Technicare Corporation

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

Other

At&t Bell Laboratories

The Singer Company

Dresser Industries, Inc.

William S Trimmer

James Albert Walker

Robert W Jebens

David H Vilkomerson

Kaigham J Gabriel

Howard L Beckerman

Robert B Marcus

Bayard G Gardineer

Robert K Prud'Homme

William Herbert Ninke

Tommy L Poteat

Andreas Hadjicostis

Stephen A Raccio

Donald J Summers

Donald P Weiss

C Wayne Robbins

This invention is directed to a microelectromechanical valve having two or more diaphragms containing non-aligned holes to control the flow of fluids. Fluid flows through the holes in the first diaphragm and then must flow between the first and second diaphragm to reach the holes in the second diaphragm, whereupon the fluid is free to flow past the second diaphragm.

Micro pump

Knife blades having exceptionally sharp cutting edges are formed from wafers of monocrystalline silicon using known semiconductor processing technology. In one embodiment, an elongated ridge having a flat top covered by an etchant mask is etched to undercut the mask and to shape the ridge side walls to inwardly converge towards the ridge tip. The mask is removed and a sharp ridge apex is provided by a series of oxide forming and oxide stripping processes. Individual knife blades of silicon, each comprising a ridge having a sharp cutting edge, are shaped from the wafer. In another embodiment, the silicon wafer is etched entirely through between top and bottom surfaces to form a tapered etched wall intersecting the bottom wall at a highly acute edge. The edge is sharpened by the oxide forming and oxide stripping process to form a cutting edge in the completed blade. In both embodiments, various etch masks and etching procedures are used for providing blades of various shapes.

Knife blades having ultra-sharp cutting edges and methods of fabrication

A carrier structure for transducers. The semiconductor carrier structure mounts as a single unit to a force-impacted substrate and includes multiple piezoelectric elements integrally formed with the carrier structure, such that the elements are located in a space defining a window of the structure while maintaining their electrical contact and their precise position relative to the structure by use of thin-film, electrically conductive, metallic flexures attached to both the structure and the elements.

Carrier structure for transducers

An electrostatic motor comprising a stator and a rotor, one of which is equipped with a plurality of lands to which a voltage is sequentially applied. The other of the stator and rotor is made of conductive material. Rolling contact is established between the stator and rotor along at least one line of contact. The rolling contact is controlled to repetitive first and second paths along first and second surfaces of the stator and rotor, respectively, in which the lengths of the first and second paths are different. Embodiments include a cylindrical motor, a flexible disk motor and a conical motor.

Harmonic electrostatic motor

An electrostatic optical fiber switch. An aperture in the switch housing allows for switching movement of the end of a fiber. This aperture is formed in part by a groove in which the depth and width of the groove increases continuously with distance toward the end of the fiber. This forms a smoothly curving surface for restraining and aligning the switching end of the fiber when the electrostatic field is applied. This arrangement substantially reduces the voltage required to operate the switch by prior electrostatic switches.

Electrostatic optical fiber switch

Miniaturized linear and rotary electrostatic motors. The motors are fabricated by disposing a plurality of conductive lands onto insulating substrates and then filling in the spaces between the lands by deposition of an insulating material. A final layer of insulating material is then disposed over each of the entire surfaces containing the lands to form smooth bearing surfaces. The bearing surfaces of two of these elements are placed in contact. In one embodiment, the natural lubrication of the bearing surfaces aids movement. In another embodiment, a special lubricating film is placed between the substrates. Arrangements are made for maintaining alignment of the contacting elements. The lands are selectively energized in a manner to effect movement of one element with respect to the other.

Micro-electrostatic motor

An electrically controlled shape memory alloy actuator capable of being miniaturized for use in robotics and other fields. The actuator is made of a shape memory alloy wire which is torsioned end along its longitudinal axis and with its ends constrained against movement. A lever or other suitable element is attached to the wire at a desired point other than at a wire end. A plurality of electrical connections spaced along the wire define a plurality of different sections of the wire. The wire and attached control element is made to rotate by selectively applying voltages to the different sections of the wire to heat the individual sections.

Shape memory alloy actuator

Disclosed is a device which in one aspect effects a continuous realignment of the optical fiber in transmitters, receivers, or transceivers after the lightwave package is assembled and in use, and in another aspect provides movement of optical fibers or other small elements for general applications. In one embodiment, the fiber is mechanically coupled to a piezoelectric crystal which expands and contracts in response to electrical pulses supplied to electrodes on the crystal. Clamping and releasing the ends of the crystal by magnetic or electrostatic forces result in movement of the fiber in incremental steps to its aligned position.

Lightwave component package

A solid steel stylet is carried coaxially within a hollow biopsy needle. The stylet carries a matching layer at its tip, such that when the needle and stylet are inserted into the body, ultrasound energy impinging on the needle tip is converted to pressure waves which are conveyed back up the stylet. An ultrasound transducer located outside the body is coupled to receive sonic energy from the stylet, and to convert it to electrical energy for coordination with, and superposition upon the image of the system.

Passive ultrasound needle probe locator

A novel method for imaging body tissues is disclosed wherein an ultrasonic pulse having a radially asymmetric side-lobe pattern surrounding a central focal lobe is generated. A receiver for receiving echoes of this pulse is provided which exhibits a sensitivity to echoes from the aforementioned side-lobe pattern which is relatively decreased by comparison to its sensitivity to echoes from the central focal lobe. In the preferred embodiment, square transducers which are rotated with respect to the focal axis by about 45.degree. are used to practice the disclosed method.

Pulse-echo ultrasound system utilizing conjugate emitting and receiving

A solid steel stylette is carried coaxially within a hollow biopsy needle, with the void therebetween filled and packed with several layers of hollow plastic microspheres having an approximate diameter of 0.80 millimeters. Ultrasound energy impinging on the needle tip is converted to pressure waves which are conveyed back up the stylette, there to be converted to electrical energy for coordination with the image of the system. The packing of hollow plastic microspheres acoustically insulates the stylette from the needle.

Ultrasound imaging systems such as those utilized in breast scanning and diagnosis require not only periodic maintenance but also evaluation of the resolution and depth of field capability so as to provide maximum information to the clinician utilizing the system. The resolution measuring device preferred incorporates helically contorted filaments physically arranged to intersect at a point thereby forming a known gradient of divergence. Measurement of the translational distance from the intersection point to the point of resolution of imaged lines will, with knowledge of the gradient, permit facile determination of the separation distance which corresponds to the resolution of the ultrasound imaging system.

Resolution measuring device for acoustical imaging systems and method of

A display system utilizing incandescent lamps arranged at the intersection points of a matrix array of row and column conductors includes a plurality of load resistors connecting the row conductors to a first voltage source and a plurality of load resistors connecting the column conductors to a second voltage source. To energize a selected lamp, the row conductor connected to that lamp is connected to the second voltage source and the column connected to that lamp is connected to the first voltage source.

Growing community of inventors

Belle Mead, NJ, United States of America

William S Trimmer