Patents Issued in December 6, 1994
  • Patent number: 5369964
    Abstract: Apparatus for cooling a fluid. The apparatus has an ice storage reservoir (5) and tubes (12, 9) by which a cooling fluid or a cooled fluid may pass through the reservoir (5), where the fluids may exchange heat with the ice. At least one and preferably both of the fluids are air. The fluids may circulate in the storage reservoir (5) either independently or alternately, in which case the same fluid can alternately function as the cooling fluid and the cooled fluid. The apparatus is consequently simplified and therefore more reliable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventors: Georges Mauer, Bernard Simplex
  • Patent number: 5369965
    Abstract: In a needle bed in which plural rows of needle plate grooves are provided in a lower needle bed base, lower needle plates are inserted into the needle plate grooves, and a lower needle groove is formed between the lower needle plates, wherein a part of the lower needle plates is extended upwardly, the extended portion serves as an upper needle bed supporting member, a fixing member for stopping an upper needle bed base is provided on the upper needle bed supporting member, and an upper needle bed base is supported above the lower needle bed by the upper needle bed supporting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Shima Seiki Mfg. Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Shima, Masahiro Yabuta, Toshinori Nakamori, Minoru Sonomura
  • Patent number: 5369966
    Abstract: In order to process yarn preliminarily, and to change over yarn precisely at a desired knitting position, the yarn fed to a flat knitting machine is processed by a yarn processing device. To change over the yarn at a changeover position of knitted fabric, it is necessary to actuate the yarn processing device preliminarily at an actuating position C. A controller calculates the actuating position from a set value in a setting circuit and pattern information from a memory. When an encoder detects that a position of feeding the yarn to a knitting needle has reached the actuating position, the yarn processing device is actuated. The length of the yarn from a yarn processing position to the actuating position is nearly equal to the sum of a knitting loop length from the actuating position to the changeover position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Shima Seiki Manufacturing Limited
    Inventors: Toshiaki Morita, Hirokazu Nishitani
  • Patent number: 5369967
    Abstract: The draw-off mechanism for a flat bar knitting machine having needle beds includes a pair of driven feed rollers arranged axially parallel to each other and located adjacent to the needle beds under a gap between the needle beds; a pair of pivoting levers, each pivoting lever being two-armed and having a feed roller mounted at one end thereof and an adjustable stop device for setting a minimum spacing between the feed rollers located at another end of each pivoting lever remote from the feed rollers; and a device for adjusting an initial tension on at least one of the pivoting levers to urge the pivoting levers closer together, so that the driven feed rollers can cooperate with each other and act on a workpiece running between them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: H. Stoll GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Franz Schmid, Winfried Kapitel
  • Patent number: 5369968
    Abstract: An apparatus for continuous steaming and dimensional stabilization of continuous fabric webs includes a steaming tunnel (11) through which a conveyor belt (12) runs, which supports and conveys a continuous fabric to be treated (13), the steaming tunnel (11) being provided with an inlet opening (14), an outlet opening (15) and a steam delivering device (16), in which apparatus the inlet opening (14) and the outlet opening (15) are both arranged under the bottom tunnel portion and inside the tunnel, opposite to at least one of the openings a temperature sensor (23) is provided which modulates the emission of steam from the steam delivering device (16). Furthermore, a method is accomplished for the steaming and dimensional stabilization of continuous fabric webs, method which is constituted by the treatment of fabric webs in an air-free atmosphere of saturated steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Sperotto Rimar S.p.A.
    Inventor: Franco Bertoldo
  • Patent number: 5369969
    Abstract: A door handle and lock body housing combination is provided. The lock body housing (1) has a rectangular shaped base configuration (5) which has a length approximately equal to the length of a handle (3) which extends therefrom in a direction generally parallel to the planar base (5). The height and width of the lock body housing (1) is sufficient to wholly accommodate a lock barrel (7) which extends from a front face of the housing (1). The handle (3) is generally "D"-shaped and wherein there is a greater distance behind the handle to the bottom of the planar base (5) at a central region (45) of the handle (3) than at the outer end regions (49) of the handle (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Dowell Australia Limited
    Inventors: Christopher D. Sassella, Gerrard Mussett, Paul Taylor
  • Patent number: 5369970
    Abstract: A device is provided for locking a compartment lid such as the hood of a motor vehicle. The device comprises an element adapted to sit on a portion of the hood and a portion of an adjacent fender surface, a strap attached to the element and extending through a gap between the hood and fender into the compartment interior, a hook on the strap to attach the strap to the vehicle in the compartment, and a mechanism such as a reel to remove slack from the strap and hold the element securely against the hood and adjacent fender surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Winner International
    Inventors: Danut Voiculescu, Mark Banez, L. David Carlo
  • Patent number: 5369971
    Abstract: Pass key entry of a space closed by a dead bolt equipped lock door is prohibited by a dead bolt operating knob enclosing housing pivotally mounted to the inside surface of the door adjacent the dead bolt operating knob. The dead bolt knob enclosing housing is moved to door locked position or unlocked position by the occupant of the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventor: Harold A. Sheppard
  • Patent number: 5369972
    Abstract: An interstage casing made of sheet metal includes a cylindrical receptacle-like body having a casing end wall on an end thereof and an open end opposite to The end. The omen end has an axial end surface and a radially inner surface which serve as a member of a spigot joint to be joined to the next interstage casing. The cylindrical receptacle-like body also includes a cylindrical side wall, a cylindrical portion joined between the casing end wall and the cylindrical side wall and having an outside diameter slightly smaller than an inside diameter of the open end, and a flat portion joined to the recessed portion and serving as an end surface of the casing end wall. The flat portion is adapted to be engageable with the end surface of the open end of an adjacent interstage casing. The flat portion has an outside diameter slightly larger than an outside diameter of the open end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Ken-ichi Kajiwara, Sou Kuroiwa, Kikuichi Mori, Hideo Ikeda
  • Patent number: 5369973
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for bending pipes, which preferably are deformable or bendable when heated. In this process the pipe to be bent is heated, if need be, an inside support is put in, and then the bending operation is carried out. Prior to the bending operation a pipe-like inside sleeve (3) which is expandable up to a certain degree is inserted in the pipe (1) to be Dent, and the inside sleeve (3) is filled with a pressurized medium so that it comes to rest fully against the inside wall of the pipe (1) to be bent, whereupon the bending operation takes place. The apparatus for performing the process comprises an insertable flexible pressure pipe (3) of a material that expands under pressure, the ends of this pipe being fitted with sealing parts (5, 6), the outside diameter of which is not greater than the inside diameter of the pipe (1) to be bent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Hans-Peter Ruppert
    Inventor: Ernst Wendorff
  • Patent number: 5369974
    Abstract: The apparatus and method of the present invention is designed for testing dampers of a motor vehicle without removing the dampers from the vehicle. The apparatus includes a movable support for contacting the bottom surface of a tire associated with a damper to be tested and members for oscillating the movable support to impose vertical oscillations on the tire. Transducers sense the force applied by the tire to the support during oscillation of the support while the oscillating members are controlled to oscillate the support over a predetermined range of frequencies. Circuitry is provided responsive to the transducers for determining, as a function of the frequency of oscillation, the adhesion of the tire to the support and the phase angle of the response of the tire to the oscillation. The circuitry further determines from the phase angle at a single frequency the adequacy of the damping of the damper under test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
    Inventor: Anatoly Tsymberov
  • Patent number: 5369975
    Abstract: In order to increase the reliability of detection of gaseous contamination in containers, gas (G) from the container is subject to several different methods of analysis (54a to 54d), each of which emits differing output signal courses (I.sub.1 to I.sub.4), depending on the contaminants and their concentration. A vector of the state vector type (P.sub.GAS) is formed with the output signals (I.sub.1 to I.sub.4) as a state variable and checked to see whether it defines a permissible or an unacceptable state of contamination (56). On the basis of this examination the decision is taken whether a container is acceptably or unacceptably contamined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Martin Lehmann
    Inventors: Ulrich Matter, Rene Nunlist, Heinz Burtscher, Michael Mukrowsky
  • Patent number: 5369976
    Abstract: Provided is a method and apparatus for measuring evaporative vehicle emissions in a fixed-volume/variable temperature test chamber. The method comprises the steps of providing a volume compensation device in fluid communication with a test chamber for compensating for changes in the test chamber fluid volume, determining the density of the evaporative emissions and the test chamber fluid in mass per unit volume at selected sample times t.sub.n, where n is a positive integer, measuring the temperature of the test chamber fluid at the sample times t.sub.n, measuring the absolute fluid pressure of fluid at the sample times t.sub.n, determining the difference in the test chamber fluid volume between successive sample times t.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Power-Tek, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth Ratton
  • Patent number: 5369977
    Abstract: A gaseous detection system for detecting the existence of a certain gas and further detecting a certain level or percentage of that certain gas within a prescribed environment. An example is the use of the gas detection system in a motor vehicle or elsewhere to determine when the driver of the motor vehicle may be driving under the influence of alcohol, and alternatively, for providing signals that may be used for evidentiary purposes of the alcohol content in the breath of the driver. The system includes a sensor unit for sensing ethanol in the atmospheric contents of the test person's breath and utilizing fresh air and a reference gas to determine the amount, if any, of blood-alcohol content of a person for evidentiary or other purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Lundahl Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Rhodes, Ernie Vandenwijngaert
  • Patent number: 5369978
    Abstract: Described is a process for qualitatively and quantitatively substantially continuously analyzing the aroma emitted and rates of emission of the aroma components thereof from two or more different varieties and/or species of living leaves, living fruits, living trees or living flowers at a given point in time or over a given time period using a multiplicity of enclosures to each contain one or more living leaves, living fruits, living flowers or cover surface portions of living trees or living fruits (one or more per enclosure) and having a single aroma trapping means communicating with all of the enclosures, and apparatus for carrying out such process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
    Inventors: Braja D. Mookherjee, Richard A. Wilson, Robert W. Trenkle, Michael J. Zampino, Edward S. Everett
  • Patent number: 5369979
    Abstract: An ultrasonic gas measuring device including a housing, walls for the housing, the walls having a gas inlet and a gas outlet provided therethrough, ultrasonic detecting means provided within the housing, the ultrasonic means having a transmitter, operatively associated with one wall of the housing, and a receiver, operatively mounted on another wall of the housing, and arranged at spaced locations within the housing, the housing incorporating gas processing device, electronic circuitry associated with the gas processing device and functioning to detect and generate a signal in cooperation with the ultrasonic detecting means representative of the concentration of the gas passing through the housing, a display operatively associated with the electronic means for displaying data relative to the concentration of gas passing through the measuring device, timer means electrically connected to the electronic means and the display means for first detecting for a short period of time the gas being measured, and then d
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Puritan-Bennett Corporation
    Inventors: Alonzo C. Aylsworth, Gregory R. Miller
  • Patent number: 5369980
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the proportion of a paramagnetic gas in a mixture of gases is disclosed. There is provided an element which is able to oscillate in a magnetic field. A force acting on the element due to the presence of paramagnetic gas in the magnetic field changes according to the concentration of paramagnetic gas present. This change in force affects parameters of the oscillation such as damping and frequency, which may be monitored thereby to determine the concentration of paramagnetic gas present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Servomex (UK) Ltd.
    Inventor: Riad M. A. Kocache
  • Patent number: 5369981
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the continuous determination of the dust content of flowing media with the isokinetic flow sampling with the separation of the dust or aerosols by cake filtration on a filter and the measurement of the pressure drop at the filter to determine its degree of clogging. To this end the time cycle of the quantity of dust separated on the filter is determined by the measurement of the pressure loss at the filter of an isokinetically operating sampling system. To find the dust load, this quantity of dust is related to the partial quantity of gas extracted isokinetically during the period concerned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH
    Inventors: Albert Merz, Roland Walter, Ernst Becker, Thomas Brielmaier
  • Patent number: 5369982
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting leaks in a test object having chamber walls, having a first and a second side subject to differential pressure produced by production of a partial vacuum on the first side, the detection being carried out by use of a test gas present on the second side of said chamber walls. The apparatus has a vacuum pump for providing the partial vacuum, a detector for detecting the test gas, a connecting means for connecting the apparatus to the test object, and a plurality of primary control valves for controlling the leak detection process. The improvement comprises at least one of the primary control valves being actuated by a driving cylinder and a driving piston, where the piston is actuated via pneumatic actuation which is provided by the vacuum pump while the test object is connected to the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Leybold Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Ernst Holthaus
  • Patent number: 5369983
    Abstract: A detection medium and method for use in detecting gross and fine leaks in a hermetically sealed package. In a preferred embodiment, the detection medium includes a detectable perfluorinated gas dissolved in a detectable perfluorinated liquid. The package is placed in a bombing chamber and then exposed to the detection medium under pressure introduce the detectable liquid and dissolved, detectable gas into the package through any gross leak openings and to introduce the detectable gas and some detectable liquid vapor into the package through any fine leak openings. The package is then removed from the detection medium and air dried to evaporate any detection medium attached to an exterior surface of the package. The package is placed in a test chamber which collects detectable gas and vapor of the detectable liquid escaping through the gross and fine leak openings. A measurement instrument detects whether a component of the detection medium has escaped from the sealed package as an indication of a leak.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Mark W. Grenfell
  • Patent number: 5369984
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for testing vehicle fuel tank integrity determines the free space in the system by pressurizing the system with a known quantity of gas. The loss in pressure over a test period is then monitored. These data are used to calculate the size of the leak. Alternatively, the free volume is compared to a reference volume and a normalized leak rate computed for comparison to reference values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Environmental Systems Products, Inc.
    Inventors: John N. Rogers, Rinaldo Tedeschi, Vincent J. Poracaro
  • Patent number: 5369985
    Abstract: A sealing element for use in the testing of cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry has an elastic tubular body with an end portion having an axially movable end wall and an annular lip extending beyond the external surface of the end wall. The latter has a central opening constituting the inlet or the outlet of an axial passage for testing fluid. When the end of an article to be tested is caused to bear against the external surface of the end wall, the latter yields axially of the tubular body and causes the lip to flex radially inwardly into engagement with the periphery of the adjacent end of the article to be tested. In order to reduce the likelihood of damage to the end wall and/or the lip by sharp edges surrounding the ends of certain articles which are caused to bear against the external surface of the end wall, such external surface is provided with an annular recess which is inwardly adjacent the lip and can have a substantially semicircular cross-sectional outline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Korber AG
    Inventor: Franz-Peter Koch
  • Patent number: 5369986
    Abstract: A sealing element for the end portions of cigarettes or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry has an elastic tubular body defining a longitudinally extending passage for the flow of air or another testing fluid from one end of an article being tested or in the opposite direction. The end face of the article being tested is engaged by a deformable membrane at one end of the passage, and such membrane has a central opening for the flow of testing fluid from or into an enlarged chamber between the membrane and an internal fluid deflecting baffle of the tubular body. The baffle causes the testing fluid to flow in the chamber radially inwardly toward or radially outwardly from the opening in the membrane and thus prevents the accumulation of tobacco particles and/or particles of filter material for tobacco smoke in the chamber. The stream of testing fluid in the major portion of the passage flows in the axial direction of the article being tested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Korber AG
    Inventor: Franz-Peter Koch
  • Patent number: 5369987
    Abstract: A consistency transmitter for a pipe carrying a pulp mixture has a sensor blade within the pipe and an arm outside the pipe. The sensor blade is carried by a diaphragm, so the diaphragm is flexed in response to motion of the sensor blade. The arm is connected to the diaphragm so the arm is moved in response to movement of the sensor blade. A blade extends across the diaphragm to constrain the diaphragm to motion in one direction. A probe detects motion of the arm, the circuitry being remote from the probe and connected to the probe by a cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventors: Kari Nettamo, Markku Mustonen
  • Patent number: 5369988
    Abstract: Cojoined collet has a center housing with opposing central orifices, each central orifice capable of receiving an externally positioned shaft, and further having a fastener about each opposing orifice, wherein the externally positioned shaft is releasably connectable on a common axis of rotation through the opposing central orifices and can be held fast by the fastener about the central orifice which receives the externally positioned shaft, and it is finely balanced about its intended axis of rotation. It may be coupled in series with a shaft, which may be rigid or flexible, and be embodied for employment in rotating devices, for an example, such as the high-speed simulator-viscometer of U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,365.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventor: Theodore W. Selby
  • Patent number: 5369989
    Abstract: A simple, reliable, compact and inexpensive automobile engine misfiring detection system includes a basic capacitive pressure transducer, attached to a bleeder pipeline equidistantly from each point where the exhaust manifold is attached to the engine, and made of two closely spaced insulating plates whose opposed faces contain conductive layers, and one of which plates is a flexible diaphragm of low mechanical hysteresis. The transducer is thus coupled to a variable exhaust gas pressure source which under normal operating conditions remains at a substantially constant pressure level. The output signal from the transducer has its high-frequency AC component attenuated by a low-pass filter, whose output in turn has its DC component substantially removed by capacitive blocking, after which the remaining AC output is then amplified by a circuit including an operational amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignees: Ford Motor Company, Kavlico Corporation
    Inventors: Freeman C. Gates, Jr., Kyong M. Park, Niraj Gupta
  • Patent number: 5369990
    Abstract: A remote mount mass air flow sensor that has a mass air flow sensor fixedly mounted on a sensor mount. The sensor mount has an isolation air flow conduit in which is received the sensing head of the mass air flow sensor. The remote mount mass air flow sensor may be mounted directly on a sensor housing forming part of the main air duct of an air intake system of an internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Zurek, Michele T. Kosztowny, Lorna J. Clowater
  • Patent number: 5369991
    Abstract: A diagnostic testing apparatus for testing an electrical component normally controlled by pulse signals from the electronic control module (ECM) of an automotive electrical system, which apparatus is coupled between the ECM and the component to be tested and provides first circuits establishing a normal signalling communication therebetween, and second circuits comprising parallel test circuits including indicators and switches constructed and arranged for indicating faults in the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: ABE Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard W. Armstrong
  • Patent number: 5369992
    Abstract: A magnetohydrodynamic test facility using a superconducting electromagnet drive a hydrodynamic test loop is disclosed. The test facility has a pretreatment section for adjusting the salinity of seawater to be used in the flow loop a flow loop section having a test section, a magnetohydrodynamic pump, and a gas trap assembly to capture any gasses evolved from the seawater. A post-treatment section neutralizes evolved chlorine gasses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: James C. S. Meng
  • Patent number: 5369993
    Abstract: An apparatus senses a free stream flow parameter using airflow adjacent an air vehicle. The apparatus includes a first sensor sensing a longitudinal axial component and a lateral axial component of a parameter of local airflow immediately adjacent the first sensor. A second sensor senses a longitudinal axial component and a second axial component perpendicular to the lateral axial component sensed by the first sensor of a parameter of local airflow immediately adjacent the second sensor. The first and second sensors are mounted on the air vehicle such that a longitudinal axis of the first sensor lies in a first plane including a longitudinal axis and a longitudinal axis of the second sensor means lies in a second plane substantially perpendicular to the first plane and including the longitudinal axis of the first plane. A correction unit obtains a signal representing the free stream flow parameter as a function of the parameter components sensed by the first and second sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: The B. F. Goodrich Company
    Inventor: Floyd W. Hagan
  • Patent number: 5369994
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a flow sensor having a heater, two temperature measuring sensors, a heater temperature sensor and a medium temperature sensor. A control circuit is provided which controls the overtemperature of the heater in dependence upon the temperature of the flowing medium. With this arrangement, the influence of the temperature dependency of the following on the sensor characteristic are compensated: viscosity, thermal conductance and thermal capacity of the medium. The relationship between the heater temperature and the temperature of the medium is adjusted in a slightly nonlinear manner by means of special evaluation circuits. In this way, a further improvement of the temperature compensation is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Hecht, Josef Kleinhans, Rudolf Sauer, Eckart Reihlen, Ulrich Kuhn
  • Patent number: 5369995
    Abstract: A humidity sensor device which utilizes a humidity-sensitive piezoelectric polymer film as a transducer element. In a preferred embodiment a pair of excitation electrodes and a pair of pickup electrodes are provided on such a polymer film, a suitable excitation voltage is applied to the excitation electrodes and the resultant transverse piezoelectric effects are detected in the form of an electrical output voltage from the pickup electrodes. The electrical output signal is converted to the humidity value of the gaseous environment based on a prior calibration. Typically, an odd nylon such as nylon-11 or nylon-7 is used for the piezoelectric element and a rectangular, uniform and porous graphite films are deposited thereon as electrodes. The humidity sensor device of this invention can be used over a wide temperature range and can withstand repeated exposure to harsh temperature conditions over a long period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
    Inventors: Jerry I. Scheinbeim, Brian A. Newman
  • Patent number: 5369996
    Abstract: A measurement sensor 1 for sensing a physical magnitude and comprising a framework 2, a seismic mass 36 displaceable relative to the framework, and a support frame 8 for the mass 36. The support frame 8 is fixed to the framework and elastically deformable along a sensing axis X.sub.s by the physical magnitude. A transducer 20 is fixed to the support frame 8 for supplying a signal representative of the physical magnitude in response to a deformation of the support frame 8. An arrangement 50, 52, 54, 56 protects the transducer 20 against a force exhibiting at least one component in a plane substantially perpendicular to the sensing axis X.sub.s. The arrangement permits a reversible displacement of the mass 36 relative to the support frame 8 in the perpendicular plane during a shock without acting upon the transducer 20, and a positioning of the mass 36 relative to the support frame 8 in the absence of the shock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Asulab S.A.
    Inventors: Michel Christen, Raymond Froidevaux
  • Patent number: 5369997
    Abstract: Small changes in material properties of a work piece are detected by measuring small changes in elastic wave velocity and attenuation within a work piece. Active, repeatable source generate coda wave responses from a work piece, where the coda wave responses are temporally displaced. By analyzing progressive relative phase and amplitude changes between the coda wave responses as a function of elapsed time, accurate determinations of velocity and attenuation changes are made. Thus, a small change in velocity occurring within a sample region during the time periods between excitation origin times (herein called "doublets") will produce a relative delay that changes with elapsed time over some portion of the scattered waves. This trend of changing delay is easier to detect than an isolated delay based on a single arrival and provides a direct measure of elastic wave velocity changes arising from changed material properties of the work piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: Peter M. Roberts, Michael C. Fehler, Paul A. Johnson, W. Scott Phillips
  • Patent number: 5369998
    Abstract: Method and apparatus (1) for measuring the mass flow rate of solids suspended in a gas stream (2) flowing along a pipe (3). Two ultrasonic transducers (4, 5) are mounted in short side arms (6, 7) extending from the pipe. The transducers are arranged such that signals are transmitted from one to the other through the gas stream at an angle .THETA., usually about 45.degree.. The received signals in both transducers are received by apparatus (8) and amplified. The invention allows determination of: the mean times for the ultrasonic pulses to travel from one transducer (4) to another (5) and vice-versa; the mean peak amplitude of received pulses; and, the standard deviation or spread of these parameters. The mean times taken for the ultrasonic signals to travel between the transducers are used to determine the gas flow velocity, and the mean peak amplitudes for calculating the solids loading. From these the mass flow rate is derived.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
    Inventor: Brian Sowerby
  • Patent number: 5369999
    Abstract: A non-full state detecting apparatus comprises an upper excitation coil disposed above the conduit, a lower excitation coil disposed below the conduit, a sensor provided on the side of the conduit for producing an output corresponding to the fluid when each of the coils is excited, a device for exciting both the upper and lower coils, a device for exciting any one of the upper and lower coils, a comparator for comparing a first output from the sensor produced when both the coils are excited and a second output from the sensor produced when any one of the coils is excited, and a device for determining from the result of the comparison by the comparator whether the conduit is full of the flow flowing therethrough. The excitation of both the upper and lower coils renders uniform a magnetic flux distribution in the conduit to thereby achieve detection without an error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Aichi Tokei Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Yoshida
  • Patent number: 5370000
    Abstract: A circuit for detecting faults in a magmeter system in which an electrically conductive fluid flows which is maintained at a reference potential. The circuit includes at least two electrodes in contact with the fluid. The electrode signals are conducted to the corresponding inputs of a measuring circuit. An alarm circuit is connected ahead of the measuring circuit. A difference in the magnitude of the values (+U.sub.S and -U.sub.S) of the electrode signals and/or non-symmetries in the noise content of the electrode signals and/or a disturbance in the high frequency signal (U.sub.G) in a loop which contains the electrodes and a high frequency producing generator causes an alarm to be activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Fischer & Porter Company
    Inventors: Jorg Herwig, Dieter Keese, Karl H. Rackebrandt, Hans W. Schwiderski
  • Patent number: 5370001
    Abstract: An angular momentum mass flowmeter for measuring the mass flowrate of a fluid stream includes a flowmeter housing having an inlet or upstream end for receiving the fluid stream and an outlet or downstream end for discharging the fluid stream. A rotatable impeller is provided for measuring the mass flowrate. A swirl cap is disposed downstream of the impeller for imparting angular momentum to the fluid stream passing thereover and for causing the angular momentum to rotate the impeller. A control valve, disposed intermediate the impeller and the swirl cap, modifies the flow area of the fluid stream passing over the swirl cap to regulate the angular momentum of the fluid stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Ametek, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles S. LaBrecque, Donald W. Craft
  • Patent number: 5370002
    Abstract: A Coriolis effect mass flow meter having a brace bar of improved flexibility which reduces the stress concentration in a brace bar as well as in areas of meter's flow tubes proximate the brace bar and flow tubes of the flow meter. A brace bar means is disclosed that has a void in an area between its holes that receive the flow tubes. This void increases the flexibility of the brace bar and shifts the concentration of operational and manufacturing induced stresses away from the braze joints between the brace bar and the flow tubes. The stresses are reduced and shifted away from the flow tubes to an area within the brace bar that is less critical to the overall life and reliability of the flow tubes. Meter sensitivity is improved due to enhanced flexibility of the present invention's brace bar in response to the motion induced by the Coriolis effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: David F. Normen, Charles P. Stack, Craig B. Van Cleve
  • Patent number: 5370003
    Abstract: A torque arm, for a dynamometer defining an axis of rotation, having a first, support, end configured for rigid attachment of the arm to the dynamometer, a second, free, end for engaging a reaction stop, a longitudinal axis, an axis intersecting and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the axes intersecting and being perpendicular to the axis of rotation when the arm is attached to the dynamometer and a strain gauge for measuring strain of the arm on the transverse axis whereby the strain measurement is a function of torque applied to the arm by an attached dynamometer about an axis of rotation independent of the distance between the axis of rotation and a reaction stop engaging the second end. A dynamometer assembly comprising a dynamometer and such a torque arm attached to a housing of the dynamometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Land & Sea, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert M. Bergeron
  • Patent number: 5370004
    Abstract: A personal sampling apparatus having multiple sampling ports for simultaneously taking a plurality of ambient air samples in parallel. Incorporated into the sampling apparatus is a regulator for enabling the apparatus to function with virtually any personal sampling pump. The regulator by being located immediately proximate to the sampling ports is able to provide independent vacuum flow rate control of each of the multiple sampling ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Mine Safety Appliances Company
    Inventors: Clayton J. Bossart, Daniel E. Bruce, Charles H. Etheridge
  • Patent number: 5370005
    Abstract: In order to allow verification of the purity of a fluid sample from a pressurized fluid system, a sampling assembly includes a pressure chamber adapted to removably receive a sampling container. An inlet in the pressure chamber of the sampling assembly is connected to a bleed point of the pressurized fluid system of which the fluid is to be sampled, and the fluid in the system is caused to flow for a predetermined time interval through the sampling container in the pressure chamber. An outlet of the sampling assembly is connected to a return point of the fluid system. When the sampling assembly is disconnected from the fluid system, the pressure in the pressure chamber is released and the sampling container now containing a representative sample of the fluid in the system may be removed from the sampling assembly for analysis of its contents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventor: Solve Fjerdingstad
  • Patent number: 5370006
    Abstract: A pipe inspection instrument carriage for use with a pipe crawler for performing internal inspections of piping surfaces. The carriage has a front leg assembly, a rear leg assembly and a central support connecting the two assemblies and for mounting an instrument arm having inspection instruments. The instrument arm has a y-arm mounted distally thereon for axially aligning the inspection instrumentation and a mounting block, a linear actuator and axial movement arm for extending the inspection instruments radially outward to operably position the inspection instruments on the piping interior. Also, the carriage has a rotation motor and gear assembly for rotating the central support and the front leg assembly with respect to the rear leg assembly so that the inspection instruments azimuthally scan the piping interior. The instrument carriage allows performance of all piping inspection operations with a minimum of moving parts, thus decreasing the likelihood of performance failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: William T. Zollinger, Richard C. Treanor
  • Patent number: 5370007
    Abstract: A method of fiber analysis for feedstuffs and foods which comprises providing a sample of feedstuff or food of a predetermined weight in a sealed fabric bag having a porosity selected to allow for the removal of the solubilized components of the sample by solubilizng them in the detergent from the bag while retaining the fiber components of the sample within the bag; the bag is placed in a heated detergent solution for a time sufficient to solubilize the non-fiber components of the sample while retaining the fiber components within the bag. The bag is then rinsed in an aqueous solution to remove residual detergent, followed by rinsing in an organic solvent and drying and then weighing the bag to determine the fiber content. The bag containing the sample is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventor: Andrew R. Komarek
  • Patent number: 5370008
    Abstract: In an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft and a cranking motor for turning the crankshaft to start the engine, a coupler is attached to the crankshaft and serves as a carrier for a ring gear that is engaged by the cranking motor. The coupler, in effect, disconnects the ring gear from the crankshaft when the crankshaft is operating under its own power, so that the crankshaft is not encumbered by the inertia of the ring gear and thus will accelerate quite rapidly. The coupler includes a hub, which is attached to the crankshaft and is provided with outwardly opening notches, and also includes a drive ring which surrounds the hub, such that it is capable of rotating with respect to the hub. A flexplate is attached to the drive ring, and the ring gear is in turn attached to the flexplate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventor: Gary A. Landolt
  • Patent number: 5370009
    Abstract: A starter motor for an internal combustion engine having an overrunning clutch (40) which transfers rotation of a d.c. motor to a pinion gear for driving an internal combustion engine. An outer member (41) of the overrunning clutch (40) is slidable along an output shaft (7). When the clutch is slid toward the engine (forward) the d.c. motor is electrically energized and its rotation is imparted to the output shaft (7) via a planetary reduction gear (13). When the overrunning clutch (40) is in this position, the clutch outer member (41) is coupled to the output shaft (7) by helical spline (8). Clutch inner member (22), which is caused to rotate by the rollers (23), transmits rotary motion to the pinion, thus rotating the engine. The overrunning clutch is caused to slide along the output shaft by a shift lever (34) which is moved forward and rearward by an electromagnetic switch (31). The shift lever has a two-pronged lower end engaged with an annular engagement groove (41c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shuzo Isozumi
  • Patent number: 5370010
    Abstract: A gear drive for shuttleless looms has an input transmission train and an outpost transmission train cooperating for converting the continuous rotational movement of the main loom drive shaft into an oscillating back and forth movement which in turn is converted into a horizontal back and forth movement of the respective gripper rod carrying a gripper head back and forth into the loom shed. The output transmission section or train has two auxiliary parallel output drive shafts, both of which are driven from a central output drive shaft. Two pinions at the free ends of the auxiliary parallel drive shaft mesh with the gripper rod, thereby distributing the drive forces over a larger surface area for reducing the wear and tear on the gripper rod and on the two parallel output drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Lindauer Dornier GmbH
    Inventor: Wilhelm Herrlein
  • Patent number: 5370011
    Abstract: The present disclosure concerns an actuator for converting rotary movement into linear movement. The actuator comprises a prime mover turning a reduction gear assembly which, in turn, drives a mechanical transmission including a linearly moving control element. To achieve precise movement of the control element to a desired position, and to ensure the desired position is retained as exactly as possible, a reduction gear assembly which is self-locking with respect to the maximum back-driving torque exerted on the reduction gear assembly by the mechanical transmission, is combined with a low friction, non-self-locking mechanical transmission. Preferably, the reduction gear assembly is implemented in the form of a strain wave reduction gear set and the mechanical transmission element is implemented in the form of a cooperating ballscrew and ballnut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Antriebstechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Siegmar Gilges, Michael Georgi, Arnold Ries, Rolf Slatter, Karl Hammes
  • Patent number: 5370012
    Abstract: A device for convening rotational motion of a threaded shaft to linear motion in parallelism with the shaft and having a high load carrying capacity and operating efficiencies that are on the order of 98 percent (98%), with the device including a roller bearing nut for the shaft that is arranged to provide a linear motion unit (for the device) and a housing annular structure arranged to be fixed from rotation and including a plurality of circularly and concavely shaped thrust teeth of essentially "V" configuration 360 degrees (360.degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventor: Richard B. Stanley
  • Patent number: 5370013
    Abstract: A compound helically geared transmission (310) of lighter weight and/or shorter axial length than comparable prior art transmissions is provided. The compound helically geared transmission of the present invention utilizes main and auxiliary section countershafts (324, 362) which are coaxial and supported solely by bearings in the transmission housing (316) forward and rearward end walls (316A, 316B). The mainshaft (362) is supported solely by tapered surfaces at the forward and rearward ends thereof, which abut complimentary tapered surfaces on or carried by the rearward end of the input shaft (318) and forward end of the output shaft (358).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph D. Reynolds, Alan C. Stine