Abstract: An apparatus 101 for applying treatment gas to a wound, burn, infection or otherwise damaged skin area comprises an inflatable dome 103 attached to the surrounding skin portion 105 by a seal gasket 107. An age-degradable adhesive 215 seals and attaches the seal gasket to the surrounding skin portion. A re-sealable adhesive 213 releasable attaches the dome to the seal gasket. A treatment gas hose 109 and nozzle 111 provide treatment gas to the interior portion 107 enclosed by the inflatable dome. Stimulator electrodes 117, attached to the apparatus provide electrical stimulation to skin portions 105A surrounding the wound area, which together with the treatment gas, promote healing of the wound. The re-sealable adhesive allows quick and easy removal and reapplication of the inflatable dome without removal of the seal gasket.

Abstract: A lamp comprises a base, a flexible arm extending from the base, and a lampshade attached to the other end of the flexible arm by means of two cooperating connecting members that allow the lampshade to be rotated about a first axis and about a second axis perpendicular to the first. The base may be slidably held by a bracket attached by adhesive or by other bonding material, to a computer monitor, workstation, or other device. A socket within the lamp shade accepts a high intensity bulb such as a 13-watt compact fluorescent bulb.

Abstract: A processor system and method are provided for providing motor excitation frequency control in a vehicle propelled by AC electric traction motors. The processor system and method allow for computing an excitation frequency signal based on a sum of i) a signal indicative of a weighted average of an estimated rotor speed signal and a measured vehicle speed signal and ii) a compensated slip command signal. Effective wheel slip control is thus provided without requiring sensors for measuring rotational speed of the traction motors.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of a ground leakage path in an electric motor system including an alternating current (ac) electric motor coupled for receiving electric power from a switching inverter of the type having, for each phase of the motor, a pair of serially connected electronic switching devices connected between relatively positive and negative direct current (dc) voltage buses with the switching devices being alternately gated into and out of conduction for providing switched electric power to the motor. The inverter includes a current detector for detecting current in the relatively negative voltage bus. The method comprises initially applying a gating pulse each time the motor is energized to the switching device of each phase connected to the negative voltage bus and identifying a ground leakage path when such gating pulse produces current at the current detector.

Abstract: The invention provides for a method of forming discrete solder portions (16) on respective contact pads (10) whereby a strip of solder paste (12) is formed over a plurality of said pads (10). The strip (12) is formed with portions of reduced width (14) which are located over the spaces (22) between adjacent pads (10). The paste is melted and the surface tension at the portions of reduced width (14) causes the movement of solder towards the pads (10) and the separation of the strip (12) into discrete solder portions (16).

Abstract: A leak resistant hinge is provided for pivotally connecting adjacent concrete form sections to permit angular adjustment and movement of the form sections. The hinge includes first and second L-shaped hinge brackets which pivot about a pivot member to which both brackets are mounted. A gasket member is situated on the exterior of the first and second hinge brackets to seal the hinge while simultaneously permitting the first and second hinge brackets to pivot about the pivot member. Each hinge bracket is mountable to a respective adjacent concrete form section to permit adjacent form sections to pivot as needed to obtain the desired concrete form configuration.

Abstract: A polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composition includes an active fluorescence or phosfluorescence inducing agent which causes the composition to emit a brighter or hotter appearing light, as compared to conventional PVC compositions, when exposed to white light. In one form, the PVC composition includes barium diphenylaminesulfonate as an additive in a clear or transparent composition and light passing through the composition appears to be hotter than the impinging light. In another form, the additive is barium carbonate and the PVC includes a tinting agent to induce a colored glow when exposed to white light. In all forms, the fluorescence or phosfluorescence inducing agent is selected from a class of materials having the characteristics of creating a compound having an outer electron shell which will permit an electron shift between shells when exposed to light.

Abstract: A safety release mechanism for releasing a trunk lid of an automobile from within the trunk, the trunk lid including a latch for engaging a staple adapted for mounting on a standard inside the trunk of the automobile, comprises a single threaded attachment element for coupling the staple to the standard. The attachment element has an enlarged handle positioned for grasping by a person's hand from within the trunk for rotating the attachment element to release the staple from the standard.

Abstract: A current/voltage configurable I/O module is provided for a programmable logic controller. The I/O module includes first and second D/A converters which are cascaded together such that a data stream provided to the first D/A converter flows through to the second D/A converter. Each of the D/A converters includes a respective current output, a voltage output and range/mode select inputs. A serial to parallel shift register is coupled between a microprocessor data output and the data input of the first D/A converter such that information from a data stream supplied by the microprocessor is passed in serial fashion to the first and second D/A converters. The shift register also includes parallel outputs, namely range/mode select outputs, to which range/mode select information from the data stream is provided.

Abstract: A method is provided for monitoring of the progression and the quality of laser material processing. Sensors and detectors are placed in the vicinity of reaction area to capture the signatures of material processing. The signals include light, temperature, sound, gas, smoke, vapor, particles, etc. emanating from the reaction area. The intensity and the timing of certain signals indicate the stages of the processing and the processing quality. One example of this invention is the use of photodiode sensors to monitor the progression of laser spot welding of a certain electronic component. Three photodiode sensors are used to monitor the laser pulse, the reflected beam, and the transmitted beam. A computer analyzes these signals in real time to determine the progressive stages of the laser welding process and the expected weld quality.

Abstract: A conveyor guide rail support device comprising an elongated stainless steel sleeve and a structural plastic member integrally molded in the sleeve having at least one end extending outward of the sleeve to form one side of a compression clamp. A mating side of the compression clamp is separately molded and releasably coupled to the integrally formed side using a threaded fastener which engages a nut integrally molded within one side of the clamp. Each side of the compression clamp is also formed with an alignment apparatus which allows the two sides of the compression clamp to be aligned when brought together into compression using the threaded fastener.

Abstract: A DMA controller is connected to a CPU in a work station. The controller includes a multiple byte memory address register (MAR), and a pointer register connected between the CPU and MAR. The pointer register is responsive to a command from the CPU to give the CPU successive access to the byte positions of the MAR for writing a memory address thereto. The DMA controller may also include a single byte register associated with the pointer register and connected between the CPU and MAR. The CPU writes an address to the MAR one byte at a time via the single byte register. Preferably, the MAR has a capacity of four 8 bit bytes.

Abstract: An electric power connection system for a hermetically sealed electric motor having a plurality of electric power terminals substantially encapsulated in an electrically insulative block with the terminals protruding about 3/8 inch from a surface of the block. A generally cylindrical tube of electrically conductive metallic material has at least one end with an inner diameter sized to admit one of the terminals in general sliding engagement with the tube. The tube further has a threaded aperture extending through a sidewall adjacent the at least one end with a set screw threadedly inserted in the threaded aperture and adapted for compressive engagement with the terminal for establishing retention and electrical continuity between the terminal and the tube. An electrical lead is connected to an end of the tube opposite the at least one and for coupling power to the terminal. Preferably, the lead is attached to the tube by crimping of the tube onto the lead.

Abstract: A modified DC-to-AC power converter accomplishes power transfer to a load with electrical isolation, zero-voltage and zero-current switching, using a transformer core resetting mechanism. The power converter contains two switching devices, a main device connected in parallel and a secondary device connected in series with a transformer primary winding. A secondary winding of the transformer is connected through a two-port resonant link circuit to a resistive load. Zero-voltage switching and proper transformer-core resetting are achieved from the resonance that exists between the parasitic capacitance of the secondary switching device and the magnetization inductance of the transformer. A transformer leakage inductance facilitates zero-current switching; thus, reducing the turn-on switching loss in the conventional main switching device.

Abstract: A household electrical service (10) is protected against overheating by running a sensor line or wire (36 or 38), coextensively together with hot, neutral and ground lines or wires (12, 13, 14 or 31, 32, 33), from a power company hookup (50) to a main breaker switch (18), and from respective branch circuit breakers (19) throughout the branch circuits (21, 22). The sensor line or wire (36 or 38) may be a length of heat fusible or otherwise temperature variant material which has a load end connected to ground and a source end connected to a control circuit (51) which trips the breaker (18 or 19) when an overtemperature condition melts the wire. Protection is extended through to individual devices (43) by continuing the sensor wire through the device cord (42). For this purpose, a plug ground prong (46) and receptacle ground prong connection (45) provide isolated ground and sensor wire connections.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for preventing overspeed of an electrically powered .[.golf car.]. .Iadd.vehicle .Iaddend.having a shunt wound direct current electric motor with an armature winding and a field winding serially connected to respective switching devices and to a source of on-board direct current electric power. The .[.golf car.]. .Iadd.vehicle .Iaddend.includes a control adapted and connected to regulate the current in each of the armature and field windings for controlling speed in response to an operator's command. The .[.golf car.]. .Iadd.vehicle .Iaddend.incorporates overspeed detect sensing the magnitude of current in each of the armature winding and the field winding and detecting when the current in the armature winding reverses direction. The magnitude of the armature winding current upon such reversal is compared to a preselected value and an overspeed signal generated when the reverse current magnitude exceeds the preselected value.