Microsensor Technology

Other

Hewlett-packard Company

William R Higdon

Alan D Loux

Timothy G Slater

Steven L Hurst

A flood vent access door assembly having a frame assembly defining a fluid entrance aperture; a door pivotally mounted in said frame assembly, where in the door includes at least one ventilation opening formed through the door; and at least one latching/release mechanism for releasably maintaining the door in a fixed position relative to the frame assembly if a level of fluid is not above a determined level and releasing the door to pivot relative to the frame assembly if the level of fluid is above the determined level, wherein the at least one latching/release mechanism comprises a float means coupled to an elongate release arm for determining the level of fluid and releasing a latch of the at least one latching/release mechanism.

Flood vent access door assembly

A selector valve assembly has reduced size, reduced cost, and increased repeatability with improved reliability and reduced maintenance expense due to use of a silicon micromachined valve body held in a releasable housing which in turn is mounted on a manifold plate to which are attached inlet and outlet fluid carrying tubing. The manifold plate includes two metal plates bonded together by an intervening polymer film and defining thread female connection inlets for tube fittings. The micromachined valve body is connected to a pilot valve assembly providing pneumatic operation of the micro-valves in the micromachined valve body. Also, a heater is mounted on the manifold plate to maintain temperature. The micromachined valve body is held on the manifold plate by a releasable spring-loaded assembly allowing quickly replacement of the micro-valve body in case of its failure.

Selector valve assembly

A housing for a (silicon) micromachined body (for instance an injector valve system, a detector or a stream selector for a gas chromatograph instrument) is field assemblable and disassemblable and mechanically self-aligning so that the micromachined body may be replaced in the field without tools and without adhesives or permanent bonding. The housing includes a top plate and a bottom plate spaced apart by two side rails and accommodating the micromachined body. The various tubes carrying fluids and pneumatic pressure to and from the micromachined body are attached to the housing by adhesives or brazing or by detachable screw-type fittings. The housing is held in alignment by alignment pins passing through it and is clamped together by a spring clamp which also clamps the housing to a printed circuit board and associated planar heater element. In addition to easy field assembly, this assembly allows manufacturing without precision alignment tools, adhesives, or welding.

Housing assembly for micromachined fluid handling structure

A detachable column cartridge for a gas chromatograph is disclosed. The cartridge column contains analytical and reference columns, a heater and a thermocouple, and connects via detachable connectors to a base unit containing an injector, a detector and other components normally found in gas chromatographs. The cartridge arrangement permits a substitute column to be connected to the base unit easily, in the field, when different gases are to be separated and analyzed. Also included are specific connectors for detachably connecting the columns with capillary tubes in the base unit of the gas chromatograph.

Connector for detachable column cartridge for gas chromatograph

Method of fabricating connector

A detachable column cartridge for a gas chromatograph is disclosed. The cartridge column contains analytical and reference columns, a heater and a thermocouple, and connects via detachable connectors to a base unit containing an injector, a detector and other components normally found in gas chromatographs. The cartridge arrangement permits a substitute column to be connected to the base unit easily, in the field, when different gases are to be separated and analyzed.

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

William R Higdon