Abstract: A method of removing a glow plug from a combustion engine utilizing a hand tool includeing two interconnected arms each being movable with respect to one another and each having a working end and an opposing handle portion. The hand tool may further include an extension body that has a generally tubular configuration. The extension body may have a first body portion and a second body portion wherein the first body portion extends from one of the interconnected arms and wherein the second body portion extends from the other of the interconnected arms and wherein each of the first body portion and the second body portion includes an interior surface that is threaded.

Abstract: A system, device, and computer program product is provided for the centralized or distributed warning of existing or developing significant events and/or threats to users of the device within their locale, while reporting the location of all users of the system to existing command and control systems. A pager-like user warning and positioning device, worn by or carried by the individual user, or mounted in a vehicle or vessel, having a geographical positioning means therein, periodically transmits the geographical location of the individual user, vehicle or vessel, and listens for warning/notification event messages transmitted by a network bridge or central station. When an event/threat warning is received by the device, the device alerts the user via indicia relative to the event/situation, including audible spoken warnings and instructions on how to react, and may retransmit the event/threat warning to other nodes in the network.

Abstract: Programmable SAW filter module are provided to overcome undesirable drawbacks, limitations and shortcomings associated with “in-line” SAW filters, such as insertion loss, propagation loss and strong signal capture effects. The programmable SAW filter modules remove the SAW structure from the primary signal path, adding signal gain to drive the splitter and using the SAW portion of the circuit as a programmable impedance element. The programmable SAW filter module includes an amplifier, an impedance, a surface acoustic wave propagation element, a splitter, input and output IDT electrodes, input and output interdigitated transducers, means for gain control and a combiner to combine or sum the signals received from the output IDT electrodes and form an output signal. The input and output IDT's are fully integrated circuits comprising the power splitter and power combiner functions, the phase shift, and gain functions.

Abstract: A trailer quick disconnect ball mount assembly provides a more secure, less cumbersome, more visible and better-fitting connection between the towing vehicle and trailer. The trailer quick disconnect ball mount assembly features a receiver housing with an angled sidewall that defines a tapered opening for rapid and precise alignment of the ball inside the receiver housing. The receiver housing, angled sidewall and fastening pins only cooperate only when the ball is correctly seated inside the receiver housing and also prevents accumulations of dust and dirt. The need for correctly seating the ball allows the user to instantly determine that the ball is securely connected to the receiver housing. A trailer quick disconnect ball mount system and a method for securely hitching a trailer with a quick disconnect ball mount assembly are also provided.

Abstract: A metal-air battery includes a housing having an aperture for the passage of air and a pair of electrodes that extend from the housing. An air cathode may be interconnected with one of the electrodes and an anode may include a metal foil that is interconnected with another of the electrodes. A separator may be interposed between the air cathode and the metal foil and a barrier layer may surround the metal foil. The barrier layer may function to substantially reduce the passage of moisture to the metal foil. A method of making a metal-air battery is also presented.

Abstract: A direction-finding co-linear antenna is provided by collinearly aligning an exposed reference antenna with a primary antenna that is surrounded by a dielectric sleeve with a predetermined thickness and the reference and primary antennas are separated by a ground plane. The direction-finding co-linear antenna provides a simple, light-weight and inexpensive arrangement with fewer antennas and reduced antenna spacing that avoids unwanted detection because of a smaller electronic footprint that consists of the area of a single antenna plus a few inches of dielectric material in the sleeves rather than four widely spaced antennas positioned in an array. The direction-finding co-linear antenna apparatus also requires less electronic processing because the antenna only needs to address the RF from two antennas rather than from four or five antennas in a conventional array arrangement.

Abstract: An information system, method, and computer program product is provided for the distributed warning of existing or developing significant events and/or threats to users carrying a user warning and positioning device, while reporting the location of all user's carrying the user warning and positioning devices of the system to existing command and control systems. The present invention's future event warning capabilities permit those same users to be warned of impending events in enough time for the users to take positive actions in response to these events and/or address those events.

Abstract: An anode for a metal-air battery has an electrode and a metal foil interconnected with the electrode. A barrier layer surrounds the metal foil and includes a polymer blend that substantially reduces the passage of moisture therethrough while permitting the passage of ions therethrough. A method of making the barrier layer is also presented.

Abstract: An information system, method, and computer program product is provided for the centralized warning of existing or developing significant events and/or threats to affected users carrying a user warning and positioning device, while reporting the location of all user's carrying the user warning and positioning devices of the system to existing command and control systems. The present invention's future event warning capabilities permit those same affected users to be warned of impending events in enough time for the users to take positive actions in response to these events and/or address those events.

Abstract: A method for converging on a route through a radio frequency (RF) communications network, that includes multiple nodes, includes (a) identifying all RF links between each node in the RF communications network; (b) determining a connectivity confidence interval for each RF link by: (aa) developing a calculated signal to noise ratio using a radio frequency communication link propagation loss model; (bb) determining a threshold signal to noise ratio based on a predetermined RF packet completion rate; (cc) determining a standard deviation value based on a signal strength and a noise level at a signal receiving node; (dd) calculating a Z number, associated with a normal distribution table which is based on the threshold signal to noise ratio minus the calculated signal to noise ratio with that result being divided by the standard deviation value; and (ee) assigning a CCI probability value based on said Z number.

Abstract: Though the initial concept of the face-mounted resonator was ahead of fabrication technology, the solidly-mounted resonator (SMR) is now a practical resonator design yielding high Qs in a space-efficient and robust mounting configuration. An agile tunable piezoelectric SMR is now provided with a resonator and alternating stacks of high mechanical impedance and low mechanical impedance, piezoelectric layers advantageously stacked on a substrate with the piezoelectric layers connected to an adaptive circuit that alternates with an external electrical impedance having values anywhere between an open circuit and a short circuit.

Abstract: A fixed remanence rigid permanent magnetic structure is provided. The fixed remanence rigid permanent magnetic structure is fabricated from a number of superconductive magnetic segments composed of high temperature superconductive particles. The superconductive magnetic segments are characterized by unusually high transition temperatures and a capacity to trap magnetic flux. The fixed remanence permanent magnetic structure provides a fixed magnetic remanence B in the interior working space and offers stronger magnetic fields than currently available rigid permanent magnets.

Abstract: The Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) target detection accuracy test system receives, compares and analyzes GMTI test data that is formatted according to the NATO-EX (v.2.01) Standard. The GMTI target detection accuracy test system also uses Global Positioning System (GPS) data from the objective target and target reports generated by the GMTI sensor to display the simulation test results. At the conclusion of the GMTI sensor test, both the GPS and GMTI data are collected and compared using a computer processor and the results are displayed using the MATLAB® program to better indicate detection accuracy and provide a higher level of target detection accuracy. A method for testing artillery target detection accuracy method is also provided for characterizing the performance of any GMTI adhering to the NATO-EX Standard and testing against an objective target outfitted with GPS instrumentation.

Abstract: A more efficient LiPF6 lithium-ion electrochemical system composed of a phosphate free, borate lithium salt electrolyte LiTPTB composed of LiBC32F24H12 in a ternary mixed organic solvent containing a 1:1:1 volume ratio of EC, DMC and EMC is provided. The borate salt of the LiTPTB electrolyte decomposes at temperatures above 110° C. and does not react with water and also has an oxidation potential of about 4.4 V versus lithium, making it suitable for use in high voltage lithium-ion cells and batteries. A 0.3 to 1.0 M molar concentration of LiTPTB composed of LiBC32F24H12 in a ternary mixed organic solvent containing a 1:1:1 volume ratio of EC, DMC and EMC is also provided.

Abstract: Magnetic field structures composed of nested cylindrical magnetic laminae that are magnetically oriented perpendicular to their planes and configured to cause a volume charge density and cancel the field effects of unwanted surface negative charges are provided by arranging nested thin magnetic laminae into various configurations. This arrangement causes a uniform volume magnetic charge density, which results in a magnetic field normal to the laminae. The invention's nested cylindrical magnetic laminae magnetic field structures and methods cancel the field effects of the deleterious unwanted surface charges because these surface charges are so situated that their contributions to the internal magnetic field mutually cancel each other, and thus they are no longer detrimental to the magnetic field created by the volume charge density. One embodiment provides a cylindrical magnetic field gradient source structure.

Abstract: A method for rapidly extracting data file samples with an a signal monitor and an automatically adjusted decimation ratio is provided to solve the long-standing problems caused by large data files and small buffers by reducing a large data segment to a smaller, more manageable size automatically so that a lower resolution version of the data segment will be loaded into a fixed-size small buffer in the computer's working space buffer for further data editing. In accordance with the methods of this invention, the segment size will vary during the operation of a means for zooming-in and the decimation ratio is updated and adjusted automatically based on the variation of segment size. The present invention insures that the best resolution of the data segment will be achieved when fitting the varying large size data segment into the fixed small size buffer.

Abstract: A restrained surface wave resonator with reduced or abated acceleration sensitivity is provided with a stiffening layer, adhesive layers and subsurface horizontal indentations on the substrate to achieve reduced acceleration sensitivity, increased structural rigidity, decreased sensitivity to in-plane deformations, a lightweight device and reduced deleterious effects from environmental shocks and vibration. The substrate of the restrained surface wave resonators features multiple subsurface horizontal indentations in one major substrate surface deposited on a stiffening layer to provide improved structural rigidity against flexure caused by normal acceleration based upon the diminished mass and reduced weight resulting from removal of portions of the substrate subsurface through micro-machining, and it also tends to improve excessive sensitivity to other flexural deformations. The present invention encompasses a restrained surface wave resonator device and a restrained surface wave resonator system.

Abstract: A multiple band electrically small compact planar microstrip antenna at VHF and UHF frequencies is provided that permits both a considerably abbreviated antenna length and significantly high efficiency antenna performance. The multiple band electrically small compact planar microstrip antenna advantageously positions a narrow radiating strip and a group of unequally dimensioned radiating members on a microstrip dielectric substrate that is stacked on a ground plane. The unequally dimensioned, or unlike, radiating members are separated by at least one gap and cause the antenna to resonate at a number of different frequencies instead of a single frequency as the prior art microstrip antenna. The multiple band electrically small compact planar microstrip antenna also innovatively filters unwanted signals at other frequencies because of the narrowband nature of each band.

Abstract: Magnetic field structures composed of stacked magnetic laminae that are magnetically oriented perpendicular to their planes and configured to cause a volume charge density and cancel the field effects of unwanted surface negative charges are provided. This arrangement causes a uniform volume magnetic charge density, which results in a magnetic field normal to the laminae. The stacked magnetic laminae magnetic field structure cancel the field effects of the deleterious unwanted surface charges because these surface charges are so situated that their contributions to the internal magnetic field mutually cancel each other, and thus they are no longer detrimental to the magnetic field created by the volume charge density. One embodiment provides a planar magnetic field gradient source structure.

Abstract: A toroidally shaped magnetic device with distortion-free exit and access ports provides toroidal magnetic ionic drive systems for vehicles that achieve a more operationally efficient, uniform and stronger radial magnetic field. This is accomplished by magnetizing a group of magic cylinder sections in a cylindrical direction and affixing them to a uniformly magnetized cylindrical shell with no magnetic field in its central cavity to produce composite cylindrical magnetic segments magnetized in a cylindrical direction with a central cavity and a uniform interior magnetic field. The composite segments are then bent into a toroidal tube and configured in such a way that longitudinal slots can be removed from the outer surface for exit and access ports. Other embodiments include a magnetic propulsion system for space vehicles and methods for magnetizing the toroidal ionic drive structure for a vehicle.