United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Other

Steven P Jones

Wesley P Hoffman

Phillip G Wapner

David Jerome Tilles

A free-standing assembly maintains an optical device at a location spaced from a stand assembly supporting surface. The stand assembly comprises an elongated rail member having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of sides, leg support members each including a transverse centerline and two outer distal end sections each having an angled planar surface for mounting a leg member. A novel mechanism fixes each leg support member to a side of the elongated rail member and in a direction transverse to the rail member longitudinal axis. A plurality of leg members each has one end thereof mounted to the angled planar surface for projecting outwardly from an outer distal end of the leg support members. Another novel mechanism supports the optical device at a selected location on another side of the rail member and includes a mechanism for movably mounting the optical device along the elongated rail member.

Stand assembly for an optical device

Carbon matrix composites fabricated by a rapid and low-cost process incorporating in-situ polymerization of wetting monomers

This invention is a rapid low-cost technique for manufacturing thick high-performance carbon and ceramic composites in the form of uniformly densified near-net shaped structures. This is accomplished by impregnating composite preforms with low-viscosity wetting monomers which undergo polymerization followed by pyrolysis reactions in the preform ultimately creating ceramic and/or carbon matrices. Since the monomers possess low-molecular-weight they have low viscosities. Thus, if they wet the fiber and partially-densified preform they can easily impregnate even the smallest pores. Once inside the preforms, polymerization of the monomers is then initiated, resulting in a liquid matrix-precursor of the high molecular weight needed to produce a superior matrix (upon pyrolysis) with high efficiency.

An adjustable riser for adjusting the elevational position of an irrigation sprinkler with respect to the surrounding ground level and/or with respect to the height of surrounding vegetation to be irrigated. The riser includes a movable cartridge within an internal bore of a housing having a plurality of catches outwardly projecting from the exterior wall of the cartridge and adapted to resiliently snap into or out of notches carried on the inner wall surface of the bore movably supporting the cartridge. The sprinkler is carried on a tube for discharging water while the opposite end of the tube includes an impact plate against which water pressure from the supply impinges. Upon impact, the tube with the sprinkler is forced upward within a housing against expansion of a spring, which normally urges the tube and sprinkler into a storage position within the housing. A linear adjustment of the riser, including the sprinkler and its tube, is effective by incorporating the cartridge with the catches movable within a toothed groove formed in the inner wall of the riser housing. The groove includes spaced-apart spiral teeth which are selectively engageable by the catches of the cartridge. Each of the catches are resiliently mounted in the cartridge and are yieldably urged into the notches or grooves for selective engagement with the teeth thereof.

Height adjustable riser for a sprinkler

A motion machine comprised of a lightweight spherical capsule ( ) with locations for occupants. The capsule floats on a cushion of compressed air. Drive wheels ( ) are positioned around the capsule's circumference controlling capsule pitch and roll. The drive wheels themselves are mounted in a rotatable drive assembly ( ) controlling capsule yaw. The activation of drive wheels while in rotation about the capsule provides unlimited rotation of capsule in any direction.

Nimble virtual reality capsule using rotatable drive assembly

Carbon and ceramic matrix composites fabricated by a rapid low-cost process incorporating in-situ polymerization of wetting monomers

A stand assembly maintains an optical device at a location spaced from a stand assembly supporting surface wherein the optical device includes a lens system and a longitudinal image axis extending through an objective lens disposed at a distal end of the lens system. The stand assembly comprises a support base member, a plurality of leg members each having one end thereof mounted to one side of the support base member. The support base member is effective to carry the optical device on a side opposite the leg members. The base member includes a device support surface on the side opposite the leg members, and has two opposed outer free end sections and two opposed edge portions extending along the device support surface. Each leg member includes at an outer free end thereof a foot that defines a footprint therebetween when the stand assembly is disposed in a free-standing condition on a stand assembly surface The stand assembly is effective to support the optical device on the device support surface and to suspend the objective lens over one of the opposed edge portions of the support base member.

A robot gripping device 10 for holding and gripping a variety of electronic components. The robot gripping device comprises a guide frame 12, a drive motor 34 and gripping blocks 24, 26 having fingers 42, 44. Finger 42 has prongs 66, 68 and 70 on fingertip 60. Finger 44 has prongs 76 and 78 on fingertip 62. The fingertips 60, 62 accommodate axial resistor-type components at v-grooves 80 and radial capacitor-type components are accommodated by fingertip portions 82, 84, 85 and 86. Cylindrical can shaped components are accommodated by a slight beveling at fingertip portions 82, 84, 85 and 86 as well as a set back of portion 83 on prong 68. The fingers are capable of controlled movements to various centered positions by means of motor 34. When the fingers are brought together they interlock.

Multi use gripper for industrial robot

An axial lead forming machine is presented which is capable of trimming, shaping, and electrically verifying the characteristics of axial components under computer control. Two die cutting and bending assemblies are incrementally moved horizontally over the wire leads of an axial component, which is suspended between them. A set of counters, lead screws, and two electric motors initially hold the two die assemblies in a known position defined as a 'home' location. By correlating the number of leads per inch on the lead screws and counting the number of rotations of the electric motor, the lead forming mechanism is capable of communicating to a computer the exact location of the hammer, anvil and cutting edge of the die assemblies so that a programmable setting of the trimming and shaping of the axial leads may be accomplished automatically under computer direction.

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Oceanside, CA, United States of America

Steven P Jones