Abstract: A rotary actuator with improved damping and stiffness is disclosed. The rotary actuator includes one or more bearing plates that form sliding-surface bearings to provide the desired preload to the rotary actuator. One embodiment of the invention includes a multi-piece bearing plate that makes repair or replacement of the bearing material in the sliding-surface bearings easy to perform. Another embodiment for applications where heat dissipation is critical includes thermal barriers on either side of the sliding-element bearings, with resilient members between the thermal barrier and a bearing ring used to supply the appropriate preload to the output shaft. The invention is particularly suited to precision applications, such as the drive unit for the swivel mechanism on the spindle head of certain types of five-axis milling machines.

Abstract: There is disclosed a control system for receiving multichannel frequency multiplex satellite communication signals with channel identification coding wherein a desired channel can be located and locked-on by its identification code without knowing the channel frequency, including a receiver for satellite signals feeding at least one and preferably three or more voltage tunable demodulators. Each tunable demodualtor has an audio output for voice or data to be utilized locally or retransmitted, and an AFC output monitored by the control system; a respective demodulator is normally tuned to keep the AFC output at approximately 90 percent of its maximum value thereby tracking a received carrier signal. A microprocessor is programmed to detect subaudible frequency or other coding in the audio signal and to produce a tuning voltage bump signal on detection of undesired-channel coding; it also generates a reset signal after tuning voltage has reached maximum value to return tuning voltage to minimum value.

Abstract: There is disclosed a leg transfer machine for unloading backs of chickens from a shackle conveyor and feeding the back of the chicken carcass into a conventional chicken leg processor. The machine is positioned under a shackle conveyor and includes an air cylinder-actuated rod positioned to strike both legs of the bird carcass just below the hocks and lift the hocks out of the shackle loop. A slotted guide receives the legs in respective slots with the hocks above the slots preventing the half of the chicken from dropping in an uncontrolled manner. A rake actuatable both vertically and horizontally is controlled to drop in front of the hocks and rake the legs back in the slots while generally vertical rail members contact the crotch of the chicken to cause the legs to extend horizontally as they descend onto an upwardly convex saddle element covering the end portion of the leg processing machine chain conveyor.