Litton Systems, Inc.

Incosym, Inc.

Other

Robert J Craig

Clifton T Council

Jack F Jansen

James J Imbault

John E Fitzgerald

A combined thermometer and fecal sampling apparatus which allows concurrent sampling of a fecal specimen and measuring of body temperature from a single penetration of the rectum. In a preferred embodiment the apparatus includes a proximal end, or handle which is enlarged to facilitate handling and encloses a digital thermometer with a switch cover on one end of the handle covering a switch that activates the thermometer. A temperature display window is provided in the handle of the device for displaying temperature and in a most preferred embodiment, grip splines or knurls are provided on the handle to facilitate gripping and rotating the apparatus to collect the fecal sample. An elongated, hollow probe extends from the handle to a proximal end that terminates in a fecal sampler which is characterized by an ovoid loop having concave collection surfaces defining an ovoidal cavity. Wiring extends from the thermometer through the hollow interior of the probe and terminates in a thermistor positioned above the fecal sampler in a probe window for sensing the temperature of the rectum. This temperature is displayed in the temperature display window in the handle of the apparatus.

Combined thermometer and fecal sampling apparatus

A monolithic two axis gimbal suspension system for a tuned inertial instrument includes flexure hinges which are formed monolithically integral therein to define the pivot axis of the suspension system, each monolithically integral flexure hinge having aligned pairs of skew, crossed bridges integral with the relatively rotatable gimbals of the suspension system. The suspension system is used in a dry tuned gyroscope to suspend the gyro rotor from the gyro spin shaft. A method for making the monolithic suspension system comprises electro discharge machining of a monolithic workpiece mounted on a movable mandrel. Monolithically integral flexure hinges comprising skew, crossed bridges formed therein, interconnect gimbal portions which are formed in the workpiece. Construction of an improved tuned gyroscope employing the monolithic suspension system in a single compartment housing is described.

Universal joint flexure hinge suspension system and method for

An inertial instruments uses a suspension structure that is exterior to and surrounds a cup shaped inertial mass which carries torquing magnets within the cup. Torquer coils are also located within the cup. In a preferred embodiment, axially magnetized disc magnets within the cup cooperate with toroidal torquer coils. In other embodiments segmented or bar magnets are used. The instrument can be used either as a gyroscope by coupling the suspension to a rotor, or as an accelerometer.

Inertial instrument with cup-shaped inertial mass

Universal joint flexure hinge suspension system, and method for

A redundant inertial reference system is provided with four gyroscope units, with the spin axes of the gyroscopes in the units being oriented, respectively, perpendicular to the four faces of an equilateral tetrahedron. Incidentally, a tetrahedron is a four sided body, and an equilateral tetrahedron is a four sided body having equilateral triangles for the four sides. With the four gyroscopes mounted perpendicular to the four sides of an equilateral tetrahedron, each of the gyroscopes is located symmetrically with respect to the others, with an angle of approximately 109.4 degrees between the spin axes of the gyroscopes. The system is particularly applicable to strapdown type inertial guidance systems and can provide three dimensional orientation information even if two of the gyros fail. The system uses four gyro units, a minimum number which can accomplish a foregoing function, with the four gyro units arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to one another.

Tetrahedral redundant inertial reference unit

A flexure hinge assembly comprising a pair of fixed telescopes inner and outer tubular members separated into at least one driving portion, at least one gimbal portion and at least one driven portion and a plurality of flexure blades all formed by a plurality of slots and apertures through the walls of each tubular member. Flexure blades are formed by pairs of adjacent apertures with the slots interconnecting apertures to separate the tubular members into the driving, gimbal, and driven portions. A pair of diametrically opposed flexure hinges, each comprising two mutually orthogonal flexure blades one in the outer and one in the inner member, connect each gimbal portion to the driving portion. Another such pair of flexure hinges connect each gimbal portion to the driven portion. The common plane of flexure of two of the four flexure blades of each tubular member forms a first angle with respect to the common axis of the inner and outer tubular members, the common plane of flexure of the two other flexure blades of each tubular member forms a second angle with respect to the common axis of the inner and outer tubular members, and the difference between the first angle of two flexure blades of each member and the second angle of the other two flexure blades of that member being substantially 90.degree.. The crossed flexure blades are fabricated by forming the apertures with the inner and outer tubular members coaxially aligned in a first relative angular position and then rotating the tubular members with respect to one another through a predetermined angle of rotation into a second relative angular position of the tubular members to create four flexure hinges spaced 90.degree. apart.

Method of manufacturing a flexure hinge assembly

A flexure hinge assembly comprising a pair of fixed telescopes inner and outer tubular members separated into at least one driving portion, at least one gimbal portion and at least one driven portion and a plurality of flexure blades all formed by a plurality of slots and apertures through the walls of each tubular member. Flexure blades are formed by pairs of adjacent apertures with the slots interconnecting apertures to separate the tubular members into the driving, gimbal, and driven portions. The four slots of each tubular member which divide that member into these three portions are axially coextensive with the slots in the other member and all extend in the same axial direction from the apertures which form the flexure blades. Such axially coextensive slots displace the driving and the driven portions of the tubular members in the same axial direction from the center of suspension, i.e., from the flexure axes of these portions.

Flexure hinge assembly

Disclosed herein is an arrangement for counteracting mass unbalance in a rotatable assembly, such as the rotor assembly of a gyroscope. The invention proposes the use of two coaxially and mutually independently rotatably displaceable, mass eccentricity-producing balance weights, of which each can be assembled with a support element forming part of the rotatable assembly in any one of a great number of angular orientations.

Growing community of inventors

Malibu, CA, United States of America

Robert J Craig