Patents by Inventor Stuart Andrew Swan

Stuart Andrew Swan 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).

  • Collision avoidance for particle beam instruments
    Patent number: 11798774
    Abstract: A system for preventing collisions between components in a particle beam instrument is disclosed. The system is particularly beneficial in use with instruments wherein moveable components are used within a chamber that obscures them from being viewed from outside the chamber. The system comprises: a capacitance sensor configured to monitor the capacitance between a first component and a second component of the instrument, and a proximity module configured to: derive a capacitance parameter from the monitored capacitance between the first component and the second component; and output a proximity alert signal in accordance with a comparison between the derived capacitance parameter and a predetermined capacitance parameter threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: OXFORD INSTRUMENTS NANOTECHNOLOGY TOOLS LIMITED
    Inventors: Stuart Andrew Swan, Grigore Moldovan, Angus Bewick
  • COLLISION AVOIDANCE FOR PARTICLE BEAM INSTRUMENTS
    Publication number: 20210375577
    Abstract: A system for preventing collisions between components in a particle beam instrument is disclosed. The system is particularly beneficial in use with instruments wherein moveable components are used within a chamber that obscures them from being viewed from outside the chamber. The system comprises: a capacitance sensor configured to monitor the capacitance between a first component and a second component of the instrument, and a proximity module configured to: derive a capacitance parameter from the monitored capacitance between the first component and the second component; and output a proximity alert signal in accordance with a comparison between the derived capacitance parameter and a predetermined capacitance parameter threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Stuart Andrew Swan, Grigore Moldovan, Angus Bewick
  • Collision avoidance for particle beam instruments
    Patent number: 11139137
    Abstract: A system for preventing collisions between components in a particle beam instrument is disclosed. The system is particularly beneficial in use with instruments wherein moveable components are used within a chamber that obscures them from being viewed from outside the chamber. The system comprises: a capacitance sensor configured to monitor the capacitance between a first component and a second component of the instrument, and a proximity module configured to: derive a capacitance parameter from the monitored capacitance between the first component and the second component; and output a proximity alert signal in accordance with a comparison between the derived capacitance parameter and a predetermined capacitance parameter threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Oxford Instruments Nanotechnology Tools Limited
    Inventors: Stuart Andrew Swan, Grigore Moldovan, Angus Bewick
  • COLLISION AVOIDANCE FOR PARTICLE BEAM INSTRUMENTS
    Publication number: 20200168429
    Abstract: A system for preventing collisions between components in a particle beam instrument is disclosed. The system is particularly beneficial in use with instruments wherein moveable components are used within a chamber that obscures them from being viewed from outside the chamber. The system comprises: a capacitance sensor configured to monitor the capacitance between a first component and a second component of the instrument, and a proximity module configured to: derive a capacitance parameter from the monitored capacitance between the first component and the second component; and output a proximity alert signal in accordance with a comparison between the derived capacitance parameter and a predetermined capacitance parameter threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Stuart Andrew Swan, Grigore Moldovan, Angus Bewick