Fmc Corporation

Other

Fmc Corporaton

Andrew K Chang

Melvin H Lill

Thomas E Roberts

James L Wiederrich

Angelo J Mauriello

John E Fuller

Donald N Coupard

Donald J Christian

Jerry Lee McComas

Julius J Muray

Chin-Hu Feng

The invention provides a method and apparatus for purification and color sortation of waste glass, a glass beneficiation process and apparatus. The invention crushes the glass into pieces less than 3 inches in size, delables the glass, and then sorts the glass according to the light transmissive properties of the glass utilizing an array of lamps electrically connected to a control module.

Glass sorter

A shielded access apparatus for enabling personnel access to an enclosure which is shielded to prevent propagation of electromagnetic energy into and out of the enclosure. The apparatus includes an access enclosure of electrically conductive material and first and second openings in the enclosure. A shield is positioned in the enclosure between the first and second openings for preventing radiated electromagnetic energy passing through one of the openings from travelling along a straight line to the other opening. Absorption material lines the interior of the enclosure and absorbs radiated electromagnetic energy passing through the enclosure.

Shielded access apparatus for use in an enclosure for preventing

A shielding enclosure for preventing propagation of electromagnetic radiation into or out of the enclosure comprising a support structure and a plurality of sheets of electrically conductive material supported thereon. Each of the sheets has an edge extending therearound and a region of overlap extending inwardly of and along the edge. The region is in overlapping engagement with the region of overlap of sheets adjacent thereto on the support structure so as to define a wave guide gap. Adjacent sheets are pressed together by pressure plates at the overlapping regions to maintain a gap width through which the electromagnetic radiation cannot propagate. Shielding components used to construct a shielding enclosure are also disclosed.

Electromagnetic radiation shielding enclosure and shielding components

The system of the present invention provides means for quick and accurate measurement of various wheel alignment parameters of motor vehicles by the use of reflected light beams. A laser source mounted near the front end of the vehicle provides a pair of light beams directed 180 degrees apart across the front end of the vehicle. Each of the beams is reflected along the side of the vehicle by a roof mirror set mounted near each front corner of the vehicle. The mirror sets each deflect a beam through a constant net angle of 90 degrees for a wide range of angles of incident light so that the laser source can be rotated to quickly provide parallel beams which are aligned substantially parallel to the sides of the vehicle. These mirror sets also provide stable beams and present small movements thereof from affecting the accuracy of the measurements being made. A pair of relay roof mirror sets, positioned adjacent the wheels whose alignment parameters are being measured, each reflects the beams onto flat mirrors pendulously mounted on the wheels. Each flat mirror returns the beam to the associated relay roof mirror set which, in turn, reflects the beam back to a grid-like light responsive target. The position of the return beam on the target causes the target to provide electronic output signals to logic circuitry which calculates the camber, caster and toe angle of the associated vehicle wheel.

Apparatus for measuring wheel alignment of motor vehicles

In a wheel alignment system, the error caused by run-out of the axis of a fixture that is clamped to the wheel and mounts gravity stabilized inclination sensors is corrected by continuously providing fixture axis inclination signals during rotation of the wheel through at least 360.degree. from any random starting position. Maximum and minimum comparator devices continuously receive these signals. A first adder adds the maximum and minimum signals and divides them by 2 to provide a preliminary alignment signal proportional to the actual angular inclination of the wheel axis in a selected alignment plane, and the preliminary alignment signal is subtracted from an intermediate inclination signal from the sensor that represents the inclination of the fixture axis at the wheel stopped position to provide a run-out error signal proportional to that portion of the total angular run-out of the fixture axis that is present in a selected alignment plane at the wheel stopped position. When the wheel is set down, a final inclination signal is received from the sensor means and the run-out error signal is subtracted therefrom to provide an inclination signal that represents the true wheel axis inclination in a selected alignment plane corrected for run-out error, and this signal is displayed for wheel alignment purposes. The sensors measure run-out errors in both the camber and toe planes and provide separate displays for the alignment in both planes.

On the fly run-out correction for vehicle alignment

An apparatus and method for measuring the angle between two members is disclosed. A wheel aligner has a projector mounted on each front wheel of the vehicle to project a beam toward the other projector. Each projector has a detector to sense the presence of a beam from the opposite projector. Each projector has a plurality of light sources to project a plurality of beams, one at a time, in a diverging pattern. Circuitry is provided to identify the beam which is detected, at any angle of toe of the wheel, to thereby give the angle of toe.

Angle measuring apparatus

A wheel alignment measuring system for measuring front wheel toe including a laser beam light projector mounted on a front wheel of a motor vehicle which projects a beam of light onto a pivotally mounted front mirror on the projector which oscillates back and forth through a ten degree angle about a reference line. The beam of light reflected from the oscillating mirror swings ten degrees on either side of a central reference beam line, and during its swing the beam strikes a fixed roof mirror mounted on the opposite front wheel of the vehicle. The thus reflected beam sweeps back and forth across the light projector and is successively intercepted by each of a pair of closely spaced photocells on the light projector, the cells being equally spaced on opposite sides of the reference beam line. The cells develop signals when they intercept the light beam which signals control and up/down counter through a flip-flop. The time interval required for the moving light beam to fall on a first cell, sweep in one outward direction and return in the opposite direction to the second cell is compared with the time interval required for the beam to continue its sweep from the second cell in said opposite direction and return in said one outward direction to the first cell. Such comparison is stored by the counter as a binary difference signal. A digital/analog converter converts the binary difference between these time intervals into a voltage which represents the total toe angle between the front wheels. The toe angle of the projector-mounting front wheel is obtained in a similar manner by sweeping a rearwardly directed light beam across a fixed roof mirror on the rear wheel that is directly behind said front wheel. In the preferred embodiment, the direction or 'sense' of the oscillating light beam is obtained by employing two photocells on opposite sides of a reference line so that the paired cells intercept the beam in one order on an outward sweep and in the opposite order on a return sweep. In a modified embodiment, a single cell replaces the paired cells, and a switch, which is operated by a cam on the motor shaft that swings the mirror, provides signals to a circuit which determines the direction of beam swing.

Time base swept-beam wheel aligning system

A light projector mounted on a front wheel of a vehicle uses a single laser to develop a beam which is split into a pair of light beams. The first light beam is projected to a calibrated mirror mounted on an adjacent rear wheel and is reflected to a target mounted near the projector on the front wheel of the vehicle so that the front wheel may be aligned with the rear wheel. The second light beam is projected to a mirror mounted on the other front wheel and is reflected to a target mounted adjacent the projector to check the toe of the front wheels. The target comprises a multichannel encoder which develops a plurality of Gray-coded binary signals in response to the position of the return beam. A rotating prism causes the light beams to sweep repetitively in a vertical plane so that the beams will strike the mirrors and the targets even when the projector is not mounted in a level position. A second prism may be moved into position to intercept the light beams and deflect them a predetermined angular amount so that the apparatus may be calibrated to correct for different spacings between the front wheels of the vehicles being checked.

Growing community of inventors

Malibu, CA, United States of America

Andrew K Chang