Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8188730 | Method and system for inductive proximity sensing that includes mounting effect compensation An inductive proximity sensor and related method for sensing a presence/position of a target, with mounting effect compensation, are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes providing a proximity sensor having first and second coils that are both a... | 05/29/2012 |
| 8183858 | Method and arrangement for measuring a gap A method for measuring the gap between a levitation magnet of a vehicle of a magnetic levitation railway and a fixed reaction rail of the magnetic levitation railway and for generating a gap measured value which specifies the size of the gap. In order to form the ga... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8085037 | Method and device for measurement of the pole orientation angle of a magnetic levitation vehicle of a magnetic levitation railroad A method for measuring the pole position of a magnetic levitation vehicle in a magnetic levitation railway, wherein a supporting magnetic field is generated on the maglev vehicle as a result of a supporting magnetic current on the vehicle side being fed to at least ... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8008911 | Method and device for the determination of the road clearance of a vehicle In a method for determining road clearance of a vehicle, the vehicle is moved relative to a measurement configuration with a reference surface. One or more magnets, which are disposed on the vehicle and assigned preferably each to a defined measurement point on the ... | 08/30/2011 |
| 7999539 | Proximity sensor In a proximity sensor 20 for detecting the proximity of a member to be detected 8 having a magnet or a magnetic material using a magnetic detection element 26, there are provided elastic members 33 for elastically energizing the magnetic ... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7999538 | Device and system for detecting position To provide a position sensor small enough to be contained in a groove formed in an air cylinder in which minimum stroke for fixing and differential travel are improved [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] The position sensor comprises a Hall IC (50) for turning an el... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7994778 | Inductive presence or position sensor for detecting both ferrous and non-ferrous metals An inductive sensor or detector includes as its sensitive element, preferably defining a front working plane of the sensor, a coil system forming an air-core transformer arrangement with a primary coil or winding (2) and a secondary coil or winding (3)... | 08/09/2011 |
| 7994777 | Apparatus and methods for an inductive proximity sensor An inductive proximity sensor is disclosed. The proximity sensor includes a housing having at least a first pair of inductive coils disposed within the housing. One of the first pair of inductive coils is opposite in polarity from another one of the first pair of in... | 08/09/2011 |
| 7902818 | Inductive proximity detector with switched windings The invention relates to an inductive proximity detector comprising an oscillating circuit excited with resonance by a generator and comprising a detection coil sensitive to a metal target to be detected, wherein the oscillating circuit comprises a reference coil ar... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7876093 | Eddy current inspection device, proximity probe and method for assembling an eddy current inspection device A method for assembling an eddy current inspection device includes at least partially positioning a first tip assembly within a cavity defined by a proximity probe case. The first tip assembly defines a bore therethrough. The first tip assembly is sealingly coupling... | 01/25/2011 |
| 7847541 | Actuators and moveable elements with position sensing A system senses the position of a movable element in a mechanical apparatus. The element moves along an elongated guide member, which is at least partially formed of a magnetic material. An excitation coil is positioned by the guide member and a sensing coil moves w... | 12/07/2010 |
| 7843191 | System and method for measuring rotational movement of a component from regions magnetized in a magnetically hard layer of the component A position-sensing system magnetically senses the position of a piston rod moving with respect to a cylinder. A magnetically hard layer on the piston rod provides a recording medium. A track comprised of a plurality of magnetized regions is magnetized in the magneti... | 11/30/2010 |
| 7834618 | Position sensor system A sensing mechanism includes a magnetic source, a magnetic flux sensor, a sensor backing on which the magnetic source and flux sensor are mounted, and a ferromagnetic target, where the magnetic source, magnetic flux sensor, and ferromagnetic target are positioned to... | 11/16/2010 |
| 7808235 | Apparatus and methods for proximity sensing circuitry An inductive proximity sensor is disclosed. The proximity sensor includes a resonator with a bifurcated inductance coupled to a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers. A portion of the resonator is configured to generate eddy currents in a target containing metal. I... | 10/05/2010 |
| 7791336 | Displaceable magnetic detection device The purpose is to achieve size reduction, weight reduction and thickness reduction of a magnetic material detecting device (1). The device comprises a linearly displaceable magnet (12) and a Hall IC (14) for detecting the displacement of the mag... | 09/07/2010 |
| 7768258 | Proximity probe transmitter A digital based two wire proximity transmitter system and a method for calibrating the system, wherein the transmitter includes a customized linearization table uniquely generated during calibration to take into account the unique impedance properties of a particula... | 08/03/2010 |
| 7755350 | System and method of perpendicularly magnetizing position information in a magnetically hard layer of a moving component A position-sensing system magnetically senses the position of a piston rod moving with respect to a cylinder. A magnetically hard layer on the piston rod provides a recording medium. Information is perpendicularly magnetized in regions of the magnetically hard layer... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7737686 | Distance sensor arrangement for a magnet of the levitation magnet of a magnetic levitation transport system A distance sensor configuration for a magnet of the levitation magnet of a magnetic levitation transport system equipped with a number of distance sensors. Each distance sensor has a distance measuring coil acted upon by an operating frequency and can be placed in a... | 06/15/2010 |
| 7675285 | Sensor and method including noise compensation An apparatus includes a sense element and an oscillator. The oscillator is coupled to the sense element and is used to generate an oscillator signal and a gain control signal. The oscillator signal is amplitude compensated when noise is detected in the sense element... | 03/09/2010 |
| 7649350 | Railcar presence detector A railcar presence detector including magnetic field sensors spaced along the length of a rail track for detecting magnetic field disturbances caused by ferromagnetic objects, such as railcars, passing along the rail track. Each of the magnetic field sensors generat... | 01/19/2010 |
| 7612557 | Eddy current type sensor for detecting conductor An eddy current type sensor for detecting a conductor includes a LC circuit and an oscillator. The LC circuit has a coil and a capacitor connected in parallel with the coil. The oscillator supplies an alternating current of a predetermined oscillation frequency to t... | 11/03/2009 |
| 7592804 | Contactless eddy current sensor and process for detecting test objects The invention relates to a contactlessly working eddy current sensor, particularly for detecting essentially flat test objects, comprising at least one sensor coil, eddy currents being able to be induced in the test object. The invention is characterized in that the... | 09/22/2009 |
| 7586303 | Inductive proximity sensor An inductive proximity sensor includes a coil or inductance arranged in the vicinity of an active surface or end of the sensor, a current source repeatedly supplying the inductance, and a signals processor for signals corresponding to the voltages induced in the coi... | 09/08/2009 |
| 7586304 | Stator position measuring method and measuring device A stator position measuring method and device relating to a motor driving device including a motor case, a rotor, and a stator disposed on an outer periphery of the rotor concentrically with the rotor, includes measuring a position of the stator relative to an axial... | 09/08/2009 |
| 7554324 | Turbine blade proximity sensor and control system A proximity sensor system uses a sensor coil as the frequency determining element of an oscillator circuit. The frequency of the oscillator circuit is thus modulated based on the proximity of the sensor coil to a conductive element, thereby supplying a frequency mod... | 06/30/2009 |
| 7511482 | Inductive proximity switch An inductive proximity switch with a housing formed of a nonmagnetic, high-grade steel, with a transmitting coil, two receiving coils which are connected in series in opposite directions and which are located symmetrically relative to the transmitting coil, and an e... | 03/31/2009 |
| 7501813 | Position detecting sensor A position detecting sensor for detecting a position of a magnetic body includes a first yoke, a first pair of magnets respectively possessing first and second poles and provided at both sides of the first yoke, a magnetic detecting element located at a distant posi... | 03/10/2009 |
| 7446525 | Pressure sensing device for rotatably moving parts and pressure detection method therefor A magnetic pressure sensing device for rotatably moving parts, of the type including at least one magnetic field source element associated to said rotatably moving part and a magnetic field sensing element associated to a fixed part to measure parameters of a magnet... | 11/04/2008 |
| 7439735 | Rail activated position sensor A position sensor including a sensor assembly adapted to mount to a first rail of an automotive seat rail assembly. The sensor assembly includes a Hall device and a magnet. The assembly is mountable to the first rail to cause a first output of the Hall device when t... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7432703 | Rope position sensor A rope position sensor for the surveillance of the position of the traction or carrying rope of a transport installation on a grooved pulley comprises an inductive distance measuring unit capable of emitting an alternating magnetic field and of detecting the attenua... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7429053 | Subframe structure and vibration damper for the same A subframe structure for an automotive vehicle wherein a subframe is attached through a rubber mount to a vehicle body, suspension components are assembled onto the subframe so that the suspension components are held connected to the vehicle body through the subfram... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7414400 | Detection of ferromagnetic objects approaching a magnet An apparatus for detecting a potentially dangerous ferromagnetic object carried inadvertently by a person approaching the magnet of a magnetic resonance imaging system (14) uses the fringe field (16) of the magnet and provides guide members (11)... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7402998 | Magnetic detection device including circuit capable of switching over output mode of N pole and S pole between non-separated one output and separated two outputs A magnetic detection device includes a mode switching section capable of switching over a 1-output mode in which a (+) magnetic-field detected signal and a (−) magnetic-field detected signal are both outputted from a first external output terminal, and a 2-output ... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7385390 | Device for establishing a cutting point from a blind side of a structure A blind spot targeting system for establishing a cutting point includes a locator with a housing having an indicator and a signal-sensing device. The housing has a hole therethrough, and the indicator is in electronic communication with the signal-sensing device for... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7382119 | Blind spot targeting system A blind spot targeting system for establishing a cutting point includes a locator with a housing having an indicator and a signal-sensing device. The housing has a hole therethrough, and the indicator is in electronic communication with the signal-sensing device for... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7373271 | System and method for measuring position and orientation using distortion-compensated magnetic fields An electromagnetic tracking system (600) and a distortion compensation method (500) that utilize a lead-lag network model to compensate for position and orientation distortion caused by eddy currents formed in one or more conductive distorters (330,... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7368907 | Omni-directional electric current perturbation probe An electric current perturbation probe includes at least one driver coil and at least one receiver. The at least one driver coil produces an omni-directional magnetic field. The at least one receiver is decoupled from the omni-directional magnetic field. In one exam... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7368904 | Proximity detector A proximity detector includes a fine DAC and a coarse DAC, outputs of which are summed to provide a tracking signal for tracking a magnetic field signal. The proximity detector provides two mode of operation. In a first mode of operation the coarse and fine DACs ope... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7365535 | Closed-loop magnetic sensor system A closed loop magnetic sensor system for measuring an input magnetic field from a magnetic field source has a compensation circuit, which can be for example a printed wire board, and a magnetic sensor, such as a Magnetoresistive (MR) sensor, for measuring an input m... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7365530 | Method and apparatus for vibration detection Apparatus for detecting vibration of an object adapted to rotate includes one or more vibration processors selected from: a direction-change processor adapted to detect changes in a direction of rotation of the object, a direction-agreement processor adapted to iden... | 04/29/2008 |
