Manipulator for rotating and examining small spheres
US4188118A · kind A · utility
3Cited by
1References
6Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 17, 1978 |
| Grant date | Feb 12, 1980 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 17, 1998 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/951
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A manipulator which provides fast, accurate rotational positioning of a small sphere, such as an inertial confinement fusion target, which allows inspecting of the entire surface of the sphere. The sphere is held between two flat, flexible tips which move equal amounts in opposite directions. This provides rolling of the ball about two orthogonal axes without any overall translation. The manipulator may be controlled, for example, by an x- and y-axis driven controlled by a mini-computer which can be programmed to generate any desired scan pattern.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.