The moving drive portion of the force motor for an electromechanical servovalve is mechanicalkly constrained by slide bearing located on either side of the moving part to prevent it from rubbing against nonmoving parts, in turn, causing early failure and reliability problems. The connection between the force motor and the servovalve is adjustable to allow both the force motor to be electrically centered and the servovalve to be mechanically centered.

An electromechanical transducer having a first element movable in relation to a second element, wherein the first and second elements perform a translational movement relative to one another. A transducer element mechanically coupled to the first element and second elements for converting the translational movement into an electrical signal. A transmission element converting the relative translational movement of the first and second elements into a rotating movement of the transducer element so...

This disclosure is directed to an electromechanical servovalve having a movable electrical coil or winding circumscribing a solid permanent magnet and disposed so that when the winding is energized by an electric current, it interacts with an intensified magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet to shift a valve member of an associated valve between an operative and inoperative position. The arrangement is such that the valve member also functions as the sole bearing support for the movabl...

The present invention relates to an electromechanical wind chime. The chime includes a disk from which a hammer assembly is suspended. Additionally, a plurality of tubular chimes are suspended from the disk and surround the hammer assembly. The hammer assembly houses an internal electric motor, and an associated eccentric rotor. The motor serves to move the assembly about a central axis. In this manner, the hammer assembly comes into contact with the chimes to produce a pleasing sound. A control...

A timepiece, with a clockwork driven by a stepping motor, has a clockwork-supporting structure with front and rear uprights, generally of hourglass shape, each constituted by a pair of mirror-symmetrical coplanar strips defining its contour, the front upright being framed by an annular dial swept by the minute and hour hands; the gears of the clockwork are visible from all sides. The supporting structure with the dial is mounted on a platform carried by two columns above a base which contains th...

An electromechanical cryocooler is disclosed for substantially reducing vibrations caused by the cooler. The direction of the force of the vibrations is measured and a counterforce sufficient to substantially reduce this vibration is calculated and generated. The counterforce is 180.degree. out of phase with the direction of the force of the vibrations.

A device for preventing welding of the switch contacts of a heavy duty electromechanical relay comprises means (15, 16 and 17) adapted in use for monitoring the voltage supply to the relay coil (2) and detecting low voltage excursions therein. A counter (14) counts the number of low voltage excursions in the voltage supply to the relay coil (2) and an electronic switch (12) disconnects the voltage supply to the relay (2) if the number of low voltage excursions counted exceeds a predetermined num...

A field effect transistor and a piezoelectric sensor are positioned between layers of silicon and aluminum to function as a bimetallic electromechanical transducer. The transducer can be used in atomic force microscopy or as an actuator, a chemical sensor, or an oscillator.

A mechanical switch having two contacting sliding plates which have conductive parts periodically dispersed in an insulating background in a spatial period and a current assembling member for gathering currents from the conductive parts, and a driving device for reciprocating two sliding plates in parallel to the surface relatively by about half a period. The driving device cuts or leads a current from one sliding plate to the other by displacing the sliding plates. Parallel movement of the plat...

A controller including a servo to time movement of an animated character with audible sounds reproduced in synchronism with control signals for the servo. A slippable friction drive also makes it permissible to interrupt movement of the character for any period of time. After such an interruption is terminated, the servo and friction drive return the movement of the character to a normal phase and amplitude.