Did You Know...
...that Thomas Edison's patent application on his phonograph was approved by the Patent Office in just seven weeks? In contrast, it took Gordon Gould, the inventor of the laser, 30 years to obtain his patent -- finally awarded in 1988!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7681450 | Casing resonant radial flexural modes in cement bond evaluation A method useful for evaluating the presence and/or the quality of the cement bond of a downhole tubular. The method involves measuring radial resonance modes of the tubular, and comparing those measured values to the unbound tubular resonant values of a calibration ... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7647828 | Method for measuring and/or regulating the oscillation amplitude of an ultrasonic transmitter, and an ultrasonic welding device The invention relates to a method for measuring and/or regulating the oscillation amplitude of an ultrasound oscillator of an ultrasound device. In order to be able to measure or regulate the oscillation amplitude of the ultrasound oscillator in a simple manner, it ... | 01/19/2010 |
| 7574915 | Simplified impedance plane bondtesting inspection An NDI system includes an ultrasonic transducer and an electronic device having an indicator, such as a light source. The electronic device energizes the transducer, receives sinusoidal signals from the transducer, determines impedance-plane coordinates correspondin... | 08/18/2009 |
| 7424827 | Inspecting method of elastic body, inspecting apparatus thereof, and dimension predicting program thereof In an inspecting method of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator having a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element and two or more electrodes, the frequency response characteristics is picked up when a vibration is given to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive actua... | 09/16/2008 |
| 7373332 | Methods and apparatus for detecting temporal process variation and for managing and predicting performance of automatic classifiers Techniques for detecting temporal process variation and for managing and predicting performance of automatic classifiers applied to such processes using performance estimates based on temporal ordering of the samples are presented. ... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7357030 | Apparatus and methods for determining at least one characteristic of a proximate environment Methods and an apparatus for determining at least one characteristic of an environment are disclosed. A vibrational energy may be imparted into an environment and a magnitude of damping of the vibrational energy may be measured and at least one characteristic of the... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7348708 | Drive method for piezoelectric actuator, drive apparatus for piezoelectric actuator, electronic device, control program for drive apparatus for piezoelectric actuator, and recording medium The frequency of a drive signal supplied to a piezoelectric actuator 91 is swept within a specific range, the consumption current of the piezoelectric actuator 91 is determined, and when the consumption current is equal to or greater than a reference v... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7310139 | Evaluation method and device for gel state or sol-gel state change of object A system and method for evaluating a material body by a scattered light observation system which observes a gel state or a gel-formable sol state material body illuminated with a coherent light through a two dimensional image recognizing means, including measuring a... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7281434 | Service life sensor device A device for monitoring the service life of a machine-technical installation includes a sensor module and at least a measuring sensor for detecting stresses and expansions from a structural component of the machine-technical installation, a microcontroller, an anten... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7263886 | Apparatus for and methods of stress testing metal components A tuning device (23) and an apparatus that incorporates the tuning device (23) for use in testing the integrity of a railway line (30) to obtain an improved test signal, the tuning device (23) including an elongate member (23) adap... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7222514 | Laminate material testing methods and systems Techniques for ultrasonically evaluating damage to a laminate structure include use of a diagnostic device having at least two modes of operation including a calibration mode and a test mode with the calibration mode providing calibration parameters specific to the ... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7152475 | Device and method for measuring axial force of bolt The present invention provides an axial bolt force measuring instrument for measuring an axial force of a bolt for a hub that couples a wheel and an axle of a vehicle, where the instrument is provided with a setting portion that sets a predetermined axial force of t... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7103520 | Methods and apparatus for model based shrouded bellows stiffness determinations A modeling system predicts natural frequency responses in tube sub-systems including shrouded bellows components. The system determines a stiffness multiplier from input values and uses the determined flexibility factor to determine the natural frequency responses. ... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7062956 | Tire testing machine with removable hanger hoist and method for loading a tire A tire testing machine includes a spindle adapted to rotatably support a tire. The machine has a frame defining an opening that allows the tire to be loaded onto the spindle and unloaded from the spindle with the frame having an upper frame member that spans at leas... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7043989 | Method and apparatus for testing installation quality in a grouted anchor system The invention concerns a method of testing the installation quality of a grouted anchor system comprising at least one tendon anchored by grout in a hole in a surrounding mass. The system typically includes a group of roof bolts (10, 12) each having a tendon ... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7024323 | Control system for a failure mode testing system A control system for a failure mode testing system is described. The control system employs at least one control algorithm that enables the testing system to be operated at optimal pressure and frequency levels in order to generate a desired system response, such as... | 04/04/2006 |
| 7004370 | Device and method for determining parameters of a welding system The invention relates to a device and method for determining parameters of a welding system. According to the invention, a welding area (18, 21, 22) is subjected to the action of ultrasonic waves, preferably to the action of shear waves, by using an ultrasoun... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6962281 | Bonding apparatus and bonding method having process for judging bonding state In a bonding apparatus having an ultrasonic horn 3 coupled to an ultrasonic vibrator 5 and a bonding tool 4 coupled to the ultrasonic horn 3, and applying ultrasonic bonding to a work 11, by providing an ultrasonic detector 7 | 11/08/2005 |
| 6920793 | Systems and apparatus for airborne ultrasonic testing of package and container seals Systems and devices for testing or inspecting the integrity of package closure seals using contact and non-contact ultrasonic systems wherein a relative movement is created between a package seal and at least one ultrasonic transmitting transducer and at least one r... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6915217 | Laser doppler vibrometer for remote assessment of structural components A method and system for remotely inspecting the integrity of a structure. This can be performed by a method creating a vibratory response in the structure from a remote location and then measuring the vibratory response of the structure remotely. Alternatively, this... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6857553 | Method and apparatus for in-process sensing of manufacturing quality A method for determining the quality of an examined weld joint comprising the steps of providing acoustical data from the examined weld joint, and performing a neural network operation on the acoustical data determine the quality of the examined weld joint produced ... | 02/22/2005 |
| 6745629 | Method and apparatus for the production and quality testing of a bonded wire connection A method of producing a bonded wire connection between an electronic component or a subassembly and a carrier by introducing energy from an ultrasound transducer into a wire that is to be bonded. According to this method, during the introduction of energy the impeda... | 06/08/2004 |
| 6684700 | Stress wave sensor A sensor is disclosed specifically for detecting stress waves for use in a stress wave analysis system. The stress waves-are preferably detected in a narrow frequency range of 35-40KHz. At this range, stress waves from friction and impact sources typicall... | 02/03/2004 |
| 6613169 | Thermoplastic rewelding process Thermoplastic welding is an emerging technology targeted at significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of aerospace structure by eliminating fasteners and the touch labor associated with fasteners to prepare, install, and inspect the assemblies. Qualit... | 09/02/2003 |
| 6439447 | Bump joining judging device and method, and semiconductor component production device and method When electrodes on an electronic component and electrode portions on a circuit board are joined via bumps with the electronic component and the circuit board vibrated respectively, a vibration damping detect device and a deciding device detect damping of ... | 08/27/2002 |
| 6414260 | Welding electrode with an arrangement for introducing ultrasound in order to check weld joints A welding electrode with a configuration (2) for the ultrasound introduction for the testing of weld joints, in particular resistance welded joints, comprises an ultrasound transmitter for the impingement of the welding region with ultrasonic waves and an... | 07/02/2002 |
| 6260415 | System and method for material testing, material suitable for such testing and method for producing such material A material, such as a fiber composite material, has embedded inside at least one, preferably more, surface acoustic wave filters of piezoelectric material for receiving testing energy in a wireless manner and for retransmitting a material quality signal i... | 07/17/2001 |
| 6220097 | Device for detecting delaminations and methods of use thereof A device for detecting hidden delaminations in a structure subject to hidden delaminations comprising a rotary percussion tool head adapted at an end thereof to connect to an extension pole, wherein said head comprises at least one circular member, each c... | 04/24/2001 |
| 6037180 | Method for measuring the quantity of a polymeric or pre-polymeric composition A method for measuring the quantity of a polymeric or pre-polymeric composition within a given volume that includes combining the polymeric or pre-polymeric composition with a plurality of microparticles having a non-ferromagnetic or non-ferrimagnetic cor... | 03/14/2000 |
| 6026687 | Stress testing and relieving method and apparatus An apparatus for testing and stress relieving metal components comprising a vibration means (28), attachment means (30), control means (2) and measuring means (13,31), the attachment means (28) being configured and arranged to, in use, directly vibration ... | 02/22/2000 |
| 5696326 | Method and apparatus for acoustic testing of armatures An objective and non-destructive test of the fused joints in an armature, that can be used on every armature being manufactured on an armature manufacturing line, as well as apparatus for performing that test, are provided. The armature is immersed in an ... | 12/09/1997 |
| 5679899 | Method and apparatus for non-destructive testing of structures A system for non-destructively inspecting or testing for faults or damage in or beneath the surface of structures, such as debonds or delaminations in composite materials, or cracks, broken stringers, delaminations and the like in structures. High energy ... | 10/21/1997 |
| 5652386 | Method and apparatus for predicting sturctural integrity by estimating modal damping factor The integrity of structures may be determined by either one of two methods. In a first method, an impulse of energy is introduced into the structure, such as by striking the structure, and the induced vibration is measured and the modal damping factor is ... | 07/29/1997 |
| 5630698 | Converter for providing a liquid at a measurement pressure corresponding to a rotational speed A converter assembly for providing a liquid in a measuring line includes a stationary housing and a component being rigidly connected to the housing. A journal is slidingly supported in the stationary housing and defines a gap disposed between the compone... | 05/20/1997 |
| 5571966 | Method and apparatus for predicting lifetime of measured object A nondestructive inspection method predicts the lifetime of a measured object. A measured object is made to vibrate, and there is obtained a frequency difference .increment.f between a frequency of a nth-order spectrum and a frequency of a (n+1)th-order s... | 11/05/1996 |
| 5492013 | Method and apparatus for acoustic testing of armatures An objective and non-destructive test of the fused tang/commutator bar joints in an armature, that can be used on every armature being manufactured on an armature manufacturing line, as well as apparatus for performing that test, are provided. The armatur... | 02/20/1996 |
| 5476009 | Method and apparatus for determining material fatigue by measuring damping factors The fatigue integrity of metallic materials may be determined by either one of two methods. In a first method, an impulse of energy is introduced into the metallic material, such as by striking the metallic material, and the induced vibration is sensed an... | 12/19/1995 |
| 5408881 | High resolution ultrasonic interferometry for quantitative mondestructive characterization of interfacial adhesion in multilayer composites An ultrasonic interferometry technique for composite structures such as metal/polymer/metal structures exhibits high sensitivity to interfacial properties, even at usual ultrasonic wavelengths. A model for the ultrasonic response of multilayered media acc... | 04/25/1995 |
| 5253528 | Vibration technique for measuring bonding in automotive radiators Nondestructive testing of heat exchangers (12), such as a radiator, measures the percentage of good bonds between air centers and cooling tubes based on natural or resonant frequencies of the exchanger (12). The exchanger (12) is excited by an audio speak... | 10/19/1993 |
| 5213249 | Ultrasonic adhesion/dehesion monitoring apparatus with power feedback measuring means An ultrasonic adhesion/dehesion monitoring apparatus for monitoring the adhesion/dehesion between first and second substrates comprising: a. an ultrasonic source for transmitting ultrasonic energy to at least first and second substrates; b. means for meas... | 05/25/1993 |
