The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 05, 1997
Filed:
Oct. 02, 1995
Thomas Arthur Brownell, Ballston Lake, NY (US);
Vivek Venugopal Badami, Niskayuna, NY (US);
John Lewis Schneiter, Latham, NY (US);
George Charles Goodman, Niskayuna, NY (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
An ultrasonic ranging system for providing a distance to a subject signal for use in positioning a movable imaging element support structure with respect to a subject of examination includes a collar assembly disposed around a portion of the imaging element structure disposed towards an imaging region; a plurality of ultrasonic transducers disposed in a sensing pattern around the collar assembly; and an ultrasonic ranging processing unit coupled to the transducers to control processing of ultrasonic ranging signals from the transducers. The transducers are typically disposed in one or more rows on the surface around the circumference of the collar assembly such that the lobes of ultrasonic signals generated provide a desired ranging field.