Jack Naimer and Mathew I. Radnofsky, inventors (to NASA) Filed 17 Dec. 1975 10 p (NASA-Case-MSC-12564-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-641862) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 05H A system for air sea rescue utilizing a thin film, large area, easily deployable, highly visible, buoyant panel which is formed of a substrate having a specific gravity less than sea water and impregnated with a brilliant fluorescent pigment is described. The panel may be accordion folded for compactness and ease of deployment, may have an inflatable periphery to enhance deployment, rigidity, and buoyancy and may include means for attachment to a flotation device. NASA 14 12 A self-contained breathing apparatus with automatic re dundant fluid pressure controls and a facemask mounted low pressure whistle alarm is described. The first stage of the system includes pair of pressure regulators connected in parallel with different outlet pressures, both of which reduce the pressure of the stored supply gas to pressures compatible with the second stage breathing demand regulator. A primary regulator in the first stage delivers a low output pressure to the demand regulator In the event of a failure closed condition of the primary regulator an automatic transfer valve switches on the backup regulator A warning that the supply pressure has been depleted is also provided by a supply pressure actuated transfer valve which transfers the output of the first stage pressure regulators from the primary to the backup regulator. The alarm is activated in either the failure closed condition or if the supply pressure is reduced to a dangerously low level. Official Gazette of the US Patent Office N76-22914* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Jireh I-LeChao (Howard Univ.) and Charles H. Epps, Jr., inventors (to NASA) (Howard Univ.) Filed 14 Apr. 1976 15 p Sponsored by NASA (NASA-Case-GSC-12082-1: US-Patent-Appl-SN-676958) Avail NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 06E A locking mechanism for orthopedic braces is described which automatically prevents or permits the relative pivotable movement between a lower brace member and an upper brace member. The upper and lower brace members are provided with drilled bores within which a slidable pin is disposed, and depending upon the inclination of the brace members with respect to a vertical plane, the slidable pin will be interposed between both brace members. The secondary or auxiliary latching device includes a spring biased, manually operable lever bar arrangement which is manually unlatched and automatically latched under the influence of the spring. NASA 28 78 58 66 Wilbur C. Vallotton, inventor (to NASA) Filed 30 Jun. 1976 14 P (NASA-Case-ARC-10916-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-701448) Avail: NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 06B An artificial leg which includes a trunk socket, a thigh section hingedly coupled to the trunk socket, a leg section hingedly coupled to the thigh section, and a foot section hingedly coupled to the leg section is described. Energy is stored in a mechanical energy storage device during a weight-bearing phase of the walking stride when the user's weight is on the artificial leg. and energy is released during a phase of the normal walking stride, when the user's weight is removed from the artificial leg. The stored energy is released from the energy storage device to pivot the thigh section forwardly about the hinged coupling thereof to the trunk socket. A dash-pot is coupled between the lower end of the thigh section and the foot section for damping flexing N77-14742*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. A WALKING BOOT ASSEMBLY Patent Application Hubert C. Vykukal, Alan B. Chambers, and Roy H. StJohn, inventors (to NASA) Filed 23 Dec. 1976 17 p (NASA-Case-ARC-11101-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-753976) Avail: NTIS HC A02/MF A01 CSCL 05H Spacers or liners inserted in the boot components of pressurized spacesuits impair foot ventilation and cause foot discomfort. A walking boot is described which includes a bootie adaptable to the foot of the wearer. A protuberance projected from the bootie fits within a recess in the inner sole of an hermetically sealed boot. Spring loaded latching bolts hold the bootie in place. Multiple wearers or astronauts with varying foot sizes can thus use a single spacesuit. NASA 22 38 62 30 -24 N77-14743*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. AN IMPROVED COOLING SYSTEM FOR REMOVING METABOLIC HEAT FROM AN HERMETICALLY SEALED SPACESUIT Patent Application Bruce W. Webbon, Hubert C. Vykukal, and Bill A. Williams, inventors (to NASA) Filed 23 Dec. 1976 21 p (NASA-Case-ARC-11059-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-753978) Avail: NTIS HC A02/MF A01 CSCL 05H A cooling and ventilating system is designed to achieve greater mobility with increased efficiency in removing metabolic heat, waste gases and water vapor from a spacesuit. The system includes an external life support system to which is attached a body suit with a liquid circulating circuit for establishing N77-15641*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. SPACESUIT MOBILITY JOINTS Patent Application Hubert C. Vykukal, inventor (to NASA) Filed 23 Dec. 1976 47 p (NASA-Case-ARC-11058-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-753965) Avail: NTIS HC A02/MF A01 CSCL 05H Constant volume mobility joints are described for interconnecting adjacent segments of an hermetically sealed spacesuit for relative motion. Each joint includes at least one pair of annuli supported for pivotal displacement about paralleling axes and a flexible, substantially impermeable diaphragm of a tubular configuration spanning the distance between the annuli and connected thereto in an hermetically sealed relationship therewith. The diaphragm includes at least one rolling convolution having N77-21847*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (Contract NAS9-14458) (NASA-Case-MSC-16182-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-780930) Avail: NTIS HC A02/MF A01 CSCL 06K A semiclosed-loop rebreathing system is provided for use in a hostile environment. The system is characterized by a packed bed regenerative heat exchanger providing two distinct temperature-humidity zones of breathing gas with one zone providing Icool, relatively dry air and the second zone providing hot, moist air. Exhaled gas is passed through the packed bed regenerative heat exchanger to increase the temperature and humidity of the gas and is then passed through a sorbent canister containing a lithium hydroxide bed to remove carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide-free gas is then passed through the regenerative heat exchanger in the reverse direction to cool and dehumidify the NASA gas to normal breathing conditions. 12 ∙156 28 186 292 30 114 22. 12 110 16 112 N77-24771*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. ELECTRIC DISCHARGE FOR TREATMENT OF TRACE Daniel L. Flamm (Stanford Univ., Calif.) and Theodore J. Wydeven, A radio-frequency glow discharge reactor for removing trace contaminants from an oxygen bearing atmosphere including a reaction chamber defined by an inner metal electrode facing a dielectric backed by an outer conductive electrode was considered. In one embodiment, a conductive liquid forms the conductor of an outer electrode and cools the dielectric. A resonator coupled to a variable radio-frequency source generates the high voltages for creating a glow discharge in the chamber at a predetermined pressure whereby the trace contaminants are oxidized into a few simple non-toxic products that may be easily recovered. NASA N77-25784*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Bruce W. Wobbon and Hubert C. Vykukal, inventors (to NASA) (NASA-Case-ARC-11100-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-780569) Avail: NTIS HC A02/MF A01 CSCL 06Q (NASA-Case-ARC-11052-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-826202) Avail: NTIS HC A03/MF A01 CSCL 05H A segmented controller arm, configured and dimensioned to form a miniature kinematic replica of a remotely related slave arm is outlined. The arm includes a plurality of joints for affording segments of the arm simultaneous angular displacement, a plurality of position sensing devices, and a control signal circuit for generating control signals. The arm is characterized by a plurality of yokes, supported for angular displacement about a pair of orthogonally related axes and counterbalanced against gravitation by a cantilevered mass. Thee controller arm may be released without introducing unwanted motion in the slave arm, resulting from gravitation of segments of the master arm. NASA 12 20 Fig 2 122 122 120 -114 22 122 N77-30749* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Beach, Fla. ROTATIONAL JOINT ASSEMBLY FOR THE PROSTHETIC LEG Patent Lester J. Owens and William C. Jones, inventors (to NASA) Issued 2 Aug. 1977 5 p Filed 30 Jul. 1976 (NASA-Case-KSC-11004-1; US-Patent-4,038,705; US-Patent-Appl-SN-710032; US-Patent-Class-3-2; US-Patent-Class-3-21) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 06D A rotational joint assembly for a prosthetic leg has been devised, which enables an artificial foot to rotate slightly when a person is walking, running or turning. The prosthetic leg includes upper and lower tubular members with the rotational joint assembly interposed between them. The assembly includes a restrainer mechanism which consists of a pivotably mounted paddle element. This device applies limiting force to control the rotation of the foot and also restores torque to return the foot back to its initial position. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N77-31787*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Langley Research Center, Langley Station, Va. A SEAT CUSHION TO PROVIDE REALISTIC ACCELERATION CUES FOR AIRCRAFT SIMULATOR PILOTS Patent Application Billy R. Ashworth, inventor (to NASA) Filed 31 Aug. 1977 14 P (NASA-Case-LAR-12149-1: US-Patent-Appl-SN-829314) Avail: NTIS HC A02/MF A01 CSCL 05H A seat cushion for providing realistic acceleration cues to an aircraft simulator pilot was developed. A plurality of contiguous seat cushion compartments, each including a pressure controlled air cell with a noncompressible surface underneath, were provided. Means were available for initially controlling the air pressure in the air cells to allow the tuberosities of the simulator pilot to touch the noncompressible surface and thus begin to compress the flesh near these areas. During a simulated flight means were provided for controlling the air pressure in the cells to simulate the events that occur in a seat cushion during actual flight. NASA N77-30751*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. AN IMPROVED CONTROLLER ARM FOR A REMOTELY RELATED SLAVE ARM Patent Application J. Kenneth Salisbury, Jr., inventor (to NASA) (Stanford Univ.. Calif.) Filed 19 Aug. 1977 26 p Sponsored by NASA 20 20 20 20 20. VOO pal AIR SUPPLY N77-32722* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex. REGENERABLE DEVICE FOR SCRUBBING BREATHABLE AIR OF CO2 AND MOISTURE WITHOUT SPECIAL HEAT EXCHANGER EQUIPMENT Patent Edward H. Tepper, inventor (to NASA) (Hamilton Standard, Windsor Lock, Conn.) Issued 6 Sep. 1977 8 p Filed 21 May 1976 Sponsored by NASA (NASA-Case-MSC-1477.1-1; US-Patent-4,046,529; The device concerns the circulation of cabin air through canisters which absorb and adsorb carbon dioxide, together with excess moisture, and return the scrubbed air to the cabin for recirculation. A coating on an inert substrate in granular form absorbs and adsorbs the impurities at standard temperatures and pressures, but desorbs such impurities at low pressures (vacuum) and standard temperatures. This fact is exploited by making the device in a stack of cells consisting of layers or cells which are isolated from one another flow-wise and are connected to separate manifolds and valving systems into two separate subsets. A first subset may be connected for the flow breathable air therethrough until the polyethyleneimine of its cells is saturated with CO2 and H20. During the same period the second subset of cells is manifolded to a vacuum source. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N77-32723*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. COMPACT ARTIFICIAL HAND Patent Application (NASA-Case-NPO-13906-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-837259) Avail: NTIS HC A02/MF A01 CSCL 06B A compact and relatively simple artificial hand includes hooks pivotally mounted on a first frame to move together and apart. The first frame is rotatably mounted on a second frame to enable 'turning at the wrist' movements without limitation, and the second frame is pivotally mounted on a third frame to permit 'flexing at the wrist movement. A hook-driving motor is fixed to the second frame but has a shaft that drives a speed reducer on the first frame which, in turn, drives the hooks. A second motor mounted on the second frame turns a gear on the first frame to rotate the first frame and the hooks thereon. A third motor N74-12888* Lockheed Electronics Co., Houston, Tex. Sponsored by NASA Issued 11 Dec. 1973 (NASA-Case-MSC-14053-1; US-Patent-3,778,786; Method and apparatus for the storage of digital or analog electrical signals are provided by a memory storage system employing a conventional vidicon tube. At the beginning of an operating cycle, the vidicon is conditioned to accept electrical data input by exposing its photosensitive target to a short, high intensity light flash. A first electron beam scan of the photosensitive surface then sets up a charge pattern on the photosensitive target. A second electron beam scan of the photosensitive surface by an unmodulated electron beam then develops an output signal across an output resistor by using capacitive currents. The conditioning and scanning steps are operated repetitively at high speed using conventional television camera scan, sync, and power supply circuitry to provide a low cost data storage system. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office |