...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7420477 | Method for an enhanced absolute position sensor system An absolute position of a rotating axis is sensed at a desired resolution by employing two or more absolute encoders of a resolution that is lower than the desired resolution. A first absolute encoder that rotates in concert with the axis being sensed and a second a... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7400269 | Coding element with integrated limit switch An optical encoder. The optical encoder includes a coding element, an emitter, and a detector. The coding element has a track with a track pattern. The track pattern includes a plurality of optically distinguishable sections. The plurality of optically distinguishab... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7319568 | Magnetic recording media, magnetic recording apparatus, and stamper A magnetic recording media has a magnetic layer formed on a substrate and includes data regions including a magnetic pattern constituting a recoding track and servo regions including magnetic patterns used as address bits, the data regions and the servo regions bein... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7289041 | Absolute position chain encoder An absolute position encoder for identifying which of a plurality of loci a moveable member occupies comprises a plurality of data tracks in which binary data is encoded to form a series of n-bit words, each of the plurality of loci being associated with one of the ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7283068 | Binary decoders in electronic integrated circuits An improved binary decoder incorporating a selection circuit that activates a selected output corresponding to a input binary value, and a deselecting circuit coupled to each output that deactivates all other outputs when the selected output is activated. The desele... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7280049 | Encoder runout error correction circuit A novel encoder system adapted for use in print architecture at least includes: a codewheel coupled to a rotating print architecture element; a first encoder sensor mounted at a first position relative to the periphery of the codewheel, the first encoder adapted to ... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7262714 | Interpolating encoder utilizing a frequency multiplier An encoder having a detector and an optical system that generates an image of a code strip on the detector is disclosed. The image includes a plurality of light and dark stripes, the detector generating a plurality of sinusoidal signals differing in phase from one a... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7256713 | Absolute angle detecting device An absolute angle detecting device is provided. The absolute angle detecting device is composed of a first detecting element group that outputs a Gray code string for angle detection that detects a rotating angle in one sector of the multi-rotation body at required ... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7208906 | Excitation of switched reluctance motors A switched reluctance drive is supplied from a power source. The phases of the machine are controlled by a current controller which uses an excitation strategy to minimize the supply current drawn for a particular output. The strategy alternates the excitation betwe... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7178412 | Encoder failure detection An encoder failure detector system and method for detecting failure of an encoder at near-zero rotational speeds. For example, in one embodiment a failure is indicated if a torque command exceeds a selected threshold for a selected period of time and no movement of ... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7180053 | Apparatus, a system and method for determining a position within a cylinder An apparatus, a system and a method are provided for monitoring position of a machine element within a mechanical system and/or cleaning a machine element. A light source and sensor may be positioned within a cylinder. The sensor may detect the intensity of light wi... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7170279 | Device and method for measuring angles A device for angle measurement, having at least one transducer wheel and at least one sensor, including at least one sensor element and cooperating with the transducer wheel, in which by means of the cooperation of the transducer wheel and the sensor, a pair, which ... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7148972 | Position recognizing device and position recognizing method LEDs are driven by pseudorandom number sequences unique to the LEDs, respectively, and emit light having light intensity change corresponding to their respective pseudorandom number sequences. The light from the LEDs enters a PSD. The PSD outputs currents having lev... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7126108 | Photodetector array arrangement for optical encoders An optical encoder utilizes a photodetector array having at least two photodetectors with different surface areas that generate different amounts of photocurrent when they are simultaneously lit by an LED. Because the photodetectors generate different amounts of pho... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7091883 | Absolute position encoder A transducer, a method and a coding pattern for determining a kinematic measurable variable are disclosed. A transducer comprises a first device part which is moveable in or through a corresponding device for oil or natural gas production and a second device part wh... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7075057 | Method of generating an index signal for an optical encoder A processing apparatus calculates and applies calibrations to sensors that produce quasi-sinusoidal, quadrature signals, using fixed or programmable electronic circuits, a circuit to calculate the phase and magnitude corresponding to the two input (quadrature) signa... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7067797 | Optical position encoder having alignment indicators providing quantitative alignment indications An optical encoder includes an optical source, a scale, an optical detector and signal processing circuitry. The scale is operative with a light beam from the source to generate an optical pattern such as a line pattern extending in an X direction of relative moveme... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7031031 | Position measuring system A method for the functional control of a position measuring system that includes placing a scanning unit at a position with respect to a graduation, generating a first scanning signal and a second scanning signal during the displacing, forming a first measured posit... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7002318 | Position sensor fault tolerant control for automotive propulsion system A control system for a motor including a rotor comprises a sensorless sensor module that includes a saliency-based estimator module that generates a first rotor position signal based on saliency and a back electromotive force (emf) estimator module that generates a ... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6992602 | Joystick controller A joystick controller has a body (10), an operating shaft (12) and a ball-and-socket joint (14) mounting the operating shaft for universal pivotal movement relative to the body (10) about a pivot center. First and second and third carrier... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6956367 | Bearing assembly equipped with rotation sensor to determine rotation and position of rotating element To provide a compact bearing assembly equipped with a rotation sensor capable of detecting not only pulse signals for detecting the number of revolution, but also a home position signal, the bearing assembly equipped with the rotation sensor includes a rotatable mem... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6927704 | Fault tolerant optoelectronic position sensor An assembly for optoelectronically sensing position includes a light source, a coded element, and a plurality of photosensors. Holes are disposed in the coded element to define a plurality of digital codes. The light passes through the holes in the coded element to ... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6914543 | Method for initializing position with an encoder A method for detecting an absolute rotational position of an electromechanical device or the at least one component thereof comprising determining a first absolute position of the electromechanical device or the at least one component thereof based on a commutation ... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6909205 | Motor assembly allowing output in multiple degrees of freedom A motor allowing multiple degrees of output freedom includes a stator having an interior surface forming at least a portion of a sphere or curved surface and first and second substantially orthogonally positioned stator coils wound on the interior surface. A rotor i... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6901682 | Rotation angle detecting apparatus and its rotary disc A rotary disc made of synthetic resin has a fixed portion fixed to a rotary shaft, a cylindrical portion extending in the thrust direction from the outer peripheral edge of the fixed portion, and a disc main body portion extending in the radial direction from the lo... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6890060 | Recording head driving method, recording head, ink-jet printer An ink jet printer has a line head having heating elements (121d) for ejecting ink droplets from nozzles, in which the plurality of heating elements (121d) are arrayed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper feed direction... | 05/10/2005 |
| 6867412 | Scale structures and methods usable in an absolute position transducer An absolute position-sensing device is usable to measure the relative position of two elements. An absolute scale includes an integrated track extending along a measuring axis of the scale. The integrated track includes a plurality of code portions interleaved with,... | 03/15/2005 |
| 6812861 | Method for automatically generating several electrical pulses using numeric default values, in particular for stimulating an incremental encoder The invention relates to a method for automatically generating several electrical pulses using numeric default values, in particular for simulating an incremental encoder for a sequential, digital counting of linear or angular displacement values using said pulses. ... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6693565 | Position transducer There is provided a position transducer (1) capable of accurately detecting an n-bit code by n ABS detectors from one ABS track. When an INC value is under j or over k, signal output from each of the ABS detectors is binarized based on a threshold h and a... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6683545 | Multiturn rotary encoder with detector devices on a shared side of a printed circuit board In a multiturn rotary encoder, a first code disk is arranged with an input shaft for detecting the angular position of the input shaft within one rotation. To detect the number of rotations of the input shaft, a multiturn part is provided with further cod... | 01/27/2004 |
| 6542088 | Multiturn rotary encoder with multiple code carriers coupled by a reduction gear A multi-turn rotary encoder that includes a first code carrier connected with an input shaft, a scanning device that scans the first code carrier and generates an absolute position of the input shaft within one revolution, and a digital code word is prese... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6528783 | Position sensor and circuit for optical encoder An electronic circuit for measuring the position of a spatially periodic intensity pattern of incident radiation includes an array of detectors (1); two or more correlator units (2, 3) each having arrays of capacitors (12, 13) connected to a buffer (14); ... | 03/04/2003 |
| 6147342 | Encoding system for determining the position of a cylinder rod along a path of movement An encoding system for determining the position of a cylinder rod along a path of movement, the encoding system including a sequence of code segments located on the rod along the path of movement, each of the code segments including a distinct pattern of ... | 11/14/2000 |
| 6100822 | Optical sensing system using multiple detectors at various positions for generating position signals The present invention discloses an optical sensing system which uses a plurality of detectors installed at various positions next to an optical panel to generate a position signal for indicating the position of the optical panel. The optical sensing syste... | 08/08/2000 |
| 5852413 | Virtual absolute position encoder A rotary stage (26) is positionable in precise angular increments that are determined by a virtual absolute position encoder disk (106). The angular increments are determined to a 2,400 arc-second absolute resolution by a bar code scale (110) and to a 0.1... | 12/22/1998 |
| 5825307 | Absolute linear encoder and method of production utilizing index and counter channels An absolute linear encoder includes an index channel and at least two counter channels. The spacing between markings on the index channel is constant, and the spacing between markings on the first and second channels is predetermined so that the positions... | 10/20/1998 |
| 5650779 | Position encoder A sensor failure detection circuit for a position encoder, the sensor failure detection circuit receiving from a first set of at least one position sensor position signals which change state at a high resolution and from a second set of at least one posit... | 07/22/1997 |
| 5408286 | Signal generating device with selective pattern reading A signal generating device has a pattern carrying unit with separated or connected patterns. Contact members of a signal reader make contact with the patterns and one of the patterns is selected for reading by a selector.... | 04/18/1995 |
| 5225830 | Combination optical and capacitive absolute position apparatus and method A combined optical and capacitive absolute positioning encoding system uses a plurality of metallized strips deposited onto a glass scale substrate. A movable transceiver is positioned adjacent to the scale. The transceiver generates interrogating electri... | 07/06/1993 |
| 5173693 | Position encoder using a pseudo-random coding sequence Two fragments from a single maximal length sequence of length 2.sup.(x/2) -1 are interleaved to produce a new sequence of bits. The lengths of the fragments are such that they have no common factors. Each x-tuple of successive bits of the new sequence of ... | 12/22/1992 |