Patents Examined by Carl E. Hall
  • Patent number: 5894654
    Abstract: A method of producing a rotor structure for an electrical machine includes heating a plurality of annular plates and then placing the heated plates around an axle such that the plates shrink and attach to the axle, the plates buckling into the general shape of a truncated cone as they cool. The heated plates can be positioned on the axle individually or as a group, thus forming a rotor core packet of stampings around the axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: ABB Industry Oy
    Inventors: Seppo Varis, Ari Meri
  • Patent number: 5894646
    Abstract: There is provided a two-dimensional array for use in an acoustic imaging system which comprises a plurality of transducer segments each having a trace for exciting an electrode on each of the transducer segments, the trace and the electrode being formed of the same material. The two-dimensional array is capable of imaging deeper in the human body at higher frequencies and provides more reliable lead attachments to the respective segments forming the array. Methods of manufacturing the two-dimensional array are further provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Amin M. Hanafy, Vaughn R. Marian
  • Patent number: 5893206
    Abstract: A method for making micromagnets and magnets with a micro-polarization pattern on at least one surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Edward P. Furlani, Syamal K. Ghosh, William J. Grande
  • Patent number: 5890278
    Abstract: Method of manufacturing a multilayer thin film magnetic head having reproducibly narrow gap widths, by:providing a stepped non-magnetic basic layer;providing a stepped magnetically permeable layer on the stepped basic layer;providing a stepped non-magnetic layer on the magnetically permeable layer;planarizing the structure to a level to expose the stepped part of the first magnetically permeable layer in the planarized surface, so that the thickness of the first magnetically permeable layer determines the width of the transducing gap of the magnetic head which is being formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Hans W. Van Kesteren
  • Patent number: 5890281
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for attaching a set of components to a printed circuit board is presented. A second board includes the set of components to be attached to the printed circuit board. The second board attaches directly to the printed circuit board by attaching to pins of a through hole device, such as an application specific integrated circuit. The through hole device is mounted on one side of the printed circuit board. The through hole device comprises pins which protrude to the other side of the printed circuit board. The second board attaches to the protruding pins on the other side of the printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Digitial Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Kurt Michael Thaller, Eugene Smith
  • Patent number: 5887336
    Abstract: A magnetic disk drive having at least a contact magnetic head and at least a magnetic disk including a recording area and an abrasion promoting area is preliminarily operated after the magnetic head and the magnetic disk are mounted thereon and prior to a normal recording and reproducing operation thereof, to abrade the magnetic head by using the abrasion promoting area. The abrasion promoting area is provided by making its surface roughness larger than that of the recording area by forming a lubricant film on only the recording area. By preliminarily abrading the magnetic head by means of the abrasion promoting area, a contact of the magnetic head with the magnetic disk is improve and a desired recording and reproducing characteristics of the magnetic disk drive is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Fumitake Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5887335
    Abstract: A torque sensor comprises a magnetoelastically active element, and a magnetic sensor, such as a Hall effect sensor, responsive to the field of the magnetoelastically active portion. In the preferred embodiment, the magnetoelastically active portion comprises a ring of material endowed with an effective uniaxial magnetic anisotropy such that the circumferential direction is the easy axis, and magnetically polarized in a substantially circumferential direction. The ring is attached to the torqued member, such as a rotating shaft, so that application of a torque to the shaft is transmitted to the ring. The torque on the ring reorients the circumferential magnetic orientation of the ring, producing a helical magnetic orientation having both circumferential and axial components. A magnetic field vector sensor is mounted on a flux collector in a fixed position relative to the ring and oriented so that it responds to the field arising from the axial component of the magnetization within the ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: Magna-Lastic Devices, Inc.
    Inventor: Ivan J. Garshells
  • Patent number: 5887334
    Abstract: A method of splicing the platen component of a linear stepper motor to extent its range of travel for various applications is disclosed. In a linear stepper motor the so-called forcer or armature component moves linearly along the platen or stator in the manner of a track assuming discrete locations in response to the state of the electrical current in the field windings of the forcer. Conventional machining equipment limits the maximum length of the platen that can be produced for such a motor. Because various industrial applications demand an extended length of the platen component, the splicing method enables two or more platen components to be arranged in an end-to-end relation while maintaining positional accuracy, preventing air loss from the air bearings typically utilized with such a motor, and maintaining the magnetic flux path necessary for proper operation of the forcer component of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: MTS Systems Corp.
    Inventors: James F. Dooris, Douglas M. Cary, Bobby Gene Pilkington
  • Patent number: 5884378
    Abstract: A high quality factor resonator (15) including a substrate (110) and a resonator layer (150). The resonator layer includes a first electrode (157). The resonator layer (150) is disposed on a surface of the substrate (110). The first electrode (157) is disposed on a distal surface of the resonator layer (150). A cavity (120) is disposed between the substrate (110) and the resonator layer (150) and a second electrode (159) is disposed on the substrate (110) and on a surface of the cavity (120) remote from the resonator layer (150) and is separated from the resonator layer (150) by a thin gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Dydyk
  • Patent number: 5884389
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a claw-type magneto-electric rotor. The claw type rotor comprising magnetic material parts forming the poles of the rotor and amagnetic material parts separating the poles of opposite polarity confined in a hollow cylindrical casing in the shape of a body of revolution, wherein the casing is made from an amagnetic material. The method includes a step of filling the hollow cylinder with the magnetic material parts and amagnetic material parts and a step of isostatic compression of the combination of these parts and the hollow casing cylinder. Each magnetic or amagnetic material part is made from a plurality of nested, independent, matched and coaxial tube elements each having lateral edges, transverse ends and a lateral face having the exterior shape of the corresponding radial thickness of the magnetic or amagnetic material part concerned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: GEC Alsthom Moteurs SA
    Inventors: Alain Gueraud, Jean-Charles Mercier
  • Patent number: 5884393
    Abstract: Connector mounting jigs for simultaneously positioning and mounting a plurality of electrical connectors on a printed circuit board include a base member, and at least two sets of pairs of synthetic resin posts extending from one surface of and formed integrally with the base member for frictional engagement of respective corners of a cavity of each connector to support respective connectors in a predetermined positional relationship to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventor: Junichi Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 5881447
    Abstract: A permanent magnet rotor includes a core and a plurality of magnetizable elements adhesively secured to the outer surface of the core. The core and adhered magnetizable elements are cold-pressed into a deep drawn cup-shaped outer metallic shell having a substantially closed end wall and an opposite open end defined by a peripheral edge which is rolled over the periphery of an end plate to encapsulate the core and magnetizable elements within the shell with an insulator disk disposed between each end of the core and the adjacent shell end wall and end plate. The permanent magnet rotor may be formed by a method and apparatus that cold press the core and magnetizable elements into the cup-shaped shell and form the peripheral edge of the shell over the end plate to effect encapsulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: David T. Molnar
  • Patent number: 5881446
    Abstract: An electric rotating machine and manufacturing method of the same is provided that can securely press-fit magnetic poles against an inner circumference of a yoke with a cylindrical body. By directly contacting a first and second end portions of the cylindrical body and moving the same relatively, the diameter of the cylindrical body widens in the outer radial direction to press-fit the magnetic poles against the inner circumference of the yoke. Thus, the variation of the inner diameter of the magnetic poles that occurs due to the dimensional error in permanent magnet thickness and inner diameter of the yoke is absorbed by the relative movement of the first and second end portions. This stabilizes the fixing force of the magnet, and allows the magnet to be securely fixed to the yoke without excessive stress on the cylindrical body. Furthermore, the displacement of the magnetic poles can be restricted by bending axial ends of the cylindrical body radially outwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shiga, Nobuyuki Hayashi, Masanori Ohmi, Masami Niimi
  • Patent number: 5881448
    Abstract: A permanent magnet rotor includes a core and a plurality of magnetizable elements held about the outer circumferential surface of the core, as by an adhesive. The core and magnetizable elements are cold-pressed into a deep drawn cup-shaped outer metallic shell having a substantially closed end wall and an opposite open end defined by a peripheral edge which is rolled over the periphery of an end plate to encapsulate the core and magnetizable elements within the shell. An insulator disk is preferably disposed between each end of the core and the adjacent shell end wall and end plate. The permanent magnet rotor may be formed by a methond and apparatus that cold press the core and magnetizable elements into the cup-shaped shell and form the peripheral edge of the shell over the end plate to effect encapulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: David T. Molnar
  • Patent number: 5878480
    Abstract: A brush holder apparatus and method for biasing a brush outwardly of a brush box. A brush box cover is slidingly disposed over an electrical cable along with a coil spring. Next, a brush shunt is electrically secured to an end portion of the electrical cable by a crimp member. The brush box cover is then slidably urged towards a brush secured at a terminal end of the brush shunt. This causes the brush shunt to be folded so as to place it in general longitudinal alignment and parallel with the electrical cable. The brush box cover is then further slid along the electrical cable, thus urging the spring over the brush shunt and into engagement with the brush electrically secured at the terminal (i.e., outer) end portion of the brush shunt. The brush box cover is further slid along the electrical cable until the crimp member and a portion of the brush shunt become wedgingly engaged in a portion of the brush box cover, to thereby hold the spring in a compressed condition between the brush box cover and the brush.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: UT Automotive Dearborn, Inc.
    Inventor: Earl W. Rawls
  • Patent number: 5878482
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing degaussing coils designed to be mounted on the glass panels of cathode-ray tubes used to display color therein, the link between the ends of the winding of the degaussing coil and the conductors providing connection to the electrical supply circuit is encased by the injection, into a mold, of an insulating thermoplastic material. The method can be applied to degaussing coils for color television receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Thomson Television Components France
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Sey, Daniel Vittoz, Christophe Lanaud
  • Patent number: 5875539
    Abstract: A process for repairing leaks in turbine generators that have water cooled stator coils with hollow conductor strands, wherein the lead ends of the conductor strands are joined to a header. First a vacuum enclosure is provided around a portion of one of the stator coils in proximity to the header. Then a vacuum is applied to the portion. Finally, a resin is injected into voids in the portion. In a second embodiment, the header first is cut into an outboard section, and into an inboard section that remains attached to the conductor strands. Then the exposed lead ends of the conductor strands and the attached inboard section are cleaned to remove oxidation. Next, a water-tight braze seal is applied over the lead ends of the conductor strands. Then the stator coil and the inboard section are joined to a new outboard section and a vacuum is subsequently applied to the inboard section. The resin is then injected into voids in the inboard section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventors: Neil Leslie Kilpatrick, George Franklin Dailey
  • Patent number: 5875541
    Abstract: An electronic component comprises an inductive element which includes a pair of zigzag parts, a pair of first terminals connected to one side of the zigzag parts, a connection part connected to the other side of the zigzag parts, an electrode disposed in the middle of the connection part, a second terminal provided on the extensional position of the electrode, and an exterior mold having a gap in the middle in order to expose the fronts of electrode and second terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Kumeji, Seiichi Nishimura, Yoshinobu Nakajima, Makoto Itou
  • Patent number: 5873161
    Abstract: Method for making Z-axis interconnections between adjacent circuit layers with electrically conductive traces, in multi-layered circuits, include connecting a conducting member of a deformable material to a circuit board layer and depositing an adhesive layer over an adjacent circuit board layer. The adjacent circuit layers are aligned, with the conducting member substantially collinear with the conductive traces of the adjacent circuit layers, and the circuit layers are brought together by pressure, such that the conducting member penetrates the adhesive layer and deforms until it "cracks". The cracking exposes fresh (unoxidized) material that contacts a conductive trace, joining the circuit layers together and creating a low resistance electrical connection. The adhesive serves to bound expansion of the deformable conducting member, reducing any potential contacts with adjacent conducting members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Yu Chen, Joel Arthur Gerber, Joshua Woodward Smith
  • Patent number: 5873159
    Abstract: A transducer suspension system has a transducer head, laminated member, and a load beam. The laminated member is comprised of a support layer, an electrically insulating layer, and an electrically conducting layer. The electrical lines are formed directly into the laminated member. A first end of the support layer has an aperture into which a tongue section protrudes. The transducer head is attached to the tongue section. A platform section is formed between the aperture and the end of the support layer. The electrical lines run to the transducer head along the platform section. The load beam is attached to the laminated member and provides rigid support. The load beam has an aperture located directly above the platform section and provides access to allow clamping of the electrical lines and the platform section during electrical attach of the lines to the transducer head. Precise electrical attachment is achieved without unwanted bending of the delicate flexure section of the suspension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Satya Prakash Arya, William W. Brooks, Jr., Wesley L. Hillman, Tzong-Shii Pan, John E. Sell, Victor Wing Chun Shum, Randall George Simmons