Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Other

3m Innovation Properties Company

Lanny L Harklau

Jeffrey A Boettcher

Steven P Floeder

William C Tait

Jack Wing Lai

Gregory D Kostuch

John A Ramthun

Wenyuan Xu

J Thomas Simpson

Del R Lawson

Arthur T Manning

A method and apparatus for measuring the thickness of a coating on a coated surface. The method uses a solid state array of light-sensitive elements to measure light emitted from a fluorescing coating composition. The intensity of the emitted light corresponds to the thickness of the coating composition, and provides a fast and accurate measure of coating thickness.

Low cost thickness measurement method and apparatus for thin coatings

A bowstring release apparatus for use with a bowstring affixed to a bow is disclosed. The bowstring release apparatus comprises an activation switch connected to a timing device which in turn is connected to a release mechanism. Actuation of the activation switch initiates a time period whose length is established by the timing device. The release mechanism releases the secured bowstring after expiration of the time period. Additionally, a method for improving the shooting accuracy of an archer by providing a bow, a bowstring affixed to the bow, an arrow and a bowstring release apparatus is disclosed. The method includes the archer drawing the bowstring and activating an activation switch. After completion of a time period, the bowstring will automatically be released. The duration of the time period is determined by a timing device which is responsive to the activating of the activation switch.

Bowstring release mechanism

A method of measuring intensity of radiant energy fluoresced by a fluorescer in a radiation-cured coating. The method comprising the steps of: a) providing a coating comprising: i) a radiation-curable monomer or oligomer; and ii) a fluorescer having an excitation energy at a wavelength .lambda..sub.2, the fluorescer fluorescing radiant energy of a wavelength .lambda..sub.3 ; b) curing the coating by exposure to radiant energy, thereby changing the intensity of radiant energy that would be fluoresced by the fluorescer if exposed to wavelength .lambda..sub.2 ; c) illuminating the radiation-cured coating with excitation energy of a wavelength .lambda..sub.2, wherein at least 50% of the excitation energy is absorbed by the upper 75 .mu.m of the radiation-cured coating; and d) measuring the intensity of the radiant energy fluoresced by the fluorescer at wavelength .lambda..sub.3. The above method can be used to measure the amount of residual radiation-curable monomer or oligomer present in a radiation-cured coating. This method of measuring residual monomer is especially useful where the intensity of the radiant energy fluoresced by the fluorescer at wavelength .lambda..sub.3 changes with the concentration of unreacted radiation-curable monomer or oligomer in the radiation-cured coating.

Method for measuring residual radiation-curable monomers or oligomers

A fluorescent spectrophotometer measures the fluorescent characteristics of fluorescent probes within functional compositions of a specimen. The fluorescent spectrophotometer emits light appropriate for exciting the fluorescer or fluorescers contained within the specimen. The excited fluorescer emits within an emission wavelength spectrum. Fluorescers having a narrower wavelength region over which an abrupt change in emission intensity occurs are chosen for use as a fluorescent probe. The fluorescent spectrophotometer detects the change in intensity through this narrower area and performs a derivative calculation on the intensity curve. The fluorescent spectrophotometer is able to distinguish the fluorescer from other fluorescers or interfering fluorescent backgrounds.

Fluorescent spectral differential measurement of a substrate coating

A method and system is disclosed for measuring a functional characteristic of one or more thin film coatings applied to a thin film using a photoisomer. A photoisomer is mixed into each functional coating in known amounts. Photodetection of the photoisomer as a part of the functional coatings is used to control a functional characteristic of the thin film during the manufacturing process. The photoisomer is activated with light of a selected wavelength range, and light fluorescence is measured in another selected wavelength range.

Multiple layer caliper measurements using photoisomers

A method of constructing an LC network, and the resulting LC network manufactured by cutting and removing a predetermined pattern from a first and a second conductive sheet, leaving on each sheet a generally coil-like configuration of windings with a sufficient number of interconnections between the adjacent windings to add rigidity to the sheets, laminating these conductive sheets to opposing faces of a non-conductive sheet, thereby forming at least one capacitor, cutting and removing a pre-determined pattern from the lamination eliminating at least some of the interconnections and leaving a conductive path on the conductive sheets which is in the configuration of a coil.

Growing community of inventors

Stillwater, MN, United States of America

Lanny L Harklau