Hot Dielectrics as Light Sources for TPV Devices and Lasers

Experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of using flame-heated refractory dielectric solid bodies as wavelength-selective sources of light for special applications; in...

Adaptive Focal-Plane Detector Arrays for Optical Communications

Arrays of photon-counting detectors and associated digital signal processors have been proposed for receivers in optical communication systems in which the optical signals...

Packages of Circuitry for Controlling a Robotic Vehicle

Proposed packages called "remote engineering units" (REUs) would contain all the electronic circuitry needed to implement a subset of the design of the motor-control system of a robot....

Novel Radiator for a Space Suit

An improved radiator has been designed to provide inexpensive and highly reliable thermal control for an extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) [basically, a space suit equipped with a portable life-support...

Spin Bearings

Spin bearings have been invented as alternatives to such conventional rolling-element bearings as ball, spherical, needle, and roller bearings. Like a conventional bearing assembly, a spin-bearing assembly includes opposing...

Two-Axis Scanning Mirror in a Small Package

A compact two-axis scanning-mirror assembly (see figure) has been developed for use as part of a laser rangefinder on a robotic vehicle. The assembly is designed to enable scanning of the laser...

Noise-Reducing Slots in Quantum-Well Infrared Photodetectors

Quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) that include two-dimensional surface grating light couplers would be modified, according to a proposal to incorporate crossed slots....

Fiber-Optic Transducers for Distributed Sensing of Volatiles: An Optical Nose

The term "optical nose" refers to a fiber-optic chemical sensor of a type that has been proposed to enable distributed measurement of the concentrations of...

Pressure Sensor Based on Measurement of Vibration Damping

A compact, low-power device measures pressure via the pressure-induced damping of oscillation of a small mechanical resonator. To achieve compactness and low mass — and thus...

Integrated Capacitive Wheel-Contact Sensors

A low-power capacitive proximity sensor has been developed as a prototype of wheel-contact sensors for a small robotic vehicle. The sensor is integrated into a wheel and consists of only a few...

Rare-Earth Optical Temperature Sensors

A recently developed type of fiber-optic temperature sensor utilizes narrow-band near-infrared radiation emitted by rare-earth ions. These sensors are suitable for use in harsh environments at...

Microelectromechanical Sensors Based on Magnetoresistance

Microelectromechanical sensors based on magnetoresistance have been proposed. Like other microelectromechanical sensors, these would be used to measure physical quantities that can be...

Digitally Programmable Analog Membership-Function Circuits

Digitally programmable analog membership-function circuits have been invented for use in fuzzy-logic systems. Heretofore, fuzzy membership functions have been implemented, variously,...

Biomorphic Analog Pulse-Coupled Neural Circuits

Analog electronic circuits that operate with pulsed input and output signals are undergoing development. The pulsing behavior of these circuits is modeled after a similar behavior, called...

Lithium Alkoxide Electrolyte Additives for Lithium-Ion Cells

Alkoxides of lithium have been found to be useful as electrolyte additives to improve the low-temperature performance of rechargeable lithium-ion electrochemical cells. As...

Aliphatic Ester Electrolyte Additives for Lithium-Ion Cells

Aliphatic esters have been found to be useful as electrolyte additives for improving the low-temperature performances of rechargeable lithium-ion electrochemical cells. The...

Ethyl Methyl Carbonate as a Cosolvent for Lithium-Ion Cells

Ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) has been found to be a suitable cosolvent, along with three other carbonate solvents, for incorporation into electrolytes to enhance the low-temperature...

Rechargeable Li-Ion Cells Containing TiS2 Anodes

Titanium disulfide has been found to be attractive as an alternative to graphite as the anode material in rechargeable lithium-ion electrochemical cells that are required to operate at...

Punches and Dies for Rounding Corners of Metal Sheets

Punch-and-die sets have been designed for use in rounding corners of rectangular metal sheets to specified radii. One of the traditional procedures for rounding a corner on a rectangular...

Atmospheric Source of Atomic Oxygen for Cleaning Paintings

A portable apparatus that operates at atmospheric pressure generates a beam of monatomic oxygen. The apparatus is designed to be used in a dry, noncontact process for removing...

Filled Skutterudites as Thermoelectric Materials

Filled skutterudites have shown promise as semiconducting materials with superior thermoelectric properties at temperatures up to at least 650 °C. This finding is a breakthrough in a...

Polarization Recycling for Lighting LCD's More Efficiently

Two polarization-recycling techniques have been proposed to increase the efficiency of illumination of liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels. The motivation for this proposal lies in...