Abstract: This invention relates to a system for illuminating an annular field disposed about an axis characterized by an arcuate source of radiation disposed concentrically about the axis, and an annular field imaging system having an axis of symmetry coincident with said axis for forming an image of the arcuate source on the annular field.

Abstract: The sample device includes a magazine having a rotatable turntable carrying a plurality of circumferentially spaced chambers for receiving sample vessels and movable axially between a sample changing positon and a sampling position. In the sample change position, each sample vessel is pushed against a laterally displaceable closure plate to uncover an aperture in a bottom closure member whereby the sample vessel is receivable in a chamber registered with the aperture. A cradle is carried by the bottom closure member to support the sample vessel as it is displaced through the aperture into the registering chamber. When a selected vessel is aligned with a sampling opening through a closure plate on the opposite side of the turntable, the magazine is displaced axially into the sampling position with the axial displacement causing a needle to pierce the self-sealing diaphragm on the sample vessel.

Abstract: A temperature control circuit particularly for use with a graphite tube atomizer of an atomic absorption spectrometer provides rapid temperature rise and a leveling at a constant predetermined temperature. A.C. power applied through a transformer to electrodes on the ends of the graphite tube rapidly heats the tube and the visible radiation thus produced is measured by a photocell, the output of which is amplified to control a relay in the graphite tube power circuit. When the desired tube temperature is approached, the photocell output actuates the relay so that the tube power circuit will switch from the high voltage rapid heating mode to a controlled lower voltage that will automatically maintain the constant predetermined tube temperature.

Abstract: In a dual beam atomic absorption spectrometer having a dedicated microcomputer, improved calibration constants are obtained from either two or three known concentration values by finding a number of constants equal to the number of samples such that when the excess over one of the absorbance of that sample of known concentration multiplied by a second constant is divided into the first constant times the absorbance raised to a power one less than the number of samples or in the case of three samples the difference between that value and a third constant times the absorbance, for each measured sample, the result is equal to the known concentration of the sample.

Abstract: Gaseous measuring samples like element hydrides are generated from liquid samples by reacting the same with reducing reagents in a reactor. In the reactor a countercurrent of inert gas strips the volatile reduction products from the reactor to convey the products to the measuring cell of an analytical measuring instrument. Various embodiments of the apparatus automatically controlling the supply of liquid sample and reagents to the reactor are disclosed such as mechanically or pneumatically controlled pumps. In each measuring cycle the reactor and respective components are washed to prevent contamination of succeeding samples; also, analytical determination of blank values as well as reference values can be included in each measuring cycle.

Abstract: A three actuator deformable mirror having a central axis and six attachment points arranged in pairs on diameters of a circle drawn from the axis is supported on a center post on the axis and has a floating block aligned with the axis surrounds the center post with first, second and third actuators disposed along the diameters, each split into two parts and having a first portion extending between the floating block and one of the attachment points on a diameter and the other part extending from the opposite side of said block to the other attachment point on said diameter.

Abstract: A telescope made only of spherical mirrors including a first mirror system comprising a first, concave spherical mirror and a second, convex spherical mirror have a common center of curvature, the ratio of the radius of said first, concave mirror to said second convex mirror being approximately .sqroot.5+1:.sqroot.

Abstract: In order to perform pictorial pattern recognition at an extremely high data rate, a linear array of photodetectors reads information recorded on photograhic film and the data read is transferred sequentially to an array of microprocessors, converted into binary form and stored in the memories. The microprocessors operating in conjunction with transformation logic then perform successive transformations using an analysis technique, known in the art, which utilizes hexagonal surrounds.

Abstract: An inexpensive laser beam expander including a first mirror system comprising an off axis section of a Schwarzschild telescope system with a first, convex spherical mirror and a second, concave spherical mirror, having a first common center of curvature, the input laser beam being incident on the first mirror and reflected therefrom to the second mirror, the second mirror forming a real image at a first image point; and a second mirror system comprising a backwards Schwarzschild telescope system including a third, convex mirror and a fourth, concave mirror, having a second common center of curvature, the second system being such that parallel incident light striking the fourth concave mirror and reflected to the third convex mirror will form a virtual image behind the third convex mirror at a second image point, the second system disposed so that the second image point coincides with the first image point whereby the third convex mirror intersects the light reflected from the second concave mirror and reflect

Abstract: A temperature control system for adjusting the temperature of a projection mask to cause it to align optically with a wafer, and thereafter, to automatically maintain the temperature differential between the mask and wafer constant.

Abstract: An optical system for detecting printing flaws on a printed sheet includes a plurality of detector arrays each with a plurality of detector elements positioned to scan a reference sheet and the test sheet. Each detector element in each array "sees" a small area of a test or a reference sheet as the sheets are scanned and the output of the detector elements are synchronized with each other and compared. When the output from the test array detector does not equal the output of the corresponding reference array detector and the system is synchronized, the system coupled thereto indicates that the two areas "seen" are unequal. A sufficient and pre-set number of unequal indications are required to decide whether the test sheet is sufficiently different from the reference sheet that it should be destroyed.

Abstract: A precision digital flow rate control system particularly suitable for controlling the flow of an inert gas into the atomizing furnace of an atomic absorption spectrometer. The selection of the desired flow rate is made by switching the flow through one or more of the plurality of tubes having restrictors that limit the flow according to digital steps. The flow is switched by directional control solenoid valves that direct the flow either through a flow restrictor to the atomizing furnace or through an identical flow restriction to a vent. Therefore, there will always be a constant flow through each valve and, since the inlet pressure regulator will always see a constant load, it can maintain a very constant pressure to the valves.

Abstract: The various gases in the blood stream are analyzed by a mass spectrometer coupled to the catheter having on its distal end a membrane that passes the gases but not the blood. A "carrier" gas, such as helium, introduced under a small pressure through a small tube within the catheter lumen and into the area behind the membrane will produce a viscous flow that greatly speeds the gases to the mass spectrometer. The carrier gas is extracted prior to its arrival at the mass spectrometer.

Abstract: Respiratory gas flow data is synchronously provided along with continuous samples of the gases for analysis by a medical mass spectrometer. The gas flow data is determined by use of the differential pressure across a resistive core in a sampling flowmeter and the flow value at any instant is registered by proportionately admitting a non-toxic gas that is foreign to the normal respiratory gases into the sampling inlet in a quantity controlled by the differential pressure. The quantity of foreign gas therefore represents flow and is drawn through the inlet tube in exact synchronism with its corresponding respiratory gas sample for analysis by the spectrometer. The generated signal representing the amount of foreign gas, hence the flow, may then be used with the signals representing concentration of the various gases in the corresponding respiratory gas sample to calculate various medical parameters, such as oxygen uptake, where the exact synchronism of these signals is important.

Abstract: A self-centering pressure roller for a high speed paper feed mechanism. The assembly includes two rollers each having an undercut central portion disposed for rotation on parallel axles. The roller axles are supported on a bracket movable in four degrees of freedom. The rollers are urged toward a platen to provide pressure on a paper sheet or web disposed between the rollers and the platen. The geometry of the roller assembly and the platen is chosen so that the reaction force caused by roller contact with the paper sheet or web causes the downstream pressure roller to exert more force on the sheet or web than the other roller thereby preventing bunching of paper between the rollers. The pressure roller assembly is self-aligning thereby preventing skew of paper fed through the assembly in either direction. The assembly can be easily manufactured without special alignment and is adaptable to accommodate many different paper widths.

Abstract: Repetitive-cycle object handling apparatus which includes, in combination, a feed station for accommodating a stack of slab-like objects of regular geometry, which are subjected to a feed force acting in the longitudinal direction thereof; a utilization station where objects fed seriatim from the feed station may be made to dwell before being moved on; a storage station for stacking one object at a time after the object has dwelled at the utilization station for a predetermined time interval; object transfer apparatus for sliding out a leading object from the stack at the feed station to the utilization station and, at the end of the predetermined time interval, to move the object on to the storage station; an object stacking ramp for guiding an object leaving the utilization station toward a stacking attitude at the storage station under the action of the object transfer apparatus; and preferably the apparatus further includes an object fulcrum disposed downstream of the object stacking ramp for enabling an

Abstract: The invention is directed to a dual-piston reciprocating pump assembly which includes two opposed substantially identical reciprocating pumps, a housing within which the pumps are mounted, a cam mounted on a cam shaft which is driven through a coupling by a stepping motor, each of the pumps including a piston assembly comprising a piston body having a piston end, the other end of the piston body being in the form of a yoke which is mounted for reciprocating motion in the housing, a cam follower carried between the arms of the yoke for engaging the cam face of the cam, a cylinder head having a piston cylinder therein for receiving the piston end, the housing having an end opening for receiving said cylinder head, a guide bushing mounted in the cylinder head for facilitating the assembly of the piston end, an inner bearing bore for the piston end disposed adjacent the guide bushing, a high-pressure seal disposed adjacent the inner bearing bore, the piston end having substantial radial end play, and a piston spr

Abstract: A passive compensating device which compensates for angular and translational misalignment errors in a polarized beam and assures the projected beam centroid remains at the same position. The device splits the incoming beam into two beams. Thereafter, optical orienting means disposed to intercept the two beams is operative to rotate the wavefront of both beams so that the composite beam exiting a combiner has two components wherein one component has its wavefront rotated 180.degree. about two orthogonal axes with respect to the other beam. Accordingly, the composite beam centroid is maintained at one position regardless of jitter of the beam entering the compensator device.

Abstract: Wet or saturated respiratory gas samples being monitored from one or more hospital patients are sufficiently dried for analysis by a medical mass spectrometer by a novel momentum separator in which the major part of the wet sample flows directly to an exhaust pump while a small sample for analysis is taken from the reverse angle tee connection in the momentum separator. This small sample containing water vapor, but without the heavier moisture droplets, is then heated to about 100.degree. C. to maintain the water in the vapor state prior to entering the spectrometer inlet leak.

Abstract: An automatic fluid sampling transport system for use in fields such as atomic absorption spectroscopy and liquid chromatography. The system described provides for circular tray sampling having an increased through-put capacity. This is accomplished by providing a system which allows the sampling of vials in concentric circles on the same carousel. The mechanism described synchronizes the raising and lowering of the sample probe to the incremental, rotational movement of the carousel and the rotational movement of the probe carrying means between successive sample vials in the various concentric circles. The mechanism is relatively simple and is adaptable to provide a plurality of such concentric circles of openings to expand the through-put capability of the system.