Abstract: A vaporizer device includes various modular components. The vaporizer device includes a first subassembly. The first subassembly includes a cartridge connector that secures a vaporizer cartridge to the vaporizer device and includes at least two receptacle contacts that electrically communicate with the vaporizer cartridge. The vaporizer device includes a second subassembly. The second subassembly includes a skeleton defining a rigid tray that retains at least a power source. The vaporizer device also includes a third subassembly. The third subassembly includes a plurality of charging contacts that supply power to the power source, and an end cap that encloses an end of the vaporizer device.

Abstract: A system includes a current source circuit; a system power input; and load switching circuitry coupling the current source circuit and the system power input to an output configured to couple to a vaporizer heating element. The current source circuit, the system power input, and the load switching circuitry form part of an integrated circuit. Related apparatus, systems, techniques, and articles are also described.

Abstract: A safety grade protection system for monitoring parameters indicative of the status of a core of a nuclear reactor, and reducing the criticality of the nuclear reaction when the onset of unsafe conditions are detected. The invention directly detects, in real time, the power at a plurality of axial and radial locations within or about the core and provides a three-dimensional real-time core power output. The system processes those outputs together with a measure of core coolant inlet temperature, pressure and flow rate to calculate, in real time, the fuel centerline temperature, the heat transfer condition at the fuel elements' boundary and the rate of power change within the core.

Abstract: A micromachined rate sensor system includes plural sensing proof masses or plates coupled to multiple electrostatic combs. A comb drive amplifier induces a deflection of the sense plates along a plane defined by the configuration of the sense plates, such that the sensed rotational rate causes an out-of-plane force to act on the sense plates. The motor combs are driven at half NRF by coupling a comb drive amplifier to a half frequency motor oscillator comprising a digital "divide by 2" flip flop, a low pass filter, a multiplier, and a plurality of signal amplifiers. The half frequency oscillator provides the drive voltage at one-half the NRF. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention eliminate undesirable parasitic drive feedthrough at the motor frequency, thus providing for increased efficiency.

Abstract: A digital path length control for ring laser gyros comprises a square wave generator, a dither counter (driven by the generator with a quarter cycle delay, a dither DAC, a control counter, a control DAC, and a PZT driven by the two DACs. The PZT controls the path length of the ring laser gyro, and thus controls the intensity of the light in the gyro. A photodetector samples this light and produces an ac signal, which a voltage comparator compares with ground. The output of the comparator is XORed with the square wave, and the output of the XOR gate drives the control counter, strobed with a frequency at least twice that of the square wave. All signal processing is digital, and analog conversion is made only when interfacing the gyro.

Abstract: A transient detector apparatus utilizing peak and slope detectors to determine the presence of transient signal in a logic signal. Individual slope measurements of the input signal are compared with a logic criteria to establish the occurrence of a transient. The peak voltage and pulse width of a transient are digitized in order to time tag or isolate a transient to a particular signal.

Abstract: A high-speed digital peak detector for determining the peak voltage of an input analog signal and for providing a one of N unary digital output corresponding to the peak voltage, where N is a positive integer, comprising a plurality of N self-latching voltage detectors in a flash-encoding or parallel encoding arrangement, each detector comprising a latchable differential voltage comparator and an Exclusive/Or gate, each of the comparators and gates having first and second input terminals and first and second output terminals and each of the comparators further having first and second latch function input terminals. The second output terminal of each of the comparators is connected to the first input terminal of a corresponding one of the gates, and the first and second output terminals of the corresponding one of the gates is connected, respectively, to the first and second latch function input terminals of the corresponding one of the comparators.

Abstract: A transient detector system for monitoring a voltage signal to detect positive and negative transient voltages on the voltage signal that penetrates a predetermined threshold band, the transient detector system being synchronized to an internal clock signal and providing first and second output signals characterizing the amplitude of the last largest respective positive transient noise signal and the last largest negative transient noise signal penetrating a threshold band. The transient detector system also provides third and fourth output signals characterizing the pulse widths of both the last largest positive and last largest negative transient noise signals. The transient detector system receives a sampled and digitized signal characterizing the instantaneous amplitude of the signal and uses a positive and negative threshold detect circuit means to recognize the presence of transient noise signals.