Abstract: A solid-state display comprises a glass plate on which is deposited an upper layer of parallel conductive tracks interrupted by recesses containing regions of conductive or semiconductive phosphor. An array of ballistic transistors within a semiconductor layer is in alignment on one side with the phosphor regions and on the other side with lower conductive tracks which extend at right angles to the tracks in the upper layer. When a voltage is applied to one of the tracks in the upper layer which is positive with respect to the voltage applied to one of the lower tracks it causes one of the transistors to emit electrons upwardly into the adjacent phosphor region. This causes fluorescence of the region and the emission of light through the glass plate.

Abstract: An ultrasonic liquid level gauging sensor has a transducer at the lower end of a tube that is filled with liquid to the same height as liquid outside the tube. The sensor has an axial rod extending along the tube and supporting several calibration reflectors. The rod enables the sensor to be used at high tilt angles.

Abstract: A coupling for a corrugated conduit has a body with a rotatable retaining ring. The ring has inwardly-projecting locking bars with two finger grips which project outwardly through slots in the body. When the finger grips are held and the ring is rotated, the locking bars are displaced inwardly to lie between adjacent corrugations of the conduit and retain it in the coupling.

Abstract: An inductive debris monitor for detecting chip-particles in tubing of a fluid wetted system. The inductive debris monitor includes a multi-turn detector and an electronic circuit having a resistor bridge configuration. The multi-turn probe detector wraps around the tubing of a fluid wetted system a plurality of times to detect the presence of the chip-particles while the electronic circuit analyzes and deciphers the detected chip-particle information.

Abstract: A suction catheter assembly for use in removing undesirable fluid from a patient includes an aspirating catheter having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end being suitable for insertion into a patient; a vacuum connecting member located in the vicinity of the proximal end of the catheter; a patient connecting member mounted to surround the aspirating catheter in the vicinity of the distal end of the catheter, the patient connecting member housing a wiper/seal member sealingly engaging with the outside surface of the catheter; a protective sleeve surrounding at least the majority of the length of the catheter and extending between the vacuum connecting member and the patient connecting member, the protective sleeve being adapted to permit the distal end of the catheter to be extended from the protective sleeve into the patient and to be withdrawn from the patient; and a separate one-way valve member within the patient connecting member so that the one-way valve permits gas flow therethrough from ins

Abstract: A mounting bracket for retaining an EPIRB or similar buoy on a ship comprises a housing with a support frame pivotally mounted in the housing. The lower part of the frame has a peg engaging a recess in the underside of an enlarged central part of the buoy to prevent forward or downward movement. An upper part of the housing overhangs the upper end of the buoy to prevent upward displacement. The frame is pivoted at its lower end and is retained in the housing against the action of a spring by a hydrostatic pressure release. When the mount is submerged, the hydrostatic pressure release allows the spring to displace the frame out of the housing so that the buoy can float free. The frame is in two parts held together by a locking pin so that, when the pin is released, the buoy can be removed without releasing the hydrostatic release mechanism.

Abstract: An aircraft display system has a display unit comprising a matrix array of LED's mounted in the glareshield. Air traffic command signals received by a datalink processor produce a visual indication on the display unit which is visible to the pilot when looking through the window. A button on the display unit is pressed by the pilot to acknowledge receipt of instructions. Other important messages are displayed by the display unit at different times. Radar altimeter height is displayed in a color which changes when the aircraft descends below its flare height. When on the ground, the display unit displays alphanumerically the distance-to-go to the end of the runway, and simultaneously displays stripes that move horizontally to indicate deviation of the aircraft from the runway center line.

Abstract: The electrodes of a flat panel cold cathode discharge lamp are each formed from a block of metal with holes arranged side-by-side along the electrode which open into the gas-discharge volume of the lamp. The holes extend at an angle of about 25-35 degrees away from the normal to the surface of the electrode and are formed by laser machining.

Abstract: A closed system suction catheter assembly has an aspirating catheter with a radially-projecting portion or flanges at its distal end. The catheter extends through a patient connecting member which is internally shaped to cooporate with the projection on the catheter so that, when the catheter is pulled proximally to its full extent, the projections seal within the patient connecting member.

Abstract: A network structure for path generation includes an operational amplifier circuit (200) implementation. The circuit (200) implements a finite difference approximation template for computing the weighted sum of its four "neighbors." The circuit implementation (200) includes a series of five output operational amplifiers (202, 204, 206, 208 and 210). Each of the output amplifiers includes a feedback path (212) having a feedback resistance, and is connected to the output terminal of its respective operational amplifier and to the negative input terminal (214) of the corresponding amplifier. The positive input terminal (216) of each of the output operational amplifiers is connected to a ground (218). The circuit implementation (200) further includes a series of input operational amplifiers (220, 222, 224, 226 and 228). The output terminals (230) of each of the input operational amplifiers are connected to respective ones of the input terminals (214) of the output operational amplifiers through input impedances.

Abstract: A wedge clamp activator and circuit card extractor is provided for selective tightening and loosening of a wedge clamp on an electrical apparatus. The actuator includes a shaft for rotating the screw of the wedge clamp. The shaft is provided with pivot pins. A lever mounted to the pivot pins enables rotation of the actuator and the wedge clamp screw to which the actuator is attached. The lever includes a fulcrum dimensioned for engagement with a rigid support on the electrical apparatus. The lever may be translated into a position where the fulcrum engages the support. The lever may then be rotated about the fulcrum for extracting the circuit to which the wedge clamp is mounted from the electrical apparatus.

Abstract: A respiratory intubating device for carrying a gas to or from the lungs of a patient including a flexible tubular member having a pair of parallel lumens for extending from a proximal area at the patient's mouth to a distal area at a bronchus of the patient, and an adapter integrally connected to the tubular member for interconnecting the tubular member with a source of gas and for providing access for surgical instruments. The adapter includes a Y-shaped member having a pair of hollow branches which lead to the pair of lumens of the tubular member and a pair of hollow stem members integrally connected to the hollow branch members at about a right angle thereto, and extending upwardly to aim across the patient's face. The Y-shaped member including the junctions of the branch members and the stem members are encased in a soft flexible plastic.

Abstract: An ultrasonic liquid-level sensing system has a sensor with a number of reflectors mounted one above the other along the length of a tube that extends upwardly from a transducer and is filled with liquid to the same height as outside the tube. Liquid height is calculated from the difference between the arrival times of the pulses reflected from the two uppermost submerged reflectors and the difference between the arrival times of pulses reflected from the surface of the liquid and the uppermost submerged reflector.

Abstract: The operation of an engine or other assembly is monitored by detecting the sound it makes and deriving from this, in conjunction with its speed, temperature and control settings, a multi-dimension condition vector. The vector changes during operation of the engine and is supplied to a processor which continuously builds a model of the engine at different stages of operation such as by a sequence-learning neural net or by hidden markov model when an atypical condition vector is received, the processor generates an alert signal to a display.

Abstract: An ostomy bag has a non-adhesive filter formed by a carbon fabric disc with impermeable layers on the front and back surfaces. The front layer has a central aperture whereas the rear layer is imperforate. The filter is releasably secured to an adhesive area around a vent opening of the bag with the aperture aligned with the opening so that gas can flow into the filter and radially outwards. The filter be peeled off and reversed to block escape of gas from the opening.

Abstract: An ultrasonic liquid level sensor has a transducer mounted at the lower end of an aluminum tube that projects upwardly in a liquid tank so that the tube is filled with liquid to the same height as that outside the tube. Internally, the tube has a layer of an acoustically-absorbing plastics to damp the transmission of ultrasonic vibration from the wall of the tube into liquid within the tube.

Abstract: A closed system suction catheter assembly has a valve which controls suction applied at the patient end of the assembly. The valve has a pinch tube connected in line with the catheter and secured at each end to the housing of the valve. An occluder bar midway along a pivoted lever is urged up by a spring to pinch the tube closed against a fixed occluder and close the valve. The valve has a button protected by a rotatable guard which bears on an end of the lever so that the valve can be opened by pressing down on the button. A snap mechanism engages the occluder lever.

Abstract: A multicolor display has an LCD display unit with a matrix array of energizable regions. Below the unit are three planar discharge lamps mounted one above the other which emit respectively blue, red and green light. Each lamp has an array of transparent pillars which support opposite plates of the lamps and which are aligned with one another and with the energizable regions of the display unit.

Abstract: Multiple examples of a vocabulary of known words are recorded. The examples of each word are temporally aligned and supplied to a neural net which identifies unique features of each word which discriminate it from other words in the vocabulary. These unique features are integrated with parameters of a Hidden Semi-Markov model and stored. Speech signals from unknown words are then compared with the stored unique feature information after syntax restriction.

Abstract: The needle assembly holder of the present invention has mounted about its receptacle end a rotatable safety sheath so that irrespective of how the tip of the cannula of the needle assembly is oriented with respect to the holder, the user can nonetheless obtain an unobstructed view of the tip of the cannula by rotating the safety sheath out of her line of sight. Friction drag is provided between the receptacle end of the needle assembly holder and the safety sheath so that the safety sheath would not freely rotate about the needle assembly holder absent a rotation force applied thereagainst.