Abstract: A moisture monitoring system for continuous flow gas lines, the system having an electrical heater with a salt impregnated sleeve thereabout, with noble metal contacts positioned on the sleeve excited by the AC output of a solid state oscillator and varying in resistance according to water vapor concentration in the gas surrounding the element, with a direct current control signal derived from the AC current to control the direct current to the heating element. A temperature responsive resistor in thermal relation with the heater provides an indication of the moisture content.

Abstract: A filter connector is provided which securely holds each of its contacts and electrically connects a capacitor between each contact and an electrical ground, which is rugged and can be constructed at low cost. The connector includes a metal shell with a rear shell wall having holes through which the contacts pass. A group of tubular capacitors with terminals at its outside and inside are installed in the holes, and each contact passes through a central hole of a tubular capacitor. The outside terminal of each capacitor is soldered to the rear shell wall, and the inner terminal of each capacitor is soldered to a contact. The capacitor has a flange on its front end that abuts the front face of the rear shell wall, and the contact has an enlarged middle portion whose rear abuts the front of the capacitor and whose front abuts a front insulator of the connector.

Abstract: A rotation rate measuring instrument for measuring the rotation rate of a fiber gyro having a light source, a series of beam splitters, a phase modulator, a coiled optical waveguide and an evaluating circuit provides a first and second light beam which traverse the coiled optical waveguide in opposite directions. At least one of the light beams is modulated at an angular frequency .omega.m in the phase modulator while at least one of the light beams is further modulated at a second frequency .omega.s. The frequencies are distinguishable in the evaluating circuit permitting the suppression of signal components caused by light reflected at the boundaries of the phase modulator.

Abstract: An insulation displacement connector is disclosed which is particularly adapted for use with flat cable having very closely spaced conductors. The connector contains two rows of contacts. The contacts in the two rows are staggered relative to each other. Each contact has a slotted plate for engaging one of the conductors of the cable. Adjacent contacts in each row of contacts are rotated 180.degree. relative to each other so that the slotted plates of the contacts in each row are also staggered relative to each other for facilitating feeding every second conductor of the flat cable laterally between the slotted plates of one row of contacts to the slotted plates of the other row.

Abstract: Apparatus is described for exposing a layer of photosensitive material to form an image thereon, by passing the photosensitive layer under a row of closely spaced light shutter apertures which are selectively opened and closed. The total light falling on each pixel area at the photosensitive layer is increased by using apertures which are long and thin, and concentrating the light passing therethrough onto a pixel at the photosensitive layer. Two rows of staggered apertures are used. The photosensitive layer is on a transparent substrate, and a reflector lies on a side of the substrate opposite the light apertures, so light passing through the photosensitive layer and substrate is reflected back through the layer to pass twice therethrough. The entire sheet is pre-exposed to light of a level less than a threshold, with the light subsequently passing through each light aperture being sufficient to raise the total exposure beyond the threshold.

Abstract: A high performance, low-cost sealed electrical connector is disclosed which is suitable for rugged environmental applications. The connector uses three double-shot molded parts each comprising a rigid molded plastic section and an elastomeric sealing section. The sealing sections of two parts provide seals for the insulated wires connected to the contacts in the plug and receptacle of the connector. The elastomeric section of the third part provides the interfacial seal between the plug and receptacle. The contacts are removably mounted in the plug and receptacle by the use of integral retention fingers formed on the plastic sections of the plug and receptacle. An improved stabilized latching arrangement is also disclosed.

Abstract: An electronically commutated dc motor having a dome-shaped external rotor and a stator having a double-T-shaped design with the stator consisting of one yoke stack disposed asymmetrically in relation to the longitudinal stator axis and of two pole stacks of which each is provided with an extension on the same side in the longitudinal direction. In the circumferential direction the extensions are provided with lugs.

Abstract: A matrix array type liquid crystal device whose liquid crystal layer is ferro-electric is addressed using strobing pulses applied serially to the members of a set of electrodes on one side of the layer while balanced bipolar data pulses are applied in parallel to the members of a set of electrodes on the other side. The data pulses are twice the length of the strobing pulses. This provides a way of minimizing the exposure of the pixels to `wrong` voltages between consecutive addressing that would tend to drive them to their opposite states.

Abstract: A waveguide joint with flanges bonded to a waveguide section. Each flange is divided into two pieces with internal knurling and corner projections to bite into the external waveguide corners. The flange pieces are pressed on while the bonding adhesive is cured.

Abstract: A transducer for sensing the angular position of a shaft over a limited angle (e.g., .+-.30.degree.) uses a printed circuit board mounted perpendicular to the shaft between capacitor plates of a bifurcated vane clamped to the shaft. The board has two pairs of symmetrical capacitor plates, one pair on each side with each plate of a pair located symmetrically with respect to the midposition of the vane plates, and corresponding plates of each pair connected together at a junction to place the two corresponding variable capacitors in parallel. Circuitry produces a Mark-Space signal proportional to the position of the bifurcated vane. Using the total Mark-Space period to continually derive a midposition reference, and comparing that midposition reference to any deviation of equal Mark and Space periods provides a position signal proportional to deviation from midposition of the bifurcated vane.

Abstract: A connector assembly is described for fitting in a small space between a display panel device and a printed circuit board device, to electrically connect a multiplicity of closely-spaced conductors on the devices. The connector assembly includes a row of contact elements with opposite ends for contacting the conductors of the devices, and with curved middle portions that are nested in one another. The middle portions of the elements are sandwiched between the substantially flat faces of a housing, and the opposite ends of the elements project through openings in the housing.

Abstract: An electronically commutated, collectorless direct current motor having a permanent magnet rotor comprised of a cup-shaped hollow cylinder in whose interior an internal magnetic yoke is arranged, an internal stator core and an external stator core. A stator drum winding comprises a plurality of phase windings wound on an insulating body with a portion of the stator winding being commingled with the phase windings in a plurality of slots of a slotted stator. The insulating body has a novel shape for arranging the stator winding thereon and for inserting the insulating body into a plurality of slots of the external stator core.

Abstract: An optical amplifier having, for example, a photocathode to convert light to electrons, an electron multiplier, and a photo-emitter or light emitting diode to convert electrons to light. The electron multiplier may be made of magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide or silicon dioxide having bubbles therein. Alternatively, the electron multiplier may be an avalanche diode or other diode.

Abstract: A positioning device comprising a bolt having a transducer and an optical waveguide fixed inside a guide sleeve mounted concentric with the longitudinal axis of the bolt. Supporting members on the bolt for the transducer and the guide sleeve are arranged in a spaced relation. The supporting member for the guide sleeve comprises a semi-cylindrical shell provided with an extended supporting arm on which the sleeve is mounted. A plate-shaped supporting member for the transducer is mounted in the shell. To achieve an improved separation of the heat-flow paths, slots are cut on opposite sides of the supporting arm into the shell.

Abstract: A connector is described, of a type which can be connected to a circuit board by merely laying it on the board and soldering it in place by a reflow solder technique. The connector includes a housing assembly with a substantially flat bottom that includes a solderable portion that can lie on a metal trace of a circuit board to be soldered thereto. The connector includes a row of contacts, each having a main portion within the housing and a tail extending at a downward incline from the housing so the lower end of the tail can contact a metal trace on the circuit board and become soldered thereto.

Abstract: A sensor responsive to magnetic field strength employs a feedback control loop operating on a piezoelectric stretcher element (13) to maintain a predetermined phase relationship between the optical path lengths of first and second Fabry Perot optical fiber/waveguide interferometer cavities (4, 11) optically in series. The control signal for the loop is derived from monitoring the transmission of the series combination and compensates for changes in optical path length in one of the cavities, the sensor cavity (4), induced by a magnetostrictive stretcher (7). The arrangement is responsive not only to the magnetic field but also to spurious effects resulting from temperature changes and so a reference cavity (5) thermally strapped to the sensor cavity is employed in a similar configuration to provided a second signal for correction purposes.

Abstract: A direct spark ignition system is provided with an improved spark generator powered directly from a low voltage dc source through an inverter controlled by a gated oscillator. The inverter is comprised of a step-up transformer having its primary winding connected between the power source and a common-emitter transistor having its base electrode connected to an output of the oscillator. A rectifier couples the secondary winding to a storage capacitor, and a spark discharge timing means controls periodic discharge of the storage capacitor into a spark electrode. A diode between the collector of the switching transistor and the storage capacitor is poled to couple back EMF of the transformer primary winding into the capacitor, thereby not only protecting the collector of the transistor but adding the back EMF energy to the charge in the capacitor for higher efficiency. High spark rates (nominal 750 sparks per minute) are achieved.

Abstract: A relatively shallow arrangement for providing illumination for a light scattering type display cell employs a transparent sheet in optical contact with the front surface of the cell and a matte black sheet out of contact with the rear surface. The assembly acts as a light guide for light launched into at least one of the transparent sheet from at least one strip lamp. The only light escaping from the display, etc. in the direction of the observer is a proportion of that scattered into non-guided directions by regions of liquid crystal layer selectively set into a scattering state.

Abstract: In a sensor head (1), hemispherical in form, a plurality of optical fibers (4) is uniformly distributed over the convexly arched surface area (3), and mounted therein. The other ends of the optical fibers (4) are gathered into a bundle (6) whose end face opposes a detector matrix (8) comprising a plurality of detectors. By a subsequently arranged evaluating circuit, and by assigning the detectors to the individual optical fibers (4), there is determined the direction and, by summing up the individual charges of the detectors, there is also recognized the intensity of the incident radiation.Some additional bundles (15) of optical fibers (16) are disposed by being distributed among the optical fibers (4). From each such bundle (15), an equal number of optical fibers (16) is led to each of several detectors (17). These detectors (17) are provided with individual filters (18, 19, 20) or a common filter (23) having certain wavelength responsive regions.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the rate at which a defoaming agent is supplied to a processing vessel. A first sensing element senses the quantity of liquid in the vessel. A second sensing element senses the position of the upper surface of the foam. A signal processing circuit combines the outputs of the first and second sensing elements to produce a signal that is used to optimize the rate at which defoaming agent is supplied to the vessel. In this manner, the amount of defoaming agent that is used is reduced, thereby reducing the cost of operating the process.