Abstract: An apparatus and method of performing a calibration of the accuracy of placement of semiconductor chips or devices by a pick-and-place machine. The chips are placed on an adhesive-backed glass plate that has calibrated etch marks whose dimensions are chosen to aid the inspector in estimating, or carefully measuring in an optic comparator, the amount of placement error that the machine is causing. The calibration would be performed on a periodic basis as a preventive maintenance program.

Abstract: A mechanism for scanning the contour of a tri-dimensional body including control circuitry for processing and storing the pattern data obtained. The contour pattern is measured by using contour follower members that radially slide between the two arms of a scan rotor assembly that is driven by a reference step motor. Coaxially aligned phase disks are rotably and slidably mounted over outer slots on the outer periphery of the arms and a linkage mechanism is pivotally mounted on one end to a predetermined point in the phase disk and the other end to the contour follower member. The phase disks are slowed down by frictional force applied to the phase disks and this slowing down force is overcome by the contour follower once it comes in contact with the reference body. The phase angle difference between the phase disks and the referenced step motor rotation is measured, processed and stored for subsequent pattern matching with the use of a microprocessor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rail seat abrasion measurement and analysis is shown wherein a rail seat measurement device is mounted with reference to non-wear portions of a concrete railroad tie and includes linear potentiometer devices adapted to determine a spacial relationship between the body of the measurement device and wearing portions of the rail seat. In this manner, the measurement device may be consistently mounted upon the non-wear portions of the concrete railroad tie in order that a series of accurate abrasion measurements may be taken. Other information collected includes static information such as track curvature, bank, and grade and dynamic information such as loading conditions and environmental conditions to which the rail seat is exposed between abrasion measurements.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sensing unacceptable oil leaks from a stuffing box in a walking beam pumping system includes a container for receiving leakage from the stuffing box which is divided by a weir into a first compartment and a second compartment wherein the first compartment is provided with an adjustable outlet for setting the acceptable level of stuffing box leakage such that when the acceptable level is exceeded leakage into the second compartment occurs and is sensed by an appropriate sensor (28).

Abstract: A vegetation maintenance system includes a soil extraction tool, used to diagnose and treat the soil surrounding an ailing plant, and a plant guard, for protecting the plant from external damage before, during and after treatment. The soil extraction tool consists of an segmented shaft carrying a tubular member having a sharpened, open lower end and a longitudinally extending opening. A plunger is provided for forcibly ejecting soil from the tubular member. The plant guard is a semi-rigid sheet of material having integrally formed fasteners for detachably securing the opposite ends of the sheet in adjustable, overlapping relationship to one another to form a tubular sheath for surrounding a plant.

Abstract: A mass sensoring system for monitoring the amount of fluid in a storage tank with an accuracy high enough to determine both the quantity present and the potential loss of fluid at a loss rate of 0.05 gal/hr or at least 0.1 gal/hr. The system utilizes a pressure sensor positioned at the bottom of the tank and in contact with the fluid. This device includes a bellows unit whose displacement is correlated to changes in the mass of fluid in which it is immersed, and a transducer for monitoring the position of the bellows, wherein the interior of the bellows unit is in the same atmosphere as the sensor, and the sensor is in communication with the vapor pressure immediately above the fluid in the tank. The outside of the bellows is subjected to the stored fluid. A multiple-capsule bellows assembly is coupled to an LDVT transducer in a thermal-expansion-cancelling configuration of the invention.

Abstract: A cantilever has a probe on one side of the end portion and a mirror on the opposite side. The cantilever is fixed to a support member via a piezoelectric element. A semiconductor laser situated above the mirror has a reflection cleavage plane and constitutes a Fabry-Perot resonator between the mirror and the reflection cleavage plane. The output from the resonator varies in accordance with the amount of displacement of the end portion of the cantilever, that is, the surface configuration of the sample. This variation is detected by a detector via a photodetector. A control circuit controls a driving voltage applied to an XYZ-scanner so as to cancel the variation of the output from the resonator, thereby keeping constant the distance between the tip of the probe and the surface of the sample. The driving voltage provides height data of the sample surface. The driving voltage, along with a position signal relating to the sample surface output from the XYZ-scanner, is supplied to an image forming unit.

Abstract: An air bearing gauge 10 is characterized by a flat land 30, instead of the prior art's "knife-edge" 30', so as to provide an area 32 over web 12 through which pressurized gas flows in escaping from the gas supply means 16 and the gas bearing region 24. The land 30 provides an upward scaling of the readings obtained on-line, which can correlate the reading to standard TAPPI caliper gauge measurements of sheets as are obtained off-line, in the laboratory.

Abstract: Propellable apparatus for use in sampling for the contact transfer of a chemical residue on a surface comprising a frame having shoulders with movable supports at one end thereof and having mounted on the other end a roller having thereon a cylindrical layer of a resilient material with chemical residue contact transfer absorption properties similar to human skin, the roller being pivotably mounted such that a desired constant pressure, based on the weight of the roller, is maintained regardless of pressure applied to the shoulder to propel the apparatus.

Abstract: For the indirect identification of the mass flow of a specimen fluid stre the specimen fluid stream is mixed with a dilution fluid stream to form an total fluid stream that is to be investigated in view of specific constituents of the specimen fluid stream. The mass flow of a specimen fluid stream is identified from the difference between the measured mass flows of the dilution fluid stream and the total fluid stream. In order to reduce the possibilities of error in the setting of a defined dilution ration, the mass flows of the dilution fluid stream and the total fluid stream are calibrated relative to one another, to which end one of the calibration measurements is not undertaken at the respective fluid stream but is separately undertaken at the specimen fluid stream.

Abstract: The device forms part of a bottle labeling machine, and is designed to restrain bottles (23), champagne bottles especially, by descending onto the corks, at the same time positioning an optical recognition device capable of reading a reference mark molded into or otherwise applied to the bottle to assist in bringing about its proper alignment in readiness for the subsequent labeling operation; each bottle is restrained, and the reader then positioned to detect its alignment mark, by a pair of pneumatic cam-operated mechanisms of which the ascending and descending movement coincides with the vertical axis of a single fixed head (1) by which both are slidably accommodated.

Abstract: An atomic force microscope for observing a sample surface (7) is internally provided with a cantilever stylus (1, 14, 23) and makes use of atomic forces acting between the cantilever stylus (1, 14, 23) and the sample surface. The cantilever stylus (1, 14, 23) includes a cantilever (2, 15, 22) having a fixed end and a free end and having two principal surfaces. The cantilever stylus (1, 14, 23) further includes two tip portions formed in the principal surfaces of the free end, respectively. One of the two tip portions has a radius of curvature less than 0.1 .mu.m and protrudes beyond the other tip portion so that the former may be used to observe the sample surface (7).

Abstract: A meter for measuring a material property of a fluid comprises a pair of parallel passage (6, 8) arranged in a line (2). The passages (6, 8) are alternately isolated by valves (12) thereby trapping a portion of the fluid. Measurements made at a measuring station (10) either during closure of the valves (12) and/or during gravitational separation of the multi-phase fluid enable a calibration of the meter to be made.

Abstract: A measurement sensor is disclosed having a frame, a support which is resiliently flexible under the influence of a physical parameter and is fixed to the frame, a mass connected to the support, a housing which is formed by the frame and surrounds the mass to dampen movement of the mass and its support, a detection device for supplying a signal representative of the physical parameter in response to flection of the support. The sensor includes an assembly for precisely positioning the mass in the housing. The sensor has applications in the measurement of a physical parameter such as, for example, acceleration.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining the properties of a compactible material in which the material is continuously conveyed through a measuring zone at substantially constant pressure is provided. The apparatus includes an auger type conveyor housed in a housing. The housing has an inlet, the measuring zone and an outlet. The conveyor removes the material from a container or pipe and conveys the material through the measuring zone. The apparatus includes a flow constrictor adjacent the measuring zone for increasing the pressure of and compacting the material in the measuring zone.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for performing a process for producing standard gas mixtures which entailspurifying a raw gas using a gas purifier (3) such as a known two stage gas purifier system, thereby generating a high-purity diluent gas;mixing the high diluent gas and at least one high-concentration standard gas, by generating a medium-concentration gas mixture; dividing the medium-concentration gas mixture into a first flow and a second flow;selectively mixing the first flow with a sample gas or a high-purity diluent gas or a mixture thereof, thereby obtaining a standard low-concentration gas mixture; andcontrolling the pressure of the sample gas, the second flow of the medium-concentration gas mixture and the standard low concentration gas mixture.

Abstract: This invention pertains to a method and apparatus of non-destructive testing wherein a generally bidirectional wave generating electromagnetic acoustic transducer is pivotally mounted upon a base with this transducer being continuously rotated or oscillated upon the base as it is moved with respect to the workpiece (or the workpiece is moved with respect to the base). This oscillation or rotation causes a wave to be generated along an arc with these waves extending radially outward from the base so that any flaws in the workpiece can be struck at an angle as close to 90 degrees as possible (the optimal incident angle).

Abstract: This invention is an atomic force microscope having a digitally calculated feedback system which can perform force spectroscopy on a sample in order to map out the local stiffness of the sample in addition to providing the topography of the sample. It consists of a three-dimensional piezoelectric scanner, scanning either the sample or a force sensor. The force sensor is a contact type with a tip mounted on a cantilever and a sensor to detect the deflection of the lever at the tip. The signal from the sensor goes to an A-D convertor and is then processed by high-speed digital electronics to control the vertical motion of the sample or sensor. In operation, the digital electronics raise and lower the piezoelectric scanner during the scan to increase and decrease the force of the tip on the sample and to use the sensor signal to indicate the change in height of the tip to measure the which is the spring constant of the sample. This constant can be determined with nanometer spatial resolution.

Abstract: A method for measuring surface roughness of an end face of a honeycomb structure having a plurality of cells by using a stylus having a width corresponding to a width of at least two cells. A honeycomb surface roughness-measuring element, which is adapted for the measurement of a surface roughness of an end face of a honeycomb structure, includes a stylus having a tip, said tip having a widened edge with a width of 2 to 8 mm and a radius of curvature of 1 to 5 .mu.m.

Abstract: A method of identifying refrigerants is disclosed based on an apparatus that first evaporates a refrigerants sample such that all non-condensible contaminants are removed, condenses the refrigerant to a liquid state, then measures the sonic velocity at two different temperatures. Two measurements, taken together, establish the sonic velocity in a temperature coefficient of the sonic velocity, which are used to identify the refrigerant. A self calibration method makes measurements more accurate.