Motion Control

A C-language computer program implemented as firmware controls the operations of a microprocessor on a 3-by- 1-inch (approximately 76-by-25-mm) motion-control circuit board denoted a widget board. The firmware implements a serial communication interface according to the inter integrated circuit bus...

A software library and set of programs largely automate the geometric calibration of video cameras. Developed especially for robotic vision systems, this software generates the information needed to determine the three-dimensional (3D) positions of objects that appear in two- dimensional (2D)...

An assembly of lifting equipment has been devised to enable the safe removal of water filters used in electrical-discharge machining (EDM). As explained below, this equipment prevents injuries of a type formerly associated with changing the filters.

A report describes a method of simultaneously measuring steady-state axial and tangential turbomachine-blade deflections by use of fiber-optic probes and probe actuators designed specifically for this purpose. Each fiber-optic probe illuminates a small spot and, by measuring a change in...

An apparatus has been devised to enable accurate, reproducible angular positioning of an ultrasonic probe used to diagnose the carotid artery. More specifically, the apparatus is intended for use in a clinical setting in which the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery is measured by use of...

A report describes uniaxial-stress-versus-strain experiments that were performed on polycrystalline Tb76Dy24 alloy specimens. [Also see "Magnetoelastic Vibration Dampers" (NPO-20988) on page 56 of this issue.] The proposal is to use Tb-Dy alloys as vibration-damping materials at temperatures -100 K,...

Grid-Based Estimation of Surface Traversability Applied to Local Terrain (GESTALT) is a software library that helps a robotic wheeled vehicle choose a safe path across nearby terrain. The input to GESTALT consists mainly of three-dimensional range measurements of the nearby terrain taken by sensors...

Magnetoelastic dampers have been proposed for use in suppressing vibrations of large motors and transformers that operate at temperatures below 100 K. [Also see "Progress in Magnetoelastic Vibration Dampers," (NPO-20887) on page 57 of this issue.] These dampers would be made of magnetostrictive materials -...

A computer program facilitates the selection of the dominant modes of vibration of a structure - especially the dominant modes that interact with specific locations on the structure. This program is intended for use in conjunction with any of the various vibration-mode-analysis programs...

Two reports propose the development of non-ablative aeroshells for braking of spacecraft entering the atmospheres of Earth, Mars, and other planets. The primary advantages of non-ablative aeroshells, relative to ablative aeroshells, results from reduced mass and increased aerodynamic stability of the aeroshell occasioned by...

An advanced, lightweight, low-power consumption brake has been developed to satisfy NASA's special requirements for use on actuators during spaceflight. This brake can increase the stopping, holding, and parking ability of a spacecraft while reducing its electrical power consumption. Two...