Abstract: A bale processor with a processing chamber includes a manipulator driven by a drive system that includes a hydraulic motor. The hydraulic motor of the drive system drives a drive shaft with an axis of rotation offset from a driven shaft of the manipulator. A rotation transmission mechanism allows a higher torque to be applied to the manipulator than may be applied by the hydraulic motor alone and, thereby, leads to improved performance for the bale processor. Additionally, the hydraulic motor may be sized such that the peak allowable pressure of the hydraulic motor is higher than the peak output pressure of the power source used to drive the hydraulic motor.

Abstract: A farrowing crate is defined by a cage having a main central flooring section for the sow and two side sections for the piglets. A feeder is located at the front wall for supplying feed to the sow when standing and includes a hopper mounted on a front gate outside the crate for and a trough for receiving feed discharged from the hopper. The trough is formed by a base plate lying substantially flat on the flooring from the hopper rearwardly to a raised transverse restricting member to restrict the escape of feed formed by an inverted V-shaped rib formed in the base plate spaced from the front wall and extending generally across the base plate to define a trough area of a height which allows the sow to lie with its neck and head over the restricting member without discomfort. The gate panel includes guards each side of the opening to restrict side to side movement of the sow's head. The trough is restricted by sides at the sides of the sow flooring.

Abstract: The present invention provides a means to implement amplitude and phase modulation digitally and directly at an RF frequency that benefits from high output power without the use of amplifiers. This is accomplished by the combination of two varying amplitude and phase vectors. A reference oscillator produces a carrier signal, which is supplied to two digital delay lines composed of a sequence of delay banks. The delay lines are controlled by lookup tables that are updated by the vector control circuit, used to determine the delay of each digital delay line. The output of each delay line is multiplexed to a switching bank which is also controlled by the vector control circuit. The output of the switching bank, in combination with a summer, is used to produce discrete amplitude adjustment of the vector.

Abstract: A combine harvester with a straw separating system and a sieve assembly below the straw separation system with a rear edge over which the chaff is discharged in the air flow has a housing with a rear hood behind the straw separating system and behind the rear edge of the sieve assembly with a bottom opening in the hood for discharge of the straw and the lighter materials. A straw chopper is mounted at the rear hood for receiving the straw and lighter materials and has a rotor for chopping the straw and for generating a stream of air and chopped straw for spreading the chopped straw.

Abstract: A constant current termination is provided for cable locating tones on communication and control cables that may be buried or placed in underground duct structures. The constant current termination limits the current on each branch of the cable to that required for cable location, thus ensuring that branches furthest from the tone source have adequate current for location purposes. The termination is the same for each branch, regardless of its position along the cable system. This eliminates the need to calibrate and recalibrate termination distances for a cable on installation and when branches are added. It also allows the location of damaged cables where the tone signal strength on a damaged branch is less than that for which the termination was designed.

Abstract: A system of machining a workpiece with a router bit includes a plate insert for a router table having a work surface over which the workpiece is to be moved. The router is mounted underneath the plate with the bit driven about a bit axis which is at right angles to the table surface and projecting through a bit opening. At least one and preferably two suction openings through the table from the work surface to an opposed side of the table are connected to a common suction duct with the suction opening or openings being at a location spaced from the bit opening and preferably spaced at right angles from the bit axis. The workpiece is moved or arranged on the table surface so as to define a passage for the waste material from the bit to the suction opening. In one embodiment, the openings are arranged inside the area of the end plate of the router and connected to a duct formed in the end plate.

Abstract: A centrifuge concentrator bowl includes a plurality of fluidized recesses at axially spaced positions along the peripheral wall. Each recess is defined by two side walls converging toward a base which has water injection holes for fluidizing materials collecting in the recess. The volume within which collection occurs is defined by a replaceable plastic strip member across the recess spaced from the base so that a water channel is formed inside the bowl between the base of the recess and the strip. Water from the channel is injected through holes in the strip in a generally tangential direction around the recess. The use of the replaceable strip allows the injection openings of the bowl to be tailored to requirements and/or to be cleaned of scale by rapidly removing and replacing the strips in the bowl.

Abstract: A method for cognitive function assessment in a patient uses the ERP waveform features and parameters that maximize the correlation between the ERP components and behavioral performance on a neuropsychological test of language comprehension (PPVT-R). The method provides an electrophysiological diagnostic technique that can be used in the assessment of aphasic patients. ERPs are recorded during a computerized version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R, Form M). In the computerized version, a picture is presented followed by a congruent or incongruent spoken word. A derived measure is calculated from the ERP differentiation between congruent and incongruent words. The N400 is the primary component elicited to incongruent spoken words.

Abstract: An ice skate comprising a boot arranged to receive a person's foot, a skate blade assembly and a blade heating arrangement mounted within a blade mounting arrangement. The blade heating arrangement is arranged to use a field-effect transistor controlled by an electronic controller to operate in the non-linear range to heat skate blades from a power source. The blade is formed as a two part structure with a central core plate within the steel blade part of a higher thermal conductivity material such as copper. The circuit controlling the heating includes a charging component which uses as a contact for the charging current the blade itself.

Abstract: A compression system for a dual material delivery assembly for mounting on a frame alongside a plurality of similar assemblies is described. The assembly includes a furrowing knife for producing a furrow in the ground as it is towed across the ground. A fertilizer tube is mounted behind the furrowing knife. A seed dispensing tube provided is for depositing seed in the furrow behind the fertilizer knife offset to one side and above the fertilizer. A packer wheel is attached to the seed tube assembly. The fertilizer knife and the seed tube assembly are separately mounted on a bracket attached to the implement frame for pivotal movement about a common pivot Two separate cylinders are provided to apply a separate force on the furrowing element and the packer wheel. The cylinders of each of the assemblies are commonly connected for common adjustment on the frame or on the go on a tractor towing the frame.

Abstract: A centrifuge bowl has a bottom accelerator for accelerating the materials from a feed duct extending into the bowl. The accelerator is a molded body having a top plate with a central hole arranged to receive the materials from the bottom feed mouth of the duct and a plurality of vanes underneath the top plate, each vane extending generally outwardly from an inner nose underneath an outer edge of the hole to an outer end at an outer edge of the top plate. The vanes each have a bottom surface lying in an imaginary bottom surface of the molded body which is conical and contains fasteners arranged to be fastened to the conical bottom wall of the bowl. A deflector plate lies underneath the hole with a bottom surface spaced from the imaginary bottom surface and intersecting the height of the vanes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a means to implement amplitude and phase modulation digitally and directly at an RF frequency that benefits from high output power using non-linear amplifiers. This is accomplished by the combination of two constant amplitude phase varying vectors. A reference oscillator produces a carrier signal, which is supplied to two digital delay lines composed of a sequence of delay banks. The delay lines are controlled by lookup tables that are updated by the vector control circuit used to determine the delay of each digital delay line. The delay of the lines are set in such a way as to produce two vectors with the desired phase shift that, when summed together, produce a vector with the desired phase and amplitude characteristics.

Abstract: A cart for use in moving a large vacuum nozzle such as that of a grain vacuum within a grain bin has a frame mounted on two pairs of ground wheels. The pipe of the nozzle extends along a center of the cart with a foot pad on each side for the operator to ride and a nozzle of the pipe projecting from the front of the cart. The cart is driven by a pair of motors extending across the cart each driving a respective pair of wheels the motors being mounted underneath the pipe with one in front of the other. A manually operable control in the form of an upstanding support bar is carried on front of the frame and operable by the operator with two switches operable to control the motors separately for forward and rearward movement of the cart and steering movements of the cart to each side for guiding the cart and the nozzle over the surface.

Abstract: A resilient anti-fatigue layer shaped to fit under the sole and heel of a shoe of a wearer includes a mat of fibers heat bonded together with a tight surface against the sole and a loose surface against the floor. The mat of fibers includes a generally flat portion shaped to match the bottom of the shoe and a plurality of tabs formed of the mat at the edges of the bottom portion and projecting beyond the edges of the bottom portion with at least one tab at the front, two tabs at the rear and at least one tab at each side, with each tab having attached thereto a respective strap. The straps provide a on each side a single strap which extends from the front side connection tab, through slots provided in a toe connection member to the rear side tabs, to the heel tabs and over the foot.

Abstract: A centrifuge bowl for separating heavier particles from lighter particles and water comprises a first conical bowl wall leading to a pair of annular recesses at actually spaced positions. Each recess is generally V-shaped with an upper side wall, a lower side wall and a base. The base contains a plurality of angularly spaced discharge ducts each having a pinch valve by which it can be closed and mouth projecting through the base into the interior of the bowl for collecting the heavier particles. Each recess includes injection openings in the upper and lower side walls of the recess arranged to inject fluidizing water in a direction generally parallel to the base and across the mouth of each discharge duct. An insert member formed by two annular screens can be inserted into the recess radially inwardly of the discharge and injection holes and contains a bed of beads which act to float inwardly while the valves are closed and to collapse outwardly when the valves are opened.

Abstract: A sickle knife system includes two reciprocating sickles each cooperating the same fixed knife guards and each extending across the full width of the cutter bar. The guards have slots approximately twice the height of the guard of a conventional single sickle arrangement so that the two sickles can be run one on top of the other inside the guards. The width of the sickle blades at the rear edge is similar to that of the guard near the rear of its cutting edge. The blades of the top sickle are sharpened to cut against the top surface of the slot and the blades of the bottom sickle are sharpened to cut against the bottom surface of the slot. The two sickles are run out of phase, preferably about 90 degrees, so that as a result, when one sickle is near the end of its stroke within the guard where it decelerates, stops, then accelerates in the opposite direction, the other sickle is starting its cut against the side surface of the next guard.

Abstract: A midrow levelling attachment for a seeder includes a set of leveller gangs each of which is mounted on a respective one of the packer wheel gangs of the seeder by a pair of mounting members one at each end of the common shaft of the leveller gang. The levelling roller gang is arranged such that each roller has the peripheral surface thereof located at a position aligned with a location on the ground between a respective pair of the shanks of the seeder and each roller is located rearwardly of the respective pair of shanks and in front of the packer wheels for engaging the ground between the furrows formed by the furrow forming element of the respective pair of shanks. The peripheral surface of each levelling roller is shaped with an apex and two inclined sides such that as the peripheral surface rolls over the ground between the furrows it tends to push the soil back into the furrows.

Abstract: A straw and chaff chopper is mounted at the rear hood of a combine harvester and includes a housing with a feed opening and a discharge opening and a rotor mounted in the housing comprising a hub with a plurality of blades mounted on the hub for chopping the fed materials and accelerating the chopped materials for discharge. A tailboard has a plurality of guide fins arranged relative to the housing so as to receive the chopped materials from the discharge opening to engage onto a guide surface and guide fins of the tailboard construction for spreading of the chopped materials. The tailboard is divided longitudinally into first and second separate tailboard portions, each arranged to receive a portion of the chopped materials and each being adjustable in angle to raise and lower independently of the other so as to provide a different spreading effect on the portion received thereon. Fins on the portions prevent the materials entering the gap. Adjustment on the go from the cab can be provided.

Abstract: An inflation/deflation valve for filling a dunnage bag with air includes a sleeve for insertion into an opening in a wall of the bag, a cap for covering the sleeve and threaded onto the sleeve and an inflation head for engaging the cap. A valve is mounted in the cap having a valve seat, a valve member moveable generally axially of the sleeve and a spring biasing the movement of the valve member in the axial direction toward the valve seat. The cap has mounting lugs on the base adjacent the bag arranged for engagement with co-operating slots of the inflation head in a bayonet fitting where the slots are shaped so that the head is cammed by the lugs in the slots to cause depression of an abutment surface of the valve member against the spring bias to open the valve. The removal of the cap allows rapid deflation of the bag for testing or reuse.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for continuously or at a rapid rate of repetition measuring friction between a road surface and a tire, especially suitable for evaluating the severity of visually undetectable road ice at traffic speeds, consists of a separate test wheel attached to a vehicle and in contact with a road surface, wherein a controlled slippage of test wheel is created by a compressed spring acting either clockwise or counterclockwise to a hinge with a substantially vertical axis upon which the test wheel arm pivots. Electrical signals are produced varying in accordance with the angle of yaw, the signals being transmitted to an onboard computer or remote receiver. A suspension system links the test wheel to the vehicle.