36results about How to "Inexpensive and accurate" patented technology

A hobby robot having a support structure includes a cavity defined within the support structure, wherein the cavity includes means positioned within the cavity for removably coupling at least one mounting element to an interior portion of the cavity. The support structure also includes means for securing an encasement shell to the support structure. The mounting element may be a tray or hardware that performs a desired function in connection with the operation of the robot. The support structure is adapted to receive a self-contained power source and means for imparting motive force to the support structure.

A Fatigue Performance Test induces a traffic analogous, 60 cycle, stress-strain environment into a road pavement cross section through a rolling cyclic fatigue platform. Data from the encounter dynamic reveals where strain build-up is occurring well before external, visually detectable evidence of fatigue failure is present in the pavement sample from cracks or permanent deformation. Responsive tuning of the embedded, sensor firmware establishes a baseline status for the sample whereupon incoming data gathered during the stress-strain encounter dynamic reveals details of fatigue build-up.

Provided are devices and methods for monitoring flow rate in aerosol particle counters. The particle sensor has a particle counter, a flow measurement orifice comprising a differential pressure sensor for measuring differential pressure (DP) across the flow measurement orifice during particle sensor operation and a critical flow orifice. A vacuum source pulls ambient gas through each of the particle counter, flow measurement orifice and critical flow orifice. An atmospheric pressure sensor measures atmospheric pressure (AP) and a bench pressure sensor measures pressure in the particle sensor (BP). The output from the sensors is used to identify a flow condition, such as by a monitor operably connected to each of the differential pressure sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor and bench pressure sensor. In this manner, deviation in flow rate from a target flow rate is readily monitored without the need for expensive sensors or other flow-controlling components.

An apparatus (10) for detection of multiple documents (42) in a document transport system comprises a first transmitter (13) emitting a first signal at a first interval through a document feed path (40). A first sensor (14) detects the first signal from the first transmitter (13). A second transmitter (15) emits a second signal at a second interval through the document feed path (40). A second sensor (16) detects the second signal from the second transmitter (15).

The condition and ability of an animal to perform to its best ability may be determined by correlating gene expression with clinical and other data. The methods include collecting biological samples and clinical history, generating digital results on gene expression levels in the samples, remotely accessing and comparing the results with information via a communications network. The invention provides methods for assessing a performance animal's condition by determining relative abundance of a target nucleic acid, accessing a remote database, correlating digital signals with information in the database, and reporting the condition of the animal. A diagnostic system comprising a microarray, a microarray reader, a database for storing information from the reader, and a server receiving digital signals from the reader is also disclosed. The reader determines the abundance of target nucleic acid, normalised to a reference nucleic acid, and generates a digital signal that may be displayed as a report.

Provided are devices and methods for monitoring flow rate in aerosol particle counters. The particle sensor has a particle counter, a flow measurement orifice comprising a differential pressure sensor for measuring differential pressure (DP) across the flow measurement orifice during particle sensor operation and a critical flow orifice. A vacuum source pulls ambient gas through each of the particle counter, flow measurement orifice and critical flow orifice. An atmospheric pressure sensor measures atmospheric pressure (AP) and a bench pressure sensor measures pressure in the particle sensor (BP). The output from the sensors is used to identify a flow condition, such as by a monitor operably connected to each of the differential pressure sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor and bench pressure sensor. In this manner, deviation in flow rate from a target flow rate is readily monitored without the need for expensive sensors or other flow-controlling components.

An apparatus and method for thermally compensating a voltage signal for a circuit protection device. The circuit protection device is coupled to a powered circuit and having current flowing through it. A bus carries the power therethrough. A sense resistor is electrically coupled to a bus for sensing the current flowing through the bus. A temperature sensitive circuit is coupled to the sense resistor for compensating ambient temperatures. The invention is useful for providing an accurate sense resistor that supplies a temperature independent current in a power line and the related voltage output of the sense resistor at varying ambient temperatures.

Methods and apparatus provide for a primary side circuit including one or more voltage nodes; and a monitoring circuit operating to monitor one or more parameters of the primary side circuit, and including at least one sensing circuit and at least one processing circuit within a secondary side circuit, where the sensing circuit includes a resistor network having an input for receiving a first sensed voltage from a first of the voltage nodes of the primary side circuit, traversing an isolation boundary between the primary side circuit and the secondary side circuit while adhering to a safety specification, which includes a primary-secondary isolation requirement, and having an output for providing a first modified sensed voltage to the processing circuit.

A field portable diagnostic apparatus uses a rotatable disk in which a microfluidic circuit is defined. The microfluidic circuit includes a centrifugal separation chamber receiving a sample to stratify the sample. A magnetic bead holding chamber is communicated to a mixing chamber, where mass amplifying functionalized magnetic-nanoparticles, held in a buffer solution and contained in the magnetic bead holding reservoir communicated to mixing chamber, are mixed with the separated fluid delivered to mixing chamber from the separation chamber. The functionalized magnetic nanoparticles conjugate with a target analyte in the sample. A magnet in proximity to a SAW chamber including a SAW detector draws the functionalized magnetic nanoparticles toward antibodies immobilized on the SAW sensor surface A wash reservoir is communicated to the SAW sensor chamber, and a cleanup / waste reservoir is communicated to the SAW chamber for receive fluid after it has passed through the SAW chamber.

An exemplary optical isolator, such as a magnetic-semiconductor composite optical isolator, and method for making the same, is provided that includes a semiconductor waveguide and a magnetic-semiconductor composite layer. The semiconductor waveguide includes a guide layer, a first clad layer and a second clad layer. The guide layer includes one or more layers with a first end, a second end, a top, and a bottom, the guide layer allows a light wave incident the first end of the guide layer to propagate in a positive propagation direction, and allows a light wave incident the second end of the guide layer to propagate in a negative propagation direction. The first clad layer and the second clad layer are provided, respectively, relative to the bottom and the top of the guide layer, and the second clad layer has a thickness to allow an optical field penetration through the second clad layer. The magnetic-semiconductor composite layer is provided in the presence of a magnetic field oriented in a desired direction and is positioned relative the second clad layer and at a thickness and index of refraction to receive the optical field penetration through the second clad layer and to attenuate a light wave that propagates in the negative propagation direction more than the attenuation of a light wave that propagates in the positive propagation direction. The magnetic-semiconductor composite optical isolator may be integrated with a semiconductor laser, such as on the same semiconductor substrate.

A system for measuring a level of dry bulk material within a container has a columnar device supported vertically within the container. The columnar device has a closed lower end and openings through a sidewall thereof for allowing dry bulk material within the container to flow into and out of the columnar device. A load cell is used to measure a weight of the dry bulk material within the columnar device, which is then correlated to the level of dry bulk solids within the container. The columnar device and the sidewall openings therein can be provided in various shapes and configurations.

A measurement target and a reference gauge are placed in parallel in an inside of a temperature-controlled chamber. After an interior temperature of the temperature-controlled chamber is set at a first temperature, a relative measurement of a length from a first surface to a second surface of the measurement target is performed with reference to a length from a first reference surface to a second reference surface of the reference gauge. Then, the interior temperature of the temperature-controlled chamber is set at a second temperature and a relative measurement of the length from the first surface to the second surface is similarly performed with reference to the length from the first reference surface to the second reference surface. A CTE of the measurement target is calculated based on the length of the measurement target at the first temperature and the length of the measurement target at the second temperature.

The invention provides a highly accurate and inexpensive electromagnetic induction type encoder capable of acquiring strong signal intensity with the offset reduced by a short scale coil, and is durable against fluctuations in the yaw direction, which includes a number of scale coils 14 arrayed on a scale 10 along the measurement direction, and transmitting coils 24 and receiving coils 20 that are disposed on a grid 12 relatively movably in the measurement direction with respect to the scale, and which detects a relative movement amount of the scale and the grid from changes in magnetic fluxes detected by the receiving coils via the scale coil when the transmitting coils are magnetized, wherein a plurality of sets of the transmitting coils (24A, 24B), the receiving coils (20A, 20B) and the scale coils (14A, 14B) are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center of the scale, and scale coils of one set located at a symmetrical position around the center of the scale is disposed with ½ phase of the scale pitch shifted with respect to scale coils of the other set.

A detection device for detecting the presence of a living being at a predetermined location within a monitored area comprises an evaluation unit (21) configured to evaluate radar radiation received by a radar unit (10) from an assigned radar area included in said monitored area in response to radar radiation emitted by said radar unit (10) to detect if a living being is present within said radar area and to localize a detected living being within said radar area, and a detection unit (22) configured to correlate the location of a detected living being in said radar area with a set of predetermined locations in said monitored area to detect the presence of a living being at a predetermined location of said monitored area.

A food safety system for food items in cooled environments includes a temperature sensor unit having a temperature sensor, a power supply and a data transmission element. The temperature sensor unit is positioned in a cooler, wherein the cooler has a plurality of predefined food item positions. A control center unit having a computer processor and a memory is adapted to execute a deterministic mode function to predict the core temperature change of such a food item on a predefined food item position in said cooler. The deterministic mode function depends on heat transfer parameters related to the predefined food item position of the cooler used, food specific coefficients related to the kind of food item taken from a group of food types, the environment temperature measured by the temperature sensor, and the predicted current core temperature of the food item.

A method for shipping clinical specimens lawfully, safely, cheaply, and easily without regard to some or all of the laws, rules, and regulations regarding samples that may contain infectious and / or etiologic agents. Optional method of direct analysis of shipped samples.

Featured is an accurate and inexpensive system to detect and report engine idling in a vehicle including a detection portion and a reporting portion. The detection portion detects or senses the presence of voltage from the vehicle's ignition switch and vehicle's mechanical vibration from the running engine. The detection portion also can filter out transient vibrations which are not related to engine running. The detection portion forwards signal or information relating to engine running and vehicle movement to a reporting portion of the system. The reporting portion (e.g., a software application being executed on a computer or microprocessor) determines from the forwarded information if the vehicle engine is idling and if there is excessive idling. The fleet operator can define recommended maximum idling parameters to determine such excessive idling. Also featured are apparatuses, devices and methods related thereto.

A method of fabricating a multi-perforated part out of composite material includes positioning a sand-blasting mask on a preform including a fiber texture impregnated with a polymerized ceramic-precursor resin, the mask having a plurality of openings corresponding to the perforations to be made in the preform; projecting abrasive particles at high speed against the surface of the mask so as to perforate the preform exposed in the openings of the mask; and pyrolyzing the multi-perforated preform so as to form a ceramic matrix in the multi-perforated fiber texture.

The present invention is an inexpensive and accurate means of improving resolution when imaging a small digital display onto a larger photosensitive medium. The device includes a printer having a housing that encloses, in a common cavity thereof, an arrangement comprising a digital area array display, a plurality of lenses, and an image plane. The digital area array display, the plurality of lenses, and the image plane are spaced along an optical axis extending from the digital area array display through the plurality of lenses, and toward the image plane such that a digital image provided by the display can be brought into focus onto the imaging plane by the plurality of lenses. One of the plurality of lenses is a transposable lens, the transposable lens capable of being transposed out of the optical axis during the operation of the printer, to increase the perceived resolution of the digital image focused onto the imaging plane. The invention provides in another aspect, a jogging mechanism for jogging a lens, the device comprising a first translating means for jogging an transposable lens in a first direction, a second translating means for jogging the transposable lens in a second direction, and a biasing means. In an alternate aspect, the present invention also provides a method of imaging a digital display onto an image plane, whereby the method of imaging increases the perceived resolution of the digital image focused onto said imaging plane.

A process for measuring total microbiological content in an aqueous medium includes adding a fluorescent dye to the aqueous medium, measuring the fluorescent signal in the aqueous medium to obtain a baseline fluorescent signal, releasing intracellular content of the microbiological matter into the aqueous medium by lysing the microbiological matter, measuring the fluorescent signal in the aqueous medium with the released intracellular content of the microbiological matter to obtain a second fluorescent signal, subtracting the baseline signal from the second fluorescent signal to obtain a net fluorescent signal and equating the net fluorescent signal with a microbiological content. Methods for measuring biofilm and adjusting for background noise are also provided.

A Fatigue Performance Test induces a traffic analogous, 60 cycle, stress-strain environment into a road pavement cross section through a rolling cyclic fatigue platform. Data from the encounter dynamic reveals where strain build-up is occurring well before external, visually detectable evidence of fatigue failure is present in the pavement sample from cracks or permanent deformation. Responsive tuning of the embedded, sensor firmware establishes a baseline status for the sample whereupon incoming data gathered during the stress-strain encounter dynamic reveals details of fatigue build-up.

A sighting assembly for a mortar employed in handheld mode. The sighting assembly is attached to the discharge end of a mortar tube by a mounting collar. The collar includes first and second distance indicator dials that employ a pointer to indicate the distance a mortar projectile will travel at different mortar angles and charges. The sighting assembly further includes structure allowing a compass to be locked in a housing by a first cam lever. The entire housing pivots about a cam bolt attached to a second cam lever that can lock the housing in a position parallel to the ground at any angle the mortar is positioned. This will allow a measurement of azimuth to a target to be taken. The azimuth and distance measurements can be used to deliver a mortar projectile to the target while keeping the target in the mortarman's line of sight.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is characterized by the progressive loss of renal function which eventually leads to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). CKD affects roughly 30 million Americans, costs billions of dollars in healthcare spending annually, and leaves thousands of patients reliant on burdensome dialysis treatments while waiting for a transplant. Fortunately, CKD may be controllable if diagnosed early in the disease progression. RAMETRIX™ is a novel public health screening technology for early diagnosis and detection of CKD. This technology uses Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics to analyze the molecular composition of urine and other biological fluids. RAMETRIX™ is a fast, non-invasive, accurate, and inexpensive diagnostic tool that can revolutionize the way healthcare providers detect and treat CKD. The RAMETRIX™ AutoScanner is a system enabling more efficient sample processing in large-scale settings such as hospitals and medical laboratories.