US Government as Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Control Techtronics, Inc.

John M Carlyle

Michael K McInerney

Vincent F Hock, Jr

Sean W Morefield

John S West

Victor H Kelly

David A Shefet

A configuration for use with a processor that incorporates a suite of agents in a 'flat' hardware architecture and superimposes thereon a self-forming, self-healing, hierarchical architecture implemented in software. Embodiments may be employed in various applications, such as maintaining network integrity. In one embodiment a building security monitoring network provides for automated network agents to each be capable of communication with any other automated agents on a network at network startup. Shortly after network initialization, the software architecture is superimposed on the flat hardware architecture, re-arranging communication links to provide an efficient hierarchy of control and substituting working agents for compromised agents as necessary in the network. All of this is done in a 'live' network, not requiring shutdown, or even reduced operation to accomplish. This &#x201c;dual&#x201d; architecture (hierarchical software and flat hardware) provides excellent reliability in those &#x201c;layered&#x201d; network applications requiring near total reliability, such as security surveillance.

Device for measuring bulk stress via insonification and method of use therefor

An acoustically operated burner control system for optimally controlling a flow of air and fuel into a flame producing combustion burner throughout a range of firing rates is disclosed. The system includes separate valve assemblies for modulating the flow of air and fuel into a burner, a microphone for generating an electrical signal indicative of the intensity of all sounds generated by the combustion flame having a frequency in excess of about 10 Khz, and a controller including a programmable microprocessor electrically connected to both the air and fuel valve assemblies and the microphone. The system further includes a wave guide for remotely acoustically coupling the microphone to the combustion flame in order to isolate the microphone from both heat and corrosive combustion products. Prior to the operation of the system, empirically-derived sound intensities associated with optimum stoichiometric combustion and minimum pollution are entered into the memory of the microprocessor. During operation, the microprocessor equates the sound intensity sensed by the microphone with the optimum sound intensity in its memory by regulating the position of the air and fuel valve assemblies.

Acoustical burner control system and method

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Yardley, PA, United States of America

John M Carlyle