Patents Assigned to R & D Associates
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Patent number: 4640036Abstract: A grip and folding stock assembly mounted and arranged on a compact gun for facilitating use of the gun in various firing positions. The grip and folding stock assembly is employed with a weapon that generally has an elongated receiver. An L-shaped bracket has one end secured to the distal end of a pistol grip emanating from the undersurface of the receiver, and the other end secured to the undersurface of the rearward end of the receiver. Mounted in this way, the bracket defines a forearm receiving portion for stabilizing the gun while firing. A folding stock is pivotally mounted to the rearward end of the receiver of the weapon. The stock is operative between two extreme positions. In a first position, the stock is folded and brought into close proximity to the pistol grip. In a second position, the stock is placed into a position suitable for shoulder firing.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 1985Date of Patent: February 3, 1987Assignee: UZI R & D AssociatesInventor: Uzi Gal
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Patent number: 4603553Abstract: In order to bring cold water from the depths of a body of water, a long pipe is extended into the body of water. Arrangements are provided for pumping the water out of the pipe. A nozzle is then provided to direct a stream of water up through the pipe at high velocities, without touching the walls thereof, based on the high pressure of the water at the lower end of the pipe. At the top of the pipe near the surface of the body of water, arrangements are provided for collecting the cold water drawn from below. This ballistic cold water pipe may be employed to economically provide cold water for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) systems, and for other purposes.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 1984Date of Patent: August 5, 1986Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: Stuart L. Ridgway
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Patent number: 4589070Abstract: An aircraft is provided with wind velocity measuring equipment which measures the wind velocity both (1) close to the aircraft and (2) at a considerable distance such as one-half mile or a mile away from the aircraft; and a large difference in these two measured velocities indicates dangerous windshear conditions. Either a warning signal is given to the pilot, or automatic control apparatus is actuated, to avoid crash conditions. A single pulsed carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) laser velocimeter may be mounted in the aircraft for measuring both the close-in and the distant wind speeds. The laser optic focus is shifted between the near and far measurements, and the return signal is time gated to increase signal-to-noise ratio.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 1982Date of Patent: May 13, 1986Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: Demos T. Kyrazis
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Patent number: 4523748Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for rapidly "pressure quenching" or reducing the pressure on samples from very high pressures at rates substantially in excess of 10.sup.6 up to 10.sup.10 bars, or atmospheres, per second, or more, while avoiding damage to the high pressure system. The high pressure system is comparable to that employed to make artificial diamonds, and includes optional arrangements for heating, cooling, and applying electric and magnetic fields to the pressure quenched sample. Special arrangements are provided for circulating cooling fluid in the vicinity of the metastable material to rapidly cool it, immediately prior to decompression.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 1983Date of Patent: June 18, 1985Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: Richard Latter
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Patent number: 4523100Abstract: An improvement to computer control robot arm assemblies having a work head on the free end thereof for allowing the work head to be positioned and held within closer tolerance limits to a desired coordinate position. The work head is attached to the robot arm by a vernier control assembly allowing vernier movement in the X, Y, and Z directions. A moveable support member is provided on the robot arm adjacent the work head. A detector is mounted to the work head for sensing a light beam. A collimated light beam is passed through a point associated with the desired coordinate position under computer control. The work head is positioned within first tolerance limits by the robot arm under computer control. The logic of the computer then contacts the work piece with the support member to hold the free end of the robot arm in position. Under closed-loop computer control, the vernier drives are used to position the detector at a point where the work piece is in the desired coordinate position.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 1982Date of Patent: June 11, 1985Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: Fred A. Payne
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Patent number: 4513523Abstract: A grip and folding stock assembly mounted and arranged on a compact gun for facilitating use of the gun in various firing positions. The grip and folding stock assembly is employed with a weapon that generally has an elongated receiver. An L-shaped bracket has one end secured to the distal end of a pistol grip emanating from the undersurface of the receiver, and the other end secured to the undersurface of the rearward end of the receiver. Mounted in this way, the bracket defines a forearm receiving portion for stabilizing the gun while firing. A folding stock is pivotally mounted to the rearward end of the receiver of the weapon. The stock is operative between two extreme positions. In a first position, the stock is folded and brought into close proximity to the pistol grip. In a second position, the stock is placed into a position suitable for shoulder firing.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 1982Date of Patent: April 30, 1985Assignee: Uzia R&D AssociatesInventor: Uzi Gal
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Patent number: 4458577Abstract: A high power source of electrical energy, such as a homopolar generator, is connected to a longitudinally extending coaxial structure which forms a gun barrel. Within the gun barrel toward the end to which the power supply is connected is mounted a coaxial projectile, or several projectiles, in engagement with one or more movable conductive elements, that extend between the two longitudinally extending conductors. The homopolar generator is switched to apply on the order of a megajoule of energy to the coaxial structure, and after being delayed for a short interval until the current has built up to a significant level, the conductive element is accelerated with the projectile as a result of the magnetic pressure building up within the coaxial structure. Velocities on the order of 2 kilometers per second with kilogram mass projectiles may be achieved with a gun barrel approximately one meter in length.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 1978Date of Patent: July 10, 1984Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventors: George P. Fisher, Albert L. Latter
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Patent number: 4442065Abstract: A passive "core catcher" is provided for preventing the escape of radiation in the unlikely event of a major failure of a nuclear reactor by melt-down of the core. The "core-catcher" structure includes a narrow vertically downwardly extending isolation tube, and aligned narrow heat-exchange structure forming a chilled wall crucible in which the molten uranium oxide forms a container for itself including a "frozen" or solid layer of uranium oxide adjacent the heat exchanger wall. A passive cooling system may include a water tower adjacent the above-ground reactor structure, which dissipates heat from the core-catcher heat exchanger, and from within the above-ground reactor structure by a second local heat exchanger.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 1980Date of Patent: April 10, 1984Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventors: Albert L. Latter, R. Philip Hammond, James L. Dooley
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Patent number: 4441321Abstract: An ocean thermal energy converter (OTEC) generates electricity from warm surface water in dropping 100 meters or so, and then raises it back to the surface using its own thermal energy in a large floating vacuum chamber. The mist flow process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,657 is employed to accelerate water droplets and water vapor upward from the bottom of the chamber under a pressure difference created by spraying cold water from lower ocean levels into the same chamber. The cold water is sprayed upward and parallel to the upper side walls of the chamber to control the flow of the warm droplets, as well as condense the vapor. This cold spray has too small an initial velocity to reach the top of the chamber, but receives momentum from the accelerated warm droplets. The warm water may be injected substantially vertically or alternatively at an angle inclined toward the axis of the chamber to assist in coalescing and concentrating the stream after the individual droplets have been accelerated upward.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 1982Date of Patent: April 10, 1984Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: Stuart L. Ridgway
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Patent number: 4414812Abstract: A hot air solar engine has two heat engines at opposing ends of a common piston assembly to provide alternate cooperative expansion and compression action. Each of the heat engines has a compressor and an expander wherein a single dual-diameter piston head serves as the piston portion of each. The hot air solar engine further includes a solar collector having positioning means for maintaining alignment with the sun's position. The solar collector has a paraboloid cylinder shaped reflector and a heat exchanger assembly disposed about the focal line of the reflector for receiving concentrated sunlight. The heat exchanger assembly includes first and second heat exchangers cooperating with the first and second heat engines.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 1981Date of Patent: November 15, 1983Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: John F. W. Parry
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Patent number: 4392438Abstract: Coal energy is delivered from the mine to a distant point of use by a system involving the pulverization of the coal at the mine, and carrying it as a nonexplosive suspension in a pipeline or conduit, with high pressure coal gas which is made at the mine being employed as the transport medium. At the delivery point, the gas, as well as the coal dust can be fired directly into the furnace, or the coal can be separated from the coal gas and stored. Arrangements are provided for insuring that the finely pulverized coal may be maintained in suspension within the transport pipe, and such arrangements may include spiraling vanes to insure that settling particles are reintroduced into the main gas stream, and separate sections within the pipe, or a supplemental pipe for the high pressured gas to permit restarting of the flow in the event of a power failure and the settling out of the particles.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 1981Date of Patent: July 12, 1983Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: James L. Dooley
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Patent number: 4359118Abstract: An engine system operates on liquid air and LNG, with the LNG being burned to obtain more energy from an expansion engine using the liquid air as the working fluid; and the liquid air is employed to trap or prevent the undesired venting of LNG fumes, which could otherwise burn or explode.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 1980Date of Patent: November 16, 1982Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventors: Albert L. Latter, James L. Dooley, R. Philip Hammond
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Patent number: 4354565Abstract: An automobile engine runs on liquid air plus a small amount of solid or liquid fossil fuel. The liquid is an efficient method of storing the energy of liquefaction. To get extended range and use of energy effectively some fuel is used to increase the temperature of this gas before it is introduced into the expansion engine. Two methods of using this fuel may be employed--one burns fuel internally in the expansion engine cylinders essentially at constant volume so a liquid form of the fossil fuel must be used; while the second method heats the gaseous working medium at constant pressure external from the expansion engine in a furnace so it can burn a wide range of either liquid or solid fossil fuels.With either system of operation the air/nitrogen as liquid is pumped at the rate of use from the insulated cold storage container up to high intial operation pressure (about 200 atmospheres) then passes through heat exchangers to bring it up to the intial temperature for expansion.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 1979Date of Patent: October 19, 1982Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventors: Albert L. Latter, R. Philip Hammond, James L. Dooley
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Patent number: 4246477Abstract: A sunlight collector, containing a Fresnel lens, is mounted on the roof of a building and tracks the sun during daylight hours. A concentrated beam of sunlight is directed through a light transmission channel to locations within the building where the light is distributed. The transmission channel utilizes a focusing lens for further concentrating the solar beam, refocusing lenses for correcting divergences in the beam, reflectors for redirecting the beam, and beam splitters for distributing the beam into light fixtures located throughout the interior of the building. The light fixtures contain filters for controlling the intensity and spectral content of the incoming beam, and optical elements for dispersing the beam. Additionally, the fixture contains rigidly mounted fluorescent tubes, providing artificial light, which are automatically energized when the solar light is insufficient for lighting purposes.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 1978Date of Patent: January 20, 1981Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: Albert L. Latter
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Patent number: 4226294Abstract: An automobile engine runs on liquid air and gasoline. The liquid air is initially pumped up to a high pressure such as 200 atmospheres (or 200 bars) and is then warmed toward the ambient temperature in a heat exchange and changes to the gaseous state. Subsequently, it is permitted to expand, doing useful work on a piston or other known type of expansion engine. The gas is then passed through an additional heat exchanger where heat is absorbed from the ambient, and is combined with a small amount of fuel such as gasoline. The gasoline is ignited, under constant volume conditions thereby bringing the pressure back up to approximately 200 bars and at a temperature in the order of 1200 degrees. The gas is then allowed to expand in a cylinder containing an additional piston, and as a final cycle, additional fuel is added and ignited, and the resultant gases expand to drive an additional piston and provide further power to the engine.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 1978Date of Patent: October 7, 1980Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventors: Albert L. Latter, R. Philip Hammond, James L. Dooley
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Patent number: 4216657Abstract: Power is generated using the temperature difference between the water at the surface of a large body of water whose temperature might be in the vicinity of 25.degree. C. or 77.degree. F., and water at considerable depth in the body of water whose temperature might be in the order of about 5.degree. C. or 41.degree. F. A floating structure is provided which extends in the order of 50 meters below the surface of the water, and input water is initially filtered and deaerated, and then drops for most of the height of the submerged structure before driving a conventional hydraulic turbine. The warm water at the output of the turbine is returned to the level of the surface of the body of water by a mist flow pump arrangement using a large tapered duct that is operated at reduced pressure, with droplets of the warm water from the output of the turbine being sprayed into the bottom of the duct.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 1978Date of Patent: August 12, 1980Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventor: Stuart L. Ridgway
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Patent number: 4216745Abstract: A gasoline internal combustion engine is operated at all times with a full charge of air and is thus unthrottled. At low power levels for such an engine, the ratio of gasoline to air is too lean for normal combustion; therefore, special arrangements are provided by this invention for ensuring combustion.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 1978Date of Patent: August 12, 1980Assignee: R & D AssociatesInventors: Albert L. Latter, R. Philip Hammond, James L. Dooley