Abstract: A high throughput drilling system for printed circuit board hole formation. Two spindles are disposed at each spindle station, doubling the number of holes produced in a given time period. Each spindle in connected to an overhead linear drive by a mini slide. A first set of the spindles, one for each spindle station, is driven by a first X axis linear drive. A second set is driven by a second X axis linear drive. The work piece table is elongated to support work pieces for all stations, and is supported by a set of bearing guides, with outrigger bearings coupled to the table by flexure mounts that relieve stress due to differential temperature expansion rates between the work piece table and the base table. High speed spindles are employed to obtain higher productivity, with larger holes routed by router tools, eliminating the need for stocking large drill sizes on the system tool changer.

Abstract: A control system for bathers includes an electronic controller which controls operation of an electric heater assembly connected in a water flow path for heating water. The heater assembly includes a heater housing and electric heater element. A solid state water temperature sensor apparatus provides electrical temperature signals to the controller indicative of water temperature at separated first and second locations on or within the heater housing. The presence of water in the heater housing is detected electronically, by turning on the heater, and monitoring the temperature sensors for unusual temperature rises or other faults for a period of time thereafter. A solid state water presence sensor apparatus can also be used to determine the presence of water within the heater housing, providing electrical water presence signals to the controller indicative of the presence or absence of a body of water within the heater housing.

Abstract: A control system for bathers with ground continuity and ground fault detection includes an electronic controller which controls operation of electrically powered devices such as an electric heater assembly connected in a water flow path for heating water. A solid state water temperature sensor apparatus provides electrical temperature signals to the controller indicative of water temperature at separated first and second locations on or within the heater housing. A solid state water presence sensor apparatus determines the presence of water within the heater housing, providing electrical water presence signals to the controller indicative of the presence or absence of a body of water within the heater housing. The system includes ground continuity detection, ground current detection and ground fault detection circuits. The ground continuity detector detects continuity of the electrical ground and provides an electrical detector signal to the controller indicative of a ground continuity status.

Abstract: A wood-type golf club head is provided with a face having a double-wall construction. The use of a double-wall construction allows two different materials for the face, allowing the golf club head to be fabricated with many different weight distributions, impact sounds, different feel and different impact energy transfer characteristics. The inside face plate can be solid, or perforated with openings, provided with center ribs, or other weight distributing and strengthening features. The club head bottom, sides and the inner face can be fabricated as a unitary formed plate by a press forming process from a single sheet of a metal material. The inner face plate is bent to the desired loft, and the top plate, hosel pipe and outer plate are attached to the unitary structure by welding or other attachment techniques. Another club head has a lowered and forwardly positioned center of gravity.

Abstract: A spindle capable of operation at 200,000 revolutions per minute (RPM) with a reciprocating shaft design to minimize the moving mass. The spindle has a ceramic spindle shaft to decrease the moving mass and increase the shaft stiffness for better dynamic stability. The spindle employs a built-in linear motor to provide direct drilling motion to move the shaft along the axis, and a permanent magnet DC brushless motor to rotate the spindle shaft. The linear motor is coupled to the shaft by a combination of an air bearing and a magnetic thrust bearing to reduce the size of the thrust area for better dynamic stability and reduction in stresses of material. A double gripping centrifugal chuck is mounted in the hollow ceramic shaft, and reduces drill bit runout.

Abstract: A versatile quick connect/disconnect coaxial 3.5 mm male connector which can be used to mate with unmodified standard SMA, 2.92 mm, and 3.5 mm female connectors with or without the use of a threaded nut. The connector employs simple construction and achieves excellent electrical performance. The connector allows the user the option of a push to engage and pull to disengage operating feature, plus the additional option to connect using a threaded nut with reduced thread engagement, which can be hand tightened or torqued to a specific value. The threaded nut is retractable and is held clear of the mating area for push/pull operation, and due to the minimum number of threads, the nut can be coupled and uncoupled in one third to one fourth the time needed to thread a conventional nut.

Abstract: A sheet cleaning apparatus having sets of cleaning rollers, wherein the rollers are integrated into a removable cartridge structure. Couplers are provided at roller shaft ends to connect to the roller drive. The cartridge is received in a slide carriage, permitting the cartridge to be readily removed from the apparatus by sliding the carriage out, and lifting the cartridge out from the slide carriage. With this arrangement, the down time for the sheet cleaning apparatus is minimized, since the sheet cleaning apparatus can be provided with two cartridges, and the cartridge needing maintenance can simply be quickly removed and replaced with a fresh cartridge. The production line can quickly be put back into operation, and the removed cartridge can be serviced off line for subsequent use.

Abstract: A high throughput drilling system for printed circuit board hole formation. Two spindles are disposed at each spindle station, doubling the number of holes produced in a given time period. Each spindle in connected to an overhead linear drive by a mini slide. A first set of the spindles, one for each spindle station, is driven by a first X axis linear drive. A second set is driven by a second X axis linear drive. The work piece table is elongated to support work pieces for all stations, and is supported by a set of bearing guides, with outrigger bearings coupled to the table by flexure mounts that relieve stress due to differential temperature expansion rates between the work piece table and the base table. High speed spindles are employed to obtain higher productivity, with larger holes routed by router tools, eliminating the need for stocking large drill sizes on the system tool changer.

Abstract: A molded sweep elbow tube connector includes a molded tube connector member comprising a first linear tube end portion, a second linear tube end portion, and a curved sweep tube portion defined by a relatively large sweep radius and joining the two end portions to form an integral one-piece molded part. The tube connector member forms an interior passageway for carrying a flow of fluid, characterized by a sweep bend between the two end portions, permitting fluid laminar flow through the tube connector. The tube connector member has a thick wall thickness over at least a portion of the curved sweep tube portion and a thin wall thickness over the first linear tube end. The thin wall thickness facilitates the removal of a curved core pin from the part through a linear tube end portion after injection molding, since the plastic material will flex enough to permit the pin to be stripped without damaging the part.

Abstract: A multifunction vehicle security system, which includes a receiver connected to a control unit which processes received information and enables various functions. The user can increase or decrease the sensitivity of the system sensor, by merely pressing a button on the remote control to increase the sensor sensitivity, and another button to decrease the sensitivity. A special programming mode resets the system programmable features and values to factory settings, to quickly re-establish to a known state all or only preselected features. The system provides automatic silencing during night conditions of the system's arming/disarming chirping to confirm the change of system state. The security system generates a door unlocking command to the vehicle's power door locking system to unlock the doors in the event of a vehicle collision. A theft warning LED energy management system conserves battery power when the vehicle is left unattended for long periods of time.

Abstract: Apparatus for aiding removal and replacement of a spa cover. The apparatus includes at least one lifting assembly secured relative to the spa tub, each having a lifting arm mounted for rotation relative to the spa tub and including a cover-engaging end coupled to the spa cover and a pivot end mounted for pivotal movement about a pivot axis. The lifting arm is rotatable through a range of motion about the pivot axis between a covering position and an uncovering position. A lifting system is provided for exerting a lifting force on the arm tending to lift the arm as the arm moves from the covering position toward the uncovering position, and for exerting a resistance force on the arm tending to resist movement of the arm from the uncovering position toward the covering position. The lifting system includes a link lever having a pivot end pivotally mounted to the lift arm at a link pivot location disposed between the arm pivot end and the cover-engaging end.

Abstract: A spindle capable of operation at 200,000 revolutions per minute (RPM) with a reciprocating shaft design to minimize the moving mass. The spindle has a ceramic spindle shaft to decrease the moving mass and increase the shaft stiffness for better dynamic stability. The spindle employs a built-in linear motor to provide direct drilling motion to move the shaft along the axis, and a permanent magnet DC brushless motor to rotate the spindle shaft. The linear motor is coupled to the shaft by a combination of an air bearing and a magnetic thrust bearing to reduce the size of the thrust area for better dynamic stability and reduction in stresses of material. A double gripping centrifugal chuck is mounted in the hollow ceramic shaft, and reduces drill bit runout.

Abstract: A sheet cleaning apparatus having sets of cleaning rollers, wherein the rollers are integrated into a removable cartridge structure. Couplers are provided at roller shaft ends to connect to the roller drive. The cartridge is received in a slide carriage, permitting the cartridge to be readily removed from the apparatus by sliding the carriage out, and lifting the cartridge out from the slide carriage. With this arrangement, the down time for the sheet cleaning apparatus is minimized, since the sheet cleaning apparatus can be provided with two cartridges, and the cartridge needing maintenance can simply be quickly removed and replaced with a fresh cartridge. The production line can quickly be put back into operation, and the removed cartridge can be serviced off line for subsequent use.

Abstract: An emergency water tank reservoir system for a structure having a water supply system including a water supply line is described. The system includes a water tank structure having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a side wall forming a closed tank. The tank structure has an inlet port formed in the side wall and an outlet port opening formed in the side wall. A sediment drain valve opening is disposed into the bottom of the tank at or adjacent the lowest point within the tank for periodically flushing sediments from the tank. A water spout opening is formed into the tank and disposed at an elevation above the sediment drain valve opening for withdrawing water from the tank in emergency situations. A bypass water line is coupled between the inlet and outlet port via a bypass valve system for selectively providing a water bypass line to bypass the tank structure.

Abstract: An overlay sheet having a first thin layer of a polymer material, a second thin layer of a hard material such as a phenolic, melamine or metal foil, and a third thin layer of a polymer material, the first and third layers sandwiching the second layer. The sheet is applied to a surface of a printed circuit board such that the third layer is against the board surface, and the first layer is exposed to receive the drill bit. During drilling operations, the drill bit is advanced initially through the softer first layer of the polymer material, immobilizing the tip of the drill bit against lateral movement, then through the harder layer, then through the softer third layer, and finally through the printed circuit board. The harder layer prevents formation of burrs, and the polymer material inhibits drill bit wander.

Abstract: A system, method and device for selectively tracking expenditures against a total monetary amount. The device includes a support having a plurality of response areas for presenting information for selection, and printing indicative of one or more discrete monetary amounts, each amount a small fraction of the total monetary amount as a discrete budget unit. The printing is fixed to the support within each response area. The plurality of response areas and the printing are arranged on the support in a distributed fashion such that the aggregate of the representations of the discrete monetary amounts equals the total monetary amount. The arrangement of the printing and response areas provides a visual representation of the total monetary amount as a distribution of discrete monetary amounts. Expenditure amounts are tracked by canceling, for each expenditure amount, a corresponding amount of the discrete printed representations to approximate the expenditure amount.

Abstract: Apparatus for the optical detection of selected toxic gases, using the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the known absorption properties of the toxic gases in the ultraviolet region. An ultraviolet flashlamp source illuminates a straight, highly polished metal tube with numerous perforations to permit access for the gas to be detected. The ultraviolet light then enters an optical compartment comprising an optical beamsplitter and two ultraviolet detectors with wavelength selective narrowband filters attached. The filters are selected so that one overlaps the region of absorption by the gas while the second is in a region where there is no absorption by the gas. The electronic circuit following the ultraviolet detectors and the drivers for the flashlamp, are timed by a microprocessor that provides the means for the electronics and data processing to be synchronized with the flashlamp pulse.

Abstract: An imaging flame detection system for detecting flames of fires against false alarms using continuous imaging and pattern recognition of infrared (IR) images of a protected area under surveillance by the system. The system uses a Silicon (Si) Charge-Coupled-Device (CCD) array to detect the IR images, which first have passed through a wide field of view lens to establish a wide surveillance of the protected area, and have been filtered by a narrow band IR filter centered at 1,140 nm wavelength to remove false alarms originated from background sources of the protected area. Then, the system digitizes and thresholds these images into binarized images for pattern recognition to remove any remaining false alarms.

Abstract: A high throughput drilling system for printed circuit board hole formation. Two spindles are disposed at each spindle station, doubling the number of holes produced in a given time period. Each spindle in connected to an overhead linear drive by a mini slide. A first set of the spindles, one for each spindle station, is driven by a first X axis linear drive. A second set is driven by a second X axis linear drive. The work piece table is elongated to support work pieces for all stations, and is supported by a set of bearing guides, with outrigger bearings coupled to the table by flexure mounts that relieve stress due to differential temperature expansion rates between the work piece table and the base table. High speed spindles are employed to obtain higher productivity, with larger holes routed by router tools, eliminating the need for stocking large drill sizes on the system tool changer.