278results about How to "Simple and robust" patented technology

A toy building system with function bricks adapted to perform a function in response to a mechanical trigger action; sensor bricks with a sensor adapted to produce an output in response to a mechanical trigger action; and logic bricks with an input responsive to a sensor brick output and adapted to perform a logic function on the sensor brick output and to produce a logic output. The sensor brick output and the logic brick output are arranged in a first uniform manner relative to the coupling means, and the sensor output action and the logic output action are of uniform physical nature. The logic brick input and the function brick input are arranged in a second uniform manner relative to the coupling means. The function brick input is responsive to a logic brick output and adapted to perform the function in response to a logic brick output.

A food-cooking appliance having a main body in which a cooking bowl (6) is mounted and a lid (7) removably mounted to the main body and designed to close the main body in a substantially airtight manner during cooking. The food-cooking appliance also includes odor treatment means (10) for treating cooking odors, which means are associated with the lid (7), and heater means. The lid (7) is removably mounted to be removable from the main body and from the cooking odor treatment means (10) so as to be separable simultaneously from the main body and from the odor treatment means (10).

The invention provides a method and a system for measuring a physical quantity by means of a tandem interferometer optical sensor system based on low-coherence interferometry. The system comprises a light system, a sensing interferometer and a polarization readout interferometer. The invention provides a polarization interferometer comprising a single birefringent wedge. The invention also provides for a dispersion-compensated optical sensor system. The invention also provides an interferometer sensitive to temperature that comprises a trajectory in a LiB3O5 crystal with an x-cut orientation.

An exterior siding mounting bracket used in conjunction with siding placed over sheathing of an exterior wall has a base member having a base flange fastened to the sheathing. A wall arrangement projects laterally outward from the base flange and away from the sheathing. A trim member of the bracket has a partition arrangement that preferably snap fits to the wall arrangement and a trim flange constructed and arranged to cover cut edges of the siding that cover in-part the base flange. Integrated at least into the trim member is a water diversion device that diverts water away from the base flange and sheathing. Preferably, the water diversion device has an elongated trough supported by the trim member and projecting laterally inward from the trim flange and toward the base flange and above the wall and partition arrangements. The trough preferably has a face that defines a channel opened upwardly for receipt of the falling water and a hole communicating through the face for drainage of the water out of the water out of the trough.

A method for generating satellite clock corrections for a WADGPS network computers satellite clock corrections after removing other substantial error components. Errors caused by the ionosphere refraction effects are removed from GPS measurements taken at reference stations using dual-frequency GPS measurements. The multipath noise are removed by smoothing of GPS pseudorange code measurements with carrier-phase measurements. The tropospheric refraction effect can be largely removed by modeling, and if desired, can be improved by the use of small stochastic adjustments included in the computation of the clock correction. After removing the above error factors, satellite clock corrections are computed for individual reference stations, and an average clock correction is formed for each of a plurality of satellites by taking an average or weighted average of the satellite clock corrections over reference stations to which the satellite is visible.

The invention is for an apparatus and method for a refrigerator and a heat pump based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) offering a simpler, lighter, robust, more compact, environmentally compatible, and energy efficient alternative to traditional vapor-compression devices. The subject magnetocaloric apparatus alternately exposes a suitable magnetocaloric material to strong and weak magnetic field while switching heat to and from the material by a mechanical commutator using a thin layer of suitable thermal interface fluid to enhance heat transfer. The invention may be practiced with multiple magnetocaloric stages to attain large differences in temperature. Key applications include thermal management of electronics, as well as industrial and home refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning. The invention offers a simpler, lighter, compact, and robust apparatus compared to magnetocaloric devices of prior art. Furthermore, the invention may be run in reverse as a thermodynamic engine, receiving low-level heat and producing mechanical energy.

The present invention provides a simple, robust, and versatile high-resolution spectrometer that is suitable for downhole use. The present invention provides a method and apparatus incorporating a spinning, oscillating or stepping optical interference filter to change the angle at which light passes through the filters after passing through a sample under analysis downhole. As each filter is tilted, the color or wavelength of light passed by the filter changes. Black plates are placed between the filters to isolate each filter's photodiode. The spectrometer of the present invention is suitable for use with a wire line formation tester, such as the Baker Atlas Reservation Characterization Instrument to provide supplemental analysis and monitoring of sample clean up. The present invention is also suitable for deployment in a monitoring while drilling environment. The present invention provides a high resolution spectometer which enables quantification of a crude oil's percentage of aromatics, olefins, and saturates to estimate a sample's gas oil ratio (GOR). Gases such as CO2 are also detectable. The percentage of oil-based mud filtrate contamination in a crude oil sample can be estimated with the present invention by using a suitable training set and chemometrics, a neural network, or other type of correlation method.

A hand-held power tool (1) includes a linear motor (2) having a rotor (3) which is movable along a percussion axis (A) in an axially limited manner between two reversal points (W) and which can be driven by the striking piston (5) of the power tool with the intermediary of an air spring (4), sensors designed for determining the actual state of the rotor (3) and connected to a computer (9) connected via power electronics (33) to at least one field coil (10) of the linear motor (2), with the rotor (3) being displaced against a contact element (11a, 11b) at least at one reversal point (W) and being pressed against the contact element electromagnetically; and a control process for the hand-held power tool.

An bi-directional mounting bracket assembly is utilized in conjunction with exterior siding that covers sheathing of an exterior wall. A base member of the assembly has a mounting flange secured to the sheathing and a wall arrangement that projects outward with respect to the sheathing and from the mounting flange. Preferably, the wall arrangement supports a raised central panel used for mounting of fixtures. The wall arrangement preferably has four walls extending laterally between the mounting flange and the central panel. Spaced radially outward from the two adjacent walls are respective first and second drip ledges, and spaced radially outward from the other two adjacent walls are respective first and second baffle sets. When the assembly is mounted to the sheathing, a selective one of the two drip ledges is disposed substantially horizontally and beneath the wall arrangement for shedding of water. The baffle set adjacent to the horizontal drip ledge cascades water downward and generally toward the respective wall to channel water upon the horizontal drip ledge.