Abstract: A defroster assembly uses heat from an engine's exhaust to heat the exterior of a windshield and the wipers thereon. The assembly comprises an air intake mechanism shared with the engine's air filter. The air intake mechanism leads to air ducts spaced from the engine block. Nodes in the air ducts encircle exhaust outlet pipes leading from the engine so that heat of the engine exhaust is transferred to air in the ducts. The assembly includes a vent subassembly for directing a stream of air in a laminar flow along the windshield. A fan of the assembly draws air from the ducts and forces it through the vent subassembly.

Abstract: An adjustable test stand for holding ballistic samples during testing, the est stand having trusses carrying specimen holding members the trusses having curved arms which cooperate with the specimen holders to hold the specimens at various angles of incidence relative to the vertical to allow testing over a variety of incident angles.

Abstract: An adaptor is provided for a vehicle load bed having stake pockets along lateral edges. The adaptor allows pallets having indented peripheries to roll over the bed and to be locked in place on the bed. The adaptor has a base lying on the bed and guides in the form of upright walls disposed along lateral edges of the base. The guides keep the pallet on the bed as the pallet rides along the bed. Stakes on the bottom of the base are locked into the pockets to retain the adaptor to the bed. Extending from the walls are lips disposed over the pallet so as to limit or eliminate the pallet's vertical travel. The pallets ride on elongate rollers journalled between roller supports. The supports are fixed on the base parallel to the walls. Apertures of the same shape are defined both in the lips and the base and are aligned with one another. To fix the pallets to the adaptor, locking members are passed through the lip apertures, fit with indents of the pallets and passed through the base apertures.

Abstract: A low visibility interior armor construction for a door of an automotive icle is removably installed in the vehicle without structural change to the vehicle. The construction has a door panel armor component facing an inboard side of the door and a compressible pad between the inboard side of the door and the armor component. The armor component has hooks by which it hangs on the door. The armor component is tightened to the door by tensionable straps connected between the door and the armor component. The construction also has a plate of window armor alongside the door's window frame and a transparent frame forms a channel about a periphery of the plate. The frame is comprised of continuous polygonal bands forming side walls of the channel. Beds of the channel are recessed between the polygonal bands such that the transparent frame defines a continuous surface facing outboard of the vehicle. A transparent flange connects the door armor component to the transparent frame.

Abstract: A tow bar connecting a towed vehicle a towing vehicle has a shaft forking to tines whose hooks to engage the axle or undercarriage of the towed vehicle. A cradle or bracket slidable on the shaft engages the frame, bumper or other part of the towed vehicle. An arm is pivoted to the shaft by the arm's disk-like termini, which rotatingly sandwich the shaft's disk-like terminus. The arm's termini have satellite apertures which register with complementary satellite apertures in the shaft's terminus. Registering of the respective satellite apertures occurs at selected relative angular portions of the arm and shaft. Pins through the registered satellite apertures lock the arm and shaft in a given relative angular position. A jack raises the shaft once the tow bar is on the towed vehicle. The tow bar includes an eye or the like for attaching the tow bar to the hitch of the towing vehicle.

Abstract: A thermoelectric radiator for generating a direct current while providing at least a portion of the necessary cooling is formed with a first and second plurality of interdigitated thermoelectric lamella which are electrically joined and are connected to the positive and negative portions of the electrical system. The result is direct current flow when a heated coolant is passed over the lamella.

Abstract: An attachment for installing a solderless connector to wire ends to form an electrical connection using with a rotary hand held tool is described. The attachment has a spindle member held by the tool. The spindle has a cylindrical member attached to the spindle having a frustoconical opening sized to accept and surround a portion of a solderless connector. The frustoconical opening has a plurality of detents which hold the solderless connector firmly and apply sufficient torque to the solderless connector to twist the wires inserted into the solderless connector together when the solderless connector is rotated by the tool. The detents will release their grasp on the solderless connector when sufficient twisting has been applied to the wires to electrically connect the individual wires but prior to the point at which the wires are twisted beyond their elastic limit.

Abstract: A fastener assembly connects two layers of different hardness in a panel. e assembly has a screw and has a mechanism for boring through the softer layer comprised of a collar of material softer than the material of the screw. The screw is tapped into the collar and has a bit for boring through the harder layer of the panel. The screw's head fits into the collar so that the screw and collar can be countersunk together into the softer layer of the panel. The collar has a lead end having a leading cutting edge for drilling into the softer layer of the panel. The collar also has a trailing end having a frustoconical skirt on which is located a trailing cutting edge. The torque to rotate the screw in the collar is greater than a torque to rotate the collar in the softer layer of the panel. But the torque to rotate the screw in the collar is less than the torque to rotate the screw in the harder layer of the panel.

Abstract: An improved auxiliary multiple step configuration for use on a truck having rigid step attached to the upper surface of the tailgate and a self storing step which retracts substantially into the tailgate when the gate is closed and deploys automatically when the tailgate is opened.

Abstract: A system for clearing anti-personnel mines includes a vehicle, a blast shd on the front of the vehicle, and arms pivoted to the blast shield. A roller wheel subassembly is connected to the arms by cables or chains. Cross members fastened diagonally between the arms minimize side to side swing of the arms on the blast shield while allowing the arms to swing up and down relative to each other. The vehicle has a boom for lifting the arms and roller wheel subassembly. The arms connect to the boom by another chain or cable that slides through an eye on the boom so that the chain or cable accommodates relative vertical swing of the arms. The roller wheel subassembly has an axle and roller wheels on the axle, the inner diameter of the roller wheels being greater than the axle's diameter. Annular spacers on the axle alternate with the wheels, the spacer diameters being larger than the wheels' inner diameters but smaller than the wheels' outer diameters.

Abstract: A hinge connects the webbing of a first bridge span to the webbing of a second bridge span. The hinge has male hinge plates on opposite sides of the first span's webbing and has female hinge plates on opposite sides of the second span's webbing. A shaft passing through the male hinge plates and first span's webbing is threaded on the ends but is smooth between the ends. Pockets at outer surfaces of the male plates surround the threaded ends and accept torque limiting nuts engaging the shaft. The nuts have heads, recess bodies and frangible necks connecting the heads to the bodies. No part of the bodies extends past the outer surfaces of the male plates. When the nuts are driven onto the shafts at a given torque, the necks break and the heads twist off. Then any remaining parts of the necks are removed. The male hinge plate can then be rotatably mounted adjacently between the female hinge plates.

Abstract: A flat bed off-road trailer has a rigid planar frame supporting the bed. frame has transverse members at the forward and rear edges of the bed, and has longitudinal members at lateral edges of the bed. A rigid undercarriage fixed to the trailer's axle is hinged to the frame via journal connections between forward outboard zones of the frame and forward outboard zones of the undercarriage. The trailer has springs for absorbing road shocks, the springs being located between rear outboard zones of the frame and rear outboard zones of the undercarriage. The trailer has a tiltable tractive subassembly which comprises walking beams journalled to the axle, wheels mounted at either end of the walking beams, a band wrapped around the wheels and structure to limit tilting of the subassembly.

Abstract: An adapter converts for aircraft use a cargo container whose fork lift acs tubes pass through the container's frame. The adapter has first blocks at ends of the tubes, and wedge portions of the first blocks face on the tubes' insides. Adapter members affix to the first blocks and extend along the container's base. Second, wedge-like blocks at the tubes' ends face against both the tubes' insides and the first blocks. The second blocks move together to lock the first blocks in place. The mechanism to force the second blocks together includes elongate members in the tubes. One end of each elongate member is threaded and passes through one of the second blocks while the other end of the elongate member connects to another second block. Turning a nut on the elongate member forces the one second block toward the other second block.

Abstract: A method to retrofit a vehicle panel with a ballistic enhancement mat sta by providing a continuous batt of fibrous material. The batt is impregnated with a matrix of material that is, or can be made to be, deformable and then hardened. The batt is cut into mats shaped in an outline of the panel. An individual mat is placed on the panel and conformed to the topography of the panel to create a surface-to-surface interface between the mat and the panel. The mat and panel are fixed together at points all over the interface via an adhesive, a hook-and-loop layer, threaded fasteners or any other suitable mechanical fastening mechanism. The matrix is then hardened, whereby the mat becomes an integral reinforcement mechanism for the panel. The matrix material can be resoftened to facilitate removal of the mat if the mat needs replacement.

Abstract: A land vehicle seat assembly for absorbing explosive shocks is mounted on e vehicle's floor. The assembly has an anti-friction pad on the floor. A base plate on the pad swings around a pin fixed to the floor at the front of the plate. Horizontal shock absorbers at either side of the plate deceleratingly retard swinging of the plate. Stops at the sides of the plate limit plate swing. The assembly includes a pair of upright rails fixed to the plate and a seat slidable on the rails. A light duty unit such as a pneumatic spring or a shock absorber connects to the plate and seat. A heavy duty shock absorber, responsive only to shocks above a certain power, is connected to the plate. The heavy duty shock absorber can absorb shocks an order of magnitude greater than does the light duty unit.

Abstract: An improved fuel injection system for use with an internal combustion eng mounted in a vehicle. The fuel system has fuel, a fuel pump, a throttle position sensor for sensing the power requested, and an engine control unit. The improvement comprises a fuel pump control circuit using three distinct duty cycle modulator circuits to control fuel pump speed. One duty circuit is used on startup to bring the system to full operating pressure, a second duty circuit provides modulated pulses to the fuel pump to operate the fuel pump at the level set by the throttle position sensor and a third duty circuit operates the fuel pump at idle the third duty circuit maintaining the fuel flow at a level which prevents vapor lock and being also adapted to operate the fuel pump at the reduced level in the event of throttle position sensor failure.

Abstract: A method for determining polarization profiles of individual wavelengths hin a polychromatic source utilizes a variable filter system comprised of a retarder and a linear polarizer. Polychromatic light from the source is transmitted through the system and exits therefrom with attenuated intensities unique for each wavelength of the light. The attenuated intensities are recorded by a spectroradiometer and used to calculate Stokes parameters for each wavelength. The inherent problem of the retarder introducing a different phase differential for each individual wavelength transmitted therethrough is solved by expressing the Stokes parameters explicitly as a function of wavelength. The primary purpose of the method is to obtain the four Stokes parameters for individual bands of wavelength within a polychromatic light beam.

Abstract: A retrofit mechanism adapts a pre-existing manually steered vehicle for b manual and powered remote steering control. The mechanism's steering control subassembly mounts to a bridge of a rigid adaptor assembly fixed to the vehicle's frame. A control subassembly post passes rotatably through a web of the adaptor's bridge. The post is rotated by a motorized steering actuator mounted to a side of the bridge. A symmetric wing fixed to the post pivotally connects with two rods, which themselves pivotally connect an adapter element on the steering column. The rods lie on opposite sides of, and equidistantly from, a line extending from the central axis to the steering column axis. The wing, rods and adapter element cooperate to achieve nonbinding rotation of the vehicle's steering column within a sleeve surounding the column.

Abstract: An auxiliary traction device for use with a wheeled vehicle to be attached o the vehicle wheels for additional traction during traverse of soft terrain. The traction device includes a spider adapted for attachment to the wheel hubs of the vehicle with a frusto-conical shaped web extending away from the wheel. An annular spool traction member having a diameter less than the diameter of the tire is mounted on the frusto-conical shaped web to provide additional traction for the vehicle in soft terrains.

Abstract: A hitch adapter serves as a connection between a prime mover and a towed icle and permits the connection to be selectively configured for on-road or off-road travel. The adapter comprises a beam which has an eye at its fore end hooked to the prime mover and which has apertures at the aft end for engagement with the tongue of the towed vehicle. Fixed atop and under the beam are plates apertured to provide multiple arm mount sites on either side of the beam. A jointed arm swings on either side of the beam at selected ones of the mount sites and a brace arm swingably mounts on either side of the beam at other selected mount sites. The jointed arms include fixed length portions hinged to the brace arms and variable length portions hinged to the fixed length portions. The jointed arms also include releasable lock mechanisms for preventing relative movement between their fixed length and variable length portions.