The B. F. Goodrich Company

General Electric Company

Pmd Holdings Corp.

General Electric Corporation Gmbh

University of Vermont

Rjf International Corporation

Flexmag Industries, Inc.

Eric Martin Weissman

Elmer D Dickens, Jr

William B Spillman, Jr

Frederic W Kunig

Thomas Robert Anderson

Raymond C Srail

Thomas R Szczepanski

Richard A Glover

Angelo J Magistro

Frederick Louis Glesius

James Michael Lustig

Lucas Clarke

James Richard Williams

Glenn A Taylor

Junru Wu

Timothy R Hradek

A neutron detector that includes a hollow member extending along and circumscribing an axis. The hollow member has an interior surface and bounds a volume. The detector also includes an anode extending within the volume. The detector also includes a cathode that includes at least one fin extending within the volume. The fin has a substrate material with at least one surface. At least part of the interior surface of the hollow member and the surface of the at least one fin have neutron sensitive material thereon.

Composite dielectric fins in enhanced area boron coated neutron detectors

A neutron detector array that includes a hollow member circumscribing an axis and bounding a volume. A divider extends parallel to the axis within the hollow member to divide the volume into a plurality of volume portions. A plurality of anodes extend parallel to the axis; at least one anode within each volume portion. A plurality of cathodes wherein the hollow member has an interior surface and the divider has surfaces that are coated with neutron sensitive material. Also, a neutron detector that includes a hollow cathode bounding a volume portion with at least a partial wedge cross-section, and an anode extending thought the volume portion. An electric field exists during operation of the neutron detector within the volume portion, the electric field varying across the cross-section, and the anode being located at an area of maximum field strength within the field. The detector may be used in the array.

B10 neutron detector in pie shaped sectors

A radiation detector includes a pressure-tight housing having a peripheral, cylindrically-shaped wall and opposite end closures. An electrode wire extends through a center of the housing, spaced from the cylindrically-shaped wall. A pressurized detector gas fills the housing, and circuit connections to the electrode wire and the housing permits application of an electric potential thereto. The electrode wire is composed of a material providing a source of alpha particles for ionizing the gas within the housing, generating an alpha peak on the output spectrum distinct from the peak generated by incident neutrons. A related method is also disclosed.

He-3 neutron proportional counter with internal leakage detection and related method

A system for detecting wear debris particulate from a medical implant within the body of a living animal is provided. The system includes an acoustic transmitter for transmitting acoustic energy from outside the body to a soft tissue region proximate the medical implant containing wear debris particles; an acoustic receiver located outside the body to detect resultant acoustic energy generated by the wear debris particles and produce a received signal indicative thereof; a processor for processing the received signal to evaluate at least one parameter associated with the wear debris particles; and an output for indicating the at least one parameter.

Implant wear debris detection apparatus and method

An implant device which includes a structure implantable within a living animal and a sensor included as part of the structure. The sensor is operatively configured to detect accretion of biological material on the sensor by producing an output which varies as a function of the accretion of biological material on the sensor. A communication element is further included as part of the structure and is operatively coupled to the output of the sensor. The communication element is configured to communicate information based on the output of the sensor wirelessly to a remote element located outside the living animal.

Remotely interrogated implant device with sensor for detecting accretion of biological matter

An analyzer apparatus and method is provided for analyzing restenosis associated with a stent implanted within a living body. The apparatus includes an input for receiving ultrasonic data from an ultrasonic imaging apparatus; digital memory for storing the ultrasonic data at least temporarily; a processor for analyzing the ultrasonic data, the processor being configured to analyze the data in accordance with at least one predefined criteria to diagnose a degree of restenosis experienced by the stent; and an output for outputting information indicative of the diagnosis.

Ultrasonic detection of restenosis in stents

An implant device is provided which is responsive to an external interrogation circuit. The implant device includes a structure implantable within a living animal and operatively configured to carry out or assist in carrying out a function within the living animal. The device further includes an electrically passive sensing circuit integral with the structure for sensing a parameter associated with the function. In particular, the sensing circuit includes an inductive element wherein the sensing circuit has a frequency dependent variable impedance loading effect on the interrogation circuit in response to an interrogation signal provided by the exciter/interrogator element, the impedance loading effect varying in relation to the sensed parameter.

Remotely interrogated diagnostic implant device with electrically passive sensor

A device and system for remotely interrogating a diagnostic implant device utilizes acoustic energy to power and/or interrogate the device. Acoustic energy is utilized to excite the device from outside the body of a patient. By analyzing the response of the device to such excitation, it is possible to ascertain the condition of the device. Additionally, acoustic energy may be used to provide operating power to the device.

Acoustic-based remotely interrogated diagnostic implant device and system

Remotely interrogated implant device with sensor for detecting accretion

A process and apparatus for permitting the magnetization of flexible hard magnetic materials in the form of sheets or strips, such as magnetic rubber, wherein opposing arrays formed from alternating magnetic disks and flux conducting elements are use in sets of two with opposing polar moments such as to induce a magnetic flux in the gap between the discs. The width of the magnetic disk and flux conducting elements, respectively, are selected to optimize the magnetic pull strength of the material. At the array ends are flux conducting elements that are about 1/2 (i.e., from about 0.25 to about 0.75, and preferably from about 0.4 to 0.6) of the width of the internal flux conducting elements. A material to be magnetized is passed between the array sets in contrast with both disks and consequently imprinted with magnetic poles. The magnetized properties of the material is enhanced by passing the material through a second set of arrays which are axially offset with respect to the first set of arrays. This enhances the residual induction of the sample, the shape of the Br.sup.2 versus distance curve, and significantly improves the pull strength of the material. A device is provided for the production of the material, and further can be used without modification to imprint non-traversing magnetization by biasing the material to one of the arrays of the second, i.e. exiting, set of arrays.

Magnetized material having enhanced magnetic pull strength and a process

A process and apparatus for permitting the magnetization of flexible hard magnetic materials in the form of sheets or strips, such as magnetic rubber, wherein opposing arrays formed from alternating magnetic disks and flux conducting elements are use in sets of two with opposing polar moments such as to induce a magnetic flux in the gap between the discs. The width of the magnetic disk and flux conducting elements, respectively, are selected to optimize the magnetic pull strength of the material. At the array ends are flux conducting elements that are about 1/2 (i.e., from about 0.25 to about 0.75, and preferably from about 0.4 to 0.6) of the width of the internal flux conducting elements. A material to be magnetized is passed between the array sets in contrast with both disks and consequently imprinted with magnetic poles. The magnetized properties of the material is enhanced by passing the material through a second set of arrays which are axially offset with respect to the first set of arrays. This enhances the residual induction of the sample, the shape of the Br.sup.2 versus distance curve, and significantly improves the pull strength of the material. A device is provided for the production of the material, and further can be used without modification to imprint nontraversing magnetization by biasing the material to one of the arrays of the second, i.e. exiting, set of arrays.

Magnetized material having enhanced magnetic pull strength and process

This method teaches how to recover and reuse a powder of a thermally degradable material which is used in a selective laser sintering (SLS) process. To recycle such a laser-sinterable powder successfully in a SLS machine it is protected against degradation by cooling the hot bed while layer-upon-layer (layer-wise) of powder is being sintered, seriatim, to form successive slices fused together to form an article of arbitrary shape (part). The process requires maintaining the powder which has more than 80% of the number of particles &lt;53 .mu.m as a quiescent bed which is nevertheless porous enough to permit flowing a cooling gas downwardly through the bed without disrupting its surface. Since each slice is formed at the surface, and the part, as it is formed, is supported in a well-insulated bed, the powder adjacent the slice is at a much higher temperature than powder in the rest of the bed, which, but for the cooling gas, would get overheated. Overheated powder not only degrades but is fused to the surfaces of the hot part forming a 'growth' which makes the part unusable for its intended purpose. The process allows one to recycle the unused powder from the bed to extinction, economically. If the powder, when hot, is also sensitive to oxygen, an inert gas is used as the cooling gas.

Growing community of inventors

Chagrin Falls, OH, United States of America

Eric Martin Weissman