Abstract: A mooring system is provided, which can be rapidly installed and which is of relatively low cost. The system includes a transfer structure attached to a vessel, an anchor line extending from the transfer structure to a chain table near the sea floor, and catenary chains extending from the chain table to the sea floor. A weight hangs from the chain table to help in setting up the system and in mooring a vessel thereafter. The transfer structure includes a platform that can rotate with respect to the vessel, and a direction sensor for controlling a motor that rotates the platform opposite to rotation of the vessel, to avoid twist of the anchor line.

Abstract: A percussion drill apparatus is provided which isolates the surfaces that pound on one another from borehole cuttings, while also sealing in grease, all in a compact assembly. The percussion sub which holds the drill bit and which has an anvil surface which can be repeatedly struck, includes a cylindrical outer surface extending down from the anvil surface. The outer barrel, which has a hammer surface that hammers the anvil surface, carries a cage which surrounds the cylindrical surface, and which holds a seal assembly which seals to the cylindrical surface. Thus, percussion occurs in a sealed area.

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 along a random path, to impact against and massage the body of a user.

Abstract: A hydrotherapy method and apparatus for using available tap water supply pressure to mix fresh tap water, tub water, and air to discharge a water-air stream into a tub below the water surface. Energy derived from the tap water supply is used to concurrently translate a discharge nozzle along a path substantially transverse to the stream discharged from the nozzle.

Abstract: A system is described for testing aspheric optic elements by the interference of light beam components that are respectively directed to the element to be tested and to a reference element, which facilitates the testing. A reference element is deformable in a controlled manner to more closely match the element to be tested, to produce straighter and more even fringes.

Abstract: A thermopile detector means for a temperature measuring instrument physically and electrically configured to supply an output signal which indicates target temperature substantially independent of the influence of ambient temperature changes. The detector means includes a first thermopile device exposed to radiation from the target and a transducer means, preferably a second thermopile device, shielded from the target and connected in series opposition to the first.

Abstract: A shoelace is described for use by young children or the handicapped, which facilitates tying of a bow. The shoelace has opposite end portions which are just stiff enough to substantially retain the shape to which they are bent while permitting children to easily bend them during the tying of a bow. This enables a child or handicapped person to bend the end portion to the shape required for one step of tying, and to "freeze" the shoelace in that position while he manipulates the other end portion or decides what is the next step to be done.

Abstract: A set of addressable test structures, each of which uses addressing schemes to access individual elements of the structure in a matrix, is used to test the quality of a wafer before integrated circuits produced thereon are diced, packaged and subjected to final testing. The electrical characteristic of each element is checked and compared to the electrical characteristic of all other like elements in the matrix. The effectiveness of the addressable test matrix is in readily analyzing the electrical characteristics of the test elements and in providing diagnostic information.

Abstract: A disposable waste scooper is provided for scooping up the feces of dogs into a container and closing the container, the container being of low cost so it can be economically disposed of and the container being remotely closeable so it can be cleanly disposed of. The scooper includes a U-shaped wire frame which holds the opening of a flexible bag. The legs of the u-shaped frame can slide up along a cardboard closing device. After the bottom of the frame is dragged along the ground to scoop up the waste into the bag, the cardboard closing device is pushed down to slide down against the cover to close the bag. One side of the bag opening is fixed to the bottom of the cardboard closing device so the opening of the bag is pressed closed. The entire apparatus is then thrown away.

Abstract: An array of nonuniform semiconductor diode lasers with supermode control for achieving a single-lobed farfield pattern is described. This is accomplished by spatially segregating the fundamental supermode from the other supermodes, tailoring the spatial gain profile as as to favor the fundamental supermode, and sufficiently increasing the intechannel coupling so as to bring about single-lobed farfield operation. In a preferred embodiment, this is achieved in a shallowly proton implanted, tailored gain, chirped laser array in which the widths of the lasers are varied linearly across the array.

Abstract: A speed control system for an electronically commutated motor having stator windings, a rotor mounted for rotation relative to said windings, switches for individually energizing said windings, and phase steering means operable to close said switches to sequentially energize said windings. The control system includes means responsive to a rotational position of said rotor for initiating a speed measurement cycle, means for measuring rotor speed during each speed measurement cycle and for comparing the measured speed with a speed set-point, and means responsive to the rotor speed being less than said set-point for enabling said phase steering means to energize said windings.

Abstract: A hydrotherapy method and apparatus for discharging a water stream through a rigid conduit while concurrently translating the conduit discharge orifice along a nonlinear path describing an area. The conduit is comprised of a supply section and a discharge section having an axis misaligned with the supply section axis for discharging a stream in a direction tending to rotate the conduit around the supply section axis. Frictional loading of the conduit, attributable to suction produced by the supply water jet, is mitigated by providing a passageway which permits the suction to draw tub water into a cavity for entrainment by the water jet for discharge through the conduit.

Abstract: A magnetic field motor monitor comprises an analogue-to-digital converter arranged to provide digital representations of instantaneous values of a motor magnetic field to a digital processor. A source of clock pulses provides clock pulses for the processor. The source is synchronized to a cyclical external signal, e.g. line (mains), as follows. A timing pulse is generated after a fixed number of clock pulses and the frequency of the clock pulses provided by the source is controlled in dependence on the time difference between the occurrence of the timing pulse and a fixed phase of the cycle of the external signal.

Abstract: A monodirectional logic form is provided using a bistable circuit of the set-rest type comprised of two cMOS inverters connected in parallel to a source of power (V.sub.dd) by a power-down p-channel MOS transistor. Each of the cMOS inverters is comprised of a first p-channel MOS transistor in source-drain-drain-source series with an n-channel MOS transistor. Two signal-pass n-channel MOS transistors are provided, one a signal-pass transistor connected as a series switch in a first signal (d) line to the input terminal of one cMOS inverter and the output terminal of the other cMOS inverter, and the other a signal-pass transistor connected as a series switch in a second complement signal (d) line to the input terminal of the other cMOS inverter and the output terminal of the one cMOS inverter.

Abstract: The information signal for a green camera tube modulated to scan each line in an undulating path is sampled by a filter trap at the frequency of modulation in a narrow band (about .+-.1/2 MHz) and combined with the red and blue camera tube signals in the same proportion that each contributes to the total luminance relative to the green information signal thereby pseudomodulating the red and blue camera tube information signals. Although it is preferable to do this at the camera, thereby having to do it only once for the television transmission system, it may be done at the display tube. This modulation of the green tube scan, and pseudomodulation of the red and blue tube scan not only increases resolution for color television but also eliminated aliasing because the scan of all color camera tubes is effectively undulating so that there can be no scan parallel to horizontal edges of an image that causes aliasing in normal interlaced field of scan lines that are straight horizontal lines.

Abstract: An optically pumped single mode laser, e.g., Nd:YAG crystal (20) with planoconcave mirrors is increased in efficiency by an order of magnitude to about 8% by optics (25, 27) for focusing the high power multimode output of laser diode arrays (21, 22) into the mode volume (20') of the laser medium (20). A plurality of these optically pumped single mode lasers (1-4) may be cascaded in a ring with dichroic mirrors (M.sub.1 -M.sub.4) at the corners for coupling in the laser diode arrays, each having its own means for spatially tailoring its beam to concentrate pump distribution inside the lasing mode volume of the medium. An InGaAlAs pump diode (30) with its wavelength the same as the lasing medium makes the ring unidirectional.

Abstract: An improved hose structure is provided for passing fluid across a pivot joint, that permits a transfer structure to pivot about two horizontal axes with respect to a vessel or the like at the sea surface. A middle conduit has a lower end connected to a pipe on the transfer structure and an upper end connected to a pipe on the vessel. The middle conduit can pivot, either by being flexible to bend along its length, or by being rigid but with flexible joints at its opposite ends. The pipe on the vessel can move up and down and is biased upwardly. When the transfer structure tilts, to raise or lower the lower end of the hose, the upper end can also rise or fall.

Abstract: A coaxial loudspeaker system is described wherein the high frequency horn which lies within the lower frequency speaker or cone, is constructed to avoid the "shadow effect" wherein there is a large drop in the magnitude of the response of the low frequency speaker over a narrow frequency bandwidth due to diffraction effects caused by the presence of the horn. The horn is formed with a group of slots near its wide end, to provide an opening for the passage of lower frequency sounds into the axial region of the cone which would otherwise be blocked by the horn.

Abstract: A police baton having a crosshandle is provided with a short shaft on the free end of the crosshandle. The short shaft extends parallel to the baton to form a hook near one end of the baton that may be used to hook a limb of a person to be brought under control. The short shaft allows the baton to be used in other ways, such as to swing freely in a loosened grip without risk of the crosshandle slipping out of the loosened grip.