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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 847 records · Page 47
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Operations manual for the patient assist device

Quadriplegic patients and multiple amputee patients are almost totally dependent on nursing personnel for any activities or interests in which they participate. A patient assist device is reported which provides patient control over electrical devices in his environment. The patient operates three switches to acquire control over a desired electrical appliance. The type switches employed are chosen to conform to patient capabilities, even when such capabilities are as limited as eye or head movements. The switch operations are sensed and converted into command signals by the patient assist device to control ten electrical appliances simulataneously and independently.

Schrader, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Evaluation of effectiveness of various devices for attenuation of trailing vortices based on model tests in a large towing basin

The effectiveness of various candidate aircraft-wing devices for attenuation of trailing vortices generated by large aircraft is evaluated on basis of results of experiments conducted with a 0.03-scale model of a Boeing 747 transport aircraft using a technique developed at the HYDRONAUTICS Ship Model Basin. Emphasis is on the effects produced by these devices in the far-field (up to 8 kilometers downstream of full-scale generating aircraft) where the unaltered vortex-wakes could still be hazardous to small following aircraft. The evaluation is based primarily on quantitative measurements of the respective vortex velocity distributions made by means of hot-film probe traverses in a transverse plane at selected stations downstream. The effects of these altered wakes on rolling moment induced on a small following aircraft are also studied using a modified lifting-surface theory with a synthesized Gates Learjet as a typical example. Lift and drag measurements concurrently obtained in the model tests are used to appraise the effects of each device investigated on the performance characteristics of the generating aircraft.

Kirkman, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Optically detonated explosive device

A technique and apparatus for optically detonating insensitive high explosives, is disclosed. An explosive device is formed by containing high explosive material in a house having a transparent window. A thin metallic film is provided on the interior surface of the window and maintained in contact with the high explosive. A laser pulse provided by a Q-switched laser is focussed on the window to vaporize the metallic film and thereby create a shock wave which detonates the high explosive. Explosive devices may be concurrently or sequentially detonated by employing a fiber optic bundle to transmit the laser pulse to each of the several individual explosive devices.

Yang, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Intermediate memory devices

Several methods of transfer and processing of data whose practical implementation requires operational memory devices are described. Devices incorporating multistable elements are proposed and their main parameters are given. The possibility of using the proposed devices for storing information for transmission in space radio communications channels is examined.

Basalayev, G. V.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A new device for acquiring ground truth on the absorption of light by turbid waters

The author has identified the following significant results. A new device, called a Spectral Attenuation Board, has been designed and tested, which enables ERTS-1 sea truth collection teams to monitor the attenuation depths of three colors continuously, as the board is being towed behind a boat. The device consists of a 1.2 x 1.2 meter flat board held below the surface of the water at a fixed angle to the surface of the water. A camera mounted above the water takes photographs of the board. The resulting film image is analyzed by a micro-densitometer trace along the descending portion of the board. This yields information on the rate of attenuation of light penetrating the water column and the Secchi depth. Red and green stripes were painted on the white board to approximate band 4 and band 5 of the ERTS MSS so that information on the rate of light absorption by the water column of light in these regions of the visible spectrum could be concurrently measured. It was found that information from a red, green, and white stripe may serve to fingerprint the composition of the water mass. A number of these devices, when automated, could also be distributed over a large region to provide a cheap method of obtaining valuable satellite ground truth data at present time intervals.

Klemas, V.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Analysis of the dynamics and frequency spectrum synthesis of an optical-mechanical scanning device

A two-coordinate optical-mechanical scanning device (OMSD), the operating unit of which is a scanning disk, with directional and focusing optics and a board, on which the data carrier is placed, is examined. The disk and board are kinematically connected by a transmission mechanism, consisting of a worm and complex gear drive and a tightening screw-nut with correcting device, and it is run by a synchronous type motor. The dynamic errors in the system depend, first, on irregularities in rotation of the disk, fluctuations in its axis and vibrations of the table in the plane parallel to the plane of the disk. The basic sources of the fluctuations referred to above are residual disbalance of the rotor and other rotating masses, the periodic component of the driving torque of the synchronous motor, variability in the resistance, kinematic errors in the drive and other things. The fluctuations can be transmitted to the operating units through the kinematic link as a flexural-torsional system, as well as through vibrations of the housing of the device.

Andryushkevichyus, A. I.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Deployable flexible ventral fins for use as an emergency spin recovery device in aircraft

A flexible fin device for mounting on an aircraft to effect spin recovery is described. The device may be selectively deployed to provide a triangular planform of flexible material to provide spin recovery, and retracted for compact storage during non-use. A single flexible fin may be deflected in a specific direction depending on direction of spin rotation, or two flexible fins forming an inverted V configuration may be used. The device is mounted on the underbody of the aircraft.

Burk, S. M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Superconducting quantum-interference devices

Published document discusses devices which are based on weak-link Josephson elements that join superconductors. Links can take numerous forms, and circuitry utilizing links can perform many varied functions with unprecedented sensitivity. Theoretical review of Josephson's junctions include tunneling junctions, point contact devices, microbridges, and proximity-effect devices.

Peters, P. N.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Effects of radiation on charge-coupled devices

The effects of 1 MeV electron irradiation upon the performance of two phase, polysilicon aluminum gate CCDs are reported. Both n- and p-surface channel and n-buried channel devices are investigated using 64- and 128-stage line arrays. Characteristics measured as a function of radiation dose include: Transfer inefficiency, threshold voltage, field effect mobility, interface state density, full well signal level and dark current. Surface channel devices are found to degrade considerably at less than 10 to the 5th power rads (Si) due to the large increase in fast interface state density caused by radiation. Buried channel devices maintain efficient operation to the highest dose levels used.

Carnes, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1973

An investigation of the SNS Josephson junction as a three-terminal device

A particular phenomenon of the SNS Josephson junction was investigated; i.e., control by a current entering the normal region and leaving through one of the superconducting regions. The effect of the control current on the junction was found to be dependent upon the ration of the resistances of the two halves of the N layer. A low frequency, lumped, nonlinear model was proposed to describe the electrical characteristics of the device, and a method was developed to plot the dynamic junction resistance as a function of junction current. The effective thermal noise temperature of the sample was determined. Small signal linearized analysis of the device suggests its use as an impedance transformer, although geometric limitations must be overcome. Linear approximation indicates that it is reciprocal and no power gain is possible. It is felt that, with suitable metallurgical and geometrical improvements, the device has promise to become a superconducting transistor.

Meissner, H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Improved semi-conductor laser device, operating, at room temperature, with an array of three lasers in the spatially coherent, free running mode

The peak pulse power was increased by operating an array of three homostructure Ga As lasers in the laser device. A spatial filter in the laser device selects the spatially coherent, free running, mode. The optical peak power is 5 watts, which is three times the peak power of a single laser in the array. The far-field distribution of the three laser array is a single Gaussian beam of spatial coherence without sidelobes or grating lobes. The length of the optical pulses of spatial coherence was increased to 200 ns by improved heat transfer from the p-n junctions of the lasers to the metal housing of the pulse transformer, and by doubling the core area and increasing the turns of the primary windings of the pulse transformer. The mechanical stability of the laser device was improved and the transition from mechanical alignment to electro-mechanical alignment control, was facilitated.

Rutz, E. M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Optical-to-optical interface device

An investigation was conducted to develop an optical-to-optical interface device capable of performing real-time incoherent-to-incoherent optical image conversion. The photoactivated liquid crystal light valve developed earlier represented a prototype liquid crystal light valve device capable of performing these functions. A device was developed which had high performance and extended lifetime.

Jacobson, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Optical alignment device

A patent application was presented for an invention whose principal objective is the provision of an improved alignment device for observing the degree of coalignment of a pair of objects. The device includes a beamsplitter to be interposed between a pair of objects for observing the degree of coalignment. Light from one of the objects is reflected from the beamsplitter into a retroreflector which reflects the light back through the beamsplitter into an imaging system. Light from the other object is reflected from the beamsplitter into the same imaging system. The amount of displacement of the two images is inversely related to the degree of coalignment of the two objects. The optical alignment device is useful for aligning a mirror with an object, two objects or two mirrors.

Thomas, N. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Program to design, fabricate, test, and deliver a thermal control-mixing control device for the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

The development and testing of a temperature sensor and pulse duration modulation (PDM) diverter valve for a thermal control-mixing control device are described. The temperature sensor selected for use uses a fluidic pin amplifier in conjunction with an expansion device. This device can sense changes of less than 0.25 F with greater than 15:1 signal to noise ratio when operating with a typical Freon pump supplied pressure. The pressure sensitivity of the sensor is approximately 0.0019 F/kPa. The valve which was selected was tested and performed with 100% flow diversion. In addition, the valve operates with a flow efficiency of at least 95%, with the possibility of attaining 100% if the vent flow of the PDM can be channeled through the last stage of the diverter valve. A temperature sensor which utilized an orifice bridge circuit and proportional-vortex combination mixing valve were also evaluated, but the concepts were rejected due to various problems.

Thurston, T. S.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Irradiate-anneal screening of total dose effects in semiconductor devices

An extensive investigation of irradiate-anneal (IRAN) screening against total dose radiation effects was carried out as part of a program to harden the Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977 (MJS'77) spacecraft to survive the Jupiter radiation belts. The method consists of irradiating semiconductor devices with Cobalt-60 to a suitable total dose under representative bias conditions and of separating the parts in the undesired tail of the distribution from the bulk of the parts by means of a predetermined acceptance limit. The acceptable devices are then restored close to their preirradiation condition by annealing them at an elevated temperature. IRAN was used when lot screen methods were impracticable due to lack of time, and when members of a lot showed a diversity of radiation response. The feasibility of the technique was determined by testing of a number of types of linear bipolar integrated circuits, analog switches, n-channel JFETS and bipolar transistors. Based on the results of these experiments a number of device types were selected for IRAN of flight parts in the MJS'77 spacecraft systems. The part types, screening doses, acceptance criteria, number of parts tested and rejected as well as the program steps are detailed.

Stanley, A. G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Optical noise suppression device and method

A device and method is disclosed for suppression of optical noise in an optical spatial filtering system using highly coherent light. In the disclosed embodiment, input photographic film to be processed in the system, and output photographic film to be exposed, are each mounted on lateral translation devices. During application of the coherent light for exposure of the output film, the two translation devices are moved in synchronism by a motor-driven gear and linkage assembly. The ratio of the resulting output film translation to the input film translation is equal to the magnification of the optical data processing system. The noise pattern associated with the lenses and other elements in the optical processing system remains stationary while the image-producing light moves laterally through the pattern with the output film, thus averaging out the noise effect at the output film.

Horner, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Magnetoresistance and noise properties of chevron stretcher detectors for field access bubble domain devices

Experiments were devised to study the angular variation of the resistance and noise properties of one- and two-level chevron stretcher magnetoresistive detectors for use in field access bubble memory devices. All measurements, made with an electronic system, were performed on glass or garnet samples upon which 1 micron of SiO2 was sputter-deposited, followed by 4000 A of Permalloy for the 28-micron-period devices and 0.8 microns of SiO2, followed by 3000 A of Permalloy for the 20-micron-period devices. The geometrical and drive-state dependence of the zero-state noise were studied, as was its frequency dependence. It is found that both types of detectors operate primarily in the amplitude-shift mode for drive fields of interest and that the presence of a bubble in a detector causes a magnetoresistance change equal to that produced by increasing the in-plane drive field about 8 Oe in the absence of a bubble.

George, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS1976

A technique for optimizing the design of power semiconductor devices

A technique is described that provides a basis for predicting whether any device design change will improve or degrade the unavoidable trade-off that must be made between the conduction loss and the turn-off speed of fast-switching high-power thyristors. The technique makes use of a previously reported method by which, for a given design, this trade-off was determined for a wide range of carrier lifetimes. It is shown that by extending this technique, one can predict how other design variables affect this trade-off. The results show that for relatively slow devices the design can be changed to decrease the current gains to improve the turn-off time without significantly degrading the losses. On the other hand, for devices having fast turn-off times design changes can be made to increase the current gain to decrease the losses without a proportionate increase in the turn-off time. Physical explanations for these results are proposed.

Schlegel, E. S.↗