition of the border of the read region of the antenna. In this manner, the RFID system provides more accurate discrimination between RFID tags inside the read region versus RFID tags outside the read region (i.e., improves the accuracy of determining that a particular RFID tag is inside the read region).

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention improves the efficiency of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems and helps to extend the effective read range for certain configurations of closely spaced RFID tags. Specifically, an embodiment helps to minimize energy losses that result when there is excess energy from the excitation source. This excess energy has the potential to damage the circuitry in RFID tags. A shunt regulator is often used to protect the RFID circuitry by clamping the voltage, but has the undesirable effect of converting this excess excitation energy into heat. Various embodiments are directed toward using only as much of the excitation energy as necessary to power the RFID circuitry.

Abstract: In one embodiment the present invention includes an RFID gaming token with a ferrite core. When the RFID gaming tokens are stacked, the ferrite cores steer the flux field from the excitation antenna through the center of the annular antennas in each token. The resulting flux field increases the efficiency of the energy transfer from the excitation antenna to the passive tags. This increased efficiency also improves the data transfer to and from the passive tags. This increased efficiency allows for reading RFID gaming tokens at a higher stack height (or at a better error rate for a given stack height) as compared to existing air core gaming tokens.

Abstract: An athletic performance measurement system determines the reaction time, performance time and response time for an athlete to perform an event. A timing processor is in communication with two spaced-apart switches and when the athlete activates the first switch, it sets in motion a system for randomly activating a transducer that alerts the athlete to start the test. The athlete manipulates the first switch in response to detecting the activated transducer while the device measures the time it takes for this activity, thereby defining the athlete's reaction time. Then, the athlete manipulates the spaced apart second switch while the system monitors the time it takes to perform this task, thereby defining the athlete's performance time. The total response time is then calculated by adding the reaction time to the performance time. A testing protocol for performing a plurality of timed tests and averaging the scores is also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for powering and/or controlling electrically powered devices. A power supply system is operable to provide a voltage across at the active and the counter electrode assemblies of a transdermal delivery device. The system includes a power source and a magnetic coupling element.

Abstract: A media path control device has two sets of parallel arms with opposing rollers to manipulate the movement of print media. The arms are moveable in a substantially vertical plane through motors. The arms can be of different lengths to establish an optimal trajectory or height of the media to change the trajectory or travel path of the media. The rollers are reversible to change the trajectory or travel path of the media. Rotation of the arms may be stopped at various points along their travel arc to position the media at a desired or plane.

Abstract: A system and method for programming a controller to learn a sequence of commands necessary to operate and control the functionality of one or more remote A/V system components. The system includes a remote control unit for transmitting command signals to a controller for processing. The controller includes a microprocessor chip able to learn by examples entered by a user during set-up. This information is used to interpret the command signals to construct the complete command string for operating the selected remote A/V component. Subsequently, the controller sends the command string information to an infrared repeater where it is directed to the selected A/V component. In essence, the user is provided with a consistent interface that is independent of the variability in codes and button sequences. During operation, the user simply enters a basic, predetermined command sequence in order to yield a desired function in the selected remote A/V component (such as changing the television channel).

Abstract: The invented dental apparatus and method for its manufacture involves an integrally molded, polymeric, unitary, hand piece having fluid conduits formed therein during the molding process for conducting fluid, e.g. air, under pressure from a proximal end having an industry standard couple to a distal end including an integrally molded head piece for housing a rotary, preferably canister-type turbine to which a dental bur may be removably secured. Preferably, an integrally molded venturi chamber fluid-interconnects a pressurized one of the conduits and an inlet to the turbine's impeller and an outlet of the turbine's impeller is fluid-connected at an outlet of the canister to an exhaust one of the conduits. Optionally, one or more chip-air source conduits and a light valve may extend within the elongate interior of the hand piece to provide intra-oral, in-process cleaning, cooling and lighting functions. Preferably, the hand piece is injection molded via a lost-material, e.g.

Abstract: A multiple axis joystick employs positionable and fixed electrode assemblies having mutually orthogonal sets of spaced apart electrodes. The electrode spacings depend on the rotational and translational movements of the positional electrodes relative to the fixed electrodes. A signal generator applies an electromagnetic signal to one set of the electrodes. The signal is coupled to the closest associated electrodes of the other set of electrodes to a degree dependent on the rotation- and translation-induced spacings. A controller sequentially detects and processes each coupled signal voltage to determine a degree of deflection in the X-, Y-, Z-, roll-, pitch-, and yaw-axis directions of one set of the electrodes relative to the other set of electrodes.

Abstract: A capacitively coupled, six axis joystick (320) employs a sensor electrode (310) having a perpendicular pair of slots (312, 314) and a fixed electrode assembly (300) having capacitor electrodes (C.sub.S) formed on three mutually orthogonal surfaces of planar circuit boards (302, 304, 306) that are complementarily nested within the slots of the sensor electrode. When nested together, the capacitor electrodes are separated from faces of the sensor electrode by spacings that depend on the rotational and translational movements of the sensor electrode relative to the electrode assembly. A signal generator (352) and address decoder (354) sequentially apply an alternating signal to the capacitor electrodes. The alternating signal is coupled to the closest associated faces of the sensor electrode to a degree dependent on the rotation- and translation-induced spacings.

Abstract: A six axis joystick (110) employs a 13 pole E-core (112) that includes a center pole (114) and four triads of outer poles (116, 118, 120, 122) that protrude from four orthogonally separated arms (124, 126, 128, 130) of the E-core. A drive winding (132) is wound around the center pole of the E-core, and sense windings (134, 136, 138, 140) are wound around each outer pole in each triad of outer poles. A compression spring (144) suspends a ferromagnetic swash plate (142) at substantially equal distances from the center pole and each of the outer poles. A user employs an actuator handle (148) to axially and rotationally deflect the swash plate to assume varying distances from the center pole and each of the outer poles. A varying magnetic flux induced by the center pole is conducted through the swash plate to each of the outer poles to a degree dependent on the spacing between each outer pole and a bottom surface (146) or a periphery (147) of the swash plate.

Abstract: An analytic instrument for kinetically measuring light absorption characteristics of a plurality of independent samples contained in disposable test tubes arranged in a circular pattern about a single light source. The instrument is designed to be used with a host personal computer and is not specific to any particular type of assay. The instrument obtains and temporarily stores raw data in the form of digitized output signals from the plurality of photodetectors and periodically passes them to the host computer. An incubator has test tube wells arranged in a circular array equidistant from a single incandescent light source. The circular symmetry controls the thermal gradients in the incubator such that all of the samples are disposed on the same isotherm and all of the photodetectors are disposed on the same isotherm.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for making depth related measurements from an untethered, gravity driven oceanographic platform. The platform is a smooth streamlined, torpedo shaped body releasably carrying ballast in its nose and covered with syntactic foam for buoyancy. At the appropriate depth, the ballast is released and the body ascends under control of an interferometric homing system which guides it to a recovery vessel. The ballast may be an iron slug held in place electromagnetically.