Patents by Inventor Robert L. Culhane

Robert L. Culhane has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8450905
    Abstract: A method, computer readable medium, and system for controlling velocity of at least partially resonant actuator system includes obtaining at an actuator controller computing system a selected operating velocity within an operational velocity range for at least one of one or more at least partially resonant actuator devices. A width of one or more pulses of a driving signal for the at least one of one or more at least partially resonant actuator devices is adjusted with the actuator controller computing system based on the selected operating velocity. The driving signal with the adjusted width of the one or more pulses is provided with the actuator controller computing system to obtain the selected operating velocity at the at least one of the one or more at least partially resonant actuator devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: New Scale Technologies
    Inventors: Thomas Guidarelli, Robert L. Culhane, David A. Henderson
  • Publication number: 20110018390
    Abstract: A method, computer readable medium, and system for controlling velocity of at least partially resonant actuator system includes obtaining at an actuator controller computing system a selected operating velocity within an operational velocity range for at least one of one or more at least partially resonant actuator devices. A width of one or more pulses of a driving signal for the at least one of one or more at least partially resonant actuator devices is adjusted with the actuator controller computing system based on the selected operating velocity. The driving signal with the adjusted width of the one or more pulses is provided with the actuator controller computing system to obtain the selected operating velocity at the at least one of the one or more at least partially resonant actuator devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: New Scale Technologies
    Inventors: Thomas Guidarelli, Robert L. Culhane, David A. Henderson
  • Patent number: 6251658
    Abstract: An inertial impact drill for diverse applications in cytology such as in-vitro fertilization, genetic research, pharmaceutical research, cloning, etc., is designed to operate in conjunction with micropipettes, microelectrodes, and micromanipulators. The drill includes two opposing actuators, one version of which is comprised a plurality of individual piezoelectric elements, the other version is comprised of a plurality of electrostrictive elements. The actuators drive a small inertial mass to produce sharp short reciprocal movements of this mass. The movements of the inertial mass result in repetitive impacts that are transferred to the micropipette or a microelectrode, which is mechanically coupled to the body of the inertial impact drill. In addition, the impacts cause mechanical oscillation of the tip of a micropipette or a microelectrode at its resonant frequency that is higher than the repetition rate of the impacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Burleigh Instruments, INC
    Inventors: David A. Henderson, John C. Fasick, III, Robert L. Culhane, Edward H. Friedrich