Other

Tinsley Laboratories, Inc.

Schwem Technology Incorporated

Stephen F Sporer

Rasyad Chung

Luis W Alvarez

Naisin Lee

A wheel-bearing truck as might be used on a skateboard includes a base, a transverse hanger mounted pivotally at or near its center to the base and adapted to bear a road-engaging wheel at each opposed end. There is a pair of telescopic arms, one end of each being attached to the hanger flanking its center. A longitudinal spring fixed with respect to the base interacts with the other end of each telescopic arm.

Wheel-bearing truck

A condensing chamber and a heating chamber are arranged in an enclosure. Liquid is fed into the condensing chamber where it is pre-heated. The pre-heated liquid flows to the heating chamber where it is boiled to produce vapor. Gas sparging in the condensing chamber enhances heat transfer and absorbs additional vapor generated by pre-heating. The condenser is a helical or other horizontal tube heat exchanger.

Fluid distillation apparatus having improved efficiency

A stabilizing controller system is disclosed for passive inertial stabilizers having case mounted optics moving in combination with inertially suspended optics to stabilize images against accidental angular motion. The controller system utilizes second terms to resolve the conflict between weak coupling for good stabilization and strong coupling for good panning. The controller system, applicable to either the preferred pendulum type or to gyro stabilized systems, includes the use of non-linear functions for both first and second order restoring forces. A relationship utilizing the critical damping function is disclosed between applicable first and second order controller functions and their applicable constants to enable uniform controller system response. Examples of the controller function are applied to an inertial pendulum stabilizer and a gyroscope stabilizer. The inertial pendulum stabilizer is illustrated in a polar displacement and restoration embodiment and a preferred gimbaled displacement and restoration embodiment. Functions are set forth for non-coincidence of sensors and torque motors on the gimbal axes. There results a controller function imposed on the inertial stabilizer from the case which imparts substantially linear forces of correction for pendulum excursion adjacent the line of sight. Non-linear and increasing forces are applied for movement outside of the linear range. Improved panning results.

Non-linear controller functions for inertial optical stabilizers

An inertial pendulum stabilizer is utilized for stabilizing the lens train of an optical instrument to be stabilized, such as a television camera, against accidental angular motion. A substantially spherical optical doublet having a leading negative lens element and a trailing positive element with both lens elements together being afocal is utilized. The leading negative lens element is fixed in front of the lens train of the optical instrument to be stabilized. An inertial pendulum has the positive optical element lens fixed to the front of the pendulum, this positive element being located between the leading negative lens and the lens train of the optical element to be stabilized. The inertial pendulum pivots on two intersecting and mutually perpendicular axes. The inertial pendulum is attached to the lens train to be stabilized so that the two mutually perpendicular and intersecting pivot axes intersect the lens train of the optical element to be stabilized. Consequently, this inertial pendulum defines an interior spatial interval exceeding the dimensions of the lens train of the optical instrument to be stabilized to enable pivot around the lens train with stabilizing excursion of the positive lens element. The inertial pendulum is counter-weighted so that the center of gravity of the pendulum is coincident to the point of intersection of the mutually perpendicular pivot axes of the pendulum. The pendulum is thus neutral to the ambient gravitational field but responsive to forces of its own inertia relative to the camera. The inertial pendulum is biased to a neutral position with respect to the lens train at low frequencies of angular motion and provided with suitable damping to minimize low frequency oscillation of the pendulum with respect to the optical train during panning of the instrument. An optical stabilizer with minimum increase in dimension relative to the optical train of the instrument to be stabilized results.

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

Stephen F Sporer