Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for measuring tire force and tire tread motion in a common area of a tire under test. The apparatus comprises a tire test block having a bearing surface over which a tire to be tested is rolled. A force sensor is received in an opening in the block and adapted to be engagable by the tire under test. The force sensor includes a longitudinally extending member having a longitudinally extending opening therein. The member has a central axis, the central axis being oriented substantially perpendicular to the bearing surface of the test block. The force sensor further includes strain gages secured to the member and having an electrical characteristic indicative of force applied to the member by the tire under test. A motion sensor is located within the longitudinally extending opening in the member.

Abstract: An automatic zero balance circuit for nulling the initial offset signal received from a test transducer. A quadrature oscillator powers a carrier transducer with the phase reference signal. A summing circuit receives the return signal from the transducer and sums it with two other signals. The resultant summation signal is divided into two components, the phase reference component and the quadrature reference component which are fed back into the summing circuit as the two other signals. The component values nullify the return signal thereby cancelling the initial offset signal.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus is disclosed for electrically damping the rotation motion of a stepper motor. The voltage of the non-energized side of the motor windings is monitored and compared with the energized side. Once the voltage on the non-energized side reaches a predetermined value greater than the voltage on the energized side, the non-energized voltage is shunted to the energized voltage.

Abstract: A bar or straddle pin construction is disclosed for use in torque rods, the pin having an elongated metal inner member surrounded by a plastic outer member in which the plastic outer member tightly engages the inner member such that the two members are coaxially aligned. The inner member is configured to contemporaneously provide a means to aid in the bonding between itself and the plastic outer member and a means to aid in the external connection of the torque rod.

Abstract: A system for priming liquid ink writing instruments such as ink jet writers and capillary ink pens is disclosed. A source of ink is pressurized to force ink through the ink jet or other pen so that a small droplet is formed at the jet or pen outlet. As the drop forms at the jet or pen, it is eventually drawn away into an adjacent orifice, due to capillary action. An integrated priming pump serves both to pressurize the ink source to form the ink droplet and to apply a vacuum to the orifice to remove the ink drawn away by capillary action. A pressure release valve ensures that the ink jet or pen is not overpressurized during priming. In ink jet applications, the drop removal orifice is formed as a portion of the droplet charging ring.

Abstract: A toner clean-off head utilizing a vacuum for removing liquid toner from a moving record medium having a latent electrostatic image thereon, in which the contact surface of the clean-off head is cylindrical so that the record medium easily conforms to ensure proper removal of the toner with a minimum of applied vacuum. A thin clean-off blade is positioned in a slot in the cylindrical contact surface so that the edge of the blade forms an element of the surface, and an inlet air passage and a toner exhaust passage in communication with vacuum means are defined on either side of the blade.

Abstract: A system for priming liquid ink writing instruments such as ink jet writers and capillary ink pens is disclosed. A source of ink is pressurized to force ink through the ink jet or other pen so that a small droplet is formed at the jet or pen outlet. As the drop forms at the jet or pen, it is eventually drawn away into an adjacent orifice, due to capillary action. An integrated priming pump serves both to pressurize the ink source to form the ink droplet and to apply a vacuum to the orifice to remove the ink drawn away by capillary action. A pressure release valve ensures that the ink jet or pen is not overpressurized during priming. In ink jet applications, the drop removal orifice is formed as a portion of the droplet charging ring.

Abstract: A thermal array protection method and apparatus are disclosed primarily for use in linear thermal array imaging devices. Data to be printed within a given line of data are compared to the data printed within the previous line of data. Data will not print in the given line of data if data were printed in the corresponding data positions within the previous line of data. Thus, the temperature of the individual thermal imaging stylii will be kept within acceptable limits.

Abstract: A system for priming liquid ink writing instruments such as ink jet writers and capillary ink pens is disclosed. A source of ink is pressurized to force ink through the ink jet or other pen so that a small droplet is formed at the jet or pen outlet. As the drop forms at the jet or pen, it is eventually drawn away into an adjacent orifice, due to capillary action. An integrated priming pump serves both to pressurize the ink source to form the ink droplet and to apply a vacuum to the orifice to remove the ink drawn away by capillary action. A pressure release valve ensures that the ink jet or pen is not overpressurized during priming. In ink jet applications, the drop removal orifice is formed as a portion of the droplet charging ring.