Cyber-mation, Inc.

Chevron Research Company

International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation

Itt Electro Optical Products, a Division of Itt Corporation

American District Telegraph Company

Cybermotion, Inc.

John M Holland

James Hoge Bowen

Kenneth F Kennedy

David R Porter

David E Fisher

A mobile base for moving on a surface is provided having a driving and steering unit and a plurality of wheel assemblies. The driving and steering unit provides a drive force and a steering force. Each wheel assembly has a wheel assembly axis, and also has a steering column, concentric drive shafts, and two wheels. The concentric drive shafts respond to the drive shaft force, and provide a concentric drive shaft force. The steering column responds to the steering force, and provides a steering column force. The two wheels respond to the steering column force and rotate in the same direction for pivoting the steering column means about the wheel assembly axis. The two wheels respond to the concentric drive shaft force and rotate in the opposite directions to move the mobile base forwards or backwards along the surface.

Mobile base having leg assemblies with two wheels

A lifting device incorporating first and second arm assemblies with associated rotatable shafts and a platform rotationally connected to the second arm assembly so as to maintain a fixed relationship to a reference surface as the first and second arm assemblies are angularly moved from one position to another. The shaft associated with the first arm assembly is rotated about its axis as the first arm assembly is angularly moved so as to impart similar angular movement to the platform through a rotatable shaft of the second arm assembly; thereby maintaining the platform's fixed relationship to a reference surface. A second embodiment of the lifting device provides an additional device to adjust the angular orientation of the platform with respect to the reference surface, which allows the platform to be maintained in a level orientation when traversing an inclined reference surface.

Parallel lifting device

An optical fiber communications link which by means of pulse-width-modulation (PWM) encoding supports either synchronous or asynchronous data transmission and operation over a wide range of data rates. The link utilizes a PWM encoder which accepts either synchronous (clock plus data) or asynchronous (data only) binary inputs and generates a PWM encoded waveform. This waveform is transmitted via an optical transmitter, optical channel (e.g., fiber optics) and optical receiver to the PWM decoder which reconstructs the binary inputs. The optical receiver contains a receiver circuit for assuring automatic gain control regardless of the duty cycle. In the synchronous mode of operation the unsymmetrical clock output is restored to symmetry by using a clock symmetry restoration technique.

Synchronous, asynchronous, data rate transparent fiber optic

Synchronous, asynchronous, and data rate transparent fiber optic

A fiber optic receiver having a baseline clamp with two clamping diodes. A first diode has a cathode coupled to a source of a first signal, while a second diode has a cathode coupled to a source of a second signal, identical to the first signal but shifted by 180.degree. in phase from the first signal. The anodes of the two diodes are coupled to each other and to a common potential. A first detecting transistor in an AGC detector has a base connected to the first signal source and to the cathode of the first diode. A second detecting transistor in the AGC detector has a base coupled to the second signal source and to the cathode of the second diode, has an emitter coupled to an emitter of the first transistor, and has a collector coupled to the collector of the first transistor.

Fiber optic receiver having a combined baseline clamp and automatic gain

A fiber optic receiver having a data clock extractor which fully rectifies an AMI-encoded data stream, detects the negative going peaks between bit cells which are indicative of transitions in the data stream, and uses these peaks to retime the decoded data stream.

Fiber optic receiver having a method and an apparatus for data clock

A concentric shaft mobile base for robots and the like is disclosed incorporating three wheels which can be simultaneously driven and steered so as to allow the mobile base to change direction without rotation of the mobile base. Concentric shafts transfer power from drive sources to the wheel assemblies and wheel axles. In an additional embodiment, each wheel is located on an extensible leg assembly which can be pivoted to project outwardly from the mobile base and thereby provide additional stability to the base. Concentric shafts are used in this embodiment to transfer steering and drive power to the wheel assemblies and wheels. Planetary gear assemblies are optionally associated with each extensible leg assembly so as to provide controlled retraction and extension of the leg assemblies without wheel slippage or pirouetting.

Concentric shaft mobile base for robots and the like

A mobile base for robots or other devices requiring a transport mechanism is disclosed incorporating a plurality of wheels which are simultaneously driven and steered by separate drive sources so as to allow the mobile base to change direction without rotation of the mobile base. In an additional embodiment, each wheel is located on an extensible leg assembly which can be rotated to project outwardly from the mobile base and thereby provide additional stability to the base. This adaptive, retractable leg synchro-drive mobile base uses a third drive source to perform the extension and retraction of the leg assemblies and provides that the wheels maintain their orientation while extension or retraction occurs while the mobile base is in translation and that the wheel orientation returns to its previous state if retraction or extension occurs while the base is not in translation.

Mobile base for robots and the like

A laser stabilizing apparatus employs two feedback control loops. One control loop serves to monitor the light intensity output of the laser and provides an error output signal which is compared with a reference signal to develop a control signal that is integrated and used to control the output level of the laser diode during normal operation. In such operation, the laser diode is modulated according to an input signal which possesses a balanced duty factor. If the duty factor of this signal becomes imbalanced, a second control loop detects the imbalance and operates via the integrator to turn the laser diode off to thus prevent facet damage. The circuitry described operates at a substantial power saving due to the fact that there is no prebias current applied to the laser and hence, the laser operates between a conducting and nonconducting mode and under control of the above described loops.

Apparatus for stabilizing a laser

A control system for the simultaneous and independent transmission of a plurality of command signals includes a transmitting device and a receiving device interconnected by an optical waveguide. The transmitter simultaneously receives a plurality of command signals at parallel inputs and converts the signals to consecutive serial signals which are utilized to modulate a light source that is optically coupled to the optical waveguide. The receiver detects the consecutive serial optical signals and generates corresponding electrical signals which are thereafter converted to simultaneous parallel output signals that may be used to activate command functions. The unique use of an optical waveguide provides for dielectric isolation between the transmitter and receiver so that an operator may be electrically isolated from potentially dangerous high voltage equipment. The system is particularly useful in areas subjected to electromagnetic interference where radio-type controls or hard-wired metallic conductors would be adversely affected by strong electromagnetic interference.

Multichannel fiber optic control system

A radio central station alarm system including a central station and a plurality of remote stations for transmitting alarm signals to the central station by means of radio signals. Alarm signals are transmitted repeatedly in a sequence which reduces the probability that signals transmitted by one remote station will be completely obscured by signals transmitted by other remote stations. A pulse position modulation binary data format is used which simplifies both remote and central station apparatus and facilitates error-free data transmission. The central station is highly immune to noise and performs a number of tests on received data signals to reduce or eliminate false or erroneous alarm indications. Latching alarm sensor circuits are provided for use at the remote stations to insure that all transmission sequences are completed. Protective circuits are provided for disabling any remote station which transmits signals for longer than a maximum allowable transmission interval.

Growing community of inventors

Shawsville, VA, United States of America

John M Holland