Linearized ultrasound beam alignment servo
US6131459A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 26, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 17, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 26, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/929
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A levitated rotor, neutrally buoyed in ultrasound transmission fluid, moves to position and aim an ultrasound transducer in up to five servo-controlled coordinates of position and tilt rotation. Stator drive/sense windings drive the rotor via a rotor magnet and sense coordinates via inductive interactions with a rotor coil. For five-axis control, one set of stator windings controls two-axis lateral translation while a second set controls axial translation plus two-axis tilt rotation. The windings produce a comparatively linear relationship between the five rotor geometric coordinates and the electromagnetic couplings that drive and sense these coordinates. To produce this linearity seamlessly over a wide coordinate range coming close to the windings, each set of windings is divided into overlapping subsets. A two-way drive/sense matrix mapping translates between up to five control coordinates and more than five winding circuits.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.