Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically adjusting electrolytic production or feeding of a sanitizer such as halogen for treating a water body such as a swimming pool or spa. A microprocessor is responsive to sensors monitoring pH and temperature of the water body to predict demand for sanitizer which varies dependent on pH and temperature and direct a controller which automatically modifies the ON time during an ON/OFF cycle for the sanitizer production system in response to changing demand resulting from changing measurements in temperature and/or pH of the swimming pool water. The controller also modifies an ON/OFF cycle for a circulating pump when demand predicted by the microprocessor exceeds the capability of the sanitizer producer or feeder under an existing ON/OFF pump cycle.

Abstract: A vending machine 10 has a hopper 24 which leads to a modular dispenser unit 38 which includes a hopper chute 26, a top plate 28, a bottom plate 32 and a carousel assembly 36 interposed between the top and bottom plates 28 and 32. The carousel assembly includes a closing plate and a container 53 depending therefrom which includes two mesh screen walls and two solid side walls. The carousel assembly is rotatable between the top and bottom plate such that the container is filled when it passes under the opening in the top plate. The container is moved to be adjacent a heat gun 66 which heats the food within the container 53 and is further moved to be over a discharge opening in the bottom plate which allows dispensing the heated food from the container.

Abstract: A robotic cell, or work area, especially useful for education. The cell has a plurality of interchangable work surfaces for mounting objects that the robot manipulates. Students, researchers, or other workers can thus set up separate experiments that need not be torn down each time a different user begins work with the cell. The cell has safety switches that encourage a user, when near the robot, to keep a hand on the robot so as not to be accidentally injured by the robot's motion. There is also a dead man switch effective to disenable the robot entirely, after a short time delay. The cell has a pneumatic control circuit that enables a user to position the robot's gripper arm at positions intermediate of fully up and fully down.

Abstract: A creep control valve for keeping vehicle brakes applied is under the control of a digital electronic system which senses the vehicle speed and whether the accelerator pedal is depressed or released. The creep control is enabled only after the vehicle speed is between 3 and 24 miles per hour and then drops below 6 miles per hour with the accelerator pedal released. The creep control is disabled whenever the accelerator pedal is depressed or the vehicle speed is above 6 miles per hour or there is a failure of the speed resolver which senses the vehicle speed. The creep control includes a key-operated anti-theft circuit which keeps the brakes on if an incorrect key is inserted.

Abstract: Intelligence, such as voice signals, is scrambled for secrecy communication by translating the frequency spectrum of the intelligence by mixing the signals within the frequency spectrum with a local oscillator signal having a frequency that varies between a plurality of discrete frequencies at a selected rate. The translated spectrum is split into two or more channels, and the scrambled intelligence having a frequency spectrum above a selected value is passed through a first channel wherein the frequency spectrum of the signals is reduced to a frequency spectrum at the lower end of the spectrum of the unscrambled intelligence that is not being used by the translated intelligence. The entire frequency spectrum of the translated intelligence is passed through a second channel and the output of each channel is combined and the bandwidth thereof is limited to a selected bandwidth.