Abstract: A change in position or direction of a projector may be detected by a simple configuration. A projector includes a light projection unit that projects an image, a projection unit main body that houses the light projection unit, and a power supply housing part that supports the projection unit main body. Further, the projector includes an imaging part provided in either of the power supply housing part or projection unit main body, and a control unit that detects a relative position or relative direction between the projection unit main body and the power supply housing part based on a captured image of the imaging part.

Abstract: An adjustable, dismountable arm-rest designed to maintain the precision and stability of an arm while holding objects such as binoculars and photographic and video cameras. The device itself consists of two horizontal rails and two vertical posts that create a frame wherein the horizontal rails exhibits holes running the length of each rail that are made to accept the vertical posts at a point, equally numbered, selected and desired by the user on both top and bottom horizontal rails where the upper distance between the vertical posts is greater than the lower distance. The device itself is secured by running a belt thorough centrally deposed slots in the horizontal rails which are designed to be pulled taut to secure the device from disassembly. The lower horizontal rail is made to communicate with the user's thigh and the upper horizontal rail is designed to receive the user's arm.

Abstract: A locomotive brake controller that has a body configured to interconnect to a desktop location in the cab of a locomotive and a mount that can attach the base of the controller to a vertical stand in the cab of a locomotive. The controller also includes an operator interface adaptor that can be clocked relative to the body and an operator face plate that can be clocked relative to the mount depending on the location of installation to ensure proper tilting of the interface relative to the operator and proper orientation of the operator display. Alternatively, the adaptor may include a fixed face plate that includes a moveable display and an adhesive membrane with operator buttons to properly orient the display.

Abstract: Self-aligning couplers and methods for aligning superposed surfaces include a circular and semi-spherical base formed on a first surface, a fastening element perpendicularly passing through the circular and semi-spherical base and associated to a second surface, and at least a semi-spherical insert disposed on the circular and semi-spherical base and concentric to the fastening element. The semi-spherical insert is cooperative with the circular and semi-spherical base and the fastening element for the self-alignment and superposed fastening of the first and second surfaces.

Abstract: A navigation system provides sensors and a user interface mounted in a single unit while allowing individual users to make adjustments to the user interface without affecting the functionality of the device. This is accomplished by mounting the orientation sensitive sensors (e.g. accelerometers, gyros, etc) rigidly to a mounting bracket rigidly mounted to the vehicle (such as to the dashboard). The sensors are mounted within a ball rigidly mounted to the bracket and the ball is secured within a rotatable socket on the user interface enclosure. In this manner, the user interface enclosure can rotate on the ball, but the orientation of the sensors relative to the vehicle will remain the same.

Abstract: A powered mechanism able to articulate about two orthogonal tilt axes, the powered mechanism having a sphere pivotally mounted in a ring or band and driven by a first pivotally mounted motor to articulate the sphere about the first axis, and a second pivotally mounted motor mounted to a fixed reference to drive the sphere about the second axis through ring or band.

Abstract: A fastening holding rack includes a holding dock, a holding device and a fastening apparatus. The holding device has a holding bracket and a fastened member. The fastening apparatus includes a collet and a sleeve. The collet has a bottom and a plurality of jutting plates. The collet is mounted onto the holding dock to hold the fastened member. The jutting plates are located longitudinally on the bottom in a protrusive manner. Each of the jutting plates has an outer surface on which a portion is extended outwards greater than another portion. The collet is encased in the sleeve. The sleeve has a tubular wall which has a plurality of segments corresponding to the jutting plates. Each segment has an inner surface on which a portion is extended inwards greater than another portion. When the greater extended inward portion of the tubular wall is in contact with the greater extended outwards portion of the jutting plate, the jutting plate is tilted inwards to press the fastened member.

Abstract: A cardan shaft structure with tightness adjustable functions has a through-hole passing through spheres located at both ends of the cardan shaft body, and a taper socket respectively installed into the opening end of each sphere. A bolt is inserted into both spheres and the body, fixed and locked together in conjunction with a nut. The cardan shaft structure works together with two clamping components wrapping around the spheres. When the sphere is being pushed against (or freed from) the inner wall of the clamping component by tightening (or loosing) the bolt so as to make the sphere either expand (or recover), the angle displacement of the clamping component becomes adjustable accordingly.

Abstract: A highly damped kinematic coupling for precision instruments. The kinematic coupling provides support while causing essentially no influence to its nature shape, with such influences coming, for example, from manufacturing tolerances, temperature changes, or ground motion. The coupling uses three ball-cone constraints, each combined with a released flexural degree of freedom. This arrangement enables a gain of higher load capacity and stiffness, but can also significantly reduce the friction level in proportion to the ball radius divided by the distance between the ball and the hinge axis. The blade flexures reduces somewhat the stiffness of the coupling and provides an ideal location to apply constrained-layer damping which is accomplished by attaching a viscoelastic layer and a constraining layer on opposite sides of each of the blade flexures.

Abstract: To provide a compact support device, the operation of which is smooth and easy, the fixation of which can be positively conducted, for supporting an electronic device tiltably and pivotally, there is provided a support device comprising: an upper member; a base member; a convex engagement surface provided on one of the upper member and the base member; a concave engagement surface provided on the other of the upper member and the base member, the profile of the concave engagement surface agreeing with the convex engagement surface; a drive mechanism for transferring a state of engagement of the convex engagement surface with the concave engagement surface from a frictional engagement state to a disengagement state; a perpendicular shaft penetrating both engagement surfaces; and a horizontal shaft arranged in an upper portion of the perpendicular shaft, wherein the upper member and the base member can be relatively rotated round an axis of the perpendicular shaft, the upper member and the perpendicular shaft c

Abstract: A support and adjustment system includes a supported structure, a support base, three supports extending between the supported structure and the support base. Each support includes a hinge pin fixed to the supported structure, a leg, a hinge swivel dimensioned to engage the hinge pin at the first end of the leg, and a spherical ball at the second end of the leg. A socket member includes a first end having a socket dimensioned to receive the spherical ball therein and further includes a second end. The second end of the socket member is adjustably supported from the support base.

Abstract: A panorama head for positioning optical equipment precisely relative to a system of axes comprises an articulated joint for each axis, each articulated joint including first and second joint elements which are coupled with one another for rotation about the corresponding axis and can be clamped selectively in the preselected relative angular position; each articulated joint comprises a kinematic reduction coupling with first and second coupling elements which are fixed to the first and second joint elements, respectively, during rotation about the corresponding axis and are movable between a position of mutual coupling for precision adjustments and a position of mutual disengagement for quick positioning.

Abstract: The base support of a display device provided comprises a base plate and a brake device. The base plate has a plurality of cavities with a depth and corresponding retainer plates. Within each cavity a rolling ball with a diameter is received. Each retainer plate is attached to the base plate for retaining the rolling ball within the cavity and has a circular opening smaller than the diameter of the rolling ball. The diameter of the rolling ball is larger than the depth of the cavity such that a small portion of the rolling ball is exposed to the outside of the cavity through the circular opening. The rolling ball comes into a first rolling contact with a table surface. The base plate also has a plurality of slots each receiving a roller. The rollers come into a second rolling contact with the table surface. The base plate also has a plurality of slots each receiving a roller. The rollers come into a second rolling contact with the table surface.

Abstract: A two-degree-of-freedom spherical shoulder joint for a robot. The joint consists of a spherical ball member with gear teeth formed in its outer surface and three drive gears that mate with the gear teeth in the outer surface of the spherical member. The joint can rotate about any axis of rotation which lies within a plane defined by the contact points between the drive gears and the spherical member. By controlling the three drive gears to rotate by the proper amounts, the joint can be rotated about the desired axis of rotation. The inverse kinematics for controlling the joint are described.

Abstract: The testing device, also known as a totally integrated payload attitude control tester (T.I.P.A.C.T.), is suspend on a single, high strength, low torsional moment line through the gravity vector axis. Attached directly to this line is a strong back assembly having a fixed lateral width with ends thereon. Attached to the ends of the strong back assembly are thin, high strength straps which are connected to a pair of tensile universal joints which are further connected to, by way of this high strength straps, to a pair of trunnions. The trunnions are connected to the payload support frame which may have a satellite payload therein. The three orthogonal axes of the test device allow rotation to .+-.45 degrees, .+-.60 degrees and >360 degrees, simultaneously in roll, yaw, and pitch respectively. The thin fabric strap allows movement with virtually no friction or suspension resistance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mechanical seat apparatus for simulating motion which includes a novel spherical bearing located below each seat for providing realistic simulation of motion in the yaw, pitch and roll directions. The spherical bearing includes means for preventing movement of the spherical bearing in the event of a power failure or other similar event to avoid injury to the viewers. The mechanical seat apparatus of the present invention also includes supporting structure which enables movement of each seat in the backward and forward, side to side and upward and downward directions, for a total of six degrees of freedom. Common hydraulics are provided to simultaneously impart motion to a plurality of seats.

Abstract: Tool support apparatus for air- or electrically-driven power tools is disclosed. A unique ergonomically designed torque reaction arm is attached to a vertical support member at a lower portion thereof and substantially in line with the horizontal location of the tool which is used therewith. The torque reaction arm includes two or more telescopically-arranged individual support arm segments. A counterbalancing apparatus may be attached directly to the vertical support member to the upper end thereof.

Abstract: An improved housing for a computer terminal display monitor is disclosed. The housing is of unibody type construction and is swivel mounted to the logic printed circuit board base by a T shaped hold-down member. Electrical connections pass from the printed circuit board base into the housing through a chamber within the T shaped hold-down member. Both the monitor printed circuit board and the power printed circuit board are contained within the same housing as the cathode ray tube.

Abstract: A tiltable mount comprises a stationary base member or base and a support member or support for supporting equipment thereon. The support is movably mounted to the base to enable the support to tilt omnidirectionally relative to the base while remaining rotationless relative to a vertical axis through the base. The base and support have mating spherical surfaces, with the concave spherical surface of the base including a guide shaft and the convex spherical surface of the support including a conical aperture for receiving the shaft. The shaft and aperture form a pivotable connection between the two members. A lock for maintaining a selected tilt to the support comprises the guide shaft and a lever attached to the shaft to press the support against the base sufficiently to prevent relative movement therebetween. The lever is threadedly attached to the guide shaft and may include a nut assembly having a nut and a lever arm removably mated to the nut assembly for repeated rotary movement of the nut.

Abstract: A ball and socket mount (13) for supporting the housing (11) of a light source and/or detector device is disclosed. The ball and socket mount (13) includes: a ball (23) affixed to one end of the housing (11); and, a socket formed by a collar that surrounds the ball. The collar comprises two identical U-shaped pieces (31a and 31b). When joined, the two collar pieces (31a and 31b) define an aperture having a spherical inner surface that mates with the spherical outer surface of the ball (23). The ball (23) includes a circumferential groove (29) oriented so as to be surrounded by the collar. A pair of mounting bolts (39) pass through the aligned holes in the collar pieces and the groove. The width of the groove (29) is substantially greater than the diameter of the bolts (39). As a result, the ball (23) and, thus, the photoelectric device is alignable in three dimensions when the bolts are loose. Specifically, the groove ( 29) allows rotation through 360.degree.

Abstract: A mounting pedestal for supporting a computer terminal display device or the like is disclosed. The mounting pedestal provides for 360.degree. rotation of the support platform while permitting only limited front to rear tilting of the support platform. A base member includes an annular depression in the form of a segment of a sphere in its upper surface into which a complimentary spherical segment on the underside of the tilt platform rests to provide for 360.degree. rotation of the tilt platform with respect to the stationary base. Tilting in only a front to rear mode is controlled by a pair of laterally extending cylindrical segments on the underside of the tilt platform.

Abstract: A canopy assembly for supporting an overhead ceiling fan to hang from an electrical box mounted in a ceiling including, a canopy having an upper open portion, a lower open portion and an interconnecting side portion and with the upper open portion surrounding and enclosing the electrical box and with the lower open portion having a particular size and configuration, means coupled to the canopy for connecting the canopy to the electrical box, a ball member for coupling to the ceiling fan for supporting the ceiling fan and with the ball member having an outer configuration matching the configuration of the lower open portion and having a maximum size greater than the particular size of the lower open portion, and the ball member for insertion into the canopy and with the ball member captured and supported by the lower open portion for the canopy to have the ceiling fan supported below the canopy.

Abstract: A pedestal for CRT's, video screens, projection consoles, disk drives, and other consoles which have a face or screen permitting limited pivotal and limited forward and back tilt movement, wherein movement is permitted against constant frictional forces sufficient to hold the console in any desired position by means of a hollow partially spherical journal, and bearings in resilient compression against the convex and concave surfaces of the journal.

Abstract: A support assembly for a washing machine includes a mount secured to the assemblage of working parts of the machine and adapted to move with the assemblage during operation of the machine and a cabinet structure enclosing the assemblage of working parts and having a base. An intermediate member is positioned between the mount and the base for movably supporting the mount and the assemblage of moving parts from the base. The base and intermediate member are formed with a first set of mating support surfaces for sliding movement therebetween and the mount and the intermediate member are formed with a second set of mating support surfaces for sliding movement therebetween. One set of the support surfaces is smoothly curved with a relatively short radius of curvature to form a first node for movement of the mount and the other set of support surfaces is smoothly curved with a relatively long radius of curvature to form a second node for movement of the mount.

Abstract: A support assembly for a washing machine includes a cabinet structure for enclosing the various working parts of the machine and a mount secured to the assembly of working parts of the machine for movement therewith. The cabinet base has an upwardly facing generally spherical bearing surface and the mount includes a generally spherical lower support surface. An intermediate member is positioned between the bearing surface and support surface and is formed with opposed spherical faces complimentary to the bearing surface and to the support surface respectively.

Abstract: A mount for a projector or the like has a base with a convex spherical bearing element rotatably mounted therein and having a guide slot on the convex surface and a concave support rests thereon with a depending pivot pin disposed in a tapered aperture in the bearing and a projection fitting in the guide slot for limiting tilting of the support.