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:
Apr. 14, 1998
Filed:
Apr. 15, 1996
Kenneth M Beck, Kennewick, WA (US);
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL (US);
Abstract
In a first preferred embodiment a transmitting acoustic transducer mounted on the tool axis or spindle of a grinding tool affords a method for pre-contact recognition and control (touch-off) independent of tool grit, workpiece material, and all natural machining frequencies. The transmitting transducer such as a piezoelectric polymer or crystal generates a selected frequency of approximately 1-5 MHz. As the tool enters a lubricating plume surrounding the workpiece, the ultrasonic transmission couples through the fluid interface to the workpiece. A receiving transducer mounted on the optical workpiece gives a unequivocal and rapid detection of the transmission by a highly filtered(band pass) receiving transducer before the tool contacts the workpiece. In a second preferred embodiment, a photoacoustic laser excites a modulated frequency to the grinding tool and to the receiving transducer. Alternatively, the resonant frequency (approximately 300 KHz) of the grinding tool can be detected by the receiving transducer.