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:
Sep. 08, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 02, 1995
Walter Whipple, III, Amsterdam, NY (US);
Vivek Venugopal Badami, Niskayuna, NY (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
An imager control system with contact detection capability for positioning a movable imaging element structure with respect to a subject includes a collar assembly disposed around at least a portion of the imaging element structure disposed towards a subject region; a plurality of sensor elements disposed in a sensing pattern in the collar assembly, each sensor element having a number elastomeric electrodes coupled together in series; and a processing unit coupled to the sensor elements so as to detect contact between the collar assembly and a subject of examination as a function of a change in resistance in one or more elastomeric electrode resulting from deformation of the electrode upon contact with the subject. The elastomeric electrodes are made of a flexible material in which conductive particles have been embedded such that electrode exhibits a change in electrical resistance in response to physical deformation.