The Simco Company, Inc.

John N Antonevich

A monitor for sensing any break in electrical continuity between a body and earth when the body is coupled to earth by way of a grounding tether used to prevent build-up of static charges on such body. The monitor includes an oscillator circuit for generating A.C. output voltages which are adapted to actuate an alarm. Body capacitance and resistance are coupled by way of the tether across an impedance network either in the tuned circuit determining oscillator frequency or in the output load thereof whereby the resistance or inductance of the impedance network provides the path to ground for the body through its tether. With body capacitance and resistance components of the total impedance, variable elements in the impedance network are adjusted to diminish the circuit output voltage below the threshold voltage required to actuate the alarm when continuity exists while developing an output voltage level sufficient to actuate the alarm when a break in continuity occurs.

Ground tether continuity monitor

A conductive strap for tethering personnel to electrical ground comprises a stretchable band of an elastomeric non-conductive fabric for resiliently embracing a body member in a closed loop. At least one row of a continuous conductive thread is embroidered to the interior surface of the band by a line of stitching which includes a non-conductive thread component penetrating through the fabric from the outside and interlocking with the interior conductive thread component, preferrably sewn in a zig-zag pattern. The conductive thread is coupled to a clasp for electrical connection to ground through a cable tether.

Body electrical grounding tether

A controlled emission static eliminator system (wherein an A.C. high voltage is applied to the discharge electrodes of a static bar by way of a transformer) employs a biasing circuit in series with the primary of the transformer to control the amplitude and/or duration of the alternating potentials imposed on the corona discharge points. The biasing circuit includes a series-connected diode and variable resistance in one leg of a parallel network and a capacitor in the other leg. Selecting appropriate time constants for the resistance and capacitance will narrow the first half of the sine wave and broaden the second half to produce an excess of positive or negative ions, as desired, depending upon the direction of the diode. The ion emission can be controlled to yield an equal number of positive and negative ions or a predominance of ions of one polarity and can be accomplished regardless of whether the A.C. high voltage is directly connected or capacitively coupled to the points.

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Lansdale, PA, United States of America

John N Antonevich