Micromotion Gmbh

Etegent Technologies, Ltd.

The Procter Gamble Company

Sheet Dynamics, Ltd.

Stuart James Shelley

Richard Allan Roth, Ii

Timothy J Cunningham

Christopher George Larsen

Oleg Lobkis

David Frederick Normen

Kevin Sigmund

Thomas Dean Sharp

Matthew Joseph Rensing

Gary Edward Pawlas

Richard William Hamm

Mackenzie Shelley

H&aring;vard I Vold

Richard A Roth

Conor Coyan

Aaron Collins Hacker

Adam Jacob Hehr

Logan Alexander Niehaus

Jason Feldman

Allan Michael Burwinkel

Ann El Demery

Larry Ray Gilliam, Jr

A strut suitable for use in parallel manipulator and other applications utilizes an actuation member that is subjected to a quasi-static axial tensioning force to effectively preload the strut to provide axial stiffness and bending flexibility at one or more ends of the strut.

Preloaded strut

An environmental condition may be measured with a sensor () including a wire () having an ultrasonic signal transmission characteristic that varies in response to the environmental condition by sensing ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using multiple types of propagation, and separating an effect of temperature on the wire from an effect of strain on the wire using the sensed ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using the multiple types of propagation. A positive feedback loop may be used to excite the wire such that strain in the wire is based upon a sensed resonant frequency, while a square wave with a controlled duty cycle may be used to excite the wire at multiple excitation frequencies. A phase matched cone () may be used to couple ultrasonic energy between a waveguide wire () and a transducer ().

Active waveguide excitation and compensation

An active mechanical waveguide including an ultrasonically-transmissive material and a plurality of reflection points defined along a length of the waveguide may be driven at multiple resonant frequencies to sense environmental conditions, e.g., using tracking of a phase derivative. In addition, frequency-dependent reflectors may be incorporated into an active mechanical waveguide, and a drive frequency may be selected to render the frequency-dependent reflectors substantially transparent.

Distributed active mechanical waveguide sensor driven at multiple frequencies and including frequency-dependent reflectors

A sensor with a mechanical waveguide may be characterized using test ultrasonic signals to generate a baseline signature, and the baseline signature may later be used to detect faults in the sensor.

Damage detection for mechanical waveguide sensor

A broadband waveguide comprising at least one filament configured to transmit a signal therethrough. The broadband waveguide may include one or more reflection suppression techniques including a damping material coupled to at least a portion of the at least one filament and/or at least one reflection point configured thereon. The waveguide may further including a cladding material coupled to the at least one filament. The at least one filament may be coupled to a securing element configured to couple to a surface. The at least one filament may be coupled to a sensor configured to sense the transmitted signal.

Broadband waveguide

A method and apparatus for a flowmeter () is provided. The method comprises the steps of placing a material in a flow tube (') while exciting a vibration mode of the flow tube (&#x2032;). Exciting the vibration mode of the flow tube (&#x2032;) comprises the steps of periodically driving a first driver (L) with a first signal and periodically driving a second driver (R) with a second signal, wherein the second driver (R) is driven essentially in phase with the first driver (L), but wherein the first driver's (L) drive amplitude modulated signal reaches a maximum amplitude when the second driver's (R) drive modulated signal reaches a minimal amplitude, and the first driver's (L) drive amplitude modulated signal reaches a minimum amplitude when the second driver's (R) drive amplitude modulated signal reaches a maximum amplitude. The method also comprises the steps of measuring the relative phase between a first pickoff (L) and a second pickoff (R) and determining a relative phase of a right eigenvector for the flow tube (&#x2032;).

Method of determining the left eigenvectors in a flowing Coriolis flowmeter

A composite active waveguide temperature sensor () incorporates a first, sensor portion () formed of an environment-resistant material such as ceramic coupled through an ultrasonically-transparent bond () to a second, waveguide portion () formed of an ultrasonically-transmissive material such as a metallic filament wire. By doing so, the sensor portion () may be positioned within a harsh environment and subjected to a temperature to be measured, and the waveguide portion () may be used to propagate ultrasonic energy to and/or from the sensor portion () to a location distal from the harsh environment for measurement of the temperature. The ultrasonically-transparent bond () between these portions () limits attenuation of and the introduction of reflections and other noise to an ultrasonic signal propagated across the bond ().

Composite active waveguide temperature sensor for harsh environments

Systems and methods for measuring environmental conditions of a sensing location, where a sensor including a measuring surface and a wire coupled in tension to the measuring surface over which ultrasonic signals may be transmitted and sensed. Signal analysis of ultrasonic signals transmitted over the tensioned wire are analyzed to measure one or more environmental conditions acting on the measuring surface.

Environmental sensor with tensioned wire exhibiting varying transmission characteristics in response to environmental conditions

A broadband waveguide incorporates various reflection suppression techniques to reduce reflections in signals communicated thereby. The waveguide includes one or more filaments that each include a first and second end. A first matrix may be configured proximate the first end(s) while a second matrix may be configured proximate an intermediate location between the first and second ends. A damping material may cover a portion of the filament(s) that extends from the second matrix to the second end(s) (including the second end(s) themselves) and/or the second end(s) of the filament(s) is/are shaped to at least partially suppress reflections of the signal therefrom. When configured with multiple filaments, at least two of the filaments may have differing lengths that extend from the second matrix and also operate to at least partially suppress reflections of a signal.

A simulation press having a main body and an actuator attached thereto. The actuator is substantially aligned with the main body. A first plate is coupled to the main body and a second plate is coupled to the actuator. Both plates are adapted to engage a workpiece so as to simulate various modes of deformation of an area or areas on the workpiece when the second plate is moved relative to the first plate. The simulation press further includes a drive controller for controlling operation of the actuator. The drive controller additionally responds to feedback from at least one feedback sensor included with the simulation press.

Research press

A method and apparatus for periodically calculating the relative phase of the left eigenvector for a vibrating conduit is provided. During normal operation, two drivers are used in tandem to excite the main bending mode of the conduit (). Periodically, first one (), then the second (), of the two drivers is disabled, allowing measurements that enable the determination of the relative phase of the left eigenvector () for the vibrating conduit.

In-flow determination of left and right eigenvectors in a Coriolis flowmeter

A method and apparatus is disclosed that measures the flow through a conduit () by measuring the Coriolis coupling between two vibration modes in the conduit. The conduit is first excited at two different vibration modes at two different frequencies (). The coupling between the two modes is determined by forcing the phases of the two modes at the off mode frequency to be zero (). The flow through the conduit can then be determined using the magnitude of the forces required to drive the phases of the two modes at the off mode frequency to zero ().

Method and apparatus for measuring flow through a conduit by measuring the Coriolis coupling between two vibration modes

A method and apparatus for decoupling complex multiple degree-of-freedom (MDOF) responses measured on linear dynamic systems into constituent single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) modal responses. A data acquisition and processing system periodically samples response signals generated by a plurality of sensors spaced at various locations on a linear dynamic system. The processing system calculates a plurality of sets of spatio-temporal filter coefficients based upon time-shifted digitized response signals. A synthesizer applies the spatio-temporal filter coefficients to the response signals, thereby generating synthesized signals representing decoupled SDOF responses of the linear dynamic system. Means are provided for receiving input signals representing a plurality of excitation inputs and for calculating input influence coefficients based upon the time-shifted digitized response signals and the excitation input signals.

Structural control and monitoring using adaptive spatio-temporal filtering

A drive system is taught for controlling the modal content of any number of drive signals used to excite any number of drives on a vibrating conduit such as is found in a Coriolis mass flowmeter or a vibrating tube densimeter. One or more motion signals are obtained from one or more spatially distinct feedback sensors. The motion signals are preferably filtered using a multi-channel modal filter to decompose the motion signals, each of which contain modal content at a plurality of vibration modes, into n single degree of freedom modal response signals. Each modal response signal corresponds to one of the vibration modes at which the vibrating conduit is excited. The n modal response signals are input to a drive channel having a separate processing channel for each of the n modal response signals.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Stuart James Shelley