Bandag Incorporated

Halliburton Company

Teknekron Corporation

Morris D Ho

Bruce M Cox

Doyle L Dugger

Emmett R Burns

A pulsed through-transmission ultrasonic non-destructive inspection of the internal structure in a tire wall is effected. The transmitted acoustic signals preferably have a frequency of at least 40 KHz, are transduced to electrical form, amplified with a relatively long time constant AGC, rectified and integrated during only the initial or leading edge portions of each pulse or burst. The resulting integrated analog signal values thus provided have relative magnitudes which may be displayed or otherwise processed to detect structural anomalies within the tire wall. If plural acoustic transmitters are utilized, they are preferably multiplexed such that only a single transducer is activated at a given time. Air leaks from the pressurized tire under test are also detected by detecting ultrasonic signals generated by escaping air.

Method and apparatus for non-destructive inspection of tires

A mass flow rate meter is provided having two U-shaped tubular flow loops, means for vibrating the flow loops like the tines of a tuning fork. Opto-electrical sensors on opposite legs of the flow loops generate signals indicative of the times between the passing of the sides of the loop through the static plane of the loop. The times between the passing of the sides of the loops through the static plane may be combined to derive the mass flow rate of material flowing through the loops. Means are provided for varying the gain of the opto-electrical sensors to provide for a constant performance under conditions of changing temperature, voltage variations and aging characteristics.

Mass flowmeter with sensor gain control

A pulsed through-transmission ultrasonic non-destructive inspection of the internal structure in a tire wall is effected. The transmitted acoustic signals preferably have a frequency of least 40 Khz, are transduced to electrical form, amplified with a relatively long time constant AGC, rectified and integrated during only the initial or leading edge portions of each pulse or burst. The resulting integrated analog signal values thus provided have relative magnitudes which may be displayed or otherwise processed to detect structural anomalies within the tire wall. If plural acoustic transmitters are utilized, they are preferably multiplexed such that only a single transducer is activated at a given time. The ultrasonic inspection is preferably carried out through the walls of a rotating inflated tire with the ultrasonic transducers being automatically moved toward the inner and outer tire wall surfaces to optimum relative distances of separation during an inspection cycle. The transducers disposed inside the inflated tire are preferably mounted for automatic retraction into a protected space during tire mounting and demounting operations. Such ultrasonic inspection techniques may be combined with conventional tire buffing methods and apparatus as practiced in tire retreading operations.

A pulsed through-transmission ultrasonic non-destructive inspection of the internal structure in a tire wall is effected. The transmitted acoustic signals preferably have a frequency of least 40 Khz, are transduced to electrical form, amplified with a relatively long time constant AGC, rectified and integrated during only the initial or leading edge portions of each pulse or burst. The resulting integrated analog signal values thus provided have relative magnitudes which may be displayed or otherwise processed to detect structural anomalies within the tire wall. If plural acoustic transmitters are utilized, they are preferably multiplexed such that only a single transducer is activated at a given time.

A document processing system including a video camera and raster scan television monitors. The apparatus comprises a document transport that sequentially passes documents by both a machine readable data reader and a video camera. The data reader reads and stores in a digital memory the machine readable data encoded on the documents. The video camera captures the entire image of each document and stores the images in a video memory. In one embodiment the images are stored as analog signals and in another embodiment as digital signals. The system further includes a plurality of video terminals at which the operators of the system can recall and display on command both the machine readable data and the video images of the documents.

Document processing system and method

Disclosed is a mass flow rate meter having two U-shaped flow loops, means for vibrating the flow loops like the tines of a tuning fork, timing means on the loops for sensing the difference in times between the passing of the sides of the loop through the static plane of the loops, and sensing means for determining which side of the U-shaped tubes went through the static plane first. The time between the passing of the sides of the loops during one half cycle of the vibrations of the loops is combined with the time of another half cycle of the vibrations dependent upon which side of the loops pass through the static plane first. An embodiment is further disclosed having a microprocessor for combining the times, and for comparing these times with a selectable variance from the time of a predetermined set of vibrations before the present time measurement is accepted. Electronic circuitry is also disclosed which improves the time measurement of the timing means.

Growing community of inventors

Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America

Morris D Ho