General Scanning, Inc.

Active Precision, Inc.

Gsi Group Corporation

Gsi Lumonics Corporation

Tech4imaging LLC

Infrastructure Preservation Corporation

Sandor Wayne Shapery

Other

Faro Technologies, Inc.

Advanced Mechanical Technology, Inc.

Thorlabs Measurement Systems Inc.

Bradley L Hunter

Steven P Cahill

Jonathan S Ehrmann

Michael Plotkin

Qussai Marashdeh

Carl Brian Candiloro

Mark S Longmuir

Kurt Sidor

Joseph F Deck

Donald Victor Smart

Michael B Nussbaum

Kurt A Pelsue

Bruce F White

Yousef Alghothani

William Seavey

Christopher P Cullen

Geoffrey Legg

Pierre-Yves Mabboux

Stuart A Dodson, Ii

Steven D Owen

Paul Andrei

Bill Seavey

An actuator may include a stator, a pole; a bobbin; and windings provided around an exterior surface of the bobbin. The stator may include a stator body; and a plurality of magnets circumferentially arranged around an inner surface of the stator body. The stator, the pole, and the bobbin may be coaxial. An outer diameter of the pole may be smaller than an inner diameter of the bobbin such that the bobbin is movable in an axial direction over an exterior surface of the pole. An outer diameter of the bobbin may be smaller than an inner diameter of the stator such that the bobbin is movable in an axial direction inside the plurality of magnets circumferentially arranged around the inner surface of the stator body.

Voice coil motor operated linear actuator

An actuator utilizes a voice coil motor with one or more voice coil windings supported on a light weight moveable bobbin that connects at one end to move an object rapidly up to a small number of millimeters translationally along a system axis. The bobbin moves over a distal portion of a center pole of a stator, which supports the voice coil motor magnets. The pole, which acts as a flux path for the voice coil motor, also provides a thin film of air in a gap between the pole and the bobbin via an air path and corresponding holes at the distal end of the pole. The bobbin moves translationally relative to the pole on the thin film of air under the control of the voice coil motor.

A motorized high mast pole inspection device that is self-powered and autonomous with respect to the internal lever of a high mast pole. The inspection device provides a means for mechanically climbing a vertical, cylindrical, tubular high mast light pole. Video monitoring and recording equipment may be deployed on the device for inspecting high mast light poles.

High mass light pole inspection and transport system

The present invention relates to joint simulators, and in particular, to methods and systems for controlling joint simulators by using a haptic mapping technique. A joint simulator is used to closely approximate the conditions within the body, particularly with respect to human and animal joints, and can be used to test and evaluate prosthetics for use in various parts of a human or animal body. The haptic mapping technique improves the rate of convergence of the actual testing forces to the prescribed forces during repetitive performance and life testing. The method is used in conjunction with an impedance-mode servo controller.

System and method for joint testing

The present invention provides a system and apparatus for inspecting tendons and cable stays in bridges and structures using multi-frequency excitation of an ECVT sensor.

Electrical capacitance volume tomography sensor for inspection of post-tensioned tendons

A method and system for transportation using a magnetic bearing structure is disclosed. In one aspect, there is an apparatus for carrying a load along a magnetizable structure. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a third structure spaced apart vertically from the magnetizable structure and configured to generate magnetic flux and repel from the magnetizable structure. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises at least one coil positioned at at least one end portion proximal to the magnetizable structure. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises at least one flux guide comprising a magnetizable material and configured to concentrate magnetic flux. A first portion of the flux guide is thinner than a second portion of the flux guide that is positioned closer to the magnetizable structure than the first portion of the flux guide.

Magnetic levitation assembly

Methods and systems for transportation using a rail structure are disclosed. In one aspect, a track for use with at least one of a magnetic levitation vehicle and a rolling vehicle having one or more wheels is disclosed. The track includes a first head having a maximum lateral dimension, a second head having a maximum lateral dimension, and a connection portion extending between the first head and the second head. The first connection portion may have a maximum lateral dimension that is less than the maximum lateral dimension of the first head. The track may also include a base and a support extending between the second head and the base.

Method and system for transportation using a rail structure

A method is presented for converting the sine/cosine signals from an optical encoder into a high-resolution position signal for use by a position control system while eliminating common noise and error sources. The improved noise performance resulting from the alias-free demodulation of encoder signals improves precision and reduces power consumption in precision motion control applications. The adaptive compensation of harmonic distortion eliminates errors related to offset, gain and quadrature of the encoder channels. The interpolator is able to process encoder signals at extremely high resolution without the speed limitation of prior art encoder interpolators.

Encoder interpolator with enhanced precision

A reflective metrological scale has a metal tape substrate and a scale pattern of elongated side-by-side marks surrounded by reflective surface areas of the substrate. Each mark has a furrowed cross section and may have a depth in the range of 0.5 to 2 microns. The central region of each mark may be rippled and darkened to provide an enhanced optical reflection ratio with respect to surrounding surface areas. A manufacturing method includes the repeated steps of (1) creating a scale mark by irradiating the substrate surface at a mark location with overlapped pulses from a laser, each pulse having an energy density of less than about 1 joule per cm2, and (2) changing the relative position of the laser and the substrate by a displacement amount defining a next mark location on the substrate at which a next mark of the scale is to be created.

Optical metrological scale and laser-based manufacturing method therefor

A mechanism for manipulation of a substrate over a substantially planar region has at least three, and up to six, degrees of freedom (DOF). The mechanism may be manufactured in various configurations, including triangular, and may use inherent symmetry to reduce the number of distinct components that must be manufactured. The mechanism may use parallelism to reduce the moving mass and thereby achieve higher levels of performance using less expensive motors while dissipating less power.

High-speed substrate manipulator

An electronic assembly including a first heat producing device mounted on a first outer surface of a first portion of a circuit board. The first portion can deflect upwardly and downwardly relative to other portions of the circuit board. A first force element urges the first heat producing device against a heat sink. The force exerted by the first force element is variable with respect to time.

Electronic assembly cooling

A high-speed method and system for precisely positioning a waist of a material-processing laser beam to dynamically compensate for local variations in height of microstructures located on a plurality of objects spaced apart within a laser-processing site are provided. In the preferred embodiment, the microstructures are a plurality of conductive lines formed on a plurality of memory dice of a semiconductor wafer. The system includes a focusing lens subsystem for focusing a laser beam along an optical axis substantially orthogonal to a plane, an x-y stage for moving the wafer in the plane, and a first air bearing sled for moving the focusing lens subsystem along the optical axis.

Method and system for precisely positioning a waist of a material-processing laser beam to process microstructures within a laser-processing site

A high-speed precision positioning apparatus has a stage supported by a platen. The stage is driven by a plurality of drive motors that are co-planar with the stage and arranged symmetrically around the stage. The drive motors apply drive forces directly to the stage without any mechanical contact to the stage. The drive forces impart planar motion to the stage in at least three degrees of freedom of motion. In the remaining three degrees of freedom the motion is constrained by a plurality of fluid bearings that operate between the stage and the platen. The drive motors are configured as magnets, attached to the stage, moving in a gap formed in-between top and bottom stationary coils. Integral force cancellation is implemented by a force cancellation system that applies cancellation forces to the stage. The cancellation forces, which are co-planar with a center of gravity of the stage and any components that move with the stage, cancel forces generated by planar motion of the stage. Interferometric encoders are used as position detectors.

High-speed precision positioning apparatus

A system for manipulating a planar substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is provided. The manipulator is typically used in conjunction with an XY stage to focus and planarize a wafer with respect to a tool. The manipulator employs redundant actuators of different types and a control system that uses low-bandwidth, high efficiency actuators to provide low frequency forces and high-bandwidth, but less efficient, actuators to provide all other forces. The manipulator provides support and manipulation of a substrate while minimizing errors due to thermal distortion.

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, MA, United States of America

Bradley L Hunter