Hughes Aircraft Company

Matthew G Driggs

Mario P Palombo

Werner V Brandt

David M Zehnpfennig

Danny R Chandler

CO.sub.2 jet spray cleaning apparatus that monitors CO.sub.2 snow plume characteristics. The present invention is a CO.sub.2 jet spray cleaning system that comprises a holding tank for containing liquid CO.sub.2, a spray nozzle coupled to the holding tank, a valve coupled between the holding tank and the spray nozzle, and a temperature sensor coupled to the nozzle for sensing the temperature of a plume of CO.sub.2 that is sprayed by the nozzle and for providing a signal indicative thereof. The system may also comprise a display coupled to the temperature sensor for displaying the temperature of the plume of CO.sub.2 to an operator, or an alarm coupled to the temperature sensor for alerting an operator that the temperature of the plume of CO.sub.2 has risen to a predetermined level. Either the displayed signal or the alert signal indicates that the quality of the plume has diminished and that the liquid CO.sub.2 in the holding tank should be replenished. The present CO.sub.2 jet spray cleaning system and CO.sub.2 snow plume sensor provide an indication of the proper CO.sub.2 snow characteristics to an operator so that the system cleans in a proper manner.

CO.sub.2 jet spray system employing a thermal CO.sub.2 snow plume sensor

A reconfigurable clamping and supporting apparatus. The inventive apparatus (20) includes first and second arrays (32, 34) of elements (30) and a mechanism for activating same (60, 62, 64-49). The first array (32) comprises at least two rows of elements (30) extending along a first axis and at least two columns of elements extending along a second axis substantially transverse to the first axis. The second array (34) comprises at least two rows of elements (30) extending along the first axis and at least two columns of elements extending along the second axis. Each of the elements (30) is adapted to reciprocate from a first position to a second position along a third axis substantially transverse to the first and second axes. The first position is a home position and the second position is a retaining position. The second array (34) is mounted in opposing face-to-face relation relative to the first array (32) to retain an object therebetween when at least one element of each array is disposed at the second position.

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Manhattan Beach, CA, United States of America

Matthew G Driggs