Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for precisely controlling the periodic motion of an object

US5754048A · kind A · utility

23Cited by
8References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 17, 1996
Grant dateMay 19, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 17, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R33/307
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus precisely controlling the periodic motion of an object is specifically applicable to the control of the rotation of a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer rotor, and uses a fluid source having a fluid output with a time-varying magnitude. The output of the fluid source is coupled to a stator housing within which the rotor is rotatably disposed such that the time varying fluid pressure from the fluid source impinges upon a plurality of vanes located about a circumference of the rotor. The coupling of the fluid flow to the rotor results in a periodicity of the rotor rotation being proportional to a periodicity of the time varying magnitude of the fluid flow. This, in turn, creates a plurality of stable equilibrium rotation rates at which a frequency locking effect is achieved that tends maintain the rotor periodicity at a predetermined rate, thereby achieving particularly precise and stable rotor rotation.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.