Texas Instruments Corporation

George Trenkler

Richard G Delagi

Arthur L Reenstra

Ernest M Jost

Francois A Padovani

Lawrence E Cooper

Lyle E McBride, Jr

Bernard M Kulwicki

Ronald E Senor

David C Hill

Hans A Stoeckler

Robert J Schwensfeir, Jr

Charles Britton

Donald L Winslow

A member of selected shape embodying a refractory metal material such as a titanium aluminide preferably having reinforcing elements disposed therein is provided by combining constitutents of the refractory metal material surrounding the reinforcing elements, by consolidating the constituents and elements and forming them into the selected shape, and by reacting the constituents with each other for forming the refractory metal material in situ within the selected shape, at least one of the constituents also preferably being reacted in situ within the selected shape with metal material of the reinforcing elements for forming an intermetallic compound which securely holds the reinforcing elements in position within the selected shape.

Member of a refractory metal material of selected shape and method of

A shield for electromagnetic radiations comprising a laminated sheet having exterior layers of copper which sandwich an interior layer of a ferromagnetic alloy taken from the class consisting of nickel-iron compounds having from about 42 to about 80 percent nickel by weight and iron as a substantial portion of the remaining material. The layers are metallurgically bonded to each other by sintering or the like. According to a second embodiment, a laminated sheet is provided having exterior layers of copper which sandwich plural interior layers of ferromagnetic material, the layers of ferromagnetic material having progressively higher permeability and being capable of shielding interference of progressively lower energy level when travelling in a direction away from the direction of the source of interference. A typical laminated sheet in the direction away from the source of interference is copper/permendur/80/copper. A further typical such laminated sheet in the direction away from the source of interference is copper/49/80/copper. In those instances where it is known that no high frequencies will be encountered, the copper layers can be removed. It is necessary that each successive layer in the direction away from the source of interfering electromagnetic radiations be at maximum permeability range at a lower interference energy level.

Shielding material and shielded room

A composite material has portions of a first material such as a metal or ceramic having coatings of a metal material thereon disposed in a metal matrix material and having a diffusion-bonds between the coating and matrix materials securing the portions of the first material at selected locations in the composite material.

Composite material and methods for making

A stiffened composite metal panel is made by providing a layer of metal with spaced grooves of a depth less than the thickness of the metal layer for defining separable strips of the layer and, after arranging stripes of bond-preventing material between limited portions of the respective separable strips and a second metal layer, the metal layers are passed between pressure bonding rolls with reduction in the thickness of the layer materials to metallurgically bond a portion of each separable strip to the second metal layer to form a composite metal panel while leaving a portion of each separable strip free of such bonding at the location of the bond-preventing stripe. The separable strips are then broken apart along the grooves and folded away from the second metal layer to form precisely located stiffening ribs in the composite panel.

Method of making a stiffened composite metal panel

Reinforced structural elements are produced by taking two or more sheets of the same or different malleable metal and applying a pattern of thermally decomposable stop-off material on an interfacial surface, solid phase green bonding the sheets one to another by squeezing them through squeezing rollers and sintering the sheets to improve the metallurgical bond therebetween. The composite can be formed into complex configurations having compound reentrant surfaces and then raised above a predetermined temperature to decompose the stop-off material to generate gas and inflate the sheets contiguous to the pattern. The stop-off material can be chosen to decompose essentially completely at a temperature above the predetermined temperature which facilitates forming prior to inflation or the material can include a portion which decomposes at the sintering temperature of the metallic sheets employed giving a two stage inflation. Plastic flow of the sheets can be obtained during inflation by heating the sheets according to a preselected temperature profile determined by the materials employed. The stop-off material may be applied in many different patterns including continuous and non-continuous areas, areas in the form of alpha-numeric symbols or areas to provide both a decorative effect and a structural reinforcement. In another example the pattern may be applied on the interfacial surfaces of several sheets in the form of spaced parallel strips offset from one sheet to the next, to provide a honeycomb structure.

Process for producing reinforced structural members

A non-contacting position sensor has an exciting coil in a plane and has a sensing coil in an intersecting plane so sensing coil portions are symmetrical around an exciting coil portion in mutually inductive relation to that portion of the exciting coil portions. A ferrite member magnetically shields those sensing coil portions from other portions of the exciting coil and a housing mount the sensor for relative movement with respect to magnetically permeable or electrically conductive inductance-modifier on an object whose position is to be monitored. Movement of the inductance-modifier as the object moves modifies mutual inductance between the respective sensing coil portions and the exciting coil portion so that, when the exciting coil is driven, the sensing coil provides a signal representative of the object position. If desired, an additional sensing coil is disposed in a third plane to provide X-Y position sensing. The inductive position sensor provides a reversal in output signal polarity when the object moves through a selected position where digital output may be required. The sensor regulates operating parameters of an automobile in response to change in position of an automotive component.

Inductive position sensor

Reinforced structural elements are produced by taking two or more sheets of the same or different malleable metal and applying a pattern of thermally decomposable stop-off material on an interfacial surface, solid phase green bonding the sheets one to another by squeezing them through squeezing rollers and sintering the sheets to improve the metallurgical bond therebetween.The composite can be formed into complex configurations having compound reentrant surfaces and then raised above a predetermined temperature to decompose the stop-off material to generate gas and inflate the sheets contiguous to the pattern.The stop-off material can be chosen to decompose essentially completely at a temperature above the predetermined temperature which facilitates forming prior to inflation or the material can include a portion which decomposes at the sintering temperature of the metallic sheets employed giving a two stage inflation. The stop-off material may be applied in many different patterns including continuous and non-continuous areas, areas in the form of alpha-numeric symbols or areas to provide both a decorative effect and a structural reinforcement. In another example the pattern may be applied on the interfacial surfaces of several sheets in the form of spaced parallel strips offset from one sheet to the next, to provide a honeycomb structure.

Process for producing reinforced structural articles

A non-contacting position sensor has an exciting coil disposed in a plane and has a sensing coil located in an intersecting plane so that portions of the sensing coil are disposed symmetrically around a portion of the exciting coil in mutually inductive relation to that portion of the exciting coil. Ferrite means magnetically shield those sensing coil portions from other portions of the exciting coil and housing means are provided to mount the sensor so that those coil portions are conveniently positioned for relative movement with respect to magnetically permeable or electrically conductive inductance-modifying means on an object whose position is to be monitored. Movement of the inductance-modifying means as the object moves then modifies the mutual inductance between the respective sensing coil portions and the exciting coil portion so that, when the exciting coil is driven, the sensing coil provides a signal which is accurately and reliably representative of the object position. If desired, an additional sensing coil is disposed in a third plane intersecting the two previously noted planes to provide X-Y position sensing. The inductive position sensor is inexpensive, is independent of the rate of change of object position, and is adapted to provide a reversal in output signal polarity when the object moves through a selected position where digital output may be required. The sensor is versatile in application but is particularly shown in automotive control systems for regulating operating parameters of the automobile or its engine in response to change in position of an automotive component. The sensor is shown for use in sensing rotation of the engine crankshaft or distributor or linear movement of an automotive component such as a shock absorber.

Position sensor and system

A contactless travel keyboard has first and second coils with elongated loop portions arranged at each key station so that, when an electrically conductive key element at the station is in a key-up position spaced from the coils, electrical input to the first coil results in magnetic induction of a relatively small output signal of a first polarity in the second coil and so that, when the key element moves to a key-down position relatively closer to the coils, electrical input to the first coil induces a current in the key element to magnetically induce a control signal of opposite polarity in the second coil sufficient to reverse the polarity of the output from the second coil. The keyboard includes means responsive to the reversal in polarity of the output signals from the second coils for determining which keys are in a key-down position.

Magnetic keyboard system

A magnetostrictive pressure transducer is disclosed wherein pressure in the range of zero to 1000 psi can be accurately measured. The pressure transducer apparatus includes a diaphragm causing the pressure to be applied unidirectionally on sensor material having the property of undergoing changes in magnetic induction when a pressure is applied thereto, the change in magnetic induction being related to the applied pressure. The change in magnetic induction is measured and thus provides a measurement of the applied pressure. Several embodiments are also disclosed for measuring vacuum. In these embodiments force is also applied unidirectionally on the sensor material.

Transducer

A temperature sensor particularly adapted for use with digital displays or controls comprises an oscillator circuit coupled to a capacitor formed of ferroelectric material in order to provide a linear relation of frequency with temperature. Both chip and multilayer capacitors are shown to be useful as the sensing element.

Temperature sensing apparatus

A magnetic transducer head has a plurality of magnetic laminations secured together in stacked relation to each other to form a magnetic core having a pair of pole faces disposed in spaced, facing relation to each other with a small gap therebetween and to define other surfaces of the core adjacent to the gap which are adapted for sliding engagement with the magnetic surface of a recording tape. Electrical coil means are inductively coupled to the core. Alternate magnetic laminations of the core incorporate materials of different magnetic and physical characteristics so that the laminations cooperate in determining the characteristics of the core. The materials of some laminations preferably display a relatively high maximum induction while other laminations incorporate materials having a relatively high initial permeability, thereby to facilitate use of the transducer both in recording and reproduction. Preferably the materials of some of the laminations have a relatively greater physical hardness than the materials of the other laminations to improve the wear characteristics of the core surfaces which are disposed in sliding engagement with the recording tape.

Magnetic transducer

A low-power infrared information transmission system, the transmitter of which is compact, portable and capable of being powered by a low-voltage battery power source for an extended period of time, utilizes a unique infrared light pulse position modulation technique. The system is capable of transmitting information from a DC signal to a relatively high frequency AC signal. The system is utilized, for example, to transmit medical information from medical electrodes affixed to a patient via a portable infrared transmitter to a receiver unit which monitors and analyzes the patient's condition; to provide a remote control unit such as the controller for a video game or a TV on/off/channel selector, and, to provide a portable communications device such as a portable microphone or telephone set.

Low-power, infrared information transmission system

A medical patient condition monitoring system includes a portable battery-operable transmitter module which transmits monitored conditions of the patient via infrared energy to the receiver input stage of a medical monitoring and display unit. In one embodiment, the transmitter module which may be worn on the patient's person includes medical electrodes which are coupled to the patient's skin to receive electrical signals generated by the patient's anatomy. A voltage-controlled pulse position modulator circuit is coupled to the medical electrodes for generating pulses controllably positioned in time from a reference frequency in dependence upon the amplitude of the signal generated by the medical electrodes. An infrared light-emitting device is coupled to the output of the pulse position modulator circuit for generating infrared energy bursts in synchronism with the pulses generated by the modulator circuit. A receiver module having an infrared photodetector device located in the patient's room receives the infrared energy, and provides an electrical signal pulsed in synchronism with the bursts of infrared energy. A demodulator circuit coupled to the photodetector device generates an output signal which corresponds to the electrical signals received via the medical electrodes. This output signal is coupled to the monitoring and/or display unit for monitoring the patient's condition.

Growing community of inventors

East Providence, RI, United States of America

George Trenkler