Abstract: A robotic vehicle is provided with an elliptical shaped housing, the housing having a circumferential track disposed about its midsection. The circumferential track is driven by a prime mover to rotate the housing and move it over a variety of different terrains. The vehicle is adapted to carry weapons systems for military application.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pressurizable inner multi chambered tube for a tire having resilient radial walls in the body sealingly the chambers from one another. A ring shaped manifold on the tube communicates to the chambers by a check valve at each chamber, the check valves permitting fluid flow from the manifold to the chambers but preventing flow in the reverse direction. A valveless fluid passing fixture on the manifold permits the manifold to be connected to a source of pressurized air. If one chamber of the tube looses pressure, the remaining tubes will expand in an angular, circumferential direction and slide on the manifold so as to take up space formerly occupied by the one, depressurized chamber. The check valves of the remaining chambers will be released from engagement as the remaining chambers slide on the manifold.

Abstract: A fastener comprises a nut surrounding a collar that in turn surrounds a t, the nut and collar holding a bracket element against a mounting surface. The collar fits closely but slidably within the nut. Of the nut or collar, one has a boss that rides upon a cam surface of the other, so that a camming relation exists between the nut and collar. Turning the nut relative to the collar will thus squeeze the collar into an interference fit with the post so that the fastener attains a locking configuration. A groove adjacent the cam surface accepts the projection and retains it such that the fastener maintains its locking condition. A predetermined torque is needed to rotate the projection to the groove, whereby the fastener is a torque controlled fastener.

Abstract: A hose fitting assembly has a fitting, a spool that translates into the fitting and a sleeve sliding along the spool onto the fitting. The fitting has a bore, an exterior channel, and apertures connecting the exterior channel to the bore. Disposed at the apertures are elements radially intrudable into the bore. An ring-like spring in the channel keeps these elements at the apertures and biases them into the bore. A bevelled part of the spool forces the intruding elements and spring out from the bore as the spool's plunger portion sealingly slides in the bore. The sleeve coacts with outward motion of the spring to lock the spool to the fitting, the sleeve aligned in its locking position on the fitting by a shoulder on the fitting.

Abstract: A device for quickly coupling and decoupling conduits comprises a fitting ving spaced exterior surface concavities in an annular array and axially facing shoulders at the concavities, the fitting defining a bore open to one conduit. The device has a tube fixed to another conduit and sealed slidingly with the bore, and also has a receptacle translatable along the tube for rotatably receiving the fitting. The receptacle defines an opening where the receptacle enters, an orifice through which the tube passes and an annuler channel about the fitting. A spring axially mobile in the channel interferingly girds the fitting and has a first and second segments. The second segments protrude closer than the first segments to the device's central axis and fit the concavity. The device has a pin in the channel protruding radially inward further than a zone of the second segment but not as far as a zone of the first segment, whereby the pin is usable to selectively prevent spring rotation relative to the receptacle.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device to mount an accessory to a vehicle wherein the accery can be moved between a deployed position or a retracted position. The device has a mounting bracket removably fixed to the vehicle and has cylinders fixed to the mounting bracket. The device also has shafts translatably received in the cylinders, an accessory bracket fixed to the shafts, and a shield bracket on one of the shafts between the mounting bracket and the accessory bracket. The device has a lane marker dispenser or other accessory pivoted on the accessory bracket about the same axis as a shield pivots on the shield bracket. The shield and its bracket are translatable toward or away from the accessory bracket on this axis. The device additionally has structure for locking the shield to the accessory after the shield is translated toward the accessory.

Abstract: A valve sleeve is made from a tube having smooth inner and outer diametri surfaces by forming a shallow channel on the tube so that a channelled region of the tube is thinner than other regions of the tube. The tube is confined in a sleeve whose inner peripheral surface conforms with the tube's outer diametrical surface, but the sleeve's inner peripheral surface also defines a gap with the channelled region of the tube. Next, the tube is pressurized to deform the channelled region outward into the gap. As a result, there are both a concavity on the inner diametrical surface of the tube and a smoothly surfaced transition between the concavity and the other regions. Finally, the tube is removed from the sleeve and a port aperture is drilled in the radially outer part of the concavity. As an alternate method, a tube of constant tube wall thickness may be placed in an internally channelled confinement and then pressurized so as to distend regions of the tube wall outward.

Abstract: An identification board for a combat vehicle mounts to a panel of the vehe within a generally planar space envelope at the panel. The board comprises a pair of upright channels having an open upper end and a closed lower end, faciae oriented at an oblique angle to a horizontal reference plane and gradins oblique to the faciae and alternated with the faciae. The faciae and the gradins together defining sheet edge zones closely and slidingly fit with the channels. First faces of the faciae have a layer reflecting one or more light frequencies, and second, oppositely oriented faces of the faciae have means to render the second face less reflective of the light frequencies than the layer.