Abstract: A connector is disclosed for joining two sections of an expansible watchband. The watchband sections have adjacent ends defined by endmost top and bottom links interconnected by pairs of mutually spaced staples. The connector comprises a unitary element having first and second sets of locking ears projecting laterally in opposite directions from opposite sides thereof. The connector has an initial laterally contracted configuration which accommodates its insertion between the endmost top and bottom links of the adjacent ends of the watchband sections, with the first and second sets of locking ears having passed between and beyond the respective pairs of staples interconnecting the endmost top and bottom links. The thus inserted connector is permanently deformable into a laterally expanded configuration which causes its locking ears to mechanically interengage with the staples to thereby effect a connection between the watchband sections.

Abstract: A recyclable automotive headliner consists 100% of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material and includes reverse ribs of varying density of PET fibers filled with reinforcements of full density PET material. A method of manufacturing such headliners includes forming the reverse ribs in the PET fibers and either preforming the full density reinforcements and bonding them between the ribs or forming the ribs and then injecting molten full density PET material therebetween.

Abstract: To allow a displacement sensor to operate independently of changes in the excitation signal to the transducer, a demodulating circuit is provided wherein comparison is made between the excitation signal and a reference signal, the comparison is used to adjust an output generating circuit which generates the output from the transducer. Advantageously, the output generating circuit can provide movement information from output of the transducer which include position, velocity and acceleration.

Abstract: An end connector for an expansible watch band has a plastic insert sandwiched between metallic bottom and top plates. The plastic insert has forwardly projecting mutually spaced lugs enclosed by preformed mutually spaced bottom and top flanges on the bottom and top plates.

Abstract: Sperhical particles having a diameter between 0.007" and 0.040" are formed from melt extruded thermoplastic material formed of blended and melt extruded thermoplastic and pigment.

Abstract: A fan shroud and receptacle arrangement for use adjacent a vehicle radiator and around one or more engine cooling fans. The arrangement includes a shaped hollow body of a predetermined depth and having a front face, a rear face, a top wall, a bottom wall, oppositely disposed side walls, at least one opening formed through the body with a cylindrical wall therearound. Oppositely disposed recesses are formed in the front and rear faces to form a wall for dividing the hollow body into two or more internal chambers. Filler necks and/or other openings are formed in the top wall for communicating with the two or more internal chambers.

Abstract: A vibration absorber having a mass member which when static is supported by in-plane springs spaced apart from a base plate, top plate and spring retaining structures. The mass member has a bumper surface for contacting a motion limiter in the base plate. The mass member, base plate and top plate can have a passageway through the axis. The vibration absorber can be tuned by proper selection of the springs, degree of precompression and the variation of the amount of mass by the addition or removal of mass tuning weights.

Abstract: A venting structure is provided on a headlamp adjustor for venting the inside of a sealed stationary component which houses a movable headlamp component, such as a reflector member, in a headlamp arrangement. The headlamp adjustor is mounted to the sealed stationary component and is used to effect pivotal motion of the headlamp component. The headlamp adjustor includes a housing member and an adjusting screw member which is operatively engaged with an axial bore through the housing member. A vent passageway is formed through the housing member or through the screw member. The venting structure is formed of a one-way vent which is connected to headlamp adjustor and is in communication with the vent passageway through the housing member. The vent allows pressure and moisture laden air to pass outwardly from the inside of the sealed stationary component to the atmosphere while only allowing air and a limited amount of moisture to pass from the atmosphere to the inside of the sealed stationary component.

Abstract: A system is provided for controlling a DC motor which is constructed to propel a golf car. The motor is a shunt wound motor having independently excited armature and field windings. The basic input to the armature of the motor is supplied through a pulse modulated chopper circuit which varies the width of the pulse in response to the throttle of the golf car. Full control of the input to the field winding is gained by the supply of power to an H bridge circuit. Armature current is continuously sensed to provide an indication of the status and performance of the car during operation. At a predetermined level of armature current the field current is adjusted to provide a higher torque at a specific speed. When armature current indicates a predetermined overspeed condition, field current is adjusted to enhance regeneration and the resultant braking. In addition, the stopped condition is continuously monitored.

Abstract: A fastening assembly for an inflatable module includes a support structure arranged for securing the inflatable module to a vehicle component or the like, and a coupling member having a portion projecting from the support structure. A locking member securable to the vehicle component is arranged for reception of the coupling member which has a resilient lock element slidably carried on the projecting portion of the coupling member and arranged for snap fit into a locking position within the locking member to secure fastening of the module to the vehicle component.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an interferometric-based materials analysis system (10) that employs a novel combination of laser beam shaping and pointing techniques, the use of a low cost, rugged, and compact diode laser (22) as a detection laser, and the use of signal processing techniques that compensate for inherent instabilities and short-term drift in the diode laser. A matched filter processing technique is disclosed for processing interferometrically-obtained data points from a target being analyzed. The matched filter technique is shown to be especially useful for detecting and analyzing Lamb modes within thin targets, such as a silicon wafer undergoing a rapid thermal processing cycle. Also disclosed is a method and apparatus for interferometrically monitoring a target to determine, in accordance with predetermined criteria, an occurrence of a period of time that is optimum for obtaining a data point.

Abstract: A riveting apparatus which includes an elongated mandrel, a mandrel gripping mechanism, a mechanism for feeding rivets forwardly along the mandrel, and an abutment provided by a plurality of members, and a control system including an actuation device such that, upon actuation by an operator of the actuation device, the control system controls the riveting apparatus so that the rivet feeding mechanism is activated and deactivated, the abutment members are closed or opened, and the mandrel gripping mechanism is activated or deactivated, with a time delay between each step, to enable rapid removal and replacement of the mandrel.

Abstract: A cover for covering an air bag in a motor vehicle has a thin elastic plastic skin, a rigid substrate and an intermediate layer of soft plastic foam. The skin has a tear seam and the substrate includes a door that is impacted by the inflating air bag and presses outward against the foam layer and the skin to tear the foam layer and the tear seam and then swing outward with a torn section of the foam layer and skin to form an opening in the cover for deployment of the air bag into the passenger space in the vehicle. The tear seam in the skin is formed with extremely small laser machined holes that are not observable to a person of normal vision when viewed from a normal viewing distance in the passenger compartment by having a maximum hole size dimension at the outer side of the skin that does not exceed about 0.0005 inches.

Abstract: A fastening assembly for an inflatable module includes a support structure arranged for securing the inflatable module to a vehicle component or the like, and a coupling member having a portion projecting from the support structure. A locking member securable to the vehicle component is arranged for reception of the coupling member which has a resilient lock element slidably carried on the projecting portion of the coupling member and arranged for snap fit into a locking position within the locking member to secure fastening of the module to the vehicle component. In one embodiment, a resiliently compressible split-ring is slidably carried within a contoured recess on the coupling pin projecting from the housing of the inflatable module and a locking bushing mounted for example in the hub portion of a steering wheel is arranged to receive the coupling pin so that the split ring is inserted and locked into a locking cavity within the bushing to secure fastening of the module to the steering wheel hub.

Abstract: A system and method of passive detection of a luminous target employs a prior knowledge and a present measurement of its electromagnetic spectrum during a target acquisition procedure and, subsequently, during analysis of the spectrum to determine the presence of Doppler shift and broadening of lines of the spectrum. The prior known reference spectrum is adjusted for the Doppler shift so as to enable identification of the corresponding spectral lines of the received target spectrum. A history of the spectral data enables an identification of the type of target, as in the case of a rocket, and a determination of characteristics of a flight of the rocket.

Abstract: An interior energy absorbing panel for the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle has a thermoplastic skin, a thermoplastic retainer, a thermoplastic air duct, and an energy absorbing rigid polyurethane foam core which is reaction injection molded about the air duct and to the skin and retainer without requiring any added adhesive. When the skin is of the soft type, a layer of semirigid polyurethane foam is reaction injection molded between the skin and the energy absorbing foam core to impart a soft feel to the skin and protect the energy absorbing foam core from indentation during normal use.

Abstract: A system for non-destructively measuring an object and controlling industrial processes in response to the measurement is disclosed in which an impulse laser generates a plurality of sound waves over timed increments in an object. A polarizing interferometer is used to measure surface movement of the object caused by the sound waves and sensed by phase shifts in the signal beam. A photon multiplier senses the phase shift and develops an electrical signal. A signal conditioning arrangement modifies the electrical signals to generate an average signal correlated to the sound waves which in turn is correlated to a physical or metallurgical property of the object, such as temperature, which property may then be used to control the process. External, random vibrations of the workpiece are utilized to develop discernible signals which can be sensed in the interferometer by only one photon multiplier.

Abstract: A braided member has a longitudinal axis and a plurality of braided strands of structural fiber. At least one elongate member having a rigidity greater than that of the strands of structural fiber is intertwined into the braided strands parallel to the longitudinal axis of the braided member. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural fibers are selected from the group consisting of aramid, glass, and carbon fibers and the braided member is a triaxially braided tube. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elongate member is a pultruded rod having compressive strength approaching its tensile strength.

Abstract: A fastener structure for particular use in clamping a panel assembly includes a bolt or pin member having a generally elongate shank for extension through a panel, and a locking-recess in the shank for reception of a locking formation. The pin shank is insertable through a sleeve having a bore which terminates at an anvil portion surrounding the inserted pin shank. A lock collar is insertable into the sleeve bore radially between the shank locking-recess and the sleeve into abutment against the anvil portion of the sleeve. Compression of the locking collar against the abutting anvil portion of the sleeve produces cold flow deformation of a portion of the collar into the locking-recess of the shank to form a locked joint so that the collar then blocks any subsequent relative movement between the pin shank and sleeve to secure the fastener structure.