P.i. Engineering, Inc.

Other

Ledebuhr Industries, Inc.

Michael Hetherington

Jack Hetherington

John G Posa

Richard Ledebuhr

Cooking of marshmallows and other food items uses simultaneous, multi-axial rotation for uniform browning over heat and open flame. The apparatus includes an elongate, hollow tube having proximal and distal ends, and a rod having proximal and distal ends disposed within the elongate hollow tube. A device coupled to the proximal end of the rod rotates the rod about a first axis of rotation. A first gear is attached to the distal end of the elongate hollow tube, and a second gear, coupled to the distal end of the rod, meshes with the first gear, causing the second gear to rotate about a second axis of rotation that is different from the first axis of rotation. A food item holder is attached to the second gear, such that when the rod rotates about the first axis of rotation, the food item holder simultaneously rotates about the first and second axes.

Marshmallow roasting apparatus and methods

A system to control drips from rotary atomizers without the use of recirculation pumps or drain tubes. The drips are collected in a catch basin suspended under the atomizer and reintroduced to the rotary atomizer by one of three methods; a mechanical pumping action from a cone or impeller extending from the rotating part of the atomizer, a suction from a Venturi section built into the fluid delivery tube, or by aspirating the fluid back into the atomizer by using the exhaust air from an air motor. Additionally, to prevent bacterial growth and to completely eliminate any moisture after shutdown, a heating element can be incorporated into the catch basin to sterilize and evaporate any excess fluid.

Rotary atomizer drip control method and apparatus

A motion platform/simulator uses pumps coupled to servo-controlled electric motors to pump fluid directly into and out of rubber bellows-type actuators. Peristaltic or gear pumps may be used in conjunction with linear transducers/encoders. The fluid can be a gas such as air or one of many non-toxic fluids, even water, as the pump or actuators require no lubrication from the working fluid. In the preferred embodiment, a mechanical pivot such as a U-joint is situated between the platform and the ground surface, and each transducer is located immediately adjacent an actuator. A reservoir or reservoirs may be provided to supply and receive fluid to and from the actuator(s) through the pump(s) or, alternatively, the pump(s) may be coupled between two actuators, thereby eliminating the need for a fluid reservoir. A pump may be coupled between two stacked actuators or different actuators located at different points on the platform.

Servo-controlled tipping platform and motion control system therefor

Cost-effective methods and apparatus are disclosed for measuring both absolute position and fluctuations using a moving dielectric medium between fixed electrodes. A position sensor according to the invention includes a pair of spaced-apart electrodes, an elongated dielectric that moves between the electrodes, and electrical circuitry interconnected to the electrodes to determine the position of the dielectric relative to the electrodes. To realize a linear position sensor, the electrodes are electrically conductive rods or wires, and the dielectric is also an electrically non-conductive rod or wire. The dielectric may be flexible or stiff, in which case the dielectric and the electrodes are preferably substantially parallel to one another. Alternatively, the spaced-apart electrodes may be concentric tubes, with the dielectric being an electrically non-conductive tube slideably disposed between the electrodes. In different embodiments, the dielectric is a liquid-receiving tube. The tube may be straight, forming part of a level sensor or curved, forming part of a rotation sensor or manometer.

Low-cost linear and liquid position transducers

A cost-effective and accurate model train position transponding arrangement deploys inexpensive CCD cameras to 'watch' the layout and determine the locations of trains and landmarks. Each item of interest features an optical beacon, preferably an infrared LED, which can be 'seen' by the cameras. Filtering out other light and using color cameras these bright spots can easily be tracked by software. These beacons can be stationary, embedded in the track or mobile, mounted on the trains. Certain LEDs can be controlled to simply flash at a certain frequency if more accuracy is needed to determine the source of the bright spot. The cameras are preferably mounted more or less overhead, but any angle with sufficient visibility of the layout will work because the image will be calibrated to the actual layout. In cases where the LED beacon is blocked from the camera's vision the software may interpolate the position of the beacon based on the last known position and velocity. With 2 or more beacons on a single train, the software can make inferences about the other beacons based on the known physical separation between the beacons on the train.

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Williamston, MI, United States of America

Michael Hetherington