Thermal movement sensor
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsGerd Binnig, Michel Despot, Mark Lantz, Peter Vettiger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A transducer for detecting movement of an article mounted for movement in a plane, the transducer comprising: a heater facing the plane of movement of the article and having a temperature dependent resistance; and, an edge defined in the article between regions of different thermal conductivity; wherein, as the article describes the movement, the edge moves relative to the heater producing a corresponding variation in heat loss from the heater and a corresponding variation in resistance of the heater.
Claims17
A transducer for detecting movement of an article mounted for movement in a plane, the transducer comprising:
- a heater facing the plane of movement of the article and having a temperature dependent resistance;
- and, an edge defined in the article between regions of different thermal conductivity;
- wherein, as the article describes the movement, the edge moves relative to the heater producing a corresponding variation in heat loss from the heater and a corresponding variation in resistance of the heater.
A method for detecting movement of an article mounted for movement in a plane, the method comprising:
- locating a heater having a temperature dependent resistance to face the plane of movement of the article;
- defining an edge in the article between regions of different thermal conductivity;
- and, detecting variation in resistance of the heater corresponding to variation in heat loss from the heater as the edge moves relative to heater during movement of the article in the plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.