Abstract: A caliper gauge for moving sheet material such as paper which measures the thickness of the paper accommodates bumps or holes in the paper by providing at least one side of the caliper gauge with a long continuous smooth arm which because of its mounting in close proximity to the moving sheet, which is partially made possible by the use of air bearings for the upper and lower portions of the gauge, provides a gradual wedge-shaped opening which thus allows the transfer of the momentum of the bump or hole in the paper to gradually overcome the inertia of the measuring arm which is pushed away from the paper. The arm itself is made of a single piece of sapphire and is universally pivoted by the use of a polyimide material adhered to the top of the arm which gives the arm at least 2.degree. of dimensional freedom while still maintaining it aligned in the moving direction of the paper.

Abstract: For measuring basis weight of a moving web in the cross direction scanner of a paper-making machine, an encapsulated nuclear source of Promethium 147 is used because of its wide area of emission. To conserve space it is mounted on a vertical axis. The source in a horizontal plane parallel to the moving web from a stowed position where the source is shielded to an active position where the source emits through an aperture, through the moving web, and to a detector. The x-y array planar type detector uses four detector segments symmetrically arranged around a center and compensates for belt direction misalignment (the belt driving the cross direction scanners) by mathematically manipulating the electrical signals from each detector to eliminate the error term.

Abstract: A cursor controller for use with a computer uses a single moving slider actuated by a handle for indicating X and Y movement by mounting a pair of planar screens each having parallel lines at right angles to each other. Two light sources and associated detectors are respectively arranged on either side of the respective pair of screens so that light pulses resulting from movement of the slider indicate the amount of movement to control the cursor on a computer screen. Each associated detector may be formed by a side-by-side pair of light detectors with intermediate fixed screens having displaced lines to provide a quadrature sine wave output. In effect the pair of screens float between the sources and the detectors to eliminate unnecessary wiring and create a simple robust device.

Abstract: An air heating and control system, which in one application controls the diameter of a calender roll in the paper making process, includes a row of heater packs proximate to the various zones of the calender roll. Each heater pack has a plurality of electrical heating coils which are at least partially connected in parallel so that failure of one coil does not interrupt power to the remaining coils. Air flowing through the heating coils is heated to a desired temperature and impinges upon the calender roll to expand it as desired. A control system senses a defective coil, which effectively reduces current in a heater pack, and increases the voltage imposed upon that heater pack to again produce the desired power level or heating effect. Thus failure of a heating coil is immediately compensated for.

Abstract: For a three-winding motor, a starting capacitor bank provides balanced currents in the windings, a high starting torque, and unity power-factor current in the single-phase supply line. A run-capacitor bank provides full-load balanced currents and a leading power-factor in the single-phase supply line. The method is applicable to a star or wye winding connection, to a delta winding connection, and to a Semihex.TM. winding connection.

Abstract: An adaptive fuzzy logic based control system for rifle stabilization uses a rifle where the barrel is freely pivoted on the stock which is held by the human being firing the rifle who may be shooting from a moving vehicle or helicopter; alternatively, the firing person may have erratic hand or body motion. During a tracking mode, when the target is being sighted in, undesired motion is sensed by position sensors to effectively lock the rifle barrel in alignment with the stock. During a stabilizing mode just before actuation of the trigger to fire the rifle, the barrel is unlocked, inertial rate sensors make the barrel relatively immune to movement of the stock to facilitate the barrel remaining sighted on the tracked target. The fire control system includes a fuzzy logic controller which by a set of inference rules provides for both alignment of the barrel with the stock during tracking and also for stabilization of the barrel just prior to firing.

Abstract: A multi-actuator system for active sound and vibration cancellation utilizes an LMS type algorithm having an adaptive filter. However, the error signal rather than the input is filtered through an adjoint filter of the error channel to drive an adaptive filter which in turn drives, for example, a loudspeaker to provide destructive interference for noise cancellation. The adjoint filter is realized by converting a standard filter's flow direction, such as a finite impulse response filter, swapping branching points with summing junctions and unit delays with unit advances. For multiple-input-output systems, computational complexity is significantly reduced.

Abstract: A fuzzy logic controller for a endometrium ablator heat a liquid to 85.degree. C. which is continuously circulated into the uterus to ablate the endometrium. The fluid temperature is maintained by the fuzzy logic controller which has as its inputs the temperature of the fluid and its rate of change of temperature. Associated membership functions, cold, cool, warm, hot for temperature, and negative and zero and positive for rate are respectively provided. Appropriate rules are then provided and defuzzification with the use of a singleton output function yields an output signal which controls temperature by pulse width modulation.

Abstract: A non-rotating portable voltage sag generator includes for each phase a pair of cascaded standard industrial auto-transformers each having, for example, six taps and when they are cascaded the final output voltage of each phase is a product of the per unit value of each individual auto-transformer. Closed transition switching is provided to switch the auto-transformer into and out of the circuit effectively only during the time a voltage sag is desired. All of the switches and auto-transformers are conveniently carried in a single portable enclosure. There are no moving parts or diesel engines; thus, the non-rotating sag generator is useable in any part of an industrial plant.