Other

C Speed Corporation

Leland Stanford Junior University

Kaptron, Inc.

Nanogear, Inc.

Fibersonde Corporation

John J Fling

William F Fling

Paul Merritt Hagelin

Herbert J Shaw

Michel J Digonnet

Michel J F Digonnet

Byoung Yong Kim

Jeffrey Winfield Scott

Narinder S Kapany

Byoung Y Kim

Kenneth A Fesler

Karen Liu

Elliot Burke

A liquid level measuring device includes an elongate handle and an elongate frame arranged in telescoping relationship. The frame is movable between a collapsed position for storage and an extended position for usage. A float is movable lengthwise along the elongate frame. A control rod extends lengthwise in the elongate frame and through a passage in the float. The control rod controls movement of the float relative to the elongate frame. An actuator actuates the control arm to move the float from the locked position to the unlocked position in response to a downward pressure between a lower end of the elongate frame and a bottom surface of the container so that the float is free to seek the liquid level in the container and to move the float from the unlocked position back to the locked position when the downward pressure is released.

Collapsible liquid level measurement device with attachment

A liquid level sensor for insertion into a tank for measuring the liquid level in the tank comprises an elongate tubular frame and a float movable inside the frame to seek the liquid level. A float lock guide formed as an elongate member is mounted lengthwise inside the frame. A float lock formed as an elongate member is located inside the frame parallel to the float lock guide. A plurality of linkages is pivotally connected between the float lock guide and the float lock such that lengthwise movement of the float relative to the float lock guide causes corresponding lateral movement of the float in the frame between an unlocked position where the float is free to move lengthwise in the frame to seek the liquid level and a locked position where frictional forces retain the float between the float lock and an inner wall portion of the frame.

Parallelogram actuated liquid level sensor

A liquid level sensor for measuring liquid levels in underground and above ground containers includes a frame formed to have an elongate hollow tubular configuration that encloses a cavity. A cam pivot has an end extending into the cavity from a first inner wall portion of the frame. A cam is arranged to be pivotal about the end of the cam pivot. A float is placed in the cavity. A spring is arranged to bias the cam arm into contact with the float to force a side portion of the float into a locked position in frictional engagement with the second inner wall portion of the frame. A cam actuator pivotally mounted in a lower end portion of the frame exerts a force on the cam arm to release the float from the locked position when the lower end of the frame contacts the container bottom.

Mechanically self actuated liquid level sensor

A system for actuating an indicator in response to a depth change in a liquid that is confined to a container comprises a housing, a float constrained to vertical movement in response to changes in liquid depth in the container, a drive rod arranged to rotate in response to vertical movement of the float, and a coupler mechanism mounted between the drive rod and arranged to transfer movement of the actuator to an indicator.

Vertical liquid level measuring device

A liquid level measuring system includes a housing mounted to a container and a flexible coupling connected between the housing and a tubular frame suspended in a container holding a liquid. The flexible coupling maintains the tubular frame in a vertical orientation in the container. The tubular frame has a pair of 270&#xb0; rifling grooves therein. A float is mounted in the tubular frame. The float has a pair of projections that extend from opposite sides portion thereof into the rifling grooves so that the float is force to rotate as it moves vertically in the tubular frame to seek the liquid level. A magnetic coupler assembly transfers movement of the float to an indicator. The magnetic coupler assembly includes a pair of facing dielectric discs. Each dielectric disc has three magnets mounted thereon with opposite poles facing one another.

Horizontal liquid level measuring system

A float is arranged in a tubular frame to be unlocked to float in a liquid when the lower end of the frame contacts a bottom surface of a container containing the liquid. A float lock guide and a float lock actuator are mounted in the passage to move the float laterally in the frame as the lower end of the frame is moved away from the bottom surface of the container to lock the float in frictional engagement with the frame.

Automatically actuated liquid level sensor

A system for actuating an indicator in response to a depth change in a liquid that is confined to a container comprises a housing, a float constrained to vertical movement in response to changes in liquid depth in the container and a drive rod arranged to move in response to vertical movement of the float. A flexible coupling is connected to the actuator and arranged to maintain the actuator in a vertical orientation in the liquid when the actuator and the housing are out of vertical alignment, and a coupler mechanism arranged to transfer movement of the actuator to the indicator.

Horizontal liquid level measuring device

A system for actuating an indicator in response to a depth change in a liquid that is confined to a container comprises a housing, a float constrained to vertical movement in response to changes in liquid depth in the container, an actuator connected to the housing and arranged to move in response to vertical movement of the float, and a coupler mechanism mounted between the actuator and the housing and arranged to transfer movement of the actuator to the indicator.

An acceleration transducer for use in an accelerometer includes a proof mass that comprises a transmissive optics device arranged to receive an optical signal such that the optical signal propagates through the transmissive optics device along a first optical path having a selected optical path length. A support assembly is arranged to support the proof mass such that the transmissive optics device moves from a reference position along a selected sensing axis in response to an acceleration of the proof mass along the selected sensing axis and produces an optical path length change that indicates the acceleration.

Fiber optic accelerometer

An optical mirror system with multi-axis rotational control is disclosed. The mirror system includes an optical surface assembly, and at least one leg assembly coupled to the optical surface assembly. The at least one leg assembly supports the optical surface above a substrate. A system and method in accordance with the present invention can operate with many different actuator mechanisms, including but not limited to, electrostatic, thermal, piezoelectric, and magnetic. An optical mirror system in accordance with the present invention accommodates large mirrors and rotation angles. Scanning mirrors can be made with this technique using standard surface-micromachining processes, or a deep RIE etch process. A device in accordance with the present invention meets the requirements for a directly scalable, high port count optical switch, utilizing a two mirror per optical I/O port configuration. An optical mirror in accordance with the present invention can be utilized in, but is not limited to, the following applications: optical add-drop multiplexers, wavelength routers, free-space optical interconnects, chip-level optical I/O, optical scanning displays, optical scanner (bar-codes, micro cameras), optical storage read/write heads, laser printers, medical replacement for glasses (incorporated with adaptive optics), medical diagnostic equipment, optical scanning for security applications.

Optical mirror system with multi-axis rotational control

The present invention provides a double fiber optic cross connect (OXC) package. The double package includes an input optical fiber; a substrate with a first surface and a second surface, optically coupled to the input optical fiber; a first cap optically coupled to the second surface of the substrate; a micromirror array optically coupled to the first cap; a second cap optically coupled to the micromirror array; and an output optical fiber optically coupled to the second cap. The first cap, along with a substrate populated with a micromirror array and a set of sidewalls, form at least one volume which is preferably hermetically sealed. This volume is further enclosed by the second cap with another set of sidewalls.

Double hermetic package for fiber optic cross connect

A fiber optic switch module that can be incorporated into switch designs characterized by negligible crosstalk. The switch module is capable of operation over two wavelength bands. A 2.times.2 switch module has an open or bar state in which polished portions of the fiber segments are separated from each other and a closed or cross state where the polished portions are in optical contact with each other. The module has arbitrarily low crosstalk in the bar state, but typically some crosstalk in the cross state. In one embodiment, the third port of a first 2.times.2 module is coupled to the first port a second 2.times.2 module while no connections are-made to the second ports of the modules or to the third port of the second module. Fiber parameters (core radius and numerical aperture) and fabrication parameters (radius of curvature of the fibers in the interaction region and minimum edge-to-edge spacing between the fiber cores) are chosen so that the switch module has high coupling ratio (close to unity) in two distinct wavelength bands.

Fiber optic switch using polished-type directional coupler

An improved broadband light source for a Sagnac interferometer includes a waveguide, such as a fluorescent optical fiber, that is pumped by a pump source with a sufficient intensity to generate temporally incoherent light. The fluorescent optical fiber has first and second ends, one end being an input end of the fiber. The broadband light is provided at an output of the fluorescent optical fiber and is input to the interferometer. In order to prevent laser oscillations between the light source and the interferometer, one end of the fluorescent optical fiber is formed so as to prevent reflections. The light output from the fluorescent fiber to the interferometer comprises only that light that initially propagates toward the output of the optical fiber. In one embodiment of the light source, the pump light from the pump source is coupled into the fluorescent optical fiber in a direction so that it travels away from the output of the fluorescent optical fiber towards the first end. In an alternative embodiment, the fluorescent optical fiber is a doubly clad optical fiber having a first acceptance region and a second acceptance region at the first end. The pump light is introduced into an aperture window between the two acceptance regions so that the pump light can be introduced into the first end at an angle without requiring a reflective surface at the first end.

Growing community of inventors

Little River, CA, United States of America

John J Fling