Research Diets, Inc.

Strain Measurement Devices, Inc.

Revere Corporation of America

Frederick E Jackson

Daniel E Shapiro

Barrie Hopewell

Edward A Ulman

Nathan B Price

Dominic Sarica

Samuel A Matus

Walter E Jacobson

Donald J Summers

Lingli Liu

Kenneth Vining

Kristin N Rheault

LingLi Liu

An optical sensor includes: a sensor portion, having a transmitter and at least one receiver, configured to couple to a wettable component having a fluid flow channel, wherein the transmitter is disposed to emit a light that travels from the sensor portion to the wettable component where a majority of the light is directed towards the fluid flow channel at an angle between a first critical angle and a second critical angle; wherein with liquid filling the fluid flow channel, the majority of the light refracts at a liquid interface and travels through the entirety of the fluid flow channel; wherein with gas in the fluid flow channel, the majority of the light reflects at a gas interface and does not travel through the entirety of the fluid flow channel; wherein the amount of the light refracted and/or reflected and received by the at least one receiver, is used to determine if there is liquid or gas in the fluid flow channel.

Optical bubble sensor

A flowmeter has a one-piece conduit with an outer surface and an inner surface that define a wall thickness therebetween, and first and second transducers, where each transducer is disposed external of or integral with the one-piece conduit, in signal communication with an interior volume of the one-piece conduit, and relative to each other such that each transducer can send and receive an acoustic signal to the other transducer. The one-piece conduit includes a plurality of acoustic noise attenuating features integrally formed with at least one of the outer surface and the inner surface and disposed between the first and second transducers, each of the features being configured and oriented to disturb a propagation direction of a parasitic acoustic wave that will propagate in the wall of the one-piece conduit in response to activation of at least one of the transducers.

Ultrasonic flowmeter with integrally formed acoustic noise attenuating feature

An ultrasonic flow meter permitting easy insertion and removal of a tube or conduit. A partial ring transducer or partial cylinder transducer is used to permit easy insertion and removal of a flexible tube in an ultrasonic flow meter for measuring fluid flow. In another embodiment a split ring or split cylinder transducer is used to facilitate easy removal and insertion of a tube or conduit in which fluid flow is to be measured. In another embodiment a clamping system is used to securely hold and couple a tube or conduit within the ultrasonic flow meter system. The present invention is conveniently adapted to hold flexible tubes and in particular disposable flexible tubes often used in the medical industry.

Non-invasive tranducers for ultrasonic transit time flow meters

An animal feeder has a hopper for storing pieces of food. The bottom of the hopper has an opening accessible by an animal. The opening is smaller than a piece of food, but large enough for the animal to gnaw the food through the opening. The hopper has a surface adjacent the opening, to receive fallen gnawed food and hold the fallen gnawed food in a position accessible by the animal for eating. The hopper engages a mounting bracket. The bracket has a lip which partially covers the receiving surface of the hopper to physically limit the animal from leaning on the hopper and to prevent the hopper from tipping back so far that it falls off the conical mount. A conical mount transmits a downward force from the conical bottom surface to a sensor, but does not transmit an upward force or moment to the sensor.

Animal feeder, feeder mount, feeder monitor, and feeder monitoring network

An animal feeder has a hopper for storing pieces of food. The bottom of the hopper has an opening accessible by an animal. The opening is smaller than a piece of food, but large enough for the animal to gnaw the food through the opening. The hopper has a surface adjacent the opening, to receive fallen gnawed food and hold the fallen gnawed food in a position accessible by the animal for eating. The hopper engages a mounting bracket. The bracket is directly attachable to the animal's cage. The bracket has a lip which partially covers the receiving surface of the hopper to physically limit the animal from leaning on the hopper and to prevent the hopper from tipping back so far that it falls off the conical mount. A conical bottom surface is attached to the hopper. The conical bottom surface seats on a conical mount. The conical mount transmits a downward force from the conical bottom surface to a sensor, but does not transmit an upward force or moment to the sensor. The average weight of the hopper and the variance or standard deviation of the sensor output signal are calculated by an embedded processor, based on the output of the sensor. The beginning and end of a feeding are determined based on the standard deviation. The amount of the food consumed by the animal during the feeding is calculated. Each feeder has a respective gate. The animal can access food when the gate is open, but not when the gate is closed. A plurality of actuators automatically open and close each gate in response to control signals. A plurality of animals, each in an individual cage with a separate hopper, are simultaneously monitored and data are periodically accessed by a host computer.

Feeder monitor and feeder monitoring network

Apparatus and method for measuring strain on a pin with one or more strain gage elements disposed within an open-ended axial bore formed in the pin, wherein the strain gage element or elements is or are mounted on a plug that is inserted into the bore with an interference fit.

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Wethersfield, CT, United States of America

Frederick E Jackson