Abstract: A method of making a needle guard includes providing a mold having a portion defining a volume, the volume being a hollow cylinder with non-uniform walls with a pair of slots therein, the slots being open at one end and closed at the other end, the pair of slots having a major portion of constant width. The walls are thicker at the other end than at the one end. The method includes filling the volume with polymer and releasing a molded part from said mold and cooling a molded part resulting from the filling and releasing such that temperature that the widths of the pair of slots is non-uniform after cooling. The needle guard has upper and lower jaws defining a channel and coming together at a hinge. A winged needle can be inserted between the jaws, with the wings of the winged needle passing through slots between the jaws.

Abstract: A system and method for electronically controlling charge coupled device (CCD) light sensitivity. The present invention controls CCD light sensitivity by electrically controlling a CCD such that the CCD discharges charge for a percentage of a field integration period. In other words, the present invention electronically varies the CCD's exposure time. The present invention operates as follows. First, the present invention calculates a new exposure time for a field integration period. Second, the present invention electrically causes the CCD to discard charge accumulated by the CCD during the field integration period except during a portion of the field integration period defined by the new exposure time.