Abstract: A patient support apparatus that comprises a frame and a side rail mounted to the frame. The side rail comprises a side rail body and a pair of arms mounting the side rail body for rotational movement relative to the frame. The pair of arms has a pair of upper pivot connections connected to the side rail body and a pair of lower pivot connections for mounting to the frame. The upper pivot connections engage a timing link.

Abstract: A magazine loading assembly consists of telescoping segments that pull down a magazine spring plate, but leave the magazine follower in place, to release the spring pressure and allow for ease in loading.

Abstract: A magazine loading assembly consists of telescoping segments that pull down a magazine spring plate, but leave the magazine follower in place, to release the spring pressure and allow for ease in loading.

Abstract: Low cost apparatus and methods of detecting arc faults for better discriminating electrical events. The arc fault detection apparatus includes a current sensor, a di/dt input sense circuit, a dv/dt input sense circuit, and a processing unit. The current sensor monitors a power line current, and provides high frequency components of the power line current to the di/dt input sense circuit. The dv/dt input sense circuit monitors a power line voltage. The di/dt and dv/dt input sense circuits generate signals carrying information relating to changes in the power line current and the power line voltage, respectively. The processing unit analyzes these changes in the power line current and the power line voltage to discriminate detected electrical arcing events from nuisance loads with increased accuracy.

Abstract: Methods and systems for reliable arc detecting in systems having power signals that experience decay or increase in amplitude. One embodiment of a system for detecting electrical arcs by monitoring an alternating current power supply comprises a sampling circuit which samples electrical signals. It further comprises a delay circuit which receives the sampling circuit output and stores a time history of the output over an interval including a past, present and future versions of the history. Causal/non-causal logic compares the present version with the past and future versions to determine which will be used as an arc monitoring version to compare the present version to for arc monitoring. A dynamic processing module compensates for any amplitude differences between the present version and the arc monitoring version. An arc monitoring circuit analyzes the present version and adjusted arc monitoring version to determine if an arc signal is present.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting electrical arcs in an electrical system having a periodic power supply is disclosed. A method according to the invention compares instantaneous values of a monitored waveform both with (a) their past values at corresponding phases of the AC supply waveform, and (b) their future values at corresponding phases of the AC supply waveform. The monitored waveform is delayed or stored to allow such comparisons in near real time, to produce an output which is only slightly delayed behind the monitored waveform. An apparatus according to the present invention discloses a sampling circuit that samples electrical signals indicative of transient load conditions to produce a sampling circuit output. A storage device receives the sampling circuit's output and stores a time history of that output over an interval.

Abstract: Methods and systems for reliable arc detecting in systems having power signals that experience decay or increase in amplitude. One embodiment of a system for detecting electrical arcs by monitoring an alternating current power supply comprises a sampling circuit which samples electrical signals. It further comprises a delay circuit which receives the sampling circuit output and stores a time history of the output over an interval including a past, present and future versions of the history. Causal/non-causal logic compares the present version with the past and future versions to determine which will be used as an arc monitoring version to compare the present version to for arc monitoring. A dynamic processing module compensates for any amplitude differences between the present version and the arc monitoring version. An arc monitoring circuit analyzes the present version and adjusted arc monitoring version to determine if an arc signal is present.

Abstract: A system for arc detection testing using synthesized arcs is disclosed, which uses voltage and current waveform generators to generate an arc's analog form voltage and current waveform from a digital form of the arc's captured waveforms. A voltage waveform amplifier and a current waveform amplifier are included, with the outputs of the voltage and current waveform generators coupled to the inputs of the voltage and current waveform amplifiers, respectively. The outputs of the voltage and current waveform amplifiers are connected in circuit to a device under test to test the device's response to the waveforms. A method for testing a device's response to a simulated arcing condition is also disclosed. An electric arc's voltage and current waveforms are captured in digital form. Analog form voltage and current waveform are generated from the captured digital voltage and current waveforms.

Abstract: Electric arc monitoring is effected by exploiting the discovery that electric arcs are fractal phenomena in that all essential information that signifies “arc” is contained in each fractal subset. These fractal subsets are logarithmically distributed over the arc spectrum. Monitoring of arcs is most advantageously effected on a fractal subset (16) of low logarithmic order where the amplitude is higher pursuant to the 1/f characteristic of electric arcs, where cross-induction among neighboring circuit is lower, and where travel between the arc (12) and the arc signature pickup (23) is longer than at the high frequencies customary for electric arc detection. Fractal subset transformation (17) reduces the danger of false alarms. Arc signature portions may be processed in out of phase paths (242, 342) or treated as modulated carriers (42) for monitoring.

Abstract: Electric arc monitoring is effected by exploiting the discovery that electric arcs are fractal phenomena in that all essential information that signifies an “arc” is contained in each fractal subset. The fractal subsets are logarithmically distributed over the arc spectrum. Monitoring of arcs is most advantageously effected on a fractal subset of low logarithmic order where the amplitude is higher pursuant to the 1/f characteristic of electric arcs, where cross-induction among neighboring circuits is lower, and where travel between the arc and the arc signature pickup is longer that at the high frequency customary for electric arc detection. Fractal subset information reduces the danger of false alarms. Arc signature portions may be processed in out of phase paths or treated as modulated carriers for monitoring.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting electrical arcs in an electrical system having a periodic power supply is disclosed. A method according to the invention compares instantaneous values of a monitored waveform both with (a) their past values at corresponding phases of the AC supply waveform, and (b) their future values at corresponding phases of the AC supply waveform. The monitored waveform is delayed or stored to allow such comparisons in near real time, to produce an output which is only slightly delayed behind the monitored waveform. An apparatus according to the present invention discloses a sampling circuit that samples electrical signals indicative of transient load conditions to produce a sampling circuit output. A storage device receives the sampling circuit's output and stores a time history of that output over an interval.

Abstract: A system for arc detection testing using synthesized arcs is disclosed, which uses voltage and current waveform generators to generate an arc's analog form voltage and current waveform from a digital form of the arc's captured waveforms. A voltage waveform amplifier and a current waveform amplifier are included, with the outputs of the voltage and current waveform generators coupled to the input to inputs of the voltage and current waveform amplifiers, respectively. The outputs of the voltage and current waveform amplifiers are connected in circuit to a device under test to test the device's response to the waveforms. A method for testing a device's response to a simulated arcing condition is also disclosed. An electric arc's voltage and current waveforms are captured in digital form. Analog form voltage and current waveform are generated from the captured digital voltage and current waveforms.

Abstract: Electric arc monitoring is effected by exploiting the discovery that electric arcs are fractal phenomena in that all essential information that signifies an “arc” is contained in each fractal subset. The fractal subsets are logarithmically distributed over the arc spectrum. Monitoring of arcs is most advantageously effected on a fractal subset of low logarithmic order where the amplitude is higher pursuant to the l/f characteristic of electric arcs, where cross-induction among neighboring circuits is lower, and where travel between the arc and the arc signature pickup is longer that at the high frequency customary for electric arc detection. Fractal subset information reduces the danger of false alarms. Arc signature portions may be processed in out of phase paths or treated as modulated carriers for monitoring.

Abstract: Systems of monitoring electric arcs substantially eliminate alternating current fundamentals and harmonics from monitored arc signatures. Such systems phase shift, delay or otherwise store a representation of the alternating current fundamental and harmonics, and substantially purge such alternating current fundamental and harmonics from the arc signatures with the stored representation of such alternating current fundamental and harmonics, while substantially preserving chaotic arc signature components. Electric arcs are then monitored from such purged arc signatures. Imperfections in such purging are detected and corrected for a provision of detectable arc signature components free of fundamentals and harmonics that could cause malfunction and false alarms.

Abstract: Electric arc monitoring is effected by exploiting the discovery that electric arcs are fractal phenomena in that all essential information that signifies an “arc” is contained in each fractal subset. The fractal subsets are logarithmically distributed over the arc spectrum. Monitoring of arcs is most advantageously effected on a fractal subset of low logarithmic order where the amplitude is higher pursuant to the 1/f characteristic of electric arcs, where cross-induction among neighboring circuits is lower, and where travel between the arc and the arc signature pickup is longer that at the high frequency customary for electric arc detection. Fractal subset information reduces the danger of false alarms. Arc signature portions may be processed in out of phase paths or treated as modulated carriers for monitoring.