Abstract: A protection circuit for the output stage of an operational amplifier may utilize two diodes and two resistors. A circuit for protecting electronic components from the voltage on the cable has an operational amplifier having the signal connected to an input, a diode oriented to conduct the signal from an output of the operational amplifier to the cable, and a diode for shunting a voltage, of a polarity opposite the polarity of the signal, from a first conductor of the cable to a second conductor of the cable, and at least one resistor for limiting current flow to the second diode.

Abstract: An expanded register rack assembly is for a processor based device. The expanded register rack assembly has a first board register rack assembly having multiple slots for receiving multiple electronic modules including a programmable controller module. The expanded register rack also has a second register rack having multiple slots for receiving multiple electronic modules. The expanded register rack assembly further has a communicative coupling between the first and second board racks, the communicative coupling permitting the programmable controller module to selectively access any of the other electronic modules received in the first and second multiple slots without the need for communication hardware mounted in any of the slots.

Abstract: An elegant golf accessory combines a divot repair, a holding base for receiving the prongs of the divot repair, a ball marker with a snap member passes through a hole on the divot repair when the prongs are inserted into the base and snaps into a receptacle in the base to lock the divot repair and base together into a single, attractive carrying unit. The finger gripping portion or the divot repair includes a brush mounted on its head with a slidable cover thereover.

Abstract: A fiber to fiber connection comprising a first optical fiber end, a second optical fiber end, and a connector housing. The connector housing has a connection chamber, a first fiber inlet passage which communicates with the connection chamber and which snugly but slidably receives the first fiber end, and a second fiber inlet passage which communicates with the connection chamber and which slidably receives the second fiber end. The fiber to fiber connection further comprises a shuttle slidably received within the connection chamber and movable between a first fiber connecting position and a second position. The shuttle has a fiber receiving end, and a connection end housing the second fiber end and snugly but slidably received within the first fiber inlet passage so that the second fiber end faces the first fiber end. The fiber to fiber connection further comprises a spring for biasing the shuttle toward the first fiber inlet passage from the first fiber connecting position to the second position.

Abstract: A data display, preferably having screens or windows, is built from data in a data base according to a hierarchy of display knowledge. Therefore, the data values themselves are separate from the knowledge or rules that specify how the data values are displayed to a user. In particular, the display knowledge is arranged in a hierarchy so that an individual item of display knowledge may be applicable to a wide range of data values representing the attributes of a number of different objects. In many cases, the range of data values or the attributes which the data values represent can be changed without any need to change the display knowledge. In other cases, only minor changes to the display knowledge are needed to properly display values for new or different data. These minor changes, for example, need only be made by changing the lowest level in the hierarchy of the display knowledge or associating items of display knowledge in the lowest level with different display knowledge in the higher levels.

Abstract: Add-in program instructs operable through a general purpose spreadsheet program in a personal computer to move real-time status and control messages directly between cells in the displayed spreadsheet and addressed registers of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) is disclosed. The PLCs operate such as machine tools for processing stations and connect together and to an interface card in the personal computer over a network. The invention facilities a user's real-time monitoring and control of the manufacturing performed at the machine tools or processing stations through mathematical and logical features of the spreadsheet, which are well known and easy for a user to implement.

Abstract: A high-speed press control system including a control processor and an associated scan processor for executing a press algorithm providing timed interrupts and consisting of identical programmable sub-algorithms to control output and input registers. The high-speed press control system has the capability of monitoring and reacting to press position every 2.5 ms.

Abstract: A connector 10 for protecting, clamping, and sealing a cable passing through an aperture of a housing 14 for electrical or electronic equipment. A portion 15 of the housing 14 includes an aperture 34 for accepting a bushing 18. The bushing 18 includes a passage for a cable 26 and a pair of jaws 82 for clamping the cable 26 to prevent movement. The portion 15 of the housing 14 also includes an aperture 54 for inserting a locking clip 22 which locks the bushing 18 in the portion 15 of the housing 14. The locking clip 22 also provides the force required to activate the clamping jaws 82 on the bushing 18. A sealing ring 30 is compressed between the end 90 of the bushing 18 and a bevel surface 94 in the portion 15 of the housing 14 to close off the aperture.

Abstract: The assembly comprises a light-emitting diode (28) and associated circuit components (38, R1-R4) mounted on a printed circuit board (26) all mounted within a housing (10) formed with securement means such as a screw thread (14) for mounting the assembly in a panel (18) with the led (28) visible from the opposite side of the panel. The circuit components form means for converting a mains voltage at input leads (30) to a low voltage for driving the led, preferably in the form of an i.c. rectifier bridge (38) and a plurality of volgage-dropping resistors (R1-R4).

Abstract: An infrared thermometer (10) with a fixed aperture (99), focusable remote pickup head (12) conveys infrared light (16) from a target (14) to a photosensor (52) of a defocused sensor head (20). The remote pickup head (12) has a reimaging lens (84) and means for selectively adjusting the focus of the lens (84) relative to the target (14) after the pickup head has been fixedly mounted. The aperture setting is kept fixed during the focus adjustment to eliminate the need to recalibrate after the focus adjustment. The defocused sensor head (20) has a defocused relay lens (50) which is selectively out of focus to convey a slightly blurred, out of focus image of the output end of the fiber optic cable (18) to the photosensor (52) to reduce noise, average the light signal and reduce calibration difficulties due to high intensity spots in the image field and to make the unit less susceptible to misfocusing.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for measuring a target electric current utilizing a Faraday effect in which an optical medium is magnetically coupled with the target electric current and light is passed through the optical medium at an orientation for which the effects of birefringence on the optical medium can be disregarded in comparison with the Faraday effect, and the light departing from the optical medium is measured and analyzed in a manner permitting the target current to be accurately determined.

Abstract: An optical fiber coupler including an optical fiber having an end, and an electronic light pulse communication assembly comprising an assembly housing, an electronic light pulse communication device fixed within the assembly housing, and a lens mounted on the assembly housing and in light pulse communication with the electronic light pulse communication device. The optical fiber coupler also includes a coupler housing having an inlet well, an assembly well separated from the inlet well by a coupler housing wall and having the assembly fixedly received therein, and a fiber passage which extends between the inlet well and the assembly well and which snugly receives the fiber so that the fiber end is adjacent the assembly lens.

Abstract: A motor control having mechanical switching and pressure reponsive components for connecting and intercepting a circuit between an A.C. source and an A.C. motor in response to pressure changes in a pressure system. The control includes a microcomputer chip and components that detect a voltage across the motor and a current through the motor and provide signals indicative of the level of the motor voltage and current. The control in response to the signals determines the power factor of the current and in response to the detected signals protects the motor from operating malfunctions when the voltage is too high or low, the current is too high or too low, the time of operation of the motor is too long or too short and in response to the character of the malfunction provides a visual coded lamp indication of the cause of the malfunction.

Abstract: A communication network for programmable logic controllers (PLC) wherein selected memory means of each PLC has at least two ports directly accessible by other PLC and certain registers of the PLC are identical. Each PLC further has an interblock gap timer to signal the PLC when its transmit time slice is to occur. The time slice consists of a block transmit time and an interblock gap time. The total update time has been optimized to engable efficient, high-speed transfer of blocks of data between the PLCs.

Abstract: A housing for a multi-board electronic module is disclosed. The housing comprises a rear wall, side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall cooperating to define an enclosure having an open front. Brackets located in the enclosure permit mounting of the electronic circuit boards in a substantially vertical orientation. Vent openings in the top and the bottom walls cooperate with the vertically oriented electronic circuit boards to permit air heated by the electronic components located on the circuit boards to escape the housing through the top wall vent openings and for permitting ambient air to enter the bottom wall vent openings. The ambient air replaces the escaping air and cools the components located on the electronic circuit boards. The housing can be either wall mounted or mounted in a register rack assembly.

Abstract: An electrical consumer unit comprises a moulded plastics baseplate (10) and a cover member (280), the baseplate (10) being adapted to mount a live busbar (24) and a neutral bar (90) to which a main, power-supply switch (196) and a plurality of circuit-breakers (212), for protecting a number of outgoing sub-circuits may be mounted. The unit is particularly intended for use with plug-in type switches and circuit breakers whereby a clip for mounting the switch also establishes electrical connection with the live busbar (24) and neutral bar (90). The present invention concerns the format of the moulded enclosure comprising the baseplate (10) and cover (280), and the manner in which these are adapted to receive the necessary components and to facilitate installation of the unit.

Abstract: A register rack assembly for housing a plurality of electronic modules including a programmable controller and related devices, each of the modules containing an electronic circuit board, is disclosed.

Abstract: A rack mountable weld controller for use as a plug in card within a rack of a programmable logical controller (PLC) system. All signals between the PLC and the weld controller are through the backplane of the rack in which the weld controller is installed. In this manner, the large number of signals which are needed to operate the weld controller may be passed through the backplane rather than over a set of cables connecting the weld controller to an input card and output card which are themselves plugged into a backplane slot.