Improved Electromagnetic Brake

A proposed design for an electromagnetic brake would increase the reliability while reducing the number of parts and the weight, relative to a prior commercially available electromagnetic brake. The reductions...

Finite Element Analysis Used to Examine the Healing of Animal Bones

When a dog or cat breaks a bone, veterinarians often mend the fracture with a combination of stabilization devices called intra-medullary (IM) pins and external skeletal...

Downlink Data Multiplexer

A multiplexer/demultiplexer system has been developed to enable the transmission, over a single channel, of four data streams generated by a variety of sources at different (including variable) bit rates. In the...

Solar Array Panels With Dust-Removal Capability

It has been proposed to incorporate piezoelectric vibrational actuators into the structural supports of solar photovoltaic panels, for the purpose of occasionally inducing vibrations in the...

Adaptive Fault-Tolerant Computer Capable of Error-Free Operation During Solar Flares

Space missions requiring the highest upset rate immunity typically turn to rad-hard system designs. Unfortunately, these systems are many generations behind...

Multiphysics Analysis Helps Simulate Diesel Engine Cylinder Head

As part of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from TACOM (Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command) - a division of the U.S. Army -Adiabatics used multiphysics...

Vector-Ordering Filter Procedure for Data Reduction

The vector-ordering filter (VOF) technique involves a procedure for sampling a large population of data vectors to select a subset of data vectors that fully characterize the state space of...

Automated Monitoring With a BCP Fault-Decision Test

The Bayesian conditional probability (BCP) technique is a statistical fault-decision technique that is suitable as the mathematical basis of the fault-manager module in the...

Automated Monitoring With a BSP Fault-Detection Test

The figure schematically illustrates a method and procedure for automated monitoring of an asset, as well as a hardware-and- software system that implements the method and procedure. As...

Software Simulates Chewing Biomechanics for Anthropology Study

Fossils of primates and early humans exhibit great diversity in the size and shape of the jaw, teeth, and facial skeleton. Anthro- pologists theorize that these different skull...

Prolonging Microgravity on Parabolic Airplane Flights

Three techniques have been proposed to prolong the intervals of time available for microgravity experiments aboard airplanes flown along parabolic trajectories. Typically, a pilot strives...

Single-Vector Calibration of Wind-Tunnel Force Balances

An improved method of calibrating a wind-tunnel force balance involves the use of a unique load application system integrated with formal experimental design methodology. The...

Simulation of MEMS Piezoelectric Micropump for Biomedical Applications

Since the advent of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, microfabrication methods have been used to manufacture a wide range of miniature pumps. These...

Force/Torque Sensor Systems

Force/Torque (F/T) sensors are critical components of robotic applications in electrical and mechanical assembly, product testing, material handling, and many other applications. A sensor system helps robots...

Prognostics Methodology for Complex Systems

An automatic method to schedule maintenance and repair of complex systems is produced based on a computational structure called the Informed Maintenance Grid (IMG). This method provides solutions...

Combining Multiple Gyroscope Outputs for Increased Accuracy

A proposed method of processing the outputs of multiple gyroscopes to increase the accuracy of rate (that is, angular- velocity) readings has been developed theoretically and...

Simulating an Arthroscopic Surgical Instrument

Sports-related injuries are a common cause of damaged ligaments and tendons in shoulders, knees, wrists, elbows and ankles, and can usually be repaired through arthroscopic surgery. Through an...

Navigating a Mobile Robot Across Terrain Using Fuzzy Logic

A strategy for autonomous navigation of a robotic vehicle across hazardous terrain involves the use of a measure of traversability of terrain within a fuzzy-logic conceptual...

Analytic Method for Computing Instrument Pointing Jitter

A new method of calculating the root-mean-square (rms) pointing jitter of a scientific instrument (e.g., a camera, radar antenna, or telescope) is introduced based on a state-space...

Advancements in Technology for Controlling Fiber Orientation in Composite Parts

The performance of a composite part is primarily determined by the orientation of fibers in the plies. Designers wishing to exploit the full potential of...