Abstract:
Apparatus and method for suppressing the initial and subsequent contractions of an air bubble used to generate a seismic signal, wherein the preferred embodiment a source of suppressor air is located immediately adjacent to the air valve source which creates the bubble, whereby the source of suppressor air is located within the expanded bubble when it approaches its largest diameter to allow the sudden and rapid release of suppressor air into the bubble to retard the contraction of the bubble. In a second embodiment, the air valve source itself defines the source of suppressor air.
Abstract:
A feedback null loop includes a low drift, first loop amplifier connected to the output of a fast settling, large drift amplifier means which is to be corrected for AC and DC errors due to stray signal coupling. A second loop amplifier with high impedance is coupled to the low drift first loop amplifier via electronic switch means. A ground line is provided to the input of the large drift amplifier means; e.g., via the conventional multiplexer apparatus in a multi-channel data acquisition system, whereby the output voltage of the amplifier means is nulled to zero. Prior to opening the switch means in the null loop, a capacitor stores a fixed voltage representing the error signal. Thereafter, as the multiplexer apparatus selects successive channels of the data acquisition system, any DC off-set levels are balanced out via the temporarily stored capacitor voltage.
Abstract:
A number of steeply inclined tapered slides are arranged for gravity assisted singulation and alignment of items such as rice grains that are introduced at the top from vibrating chutes that are gently inclined in the opposite direction. The chutes extend from a common vibrating feed tray and have adjustable entrance gates to equalize the flow rates of the items. A stationary hopper supplies the feed tray through a flexible coupling. At the bottom of each slide, a photoelectric viewer is arranged to operate an ejector for diverting grains having dark spots. A variable background is provided and is adjusted so that the signal induced thereby is identical to that of the mid-portion of an acceptable grain. Light sources are positioned both above and below the photoelectric means so as to provide extra illumination for the leading and trailing ends of each grain, thus to avoid spurious signals similar to those induced by dark spots but caused by the rounded ends of acceptable grains.
Abstract:
An analog drive signal for driving a vibrator, motor, or like driven apparatus, is converted to a digital signal and is delayed in a digital buffer memory. The memory is unloaded at two separate discrete times and the resulting digital signals are converted to provide an analog reference signal and an analog drive signal. The reference signal is unloaded at a constant rate relative to the input load rate but is displaced in time by a selected number of total memory locations. The drive signal is unloaded at a programmable rate. The phase relation, i.e., error signal, and signals indicative of the lead or lag of the error signal relative to the reference signal, are sensed and any phase difference detected is counted in units of sample rate time and stored. Associated digital control logic is programmed to cause the drive signal to move the detected number of samples in the memory, in the commensurate direction, to correct the phase of the driven apparatus output, i.e., to provide a zero phase difference relative to the phase of the reference signal. The servo may be preset for minimum initial phase shift by noting the maximum error at the beginning of a test sweep, and by presetting the system correspondingly to start it in phase.