Abstract: A bulk supply hopper includes a hopper body for holding a plurality of bulk material items and defining a bulk supply hopper opening, a bulk supply hopper impelling means for impelling the bulk material items toward the bulk supply hopper opening, a bulk material separation means, arranged in the bulk supply hopper opening, for separating the bulk material items, and a control door disposed proximate to the bulk supply hopper opening. The bulk supply hopper, equipped with a control door, prevents dumped bulk material items from exiting the bulk supply hopper. The bulk supply hopper, using a conveyor belt as the bulk supply hopper impelling means, significantly reduces radiated noise. Additionally, the bulk supply hopper including opposed, substantially upright side walls, enhances the effectiveness of the conveyor belt.

Abstract: A vibratory system for a vibration feeder includes pulse means for generating electrical digital pulse signals. A controller controllably converts the electrical digital pulse signals either into an incrementally increasing or decreasing DC voltage level. At least one vibration block is coupled to the controller for being increased or decreased in its amplitude of vibration in response to the respective incrementally increasing or decreasing DC voltage level generated by the controller. A remotely located additional controller, such as a programmable logic controller, may be coupled to the controller for transmitting electrical digital pulse signals to control the amplitude of vibration.

Abstract: A support device for controlling breast thickness during stereotactic guided needle biopsy is provided. The support device includes a compressible support having an inner surface which extends adjacent to a substantial portion of a peripheral surface of a patient's breast when the breast and the support are disposed between the fixed and pressure plates of an apparatus for performing stereotactic guided needle biopsy. The compressible support restricts the inferior and lateral excursion of the breast as the plates are moved toward one another and the patient's breast and the compressible support are pressed between the plates. A method for controlling breast thickness during stereotactic guided needle biopsy is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention includes a knife and sheath assembly, the knife having a blade and a hilt with a guard, the sheath having a closed portion adapted to receive the blade and an open portion adapted to abut the hilt and guard. A bolt and a spring are slidably contained within a channel in the sheath. A portion of the bolt protrudes outwards from the channel and engages the side of the guard. The open portion of the sheath has a guide with a curved portion that causes the hilt of a knife being inserted to engage the bolt and move it from the locking position to the unlocking position until the knife is inserted far enough. Then a stepped portion of the guide causes the hilt to seat against the sheath and to disengage the bolt which slides to the locking position, thus preventing removal of the knife from the sheath by the cooperation of the sheath and the bolt. Pushing the bolt away into the channel releases the knife.

Abstract: Apparatus for orienting and feeding axially elongated articles includes a feeder bowl with an article ramp surface terminating at the upper edge of the bowl and an annular article feeder ring, supported for rotation around an upper portion of the feeder bowl, has an upwardly facing article supporting surface contiguous with a terminal portion of the ramp surface to receive articles therefrom. A stationary ring is arranged within a recess in the article supporting surface of the article feeder ring and includes an upwardly facing article supporting surface substantially continuous and planar with the supporting surface of the feeder ring. A radial groove within the article supporting surface of the stationary ring accepts a guide conveyor which directs the articles tangentially away from the article feeder ring.

Abstract: A system for displaying alphanumeric messages includes a unitary visual display device having a limited number of character display stations at each of which a character may be created in response to a set of signals applied to the character station. A memory stores a plurality of complete message units which form a number of complete messages and some of the complete messages are multiple-message unit messages made up of a number of complete message units in a sequence. The message units in a multiple-message unit message are automatically accessed from memory and displayed in a time-spaced relationship by the display device one complete message unit at a time. The memory may also store complete message units having a stored message component and a real time message component. A predetermined number of character stations are automatically reserved to display real time characters in a complete message unit having a stored and real time message component.

Abstract: An electrically erasable programmable read-only-memory (EEPROM) programmer uses an alphanumeric visual display system having a multi-character station visual display device for displaying message units made up of a number of characters and the characters are stored as bytes of data in memory cells of an EEPROM forming a part of the display system. Individual characters within a message unit are selected by selectively generating a character address corresponding to a character display station position in a message unit and the selected character is identified by a cursor appearing in the associated character display station. A keyboard is provided for entering data representative of a character to be written into memory. The involved EEPROM cells are then conditioned by related means to receive and retain the entered data. The data so written into the EEPROM is displayed on the visual display device in alphanumeric form for immediate and accurate verification.

Abstract: A transfer mechanism has a tool mounting surface movable in a generally inverted U-shaped path back and forth between spaced stations thereby making the mechanism useful, for example, as part of a pick and place device for picking up articles one at a time, or in groups at a time, from one first station and placing them at the other station. The U-shaped motion is achieved by a first body supported on a base for movement along a first axis and a second body supported on the first body for movement relative thereto about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The movement of the two bodies along their respective axes is achieved by a single oscillating crank arm engageable with both bodies in such a manner as to obtain a smooth gentle acceleration and deceleration of the two bodies with a minimum amount of driving force and capable of providing a short cycle time if desired.

Abstract: A vibratory amplitude controller for vibratory mechanisms such as a vibratory feeder having in addition to a parts container, an electromagnetic drive unit operated from an A.C. current source for imparting oscillatory motion to the parts container. The controller includes a sensing means for sampling the electromagnetic drive unit current during a specific predetermined interval each A.C. current cycle to produce a vibratory amplitude representing signal. Means responsive to the vibratory amplitude representing signal controls the amount of power delivered from the A.C. current source to the electromagnetic dive unit to maintain a desired vibratory amplitude under varying load and A.C. line voltage conditions.

Abstract: An apparatus for orienting and feeding axially elongated articles has a feeder bowl which includes a helical ramp surface which terminates at the upper edge of the bowl. An annular ring supported for rotation around an upper portion of the feeder bowl has an upwardly facing article supporting surface contiguous with a terminal portion of the ramp surface to receive articles therefrom. An annular baffle disposed above the ring and in coaxial alignment with it coacts with the ring to successively release articles from the ring to a guide conveyor which directs the articles tangentially away from the ring. Separate independent drive mechanisms are provided for vibrating the feeder bowl and rotating the ring to enable the feeder bowl to operate intermittently to discharge articles onto the ring which may operate continuously.

Abstract: A control system is disclosed for use with a device, such as a vibratory bowl feeder, having a bowl or other member mounted for vibratory motion and including an electromagnetic driver for vibratorily driving the part. The control system includes a detector for detecting the vibratory frequency of the part, which tends to vibrate at its resonant frequency, and causes energizing pulses of power to be supplied to the driver supplied at a frequency equal to the detected frequency. Thus, the driving frequency is made equal to the resonant frequency and follows changes in such frequency to obtain maximum performance. The power to the drivers is also switched so that during alternate pulses the current flows through the driver coil in opposite directions to inhibit buildup of residual magnetism in the coil core. The control system uses a phase-locked loop circuit and other parts comprised of components most of which are available as standard integrated circuits.

Abstract: A system for displaying alphanumeric messages has a display device with a row of character stations at each of which a character may be created for display in response to a set of signals applied to the character station. A memory device stores a plurality of message fragments and a real time means provides a plurality of real time message fragments respectively representing a corresponding plurality of real time conditions. A control circuit in response to certain input conditions selects one stored message fragment and one real time message fragment and converts them to sets of signals applied in one to one relationship to the character stations to cause the display of a meaningful complete message by the display device.

Abstract: A programmer or switching apparatus produces an ON and OFF valued control signal for turning an associated controlled component ON and OFF at preselected points in the variation range of a reference variable. The apparatus includes a reference transducer for converting the reference variable into a reference signal representing the variable. A pair of set-point devices provide a pair of set-point signals which are compared with the reference signal to define operating points at which the control signal switches between its ON and OFF values. The apparatus has the versatility of allowing, by merely setting the set-point devices and without making any circuit changes, the first transition of the control signal to be either from ON to OFF or from OFF to ON as the reference variable increases from its minimum to its maximum value.