Abstract: A micromechanical electric shunt is fabricated by micromachining according to recent IC fabrication procedures. A plurality of such shunts is incorporated on a single substrate to form novel process station or post identification or signature encoding apparatus for use on a telecommunications bus or the equivalent. Such identification of signature encoding apparatus may be configured for conventional binary coding. Both frequency and current derivative mode apparatus are disclosed.

Abstract: A compliant sealing material with low or no gas permeability and low spring rate is made by coating a metal such as gold, on the surface of a polymer sheet. The metal acts as a complete gas barrier on an atomic level, and the polymer provides structural integrity and mounting attributes without detrimentally increasing compliance. A small number of metal atoms injected at a moderate energy into the near surface of the polymer act as link sites for joining subsequent lower energy atoms forming an impermeable layer. The total heat delivery to the polymer is minimized thereby preserving integrity and continuity. The material is particularly useful in micromechanical devices where high flexibility is needed with complete sealing.

Abstract: In a coriolis mass flowmeter a flexible tube structure for carrying the fluid to be measured comprises parallel tubes (1, 2) fixed at (7, 8) and formed with loops (5, 6). Electromagnetic means vibrate the loops in their own planes in directions normal to arms A, B of the tubes setting up torques on the loops sensed by two sensor pair (14, 15). The signals from the two sensors are used to measure the mass flow rate (since the later is proportional to the time phase-shift of these signals). Also the signals are used to drive and control the driving device for the electromagnetic means.

Abstract: A process for making additive multilayer circuit boards uses separately designed and fabricated composite structures each consisting of a patterned conductive metal foil supported by a photo-processible insulating film. The composite is bonded foil pattern side down to the substrate or pre-existing multilayer structure and selected areas of the insulating film are removed down to underlying metal sites for electroless plating. All of the apertures in the insulating film are then electrolessly plated full of metal flush to the upper surface. Additional patterned composites are applied and plated up as desired to create blind vias and new conductor patterns layer by layer. In an alternate process a foil clad composite is bonded to an existing substrate foil side up. The insulating layer is selectively etched through windows photoetched in the foil layer. The voids in the insulator layer expose copper sites on the underlying composite.

Abstract: Portable battery-operated ambient air analyzer comprising an electrically-energized incandescent source of infra-red radiation producing a beam passing through an air sample to a sensor. The infra-red source is surrounded by an explosion-proof enclosure to prevent an explosion internally of the enclosure being propagated out to the atmosphere. The incandescent source is a self-supporting filamentary coil having no interior core or mandrel. The coil is formed of a metal composition including aluminum, chromium and iron, operated at a temperature of less than 1000.degree. C.

Abstract: Displacement sensors at opposite ends of at least one oscillating conduit produce output signals from which the drive component or the Coriolis component, or preferably both, are recovered. An oscillatory drive signal is derived from the drive component, and a mass flow signal is derived from the Coriolis component. The remaining drive component in a combination of the two sensor outputs is nulled by amplitude control of one sensor output. Two force drivers at opposite ends of the conduit are driven by complementary drive signals to which a perturbation signal is added. The remaining perturbation signal in a combination of the two sensor outputs is nulled by adding compensation to both drive signals to eliminate drive force imbalance. Synchronous demodulation is used in the preferred embodiment to detect several parameters in a combination of the sensor outputs. In a dual loop configuration, pairs of sensors and/or force drivers are located at opposite ends of each conduit section.

Abstract: A differential pressure calibrator (with built in overrange protection) using a "dropping ball and weight" technique and a mode unit which eliminates the need for a process manifold is disclosed in the subject invention.

Abstract: A rigid central manifold block defines a coaxial inlet and outlet of the flowmeter and supports at least one continuous conduit loop substantially encircling the block and having its inlet and outlet ends closely spaced and rigidly connected to the block. Preferably, the loop includes a straight section perpendicular to the inlet and outlet ends. Dual drive means are preferably provided for oscillating the straight section back and forth about its perpendicular bisector and complementary position detectors employed at or near the opposite ends of the straight section, preferably at the same location as the drive units, provide readouts which are combined algebraically and synchronously demodulated to yield a Coriolis-related output indicative of mass flow. Preferably, a second loop, identical and parallel to the first, is supported by the same block. The block is channeled to serve as a manifold and interchangeable manifolds are disclosed for series and parallel flow through the two loops, respectively.

Abstract: A gas detector for detecting a combination of at least three gasses employs an optical filter having a spectral passband shaped and positioned to produce substantially equal responses from a single detector to a given concentration of any single one of the gasses or to a concentration any two or more of the gasses. A filter spectrum encloses substantially equal areas of the absorption spectra of the gasses. The filter includes a spectral bandwidth, cut-on maximum wavelength, cut-on slope, cut-off maximum wavelength and cut-off slope, adjusted for controlling the areas of the gas absorption spectra enclosed therein.

Abstract: It has been discovered that vortex flowmeters can be suitably adapted for the measurement of two-phase fluid flows, and particularly for the measurement of steam quality, when disposed in a particular manner in horizontal flowpipes carrying such fluids. More specifically, the invention disclosed includes the disposition of a substantially linear vortex flowmeter horizontally and transversely in a horizontal flowpipe to measure two-phase fluid flows, for example, wet steam quality. When the mass flow rate is not determinable through knowledge of the feedstock, other sensors enable measurement of the vapor phase volumetric area and velocity to permit calculation of the flow measurand.

Abstract: A monolithic multilayer electrical coil uses advanced printed wiring board technology to create a monolithic component having plural parallel multi turn planar coils interconnected by solid vias of plated metal on a single substrate preferably designed as a surface mounted device.

Abstract: A process controller may incorporate statistical computations of the variance in the controlled variable. Statistical measures may then be used to offset the controller set point to maintain the controlled variable distribution in an acceptable specification zone. The statistical measures may be made automatically and continuously thereby obviating human intervention, while producing high quality, though statistically variable, process output. The statistical measures may be calculated specifically or generated by a weighted integration method.

Abstract: Floating the diaphragm portion of a diaphragm sensor in the pressurizing fluid frees the diaphragm from exterior housing forces, and makes overall manufacture and replacement inexpensive. A diaphragm can be protected from exterior stress by interspersing a channel between the diaphragm edge and the closure and support structure of an enclosing housing. By extending the channel and incorporating an adequate seal, the diaphragm structure may be made replaceable. The replaceable diaphragm further allows use of a smaller amount of costly materials, and makes repair less costly.

Abstract: A compliant sealing material with low or no gas permeability and low spring rate is made by coating a metal such as gold, on the surface of a polymer sheet. The metal acts as a complete gas barrier on an atomic level, and the polymer provides structural integrity and mounting attributes without detrimentally increasing compliance. A small number of metal atoms injected at a moderate energy into the near surface of the polymer act as link sites for joining subsequent lower energy atoms forming an impermeable layer. The total heat delivery to the polymer is minimized thereby preserving integrity and continuity. The material is particularly useful in micromechanical devices where high flexibility is needed with complete sealing.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed for achieving critical alignment of optical and mechanical elements, in which one of the foregoing is movable with respect to the other. Specifically, an optical fiber (12) is aligned with respect to a movable member (19) in a first position. The movable member is then displaced to a second position and high levels of radiant energy at a first discernible wavelength are transmitted down the fiber optic path to alter, or pattern, a wavelength sensitive surface area or coating (16) on the surface of the movable member. The movable member is then freed, and radiant energy of a second wavelength to which the coating is insensitive is used to sense the position of the movable member with respect to the fiber optic.

Abstract: A portable battery-operated ambient air analyzer comprising an electrically-energized incandescent source of infra-red radiation producing a beam passing through an air sample to a sensor. The infra-red source is surrounded by an explosion-proof enclosure to prevent an explosion internally of the enclosure being propagated out to the atmosphere. The incandescent source is a self-supporting filamentary coil having no interior core or mandrel. The coil is formed of a metal composition including aluminum, chromium and iron.

Abstract: A fault-tolerant power distribution architecture is described in which electrical power-consuming modules are connected in rows via individual busses in a first set of busses connected to individual power supplies in a first set of power supplies, and are also connected in columns via successive busses in successive sets of busses connected to power supplies in successive sets of power supplies such that each module receives power from a unique combination of a first bus and a first power supply and a successive bus and successive power supply.

Abstract: A seal for ceramic flow tubes resistent to high temperature, pressure and corrosion factors is made by fusing a first polymer to the ceramic as a binding layer, fusing to the first layer a second flexible polymer layer chemically and temperature resistent to the process fluid, and holding the two layers under a resilient loading. The seal is highly leak tight, chemically durable, inexpensive to produce and repairable without sacrificing valuable components.

Abstract: A differential-pressure instrument the body of which forms a sealed interior pressure chamber containing a fill-liquid and includes a pair of flexible diaphragms to apply to the fill-liquid an input differential pressure to be sensed by an IC strain-gauge chip within the chamber. A spring plate divides the interior pressure chamber into two sections and is deflectable in response to differential pressures. Overrange pressure protection is provided by a valve which is closable by an elastomeric pad carried by the spring plate when the plate deflection reaches a pre-set amount. Valve closure locks the fill-liquid in place alongside the plate to provide an incompressible liquid back-up preventing further deflection of the plate, thus preventing further increases in differential pressure across the IC chip. In one embodiment, valves are placed on both sides of the spring plate to protect against both high-side and low-side overrange pressures.

Abstract: A pattern-recognizing, self-tuning controller is provided for controlling a process wherein measured characteristics including at least one peak of an error signal, derived from the differences occurring over time between the values of a process controlled variable and a desired set-point level for that variable, are used for identifying the behavior pattern of the error signal so that an operating parameter of the controller can be changed as required to minimize process recovery time whenever the process is subsequently disturbed or an abrupt change is made to the set-point level at some later time. The preferred embodiment of the device is in the form of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller in which the PID coefficients are calculated in accordance with prescribed relationships that are based on damping, overshoot and time period characteristics of the error signal.