Abstract: A railroad car having an extraordinary height is more efficiently utilized for hauling large highway trucks, each having a cab but no body on the frame behind the cab. Raised platforms are provided for the trucks along both sides of a railroad car, leaving a channel for a lifting device to be moved under its own power. The lifting device first lifts one end of a truck at one end of the car and moves the lifted truck back toward the other end of the car. The process is repeated until the railroad car is full.

Abstract: A system is described for use with a hot water supply for hotels, apartment buildings and similar multi-unit structures, which controls the temperature T.sub.1 of water at the outlet of a water tank to make it close to a desired temperature DTEMP that is low during times of low demand to save energy and which is high at times of high demand to assure adequate hot water at all times. The desired temperature at the tank outlet, DTEMP, is adjusted according to the sensed demand for hot water during an immediately preceding period of given duration, such as 45 minutes. The circuitry is used in parallel with an existing Aquastat on a commercial tank type water heater.

Abstract: A dual purpose receiver operable both on FM analog (voice) and MSK digital (data) signals has a demodulation section having a selectable time delay D.sub.1 for processing MSK digital signals and a time delay D.sub.2 for processing FM analog signals. A switch permits selection of the time delay for the demodulating mode desired. A second switch set according to how the first switch is set connects a digital processing circuit or an analog processing circuit to the output of the demodulation section. Small frequency errors due to frequency drift of the local oscillator or signal source and doppler effects can be eliminated by an automatic frequency control (AFC) circuit responsive to the output of the demodulator in the analog mode, and through a third switch responsive to a signal developed by mixing the input signal with the input signal delayed by a time delay D.sub.1, and mixing the output of that mixer with the binary output of the receiver in the MSK mode.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for continually measuring the specific gravity of a flow liquid. The liquid is caused to flow across a flat measurement surface defined by a light transmissive shelf member. The measurement surface, i.e. the interface between the shelf member and liquid sample thereon, is illuminated by rays incident at angles greater than and less than a critical angle to reflect a boundary line whose position is dependent on the critical angle and thus the specific gravity of the liquid sample. The reflected boundary line is projected onto a photovoltaic surface which, together with detector electronics, determines the position of the boundary line with respect to a boundary line position associated with a reference liquid. The difference in boundary line position is used by the detector electronics to determine the specific gravity of the sample by a table lookup procedure.

Abstract: A system includes a single snubber and a rigid strut, to support two spaced locations on equipment to a structural support, in a manner that allows each location of the equipment to slowly move independently of the other, as to accommodate changing equipment temperature, while resisting rapid movement of either, as can occur in an earthquake. A linking element is pivotally mounted on the support, and one end of the snubber and one end of the strut are pivotally mounted at spaced locations on the linking element. The opposite ends of the snubber and strut are pivotally mounted at spaced locations on the equipment.

Abstract: A system is described for use with a hot water supply for hotels, apartment buildings and similar multi-unit structures, which controls the temperature T.sub.1 of water at the outlet of the water tank that circulates past the units and back to the tank, to make the actual temperature T.sub.1 close to a desired temperature DTEMP. The desired temperature at the tank outlet, DTEMP, is adjusted according to the measured temperature T.sub.3 of recirculating water prior to its reentry into the tank. In cold weather, when T.sub.3 decreases below a preset limit such as 105.degree. F., indicating there is a considerable temperature drop along the pipeline before water reaches the last unit, the desired tank outlet temperature DTEMP is raised to more than it would otherwise be. As T.sub.3 increases back toward the limit such as 105.degree. F., the temperature DTEMP is lowered.

Abstract: Chroma crawl, and a 15 Hz component introduced by the NTSC subcarrier pattern repeated every four fields, is obviated by adding to and substracting from the horizontal and vertical sync timing of alternate frames the period of one half cycle of the color subcarrier. Upon encoding television color signals with the color subcarrier for transmission in a compact video signal with the horizontal and vertical signals generated by this method, a chroma crawl free composite video signal results without producing any cumulative timing difference.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for originally recording servo information on a disk surface. The apparatus comprises a servo writer assembly which includes an optical encoder having a movable input member and means for producing an output signal which indicates small uniform units of movement of said input member. The servo writer assembly is detachably mounted to a disk storage system with the optical encoder input member tightly physically coupled to the head arm of the storage system head disk assembly. During servo writing, the optical encoder output signal is connected in a closed servo loop with the head positioner motor so that the positioner motor can then be operated to precisely radially increment the servo head, track by track, over the disk servo surface.

Abstract: A fluid swivel is described, which enable the measurement and the adjustment of separation of seal surfaces. The fluid swivel includes inner and outer walls that are rotatably coupled about an axis and that form an annular chamber and a pair of gaps extending from the chamber. A hollow region is formed along each gap for holding a face seal, and the gap forms an extrusion gap portion extending radially from each hollow region. The inner and outer walls form axially-spaced wall surfaces adjacent to the hollow region, and one of the walls has a gage-passing passage leading from the outside of the wall to the space between the wall surfaces to pass a gage for measuring the separation gap between the wall surfaces. One of the walls includes a plurality of parts and also includes shims between the parts for enabling slight adjustment of the spacing between the seal surfaces, depending on the thickness of the shims.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for use at an airport for drawing in and paying out an electric cable, which reliably grips the cable even when it is covered with a slippery anti-freeze fluid used at airports. The apparatus includes a motor-driven traction wheel against which the cable is pressed, with the periphery of the wheel being concave and having a radius of curvature about the same as the cable so the cable can closely nest in it. The wheel has closely spaced treads that press through fluid on the cable to grip it, and has a circumferentially extending groove through which fluid can drain. The cable is pressed against the wheel by rollers that have concave peripheries to also closely surround the cable.

Abstract: A cable assembly is described, for safely connecting an electrical power source such as an electrical outlet at an airport, to a power consuming device such as an aircraft. The assembly includes an electrical cable (18) with a connector (16) at one end for engaging the receptacle on an aircraft to supply power thereto, and a relay (30) at the inner end of the cable which can connect and disconnect a power source to the cable. "On" and "off" power switches (32, 34) are located near the outer end of the cable. The "on" switch enables a workman to operate the remote relay to turn on the power immediately after he has connected the outer end of the cable to the power consuming device. This encourages the workman to apply a voltage to the cable only after the connection is made, to avoid sparks that might ignite flammable fumes.

Abstract: A hydrotherapy method and apparatus for discharging a fluid stream through an opening in the wall of a water tub, while concurrently translating the stream, to impact against and massage the body of a user.

Abstract: A catheter including an internal sensing wire extending along most of the length of an easily stretched catheter body having a multifilament, strain relief line affixed in the catheter body parallel to said wire. The strain relief line has sufficient tensile strength to prevent the sensing wire from breaking under moderate tensile loading.

Abstract: A mat for cooling a person on the beach, side of a swimming pool, and even in a vehicle, is provided with recirculated ice water from an insulated reservoir using a small battery powered pump. The mat is made of sheets of urethane coated nylon or PVC film that is heat sealed on all sides, and to tubes that contain the ice water in and out. The sheets are also sealed to provide channels that hold extruded strips so formed as to assure that ice water will continue to flow through the channels even when the weight of the person would tend to close the space between the sheets.

Abstract: A method to significantly increase the quantum efficiency (QE) of a CCD (or similar photosensor) applied in the UV, far UV and low energy x-ray regions of the spectrum. The increase in QE is accomplished by overthinning the backside of a CCD substrate beyond the epitaxial interface and UV flooding the sensor prior to use. The UV light photoemits electrons to the thinned surface and charges the backside negatively. This in turn forms an accumulation layer of holes near the Si-SiO.sub.2 interface creating an electric field gradient in the silicon which directs the photogenerated signal to the frontside where they are collected in pixel locations and later transferred. An oxide film, in which the backside charge resides, must have quality equivalent to a well aged native oxide which typically takes several years to form under ambient conditions. To reduce the amount of time in growing an oxide of sufficient quality, a process has been developed to grow an oxide by using deionized steam at 95.degree. C.

Abstract: A terminal system is described for use with circuit boards, which enables the terminals to be subsequently interconnected using any of a variety of point-to-point wiring methods. Each terminal includes a sleeve with a plated-through hole, the upper portion of the hole holding a contact clip member that receives leads of circuit components, and the lower portion of the hole formed to receive any of a variety of wire termination devices. A circuit board assembly is formed by first press-fitting the sleeves into holes in the board, from the component side of the board. A selected one of the many types of wire termination devices are later inserted into the bottom of the sleeve from the wiring side of the board. Each sleeve has a spline at its lower portion and a barb at its upper portion, which together resist rotation or withdrawal of the sleeve from its press-fitted position while avoiding warping of the board.

Abstract: Earplug assemblies are provided for mounting at the ends of a resilient band, which readily deform to tightly seal to the walls of the ear that surround the entrance to the ear canal. Each assembly includes a shell having a closed forward end that presses against the ear and an open rear end that receives an armature mounted on the band. The shell has a front end tapered at a large angle such as 90.degree., while the armature has a forward portion tapered at a small angle such as 20.degree., to leave an air gap between the forward portions of the shell and armature. With the forward tip of the armature pressing against the center of the shell front, outer portions of the shell front can deflect rearwardly and radially inwardly into the air gap.

Abstract: The sensing head of a two-color band ratioing pyrometer of a known type using a fiber optic cable to couple radiation to dual detector photodiodes is improved to have high spatial resolution by focusing the radiation received through an objective lens (i.e., by focusing the image of a target area) onto an opaque sheet spaced in front of the input end of the fiber optic cable. A two-mil hole in that sheet then passes radiation to the input end of the cable. The detector has two channels, one for each color band, with an electronic-chopper stabilized current amplifier as the input stage followed by an electronic-chopper stabilized voltage amplifier.

Abstract: A circuit is described which receives enemy radar signals in the form of encoded bursts or pulses, and which immediately generates and transmits, in sequence, a large number of target denial signals which are similar to the received signal. The transmitted signal masks signals from friendly craft, and deceives the enemy by providing rational false targets for him to engage. The carrier frequency of the enemy or threat, signal is detected, and is used to select one of a group of local oscillation signals which are superheterodyned with the received signal to produce an IF (intermediate frequency) signal which is recirculated and and superheterodyned with the local oscillator frequency to produce a series of signals for transmission that are similar to the received signal. The amplitude and offset doppler of each of the target denial signals are individually controlled prior to retransmission to maximize performance.

Abstract: Hydrotherapy apparatus including a rigid elongated conduit having a supply orifice and a discharge orifice. The conduit is mounted for swivel movement to enable the discharge orifice to traverse a path characterized by a series of small circular or semicircular path segments linked by translational path segments. The conduit is moved along said path by reaction forces produced by the discharged stream.