Abstract: An apparatus and method is presented to provide wide dynamic range measurements of the input phase to an interferometer using a phase generated carrier especially useful utilizing time multiplexing to demodulate a series of interferometers. A modulation drive output is provided by the invention and maintained under operation at the optimum amplitude by an internal feedback loop. The resulting highly stable system can be fabricated from an analog to digital converter, a digital signal processor, and a digital to analog converter making low cost open loop demodulators a reality.

Abstract: Vent structures are provided on the upper and lower sides, and lid of an organic waste cart so that wet biomass deposited in the cart is dried by convective air currents passing through the cart. The lid vent is hooded to prevent moisture from passing into the biomass. A perforated false bottom within the cart elevates the biomass above the lower vents to assure that drying air can circulated throughout the biomass.

Abstract: A disk drive with removable cartridges that is designed for laptop and notebook sized computers which are battery powered. The drive includes a disk cartridge that upon insertion into the disk drive is split open to move an underside portion down over a disk drive spindle where the disk, having been released by the splitting of the cartridge engages the spindle for rotation. The spindle is mounted in the drive in a fixed location so that loading of disks thereon is repeatable and interchangeable and do not change with wear of a spindle elevating mechanism. The read/write heads on their actuator arms extend through an opening in the back of the cartridge formed when the cartridge is split. When ejected, the cartridge seals about the disk to prevent contamination thereof and to assure a long life in harsh environments. The cartridge may include an inner door that is opened upon cartridge insertion to provide clearance for the heads and actuator arms.

Abstract: A fish bite detector assembly for attachment to a fishing pole. The assembly includes a battery powered electrical system to signal a fish bite activated by a magnetically controlled switch. The switch is normally open when in close proximity to a magnet. A compression clip operably connected to the magnet, grasps the fishing line forming an integral link between the magnet and the fish hook. A bite or disturbance of the hook causes the magnet to move away from the switch, thus, closing the switch contacts, energizing the electrical system, and activating an audible alarm.

Abstract: Nozzle cooling and wall contact prevention control are included in a gaseous CRISLA apparatus, along with removable collectors, and the efficient use of one or more currently available high power lasers to produce a commercially economic isotope separation process. The wall contact prevention is accomplished with gaseous boundary layers, and a supersonic nozzle normally is used to cool and separate excitation bands of the isotopic material. Non-intermixing gaseous streams with different isotopic assays can be created in a single nozzle chamber and segmented collection chamber, which along with recirculation loops and compressors, allows a single laser system and a single nozzle system to be used to selectively excite the isotopic material while it makes multiple passes through the laser beams of the laser system until only a small fraction of the desired isotope remains to be separated. The process is especially effective in separating .sup.235 UF.sub.6 from a gaseous mixture of .sup.235 UF.sub.6 and .sup.

Abstract: Fiber optic grating and etalon based fiber sensor systems are described that include an all solid state demodulation system with no moving parts. This demodulation system is based on using interference patterns generated by reflections from fiber gratings or etalons and measurements using an optical detector array. This demodulation system is applied to dual overlaid fiber optic gratings that have been written onto noncircular symmetric birefringent optical fibers. These fiber grating based sensors may be used to measure transverse strain, longitudinal strain and temperature at a single location simultaneously and their nonsymmetric nature allows accurate placement and alignment of the strain sensing axes in materials.

Abstract: An iron-silicon compound powder whose predominant phases are Fe.sub.5 Si.sub.3, Fe.sub.2 Si and Fe.sub.3 Si, which is useful as a radar absorbing material (RAM) in corrosive and oxidizing atmospheres and when used with corrosive or oxidizing binders is formed by a diffusion process. The powder is made in a process that includes blending magnetic materials such as carbonyl iron, iron cobalt, and/or nickel and very pure silicon powders with an activator, such as a halide salt, and then heating the mixture between 1350.degree. F. and 1600.degree. F. in an inert atmosphere. The result is then ground until it passes through a 200 mesh screen. The powder so formed usually is then heated in air. This forms a thin protective shell about each particle of the powder after which the powder can be combined with a suitable binder to form a RAM coating capable of operating at high temperatures which is relatively unaffected by corrosive atmospheres.

Abstract: A dynamic numeric compression method that groups like elements of a data stream and stores the methodology steps to form the groupings so that the data stream can be recovered completely upon decompression. The grouping is accomplished moving an element until it is adjacent a like element wherein the adjacent like element is moved and the original element is returned to the front or its original place in the file. The process is continued until all like elements are positioned at the opposite end of the file resulting in a unique number of moves being required to group a known number of elements in a file of known size together. To decompress, the known size data file is recreated and then filled with elements by reversing the move process.

Abstract: A system and method to sense the application of transverse stress to an optical fiber which includes a light source that producing a relatively wide spectrum light beam. The light beam is reflected or transmitted off of an optical grating in the core of an optical fiber that is transversely stressed either directly or by the exposure to pressure when the fiber is bifringent so that the optical fiber responds to the pressure to transversely stress its core. When transversely stressed, the optical grating produces a reflection or transmission from the light beam that has two peaks or minimums in its frequency spectrum whose spacing and/or spread are indicative of the forces applied to the fiber. One or more detectors sense the reflection or transmissions from the optical grating to produce an output representative of the applied force. Multiple optical gratings and detectors may be employed to simultaneously measure temperature or the forces at different locations along the fiber.

Abstract: A fine mesh filter screen is used in the fry pot of a deep fat fryer to remove all but the finest loose food particles after every cooking cycle, which otherwise burn and shorten the life of the cooking oil.

Abstract: Sealing structures are provided to prevent contamination entry into a removable disk cartridge hard disk drive. The outer end of the cartridge is fitted with a seal abutment structure, which is slightly wider and thicker than the rest of the cartridge. The seal abutment structure has a chamfered ring surface thereabout facing the inner end of the cartridge. The cartridge is inserted into the disk drive through a pair of doors that normally seal the interior of the disk drive until the chamfered ring surface engages a sealing gasket positioned about an opening to the interior of the disk drive behind the doors, so that when the disk is spun, the air centrifugally pumped can not pull dust particles in from the outside environment.

Abstract: Nozzle cooling and wall contact prevention control are included in a gaseous CRISLA apparatus, along with removable collectors, and the efficient use of one or more currently available high power lasers to produce a commercially economic isotope separation process. The wall contact prevention is accomplished with gaseous boundary layers, and a supersonic nozzle normally is used to cool and separate excitation bands of the isotopic material. Non-intermixing gaseous streams with different isotopic assays can be created in a single nozzle chamber and segmented collection chamber, which along with recirculation loops and compressors, allows a single laser system and a single nozzle system to be used to selectively excite the isotopic material while it makes multiple passes through the laser beams of the laser system until only a small fraction of the desired isotope remains to be separated. The process is especially effective in separating .sup.235 UF.sub.6 from a gaseous mixture of .sup.235 UF.sub.6 and .sup.

Abstract: A rear support structure for the coachwork of a passenger vehicle having closed loop interconnected frame members including a longitudinally extending bottom sill connected at its rearward portion to the forward portion of a rear wheel housing carrier member. The rearward portion of the rear wheel housing carrier member is connected to at least one roof support post which in turn is connected to the roof structure. The connection of the sill to the rear wheel housing carrier member is at a low angle, providing resistance to mechanical fatigue due to flexing and vibration, while at the same time providing a rear passenger door cutout of sufficient size to permit easy entry and egress of rear passengers. The rear wheel housing carrier member has at least two, approximately linear regions, one arcuately flowing into the other for connection of the vehicle's floor structure and two roof support posts of the vehicle bodywork.