Abstract: A measuring and evaluating device and method for mine galleries and the like can monitor the various parameters of the atmosphere and normalize the parameters for display and storage in the device. In an emergency the danger-posing operations of the device are shut down although the memory is maintained and, for further safety, a detector which may pose a danger may be inactivated and replaced by a less precise detector for the same parameter but which poses no danger.

Abstract: A piezoelectric detector for determination of the mass or film thickness of gaseous, liquid or solid substances being adsorbed or condensed on the surface of a piezoelectric resonator, having at least one measuring resonator with at least one integrated thin-film sensor, one discrete or integrated on the resonator re-evaporation heating element, and a reference resonator separated from the measuring resonator with a contamination shield, and protected from contamination, but not from heat radiation, with an optical window, which all allow correction by electronic or numerical means of influences of temperature changes on the resonant frequency and of cut-angle deviations and the temperature differences between the resonators.

Abstract: An oxygen concentrator having molecular sieve beds for selectively adsorbing nitrogen from atmospheric air for increasing the oxygen concentration of a product gas, a reservoir for receiving the product gas, a compressor for charging atmospheric air to the sieve beds and a valve and valve switching means for directing atmospheric air from the compressor to alternate sieve beds includes means for sensing the withdrawal rate of product gas from the reservoir and a microprocessor provided with the minimum time required for charging the respective sieve beds to achieve a product gas having a selected oxygen concentration at the sensed rate of withdrawal and means for switching the valve to charge the beds for the minimum charge time.

Abstract: An instrument and method for continuously measuring by differential air pressure the surplus of kinetic energy of an aircraft mass and the resulting potential of wing lift (POWL) above an empirical datum which coincides with the incremental onset of mushing sink, and for coincidentally and continuously displaying the margin of measured airspeed above the calibrated datum within the airspeed range of transitional flight. The instrument includes a sensing probe having a pair of fixed plane surfaces normal to a common vertical plane and adjustably mounted in a region of induced, stable, incident airflow under the wing or other part of an aircraft to sense differential impact pressure on the fixed plane surfaces, and an instrument to measure and display the sensed differential pressure.

Abstract: In a system for monitoring the condition of a machine by vibration analysis, including at least one vibration sensor in operative contact with the machine for sensing machine vibrations, and for providing a vibration signal at its output, a sampling device connected to the output of the vibration sensor for sampling, amplifying and digitizing the signal obtained from the vibration sensor, a frequency analyzer arranged to receive the sampled and digitized signal from the sampling device, and a pattern recognizer coupled to the frequency analyzer for detection of any abnormal frequency spectra, the improvement includes a data processing unit adapted to store control programs, which in turn is connected to the vibration sensor, and includes a microcomputer inclusive of a random access memory, for obtaining vibration data from the sensor, and for storing the vibration data in the form of a time series in the memory, a central monitor remote from the data processing unit adapted to store another program therein, i

Abstract: Apparatus for detecting failure of a surface tension screen disposed between a holding chamber and a main chamber of a tank includes a fixture for supporting the tank in desired test orientations, a drive mechanism on the fixture for rotating the tank and an ultrasonic transducer used in making a measurement with respect to the position of an interface between liquid and gas contained in the holding chamber of the tank. The holding and main chambers are tandemly arranged along a longitudinal axis of the tank and are each substantially filled by a liquid propellant with respective volumes of gas contained in each chamber. The fixture supports the tank in a first orientation with a nose of the tank pointing downwardly and tank longitudinal axis extending approximately 60.degree. above horizontal and to the right of vertical and in a second orientation with the tank nose pointing upwardly and tank longitudinal axis extending approximately 60.degree. above horizontal and to the left of vertical.

Abstract: A photoacoustic analyzer comprises an analyzing cell having a beam entrance window and including a cylindrical piezoelectric transducer element forming at least a part of the wall thereof, and a laser beam emitter emitting a laser beam directed toward and into the analyzing cell through the beam entrance window. In the photoacoustic analyzer, the ratio r/r.sub.o between the radius r of the inner side of the analyzing cell and the radius r.sub.o of the incident laser beam is selected to lie within the range of 1.ltoreq.r/r.sub.o .ltoreq.8.

Abstract: A digital gas sensing system comprises a plurality of satellite subassembly units each including a central processing unit (CPU) and a plurality of "intelligent" sensors connected to the satellite subassembly units by a single pair of leads. The satellite subassembly units communicate to the sensors in a code having a predetermined number of digital bits. Each sensor has internal "intelligence" and recognizes its own unique address and responds to the satellite subassembly unit in a predetermined code that varies from the satellite subassembly unit code by one parity bit. This arrangement makes it possible for other sensors to distinguish between transmissions from the satellite subassembly unit and transmissions from other sensors. The net result is that the system is able to operate very reliably using only two leads to connect all of the sensors to the satellite sub subassembly unit thereby greatly reducing the wiring and installation costs of the system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining the combined aroma of several volatile substances by individually mixing the vapors of said substances with an odorless gas, blending the gas mixtures in a blending chamber and then determining the aroma of the blended mixtures.

Abstract: An automatic flaw detection apparatus comprises a supporting frame; a hollow shaft which is supported on said frame in a freely rotatable manner through a bearing, and through the interior of which passes a material to be inspected; a holder disposed within said hollow shaft, and extending in the longitudinal direction of the axis of said hollow shaft, and rotating in association with said hollow shaft; sensing means incorporated in said holder to detect any defect in said material to be probed; and a signal transmission device interposed between said hollow shaft and said supporting frame, and to transmit the flaw detection signal from said sensor means to outside.

Abstract: A device for selecting the proper sensitivity and acceptable background noise level for sound discrimination switches used for detection of selected sounds where the detection device includes peak signal detectors to receive audio voltage generated by the selected sounds and activate an alarm.

Abstract: An apparatus for instructing an operator to place a gearshift of a manual transmission in an optimum position in accordance with various operating parameters. An upshift zone is formulated and stored in a memory means and when operating conditions of the vehicle fall within the upshift zone, a plurality of timers begin counting for a predetermined amount of time and if operating conditions still fall within predetermined parameters, an upshift signal is issued. The apparatus recognizes if the engine is acting as a brake and if the engine is under a heavy load when accelerating and does not issue an upshift signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring particulate matter in the fluid comprises a filter means (28) through which fluid is arranged to flow. A pressure sensing means (46) senses the fluid pressure difference across the filter means and produces a pressure signal indicative of the magnitude of the pressure difference. A processing means (49) receives the pressure signal and evaluates therefrom the rate of change of the magnitude of the pressure difference in order to give an indication of particulate matter levels in the fluid. In this way on line monitoring of the debris generation in, for example an oil system, can be effected so that abnormal increases in debris can be detected and long term trends in the build-up of debris can be observed. A particular form of filter medium is also disclosed wherein the filter mean can be transported so that a filter record can be maintained and systematic X-ray analysis of the filter record can be effected.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for sensing relative movement between a pair of members includes a pair of parts which cooperate to provide an electrical signal upon relative movement between the members. One of these parts may be a Hall effect device and the other part may be a pair of magnets. In order to accurately position the Hall effect device and the magnets relative to each, they are mounted on a substrate or base. The portion of the substrate upon which the magnets are disposed is connected with one of the members. The Hall effect device is disposed on a portion of the substrate which is connected with the other member. Once the substrate has been connected with the two members, it is separated to enable the members to be easily moved relative to each other.

Abstract: A phased array acoustic imaging system including an array of electromechanical transducers, a dedicated signal processing channel for each transducer and electronic control and delay circuits for them, transmits to and receives ultrasonic energy from a body in a controlled, steered and focused fashion. The electronic delay circuits use a unique cyclically symmetrical arrangement of identical delay cells, each with an electronically variable delay element and each dedicated to a receive signal derived from at least one transducer, to form a summing delay line. The individual delay cells are switched under microprocessor control for efficient combined linear-sector scanning or linear or sector scanning alone. The system includes means to achieve dynamic focusing and dynamic apodization in conjunction with the delay cell architecture.

Abstract: A hearing aid including a microphone for generating an electrical output from sounds external to a user of the hearing aid, an electrically driven receiver for emitting sound into the ear of the user of the hearing aid, and circuitry for driving the receiver. The circuitry drives the receiver in a self-generating mode activated by a first set of signals supplied externally of the hearing aid to cause the receiver to emit sound having at least one parameter controlled by the first set of externally supplied signals and then drives the receiver in a filtering mode, activated by a second set of signals supplied externally of the hearing aid, with the output of the external microphone filtered according to filter parameters established by the second set of the externally supplied signals. Other forms of the hearing aid, apparatus for supplying the sets of signals to the hearing aid in a total system, and methods of operation are also described.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for continually monitoring for the presence of suspended or dissolved gas within a viscous material, such as in the material accumulated in the mud reservoir of a mud system used in an oil or gas drilling operation. Pressurized air is injected into the liquid to agitate and dislodge the gas. The dislodged gas is captured within a sealed chamber upon emerging from the liquid. A sample of the gas is continuously vented from the chamber through an outlet tube under the influence of the pressurized air. A gas sensor is mounted with the outlet tube so as to continually and accurately detect the presence of the gas within the liquid.

Abstract: This invention relates to an apparatus for measuring of imaging the characteristic structure of a medium utilizing the power spectrum profile of received signal waves, which are derived from an incident beam pulse of ultrasonic waves or other waves that are incident on the object to be measured and which travel through the object by transmission and reflection. They are affected by various acoustic characteristic structures of the object, and information about the structure can be attained by the procession of the signals received with a transducer. The processing is performed by taking their cepstrum, and filtering the slowly varying cepstra including that of the target Gaussian shaped pulse signal from the fast varying cepstra. The filtered cepstrum is processed further by the inverse transformations to the power spectrum derived from said filtered cepstrum.

Abstract: A data gathering system comprising a single optical fiber having one or more modulators formed thereon, means for launching into the fiber an interrogating light pulse which propagates in a first direction, means for generating at each modulator an optical return signal which propagates in the fiber in a second direction opposite the first direction and which has an intensity which is variable in response to variations in an external signal incident at the modulator, and means for detecting and processing each such return signal. The return signal comprises a portion of the interrogating light pulse which is coupled into the fiber in the second direction via evanescent coupling. The return signal from each modulator (or array of modulators) is identified via time division multiplexing. A signal processing means may be coupled to the fiber for generating a unique return signal from each of one or more modulator arrays, each array comprising a selected subset of the modulators.

Abstract: An ultrasonic thickness gauge including a split-type probe to perform the transmission-reception of ultrasonic waves via a material board to be measured, a zero point calibration circuit to delay the zero point by a specified delay time from the wave transmission timing, and a measuring circuit to count clock pulses for the duration from the zero point to the wave reception timing. This ultrasonic thickness gauge is characterized in that it also includes a counter to count, within specified range, the clock pulses relating to the board thickness in each previous measurement conducted by using the preset zero point, and a zero point adjusting circuit to vary the zero point of the zero point calibration circuit in proportion to the count value of the above-mentioned counter.