Abstract: A vibrato assembly for stringed instruments makes slight and rapid changes in the pitch of the tone produced by a stringed instrument. The vibrato assemblies described herein use flexures to permit movement of an armature relative to a fixed base to produce variations in the tension of the strings and thereby the pitch of the tones. These flexure vibrato assemblies have the advantages of high strength, zero operational noise and rumble, and virtually zero friction and hysteresis. Additionally, flexure vibrato assemblies provide a robust path between the instrument and the strings resulting in improved tonal quality, range, and sustain. A modular flexural pivot is especially useful as the flexure of the present invention.

Abstract: An acoustic coupling plate extends from the bridge or vibrato to the neck of the instrument. It acoustically couples the strings, the neck, the instrument body, and either a bridge or a vibrato to alter the acoustic attenuation of the instrument and to reduce the amount of multipath distortion. When a different tonality is desired, this acoustic coupling plate can be divide into two plates and shaped to produce a desirable dampening versus frequency curve. One of these plates acoustically couples the instrument body to the bridge/vibrato and the second plate acoustically couples the neck to the instrument body. A vibrato assembly for stringed instruments makes slight and rapid changes in the pitch of the tone produced by stringed instrument. Previously known vibrato assemblies use knife-edge hinges or rolling ball bearings to produce these variations. The vibrato assemblies described herein use flexure bearings to produce variations in the tension of the strings and thereby the pitch of the tones.

Abstract: Liquid slug flow in oil production well flowlines and the like is controlled by a throttling valve in the flowline upstream of a gas-liquid separator and a differential pressure gauge, densitometer or other device for measuring the presence and the volume of the slug in the flowline. The throttling valve may be actuated to throttle fluid flow into the separator in relation to the presence of the slug and the duration of the slug as determined by the slug detection device. Slug mitigation may also be controlled by throttling flow into the separator in relation to the level of liquid in the separator between a threshold level and a maximum liquid level. A third method for mitigating slug flow measures the available volume in the separator vessel and the volume of the liquid slug moving toward the separator vessel to effect proportional throttling of fluid flow. A liquid slug may be detected by a differential pressure gauge or a densitometer interposed in the flowline upstream of the throttling valve.

Abstract: A vibrato assembly for stringed instruments makes slight and rapid changes in the pitch of the tone produced by stringed instrument. Previously known vibrato assemblies use knife-edge hinges or rolling ball bearings to produce these variations. The vibrato assemblies described herein use flexure bearings to produce variations in the tension of the strings and thereby the pitch of the tones. These flexure bearing vibrato assemblies have the advantages of high strength, zero operational noise and rumble, and virtually zero friction and hysteresis. Additionally, flexure bearing vibrato assemblies provide a robust path between the instrument and the strings resulting in improved tonal quality, range, and sustain.

Abstract: The present invention provides a membrane probe contact bump compliancy system implemented in an integrated circuit (IC) testing system to nondestructively test a wafer. This integrated circuit system includes a test controller which is capable of controlling and executing a set of test programs, a wafer dispensing system, and a probe card. Under control of the test controller, the wafer dispensing system handles and controls the wafer for the performance of said set of test program. The probe card has a performance board and a plurality of probes. In cooperation with the wafer dispensing system, the probe card positions each of the probes to engage the wafer substantially at a predefined location with a controlled amount of force. The performance board further includes a transmission line corresponding to each probe.

Abstract: Disclosed is a test probe [10] for testing a test device [not shown], also known as a device under test, while precisely controlling the force exerted by the test probe [10] on the test device. Included is a translation ring [18] as well as a carrier [12] formed to have at least a first side and a second side. The support means [12] is coupled to the translation ring [18]. Also included is at least one flexure pivot [14] for delivering a force to a test device; the flexure pivot [14] is coupled to the first side of the carrier. A membrane [16] is coupled to the second side of the carrier. Finally, at least one signal contact bump [24] is mounted on the membrane [16] for communicating an electric current between the test probe [10] and the test device [not shown].

Abstract: An apparatus [10] for providing an automatic lateral scrubbing motion when a test membrane [22] engages a device under test (DUT) (not shown). Included are a fixed length flexure pivot assembly [30] and a pair of variable length flexure pivot assemblies [38]. Signal traces, signal trace terminals, and contact bumps [23, 25, 60] are formed for communicating electrical signals between the apparatus [10] and the DUT. A membrane [22] is stretched and configured for carrying the signal traces, signal trace terminals, and contact bumps [23, 25 and 60]. A hexagonal translation stage [28] is formed with an upper surface [29] disposed for being coupled to at lesat one of the fixed and variable length flexure pivot assemblies [30 and 38], and formed with a lower surface [54]. Surface [54] is formed to define an aperture [51] through itself, formed for securing over itself the membrane [22] when stretched; it is disposed for being coupled to membrane [22].

Abstract: A self-leveling membrane probe [10] is disclosed. A carrier [12] supports a translation stage [18] through radial flexure pivots [14]. A flexible membrane [22] having a first and second side is stretched over the translation stage [28] and held in high tension across its central portion compared to the tension maintained in its outer portion. The membrane's [22] center of the first side faces a device under test (DUT) (not shown) and carries contact bumps [34] that relay electric signals in and out of the DUT. The second side opposite the contact bumps [34] is occupied by a receptacle [32] including a rotation plate [30] and a conical well [32b] designed to receive a pivot pin [26] enbedded in a reference plate [24] suspended from above by the translation stage [18]. The pin [26] and well [32b] function together as a bearing and provide an automatic compensating rotation in response to an alignment mismatch between the probe [10] and a device under test.