Abstract: A heat sink assembly for an electronics assembly, such as an RF power amplifier, includes a pallet, a fin structure, and a hollow base separate from the fin structure. The fin structure may be an integral curved sheet or a modular apparatus comprising a plurality of inverted U-shaped fin modules. Top horizontal walls of the fin structure directly contact a bottom surface of the pallet. Vertical fins of the fin structure are inserted through the slots of the base. The pallet, fin structure and base are coupled together such that the upper surface of the base applies load to the contact portions of the fin structure sandwiched between the base and the pallet. Methods for assembling a power amplifier and manufacturing a heat sink assembly are also provided.

Abstract: The invention reduces recovery time in a receiving coil or antenna of an RFID reader by generating a reference voltage that then clamps the node on which the desired signal is monitored. The coil is coupled to parallel channels. One channel has a recovery time or capacitance very much less than the other parallel channel. The two channels have a monitored node which are clamped together or at least close together by means of a Schottky diode. The monitored nodes of both channels are coupled to the inputs of a differential amplifier. The output of the amplifier is the conditioned received signal from the coil used in the reader as the sensed signals from the RFID tags.

Abstract: A medication dispensing and monitoring system includes an acknowledge-back pager, a carriage communicating with the pager, and a medication unit dispensing stored medication. The pager receives prescriptions and transmits messages back to a physician or health care organization. Prescriptions received by the pager are stored and processed by a pager processor. The pager processor communicates with a carriage controller via a series of electrical contacts. At a prescribed time, a motor in the carriage causes the medication unit to dispense the prescribed medication. Numerous medication units may be assembled to accommodate different forms of medication.

Abstract: A two dimensional periodic pattern of capacitive and inductive elements defined in the surface of a metal sheet are provided by a plurality of conductive patches each connected to a conductive back plane sheet between which an insulating dielectric is disposed. The elements acts to suppress surface currents in the surface defined by them. In particular, the array forms a ground plane mesh for use in combination with an antenna. The performance of a ground plane mesh is characterized by a frequency band within which no substantial surface currents are able to propagate along the ground plane mesh. Use of such a ground plane in aircraft or other metallic vehicles thereby prevents radiation from the antenna from propagating along the metallic skin of the aircraft or vehicle. This eliminates surface currents between the antenna and the ground plane thereby reducing power loss and unwanted coupling between neighboring antennae.

Abstract: An switching converter (APF) is a device that is connected in parallel to and cancels the reactive and harmonic currents from a group of nonlinear loads so that the resulting total current drawn from the ac source is sinusoidal. What is provided is an unified constant-frequency integration (UCI) APF control method based on one-cycle control. This method employs an integrator to control the pulse width of an ac-dc converter so that its current draw is precisely opposite to the reactive and harmonic current draw of the nonlinear loads. In contrast to previously proposed methods, there is no need to generate a current reference for the control of the converter current, thus no need for a multiplier, and no need to sense the ac line voltage, the APF current, or the nonlinear load current. Only one current sensor and one voltage sensor are used to sense the ac source current and the dc capacitor voltage.

Abstract: A silicone film is attached to a surface by chemical bonding. The silicone film consists of chains of siloxane groups, each chain terminating in an end molecule which is either an ester, an ether, or a halogen. The end molecule is allowed to react with water to produce an OH group. The surface is then contacted with a capping agent which reacts with the OH group to produce a new end group which improves the properties of the film.

Abstract: A micropump fabricated in a planar substrate is provided with a valving chamber which is communicated to a pumping chamber. The valving chamber has an inlet and outlet port. Both the valving chamber and pumping chamber have a liquid, electrically conductive piston disposed therein, which liquid piston is nonmiscible with the pumped working fluid and nonreactive with the substrate in which the chambers are formed. The valving piston is magnetohydrodynamically driven to selectively close either the inlet port or the outlet port. The pumping piston is magnetohydrodynamically driven to pull or push the working fluid through one of the inlet or outlet ports, through the valving chamber, into the pumping chamber, back out of the pumping chamber and through the other one of the inlet or outlet ports after activation of the valving piston. Both direct current and inductive magnetohydrodynamic drives are contemplated.

Abstract: Blue icing can be prevented by an apparatus inside an aircraft. A sump is provided which has a removable screen cover disposed over an open-top container. The sump is placed underneath the aircraft's service valve, between the service valve and service door, to collect leaked aircraft lavatory fluid. A level sensor switch placed on an interior wall of the container senses the level of the fluid in the sump and activates a pump inside the sump when the fluid reaches a predetermined level. A recirculation loop has a recirculation hose in circuit with a one-way valve. The activated pump pumps the fluid through the recirculation loop. The recirculation loop leads to a three-port fluid return fitting, allowing the pumped fluid to return to the lavatory fluid reservoir. The fluid return fitting connects to the recirculation hose, lavatory fluid reservoir and to a vent hose equilibrating the pressure within the reservoir with the ambient pressure of the aircraft's interior.

Abstract: Overload protection is provided to the tuned receiving front end circuitry of an RFID tag by selectively detuning the tuned receiving front end in response to sensed voltage overload generated across the tuned receiving front end by a high field. The tuned receiving front end is or is modeled as a tuned parallel inductor and capacitor tank circuit. A parallel capacitance is added to the tank circuit by means of a control transistor which is controlled by a voltage sensing circuit. The voltage sensing circuit senses the voltage being applied across the tank circuit and turns on the control transistor to a degree to sufficiently detune the tank circuit so that the operating voltage across the tank circuit remains at or below a desired operating value or safe limit regardless of the value of the field in which the RFID tag is placed.

Abstract: A laser beam mixer combines two or more input laser beams in a coaxial manner to provide an output beam. At least one of the input beams is altered in cross-sectional profile, for example, to an annular cross-sectional shape. Another input beam is placed within the altered beam by a beam combining element having a transmissive portion and a reflective portion to respectively reflect and transmit the two input beams. The beams are combined with minimal beam losses and without diverging a beam profile.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus for simultaneously transmitting biomedical signals and human voice over a telephone. The invention is also a telephone line adapted to receive communication from the receiving unit at a second end of the line while simultaneously transmitting biomedical signals and human voice from the first end. The apparatus comprises a sensor, a cable, and a transmitter device. The sensor comprises electrodes attached to a pad with a wire connected to each electrode. The cable groups the wires into a single unit and leads them to the transmitter device. The transmitter device comprises a converter and a acoustic. In operation, the sensor takes biomedical signals in the form of electronic data. The data is conveyed via the wires where it reaches the converter. The converter converts the biomedical electronic data into acoustic signal which is emitted by the acoustic in circuit with the converter. The acoustic signals are translatable back to biomedical signals by the receiving unit.

Abstract: The invention is a water well filter. An outer pipe is concentric with an inner pipe. Each pipe has a plurality of water passage apertures. The outer pipe is shorter than the inner pipe, but long enough to cover the apertures of the inner pipe. The outer pipe is attached to non-apertured portions of the inner pipe by sealing rings disposed at an upper and lower end of the upper pipe so as to form a gap between the pipes. The sealing rings are welded onto the inner and outer pipes. A granulated filter material fills the gap. The filter granules may be bonded to each other as well as to the surfaces of the pipes. A nylon mesh cover is disposed on the outer surface of the inner pipe to prevent filter granules from entering through the inner pipe apertures. The inner pipe has an internally threaded portion at one end and an externally threaded portion at the other end so as to allow multiple inner pipes, and thus multiple water well filters, to be attached end to end.

Abstract: The present invention is a valve that shuts off only upon excess flow of liquid. A ball is seated within a ball holder. The ball holder has a circumferential side wall. An inlet orifice and one or more circumferential apertures are defined in the circumferential side wall. An outlet orifice is defined in a surface disposed above the ball holder. The ball holder may be disposed within a main body which directs all material flowing in the valve to enter the ball holder. Excess flow of liquid effects a shut-off position of the valve when the excess flow of liquid encounters resistance caused by the circumferential apertures. The resistance causes the liquid to flow through the inlet orifice at a flow high enough to push the ball upwards to a height at which the flow of liquid through the circumferential apertures carries the ball further upward to effectively seal the outlet aperture, at which point the sealed position is maintained by hydrostatic pressure.

Abstract: Improved imaging system includes a CMOS imaging chip with a light blocking layer configured so as to block incident light from a portion of the readout circuitry sensitive to light. The light blocking layer may be positioned on top of a glass package housing the imaging chip or may be incorporated in the manufacture of the chip itself. Distortions in image data due to lighting conditions in outdoor applications are avoided by the presence of the light blocking layer resulting in improved image quality under such conditions.

Abstract: A power rectifier having low on resistance, fast recovery times and very low forward voltage drop. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a power rectifier device employing a vertical device structure, i.e., with current flow between the major surfaces of the discrete device. The device employs a large number of parallel connected cells, each comprising a MOSFET structure with a gate to drain short via a common metallization. A self aligned body implant and a shallow silicide drain contact region integrated with a metal silicide drain contact define a narrow channel region and allow very high cell density. This provides a low Vf path through the channel regions of the MOSFET cells to the contact on the other side of the integrated circuit. The present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a rectifier device which provides the above desirable device characteristics in a repeatable manner. Also, only two masking steps are required, reducing processing costs.

Abstract: A toilet fill valve includes an outlet pipe associated with a wash basin, an outlet tube associated with a wet-bowl configuration and an outlet assembly for filling the tank of the toilet. A blocking device includes a first plug for blocking the pipe in the absence of a wash basin, and a second plug for blocking the outlet tube in the absence of a wet-bowl configuration. An outlet assembly includes a deflector for directing water against a side wall of the tank, and an aerator for adding turbulence to the water in order to minimize noise associated with filling the tank with water.

Abstract: A door assembly includes a door automatically operable relative to a floor and further comprises an electromechanical power device disposed beneath the floor and providing a rotary output on a shaft. The support apparatus includes a spindle adapted to receive power from the rotary shaft beneath the floor and to extend above the floor into a coupled relationship with the door. A bearing included in the support apparatus supports the spindle and at least a portion of the weight of the door beneath the floor. The electromechanical device can be of the type commonly used in overhead systems, in which case the power device can be retrofitted with the support apparatus for disposition beneath the floor. A coupling mechanism in the support apparatus can include pulleys, sprockets and gears, and power transfer devices such as belts and chains.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improvement in a latch for a gate which comprises a latch bar and a cooperating latch mechanism. The latch mechanism has a frame with a flange base for attachment to a gate post and a tongue with a slot to receive the latch bar that is pivotally mounted on the frame. A lever arm extends from the tongue and a gate latch pull is attached to the lever arm and extended through a bore in the gate post to permit operation of the latch from the opposite side of the gate. The improvement of this invention is a gate latch pull that is formed of a flexible plastic having a flexural strength (modulus) no less than about 5,000 psi and a thickness sufficient to permit the latch pull to flex and follow the arcuate movement of the lever arm while retaining sufficient stiffness to permit the pushing of the lever to overcome interference in closing the latch. Preferably the latch pull is provided with a snap retainer to secure one end to the latch tongue lever, and with finger grips at each end.