Other

Ocean Optics, Inc.

R.j. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Microsemi Corporation

Dot Intellectual Properties, LLC

Noah Industries, Inc.

North America Technology Services, Inc.

Kenneth D White

Reeder N Ward

Warren H Miller

Mark Thomas Montgomery

John J Knodel

Paul F Fischer

James Dean Davis

John W Oberding

Glen E Geiger

An optical system design using Morse Taper mounted optical components for improving alignment performance, and more specifically a spectrometer design wherein the components include Morse Taper male tapers and the spectrometer bench include Morse Taper female openings that eases alignment and improves alignment stability, both physical and temperature related, of optical components while simplifying manufacture and maintaining a compact footprint is disclosed.

Component alignment system for optical systems

Miniature spectrometer case

The present disclosure relates to apparatuses configured to pre-form atomizers. The apparatus may include wick and heating element supplies configured to respectively provide a substantially continuous wick and a substantially continuous heating element. A winding mechanism is configured to wind the heating element about the wick. An adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust a position at which the winding mechanism winds the heating element about the wick. Additionally a synchronization mechanism synchronizes winding the heating element about the wick with adjustment of the position at which the heating element is wound about the wick such that the heating element defines a coiled heating element segment wound about the wick. This process may be repeated to produce multiple coiled heating element segments wound about the wick. A related method is also provided.

Apparatus and method for winding a substantially continuous heating element about a substantially continuous wick

The invention provides for an improved mirror scanning system for use with a millimeter wave imaging system. The mirror scanning system includes a pair of voice coil actuators aligned generally perpendicular to a mirror. The voice coils are intermittently energized pursuant to a predetermined frequency related to a desired resolution. A base supports a back plate that is generally disposed parallel to the mirror and secures the pair of voice coil actuators. A rod flexure is secured to a center yoke, or coil bobbin, of each of the respective voice coils and to a back side of the mirror so that the pair of rod flexures simultaneously exert a force on the mirror causing deflection thereon as the pair of voice coils are energized. Stationary position sensors are mounted adjacent to each cylinder so the sensor can determine to location of the cylinder, and hence the angle of the mirror.

Mirror scanning system

A laser cutting system, including a steering mirror assembly for directing a laser beam through a predetermined cutting path along a workpiece or substrate material. The steering mirror assembly includes a base, and a mirror pivotally supported on the base by a flexure assembly which confines pivotal movement of the mirror about a vertical Y-axis and/or about a horizontal X-axis. A pair of electrical actuator assemblies include movable bobbin assemblies connected to the mirror by control rod flexures at locations on the mirror which are spaced 90&#xb0; apart from one another. In operation, selective electrical energization of the actuator assemblies controls movement of the bobbin assemblies to pivot the mirror about the vertical Y-axis and/or about the horizontal X-axis throughout a number of angular orientations to thereby direct the laser beam through a predetermined cutting operation pattern along the substrate surface to cut materials from the substrate. The flexure arrangements which support the mirror on the base and which connect the bobbin assemblies to the mirror facilitate substantially frictionless movement of the bobbin assemblies and the mirror, which allows the mirror to pivot at high operational speeds during the cutting sequence.

Steering assembly with electromagnetic actuators

An optical transceiver antenna has a pair of cartridges supported by a pan/tilt mount. A lens at forward end of a cartridge interfaces light between an end of a light relay element retained by an axial deflection device and free space. The forward end of a cartridge also terminates first ends of actuator wires that are mutually rotationally displaced a distance of 90&#xb0; from one another in a plane normal to a boresight axis of the antenna. The actuator wires have second wire terminations at the axial deflection device which are mutually rotationally displaced a distance of 90&#xb0; from one another in a plane passing through the axial deflection device normal to the boresight axis. Heating currents are supplied to the actuator wires, causing their lengths to change, thereby flexing the axial deflection device and light relay element off boresight.

Active alignment system for free space optics

A cradle-configured interface for a hand-held blood glucose meter has a multi-electrical contact-containing battery door that enables blood glucose analysis data stored in the meter to be automatically downloaded to a modem within a meter cradle for transmission to a monitoring facility. Electrical contacts of the battery door are connected to conductors of the meter's printed circuit board when the battery door is closed. The cradle has spring-loaded probes connected to its internal modem and engaging the electrical contacts within the battery door when the meter is placed in the cradle. Upon sensing the meter in the cradle, the modem downloads blood sample analysis data stored in the meter into local memory and then transmits blood glucose analysis data to a downstream healthcare reporting site.

Blood glucose meter/modem interface arrangement

An overhead storage system for bicycles and objects that weigh approximately 40 to 50 pounds. The stored object is counter balanced by nitrogen gas spring cylinders so as to make the object virtually weightless to the user-operator. The object is stored flat or horizontally against the ceiling of a garage, porch or breezeway so as to be well above headspace and so that floor space is not taken up by the object. The user-operator pulls the stored object down with a cord similar in ease to pulling down a set of attic type stairs. A boom is pivotally connected to a ceiling mount. A first gas spring allows the stored object to move and rotate in an arc from the horizontal ceiling adjacent position to a vertical position approximately thirty inches from the floor. The boom has a lower telescoping tubular sections with a second lower gas spring holding the tubular sections together. The user-operator pulls down on handles connected to the lower tubular section which lowers the object to the floor. A latch locks the system to a down load position. The user-operator can take the object off peg supports on the system to be used. To return the object to a stored position, the above steps are repeated in reverse order. The nitrogen gas spring that causes the boom to rotate about the ceiling mount pivot is a 200 lbs force spring, while the nitrogen gas spring inside the boom that lifts the bicycle in the vertical direction is an 80 to 100 lb force spring. The compound action of the pulley/cable arrangement inside the boom delivers a useable force to lift the bicycle of one half of the nitrogen spring force or about 40 to 50 lbs.

Overhead storage system

A sprayer apparatus for dispensing liquid fertilizer, weed control or liquid insecticide from an elongated storage tube using one hand. A see-through plastic storage tube has a spray nozzle one end and a handgrip with trigger on the opposite end. Compressing the trigger moves a trigger rod to move a piston that forces gravity fed liquid through the spray nozzle. The spray nozzle can be located in a housing having a convex curved outer surface along with a wheel protruding from the bottom surface of the housing. The wheel can have conical side edges and a flat exterior side. Alternatively, the wheel can have rounded outer edges. Visible markings on the exterior of the plastic storage tube can tell the user the remaining amount of the liquid stored inside. An optional protruding handgrip can be located halfway down the storage tube for allowing the device to be controlled by two hands. A second version includes a two way valve located inside the storage tube. The valve connects the spray nozzle to either the interior of the storage tube or to an interior siphon tube that has an opening located inside the handgrip. The two way valve allows the device to gravity feed liquid to the spray nozzle when the spray nozzle is located adjacent to the ground. The second position of the valve allows the device to suction liquid from inside the handgrip when the spray nozzle is oriented above the the handgrip.

Growing community of inventors

Cocoa, FL, United States of America

Kenneth D White