Tsi, Inc.

Power Engineering & Mfg., Inc.

Addco Manufacturing, Inc.

James L Blesener

Amir Hooshang Amighi

Frank D Dorman

Stanley L Kaufman

Eugene H Luoma

Peter P Hairston

David B Blackford

Thomas G Halvorsen

An actuator for use with an external controller, either alone or in a group including other actuators controlled from the same external controller. The actuator includes a housing for encasing internal components of the device; a motor assembly for creating motion, the motor assembly being disposed within the housing; and a drive assembly for driving a pushrod, the drive assembly being arranged within the housing and slidingly connected to the motor assembly. A remote control communication circuit is electrically connected to the motor. The actuator includes an in line planetary gear and a linear position sensor. The actuator may include a hand held remote controller which utilizes tilt for proportional control, and a distributed network.

Actuators and external controllers therefor

An actuator for use with an external controller, either alone or in a group including other actuators controlled from the same external controller. The actuator includes a housing for encasing internal components of the device; a motor assembly for creating motion, the motor assembly being disposed within the housing; and a drive assembly for driving a pushrod, the drive assembly being arranged within the housing and slidingly connected to the motor assembly. A remote control communication circuit is electrically connected to the motor. The remote control communication circuit includes a short range transmitter/receiver for paring the actuator to an external control device and a longer range transmitter/receiver for communicating operational control signals between the external control device and the actuator.

Actuators for use with an external controller

A changeable portable, solar powered message sign is disclosed which offers reduced power consumption and enhanced visibility to intended observers especially during the difficult hours about dawn and dusk. The system features character matrices and two independent types of pixel defining systems. The system also includes an automatic solar tracking and control system.

Portable message sign

A mobile sign with a solar panel for warning motorists of highway problems. The mobile sign comprises a wheeled vehicle, an electrically powered sign panel mounted on the wheeled vehicle, a chargeable battery for powering the sign panel, and a solar panel for charging the battery. The solar panel is rotatable and tiltable relative to the wheeled vehicle. The sign panel is independently rotatable relative to the wheeled vehicle. The sign panel has a low-glare, high-contrast display that also improves the lifetime of the display's electronic or mechanical components by reducing heating of the display due to the sun.

Mobile sign with solar panel

A vacuum particle detector includes a cavity providing a passage for fluid flow, a laser diode and beam shaping optics to form a substantially rectangular beam spanning the chamber. Light sensing optics, including a pair of biconvex lenses, receive light scattered when the particles suspended in the fluid intersect the beam. At least some of the scattered light is transmitted through the lenses to a photodetector. The photodetector width is selected in concert with the focal lengths of the biconvex lenses, to provide a viewing depth of field commensurate with the complete span of the beam across the chamber, whereby the photodetector responds to particles that intersect the beam over the entire span. A cone and a surrounding sleeve, both concentric about an axis of the beam, absorb the laser energy beam to provide an effective beam stop.

Vacuum particle detector

A particle flux counter apparatus utilizing light extinction. The apparatus utilizes two oppositely disposed cylindrical mirrors (21a, 21b) to bounce a beam back and forth between them, the beam traversing the length of the cylindrical mirrors (21a, 21b) in incremental steps. A plane mirror (22) is cooperatively located to reflect the beam back between the system to traverse the length of the cylindrical mirrors (21a, 21b) a second time in incremented steps. The two sets of steps interleaving such that the beam forms a sheet of light. A detector (60) monitors the intensity of the beam. As particles in a sample aerosol intersect the beam, the light is extinguished and the beam intensity changes. The detector (60) transmits a signal to a microprocessor (108) analyzation. The apparatus also utilizes a feedback circuit (300) to regulate the beam intensity and alternatively provides for modulating the beam to provide for higher peak power into the detector (60) and elimination of common mode noise.

Single particle detector method and apparatus utilizing light extinction

A non-imaging particle counter 10 utilizing one or more detectors 25 which directly collect light scattered by particles in a fluid traversing a sensing volume 63. The detectors 25, are non-imaging, non-focusing, optic-less light collection devices, such as large area photodiodes. The detectors 25 are arranged and configured proximate the sensing volume 63, but such that the beam of light 60 is not operatively incident thereon. The beam of light 60 is provided by a laser 50 and is shaped by a focusing/collimating lens 54. The beam of light 60 passes through several apertures 51-53 to reduce stray/background light in the system. The detectors 25 are oriented at an angle with respect to the plane formed by the longitudinal axis of the beam and the flow of fluid, wherein stray light 61 strikes the detectors 25 at an angle greater than the acceptance angle of the detectors 25, while scattered light strikes the detectors 25 at an angle less than the detectors' 25 acceptance angle. A light stop 31 having a Brewster angle for the wavelength of the beam of light 60 is utilized as a beam stop. Further, a coincidence detection circuit 100 provides for reducing spurious counts caused by ionizing emissions and/or other noise.

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White Bear Lake, MN, United States of America

James L Blesener