Abstract: Apparatus for measuring the temperature of workpieces, particularly semiconductor wafers, during their processing, including a head assembly having a head plate circumscribed by a raised rim for receiving the workpiece and for spacing it from the head plate to define an enclosed volume between the head plate, rim, and workpiece; a thermally-conductive member, e.g., an optical fiber, passing through the head assembly and having one end exposed to the enclosed volume such that it receives thermal radiation therefrom; and a thermal detector aligned with the opposite end of the thermally-conductive member for detecting the thermal radiation received by it from the enclosed volume and for converting same to an electrical signal representing a measurement of the temperature of the enclosed volume.

Abstract: A high efficiency oxygen/air separation system uses waste heat produced by an internal combustion engine to produce pure or enriched oxygen for combustion in the internal combustion engine. Nitrogen is eliminated from the combustion process, thus preventing the formation of nitrogen oxides. The formation of other particulates is also reduced as the exhaust gases are repeatedly burned. The separation system includes a manifold heat exchanger, a vane compressor/expander, a spent nitrogen heat exchanger and an insulated container. Air is first compressed in the integrated vane compressor/expander. Compression energy is provided from the expansion of the spent nitrogen after that nitrogen has been heated to exhaust manifold temperatures. High efficiency is achieved through simultaneous expansion and compression. The compressed air is cooled through a spent nitrogen heat exchanger and enters the insulated container, where the oxygen separation takes place.

Abstract: Intelligibility of a human voice projected by a loudspeaker in an environment of high ambient noise is enhanced by amplifying formants (26, 28, 30) of the voice. Because intelligibility of the human voice is derived largely from the pattern of frequency distribution of voice formants, selective enhancement of the formants provides much more readily understandable speech in the presence of high background noise with but minimal increase in amplitude of the speech. Formants are processed by individually selecting them in a spectrum analyzer (42, 124) and individually amplifying (50, 58, 74, 80, 140 through 146) and selectively weighting (56, 57, 78, 82) them before recombining processed formants and unprocessed base band voice components (130) to provide an output signal (116) of greatly improved intelligibility.

Abstract: A device that characterizes the trajectory followed by a movable object after a piece of sporting equipment comes into contact with the movable object, e.g., by identifying velocity, the distance that the object would travel if unobstructed in standard ideal conditions, the curvature of the path travelled by the object, the direction of travel of the object, or the direction or magnitude of spin of the object. The device includes at least one force sensor element arranged to be located on the piece of sporting equipment, which is held or worn by a user. The sensor element detects at least a component of the force of contact between the piece of sporting equipment and the movable object. The sensor element provides a signal representing the intensity of the component of the force of contact when the contact occurs. An electrical processing circuit is arranged to receive the signal from the sensor element and to process the signal to produce an output characterizing the trajectory of the movable object.

Abstract: Parallel infrared beams are directed along opposite edges of an electronic scale which has its weighing platform mounted flush with a supermarket check-out counter. In the event that an object being weighed overhangs the scale and contacts the counter, it will break one or more beams. Means are provided for detecting the interruption of a beam and a disable control signal is generated. Normally, an electronic cash register is connected to an output of the scale for computing the price of a weighed object. However, when the disable signal is generated, communication between the scale and the electronic cash register is disabled, thereby preventing computation of an incorrectly weighed object.

Abstract: Radiation heating of a semiconductor wafer employs first and second pluralities of spaced and skewed lamps. Lamps in each plurality are grouped beginning with the innermost lamps and extending to the outermost lamps. Each group of lamps in one plurality of lamps are interconnected with a group of lamps in the other plurality of lamps whereby the interconnected groups of lamps are simultaneously and equally energized. Lamp voltage is modulated in accordance with a preestablished table for each size of wafer and temperature cycle. Alternatively, temperature sensors can be employed to provide feedback to a computer controlled modulator. The lamps in the different groups can be selected to have different steady state power intensities for a given voltage to thereby establish a desired temperature gradient.

Abstract: A fishing appliance for use with a fishing pole and bait and interposed in the line connected therebetween. The appliance comprises a main stem having a stretchable spring secured at one end and a trigger arrangement attached at the other end for locking the spring in a stretched condition and releasing the spring in response to a force applied to said bait.