Abstract: A xenon arc lamp is provided with an improved cathode support. The improvements reduce the number of assembly procedures and parts needed to produce an arc lamp. Such reduces the overall cost of manufacturing. The cathode suspension system is made by starting with a single piece of sheet Kovar material that is formed into a cup. Pieces are cut from the bottom of the cup such that three webs connect the outside ring to the center. The three webs each have a flap that is then folded back 90° to form a rigid strut arm. A tungsten cathode electrode is brazed at the center and apex of the three struts with a sleeve that helps bridge the fillet area.

Abstract: A haircutting guide-comb instrument for use in cutting head hair of a human being and including a pair of elongated legs superimposed over one another to clasp hair of the human being in between said legs with a bias spring engaged about the terminal ends of the legs to urge them in engagement with one another and an anchor at the terminal ends securing the bias springs to both of the elongated legs.

Abstract: A fast frame-rate CCD imaging device is produced by modifying the optical mask of an otherwise ordinary and inexpensive CCD integrated circuit to darken a majority of the active imaging photocells. The modified CCD integrated circuit is operated at near its maximum horizontal and vertical clock rates, but multiple image frames are newly defined within the one previous active photocell array field. The added dark areas in the optical mask act to protect all recent frames still in transit within the active array area from being double exposed and thus corrupted.

Abstract: The aluminum smelting from alumina in the Hall-Heroult cells can be dramatically improved by using one or a combination of the following features together or in alternative to the Bayer alumina as feedstock: Al+++ alumina, sawtooth shaped electrodes, and lower temperatures. Laboratory experiments have shown that higher rates of dissolution of the Al+++ alumina in molten fluoride baths combined with lower voltage drops and improved design of electrodes can allow the operation of the cells at even higher current density, thus increasing overall productivity and efficiency of the cells.

Abstract: The smelting of aluminum from alumina in the Hall-Heroult process can be dramatically improved by lowering power consumption and in the use of carbon free anodes by using a feed of positively charged alumina. Laboratory experiments have shown that the apparent solubility and reactivity of alumina in molten fluoride baths is surprisingly increased by altering the negatively charged aluminum hydroxide Al(OH)4− particles, at about pH of nine, to positively charged particles containing Al+++ with a pH of less than two, by using acid solutions. The alumina thus produced is referred to as Al+++ alumina, or positively charged alumina. In particular, sulfuric acid is used to convert aluminum hydroxide using the Bayer process to a family of basic aluminum sulfates, 3Al2O3.4SO3.9H2O, which are dehydrated and calcined to produce Al+++ alumina.

Abstract: Navigation satellite receiver measurements of the acceleration of a moving vehicle are used to derive valuable attitude information about the vehicle. Three-dimensional accelerometer measurements aboard the vehicle are used to determine the specific force vector in the bow frame. The navigation satellite receiver measurements allow determination of the specific force vector in the earth-fixed frame. The specific force vector measured in both vehicle and earth-fixed frames can be used with additional information to derive vehicle attitude.

Abstract: A xenon ceramic lamp comprising a short-arc lamp with two integral reflectors disposed around the cathode arc ball to collect a wide range of elevation angles of light relative to the center longitudinal axis. The two integral reflectors and the cathode arc ball are within the same sealed volume of the lamp. A first reflector, generally below a common first focus, is a concave elliptical type for projecting light out through a sapphire window to a second focus. A second reflector, generally above the first focus, is a concave spherical type having its focus just offset from the first focus. Therefore, light rays may be emitted at nearly all angles from the cathode arc ball that will be reflected or back reflected by the elliptical and spherical reflectors.

Abstract: A GPS navigation receiver channel tracks satellites' Doppler frequencies sequentially during the twenty milliseconds that the signal is coherent in each bit time of the navigation data modulation. It measures frequency by differencing the angles of signal-vector sums weighted by parabolic humps, exploiting the commutativity of linear processing operations to raise the signal-to-noise ratio before the nonlinear operation phase of detection.

Abstract: An arc lamp lightsource module comprises a removable lamp unit including an arc lamp attached to two radial electrode heatsinks that are in turn disposed in an insulating sleeve housing. A chassis has a catch and a clip to lock down the removable lamp unit. An igniter is included to power the arc lamp. A single fan and an air plenum are disposed in the chassis and provide for a cooling airflow that is split between the igniter and the two radial electrode heatsinks. A pair of machine screws provide electrical contact to each of the two radial electrode heatsinks and that have crowned heads for a smooth contact surface. A printed circuit board (PCB) has springboard cutouts and electrical pads providing for a spring-pressure electrical contact between the igniter and the arc lamp through the pair of machine screws.

Abstract: A power supply for a xenon arc lamp that will automatically shut down if the lamp current is too high, the lamp voltage is too high, or the lamp requires too many trigger pulses to ignite it. Such conditions indicate faults in the lamp itself and should not be operated this way for safety. Lamp-on and end-of-lamp-life indications are provided to the operator for maintenance. The cooling fan power supply must be normal or the lamp will be shut off or not started. In combination, such provide a lamp system that can safely operate at very high powers.

Abstract: An improved arc lamp with a ceramic body, an anode supported by a base, and a cathode suspended by a strut system opposite to the anode, and having an inside volume filled with xenon gas. The improvements include a groove in the ceramic body such that an angled area is presented to a head area of the anode that reduces heat coupling by radiation. A neck in the anode provides for a thermal choking such that a head portion of the anode will elevate in temperature during operation. A cavity is relieved in the base and all around the anode to provide a fixed means for managing the temperature of a head portion of the anode during operation. A stem portion of the cathode has a reduced diameter for attachment to the strut system and this provides reduced optical blockage. A base for the anode has a longer length than its diameter for improved heat transfer to an anode heatsink.

Abstract: A blue-light polymerizing system comprises a xenon arc lamp in which its sapphire window includes a blue-bandpass filter coating. This eliminates any external color filters that would otherwise be necessary for the polymerization of dental composite materials in a patient's mouth. The blue-bandpass filter coating causes the xenon arc lamp to heat an extra 10° C. higher than would otherwise be the case. So a special anode heatsink is fitted in which the front and back halves of each radial fin have been separated, and one of these groups of separated fins has been tilted off normal. Such changes the otherwise laminar airflow through the anode heatsink fins to a turbulent flow that is better able to collect heat and carry it off.

Abstract: A combined satellite positioning and electro-optical total station system including a satellite navigation receiver and a reference oscillator with a reference frequency output that can be related to precision time standards obtained from orbiting navigation-satellite transmissions. Such time standards are output by the satellite navigation receiver and are highly precise. An electronic distance meter (EDM) is included and has an EDM-transmitter for launching an out-bound signal to a distant target, and an EDM-receiver for receiving a reflected signal from the distant target. A phase measurement device is connected to the reference oscillator, and also to both the EDM-transmitter and EDM-receiver. It provides for a measurement of the difference in the number of cycles of the reference frequency between the out-bound signal and the reflected signal.

Abstract: A water filter includes a cartridge filter element mounted on a coaxial bearing so it can be spun. During normal operation, a pressure tank enclosure allows the outside of the cartridge filter element to be submerged. Filtered water is then collected by a filtered-water return inside the cartridge filter element. An air vent disposed in the pressure tank housing allows water to drain away before starting a cleaning cycle, and to bleed off trapped air before returning to normal operation. During cleaning, a flow of clean water is applied to the filtered-water drain. A wash drain in the bottom of the pressure tank enclosure allows used cleaning water to flow out. The reverse water flow through the filtered-water drain forces closed a flapper valve. This, in turn, causes a water spray jet manifold to fill under pressure and cleaning water sprays out from slightly offset nozzles directed at the cartridge filter element.

Abstract: In an optical positioning system, a holographic optical element having a plurality of rectangular apertures has predetermined ones of its aperture edges castellated or notched in order to null out undesired light energy in target areas. The apertures may be fitted with diffraction grating patterns that may also be castellated for the same purpose. A method of using the aperture and grating pattern castellated holographic optical element is also provided.

Abstract: An underground pipe and cable locator for continuous depth readings comprises a top and bottom receiver antenna sensor each connected to respective amplifier channels. A separate transmitter is used to stimulate electromagnetic radiations from a buried pipe, cable, or other electrical conductor. The bottom receiver antenna sensor is sampled and used to synchronize a phase locked loop controlled oscillator. The exceedingly faint and noise-riddled signals obtained from the top and bottom receiver antenna sensors are full-wave rectified without the use of rectifiers or diodes that can introduce distortions and offsets. Such signals are full-wave rectified by synchronously switching between inverted and non-inverted copies with an analog switch such that only the positive cycles of each are output in one pulse train. A continuous output is therefore obtainable from the top and bottom receiver antenna sensors, and this, in turn, permits a continuous display of the depth estimate of the buried conductor.

Abstract: A receiver-type trailer hitch system embodiment of the present invention comprises a splint assembly with a pair of opposing clamps that simultaneously engage opposite sides of the outer surfaces of an open end of a hitch receiver tube and shank end of a trailer coupling adaptor after being locked into place with a clevis pin. The splint assembly is tightened with a pair of bolts in a vice-like assembly to bring the opposing clamps hard against the hitch receiver tube and the trailer coupling adaptor to eliminate wobble and free-play that would otherwise exist between them.

Abstract: A wire bonding machine having a wire bonding head that provides five directions of movement or degrees of freedom. The radial direction of movement supports the wire bonding process and reduces the moving mass of the wire bonder during the generation of the wire bonds. The wire bonding machine further includes a selectable side view inspection system. Through a group of optical components, the assembly process can be selectively viewed from either a side view or a top view. The side view of the assembly process provides for improved analysis of the wire bond quality which can be monitored by a camera.

Abstract: A bandwidth manager for network segments comprises a pair of media access controllers connected by respective MII data interfaces to IEEE 802.3 physical layer transceivers. A data selector connected amongst the media access controllers and physical layer transceivers allows the transceivers to be cross connected at their media-independent data interfaces while the media access controllers are simply used to monitor the symbols being exchanged. The data selector also allows the media access controllers and physical layer transceivers to be connected in pairs with each pair able to control the data traffic in each direction between two network segments. In such mode, bandwidth usage statistics are computed packet-by-packet for each IP-address under management and bandwidth excesses are either mitigated or blocked completely.