Abstract: A corrosion prevention treatment of wet Fire Protection System (FPS) includes purging the pipes of O2 with an inert gas such as N2, followed by filling the pipes with deoxygenated water generated “on the fly” as the water enters a building, using one or more Gas Transfer Membrane (GTM) devices and N2 gas. The GTM device eliminates the need for a water reuse tank and its associated pipes, valves, recirculation regimen, and the like. Water is pumped directly from the building water supply to a GTM device, where it is deoxygenated to very low O2 levels—such as below 300 ppb (parts per billion). The deoxygenated water then flows directly into the O2-purged pipes of the FPS. When the FPS is drained for testing or repair, the deoxygenated water may be discharged, and replaced, upon return to service of the FPS, with water freshly deoxygenated from the building supply as the FPS piping is filled.

Abstract: A combined battery charger and motor driver circuit assembly includes a plurality of power transistors arranged as a planar array, a cold plate configured to couple heat from each of the transistors in the array, a conductive power coupling fitting (also termed a bus bar), at least one capacitor, and a ferrite bead filter surrounding a necked section of the bus bar. The bus bar has a plurality of individually electrically conductive layers, each two of the layers being separated by an insulating layer, each conductive layer providing a plurality of contacts, the contacts in a layer configured to provide electrical contact, in the alternative, for power transistor collectors or power transistor emitters. The laminated bus bar is extended to form a fishtail shape along a specified section distal to the power transistors. The fish tail section terminates in two electrical contacts configured to provide electrical contact via discrete conductors to respective positive and negative battery terminals.

Abstract: Provided are, among other things, systems, apparatuses, methods and techniques for converting a continuous-time, continuously variable signal into a sampled and quantized signal. One such apparatus includes an input line for accepting an input signal that is continuous in time and continuously variable, multiple processing branches coupled to the input line, and an adder coupled to outputs of the processing branches, with each of the processing branches including a bandpass noise-shaping circuit, a sampling/quantization circuit coupled to an output of the bandpass noise-shaping circuit, a digital bandpass filter coupled to an output of the sampling/quantization circuit, and a line coupling an output of the sampling/quantization converter circuit back into the bandpass noise-shaping circuit. A center frequency of the digital bandpass filter in each processing branch corresponds to a stopband region in a quantization noise transfer function for the bandpass noise-shaping circuit in the same processing branch.

Abstract: A column deluge suppression system for suppressing a hazard occurring in a grain dryer includes a plurality of vertical column sections and a segmented, annular manifold. The manifold is positioned around the upper section of the grain dryer in proximity to the grain columns. The manifold includes a plurality of elongated deluge drops that extend toward the grain column openings and permit water to drench the grain columns.

Abstract: A nose fairing for a cargo enclosure may generally include a nose body configured to extend outwardly from a front wall of the enclosure. The nose body may include an upper nose wall, a lower nose wall and a leading edge region extending between the upper and lower nose walls. The upper nose wall may include a concave region that terminates at the leading edge region such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the concave region of the upper nose wall to the leading edge region. The lower nose wall may include a convex region that terminates at the leading edge region such that the nose fairing transitions directly from the convex region of the lower nose wall to the leading edge region. The leading edge region may define a radius of curvature that differs from a radius of curvature of the convex region of the lower nose wall.

Abstract: Systems to assist in the creation, transmission, and processing of health insurance claims. Computer-implemented methods that enable the receiving of, storing of, and granting access to data in such systems.

Abstract: Dual-field electric and magnetic probes create and apply electromagnetic fields to liquids, such as water, to treat unwanted material in the liquid.

Abstract: A system, in certain embodiments, includes a piston clamping system including a piston rod comprising a piston rod shoulder and a piston rod nut coupled to the piston rod, wherein the piston rod nut and the piston rod shoulder are configured to axially capture first and second body portions of a piston therebetween.

Abstract: The disclosure describes systems and apparatuses that include a focusable lens, as well as methods for focusing the optical lens. The focusable lens system includes a single element lens having a concave refractive surface characterized by a first radius of curvature and a convex refractive surface characterized by a second radius of curvature larger than the first radius of curvature. A detector element generates electrical signals representative of infrared rays refracted by the single element lens and incident on the detector element, and an aperture stop is disposed around an optical axis of the optical system and secured in a constant position relative to the detector element, the aperture stop configured to limit a cone angle of rays refracted by the single element lens. They system also includes image processing circuitry configured to generate digital pixilation data based on electrical signals generated by the detector element.

Abstract: A fire protection system includes a dry pipe system and a controlled discharge gas vent. The dry pipe system and controlled discharge gas vent operate using a breathing cycle to displace oxygen and/or water vapor from within the piping network of the dry pipe system. The controlled gas discharge vent allows displacement of pressurized air with nitrogen, for example, using manual or automated processes that can employ one or more sensors. Corrosion resulting from oxygen, water, and/or microbial growth is reduced or nearly eliminated.

Abstract: A system, in certain embodiments, includes a composite piston. The composite piston comprises a piston body made of a composite material, wherein the composite material comprises a reinforcing material distributed in a matrix material.

Abstract: A target shooting system includes an actuator, one or more impact sensors, a controller, and can include a remote device. The actuator couples a target member to a base member and is configured to move the target member relative to the base member. The one or more impact sensors are coupled to the target member, where multiple impact sensors can be configured to identify a location of an impact on the target member and to provide a signal including the location when the target member receives the impact. The controller is communication with the actuator and the one or more impact sensors and is configured to cause the actuator to move the target member relative to the base member and to receive the signal from the impact sensor. The remote device can communicate with the controller and can receive the signal and the impact location from the controller.

Abstract: An approach for improved compensation for nonlinear distortion in multicarrier satellite systems is provided. Source reflecting encoded and modulated sequences of source data symbols are received. Each source signal is predistorted, and a transmit filter is applied to each predistorted source signal. Each filtered signal is translated to a carrier frequency, and the translated signals are combined into a composite signal for transmission via a multicarrier transponder. The final predistorted version of each source signal is generated via an iterative process of a number of stages, wherein, for a given stage and for each source signal, the process comprises: receiving a prior predistorted version of each source signal from a preceding stage; processing each prior predistorted source signal based on all of the received prior predistorted source signals, wherein the processing is performed based on a characterization of one or more characteristics of the multicarrier satellite transponder.

Abstract: A debris disposal system mountable to an upwardly facing supporting surface such as a floor or bench top. A first container is fixedly mounted to the supporting surface and receives a removable second container having a lid which when open allows the debris to be swept into the second container.

Abstract: Intrapersonal communication systems and methods that provide an optical digital signal link between two or more local devices are disclosed. In some embodiments, the system includes a first signal converter disposed at a first end of the optical digital signal link and configured to convert between electrical digital signals from a first local device and optical digital signals from the optical digital signal link. The system can include an optical connector having a non-contact portion configured to couple optical digital signals between the first signal converter and the optical digital signal link across a gap. The system can include a second signal converter disposed at a second end of the optical digital signal link and configured to convert between electrical digital signals from the second local device and optical digital signals from the optical digital signal link.

Abstract: A method of operating a video camera includes capturing a scene of imaging data using the video camera, wherein the imaging data is characterized by a first bit depth and processing the imaging data to provide display data characterized by a second bit depth less than the first bit depth. The method also includes framing the imaging data and the display data and outputting the framed imaging and display data.

Abstract: Resources, such as water, energy, power, amount of de-scaling chemicals, device lifetimes, data analytics and system depreciation may be conserved through the use of dual-field electric and magnetic probes that create and apply electromagnetic fields to liquids, such as water.

Abstract: A polyaxial screw assembly includes an internal load dampening mechanism for sharing and dampening loads between at least one screw member and at least one rod member interconnected by the assembly. A method of interconnecting the orthopedic screw with the rod includes dampening with a body member interconnecting the screw to the rod.

Abstract: A lithium-ion battery is provided that has a fast charge and discharge rate capability and low rate of capacity fade during high rate cycling. The battery can exhibit low impedance growth and other properties allowing for its use in hybrid electric vehicle applications and other applications where high power and long battery life are important features.