Measurement of micromovements
AssigneeA-Metrics, LLC
InventorsBonifatijs Lubgins, Leonids Bekers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A micromovement measuring device has a first element such as a probe tip or flat plate coupled to a test body (107) the movement of which is to be measured. A second element (104) is located adjacent to the first element, to form a gap (108) therebetween. As the test body and the first element gradually move away from the measuring element, so increasing the size of the gap, the second element is repeatedly moved up, to restore the gap to its original size. These repeated small quantized movements of the measuring element (104) are counted, and are used to provide an indication of how far the test body (107) has moved. In other embodiments, the first element may gradually move toward the second element, with the latter repeatedly moving away.
Claims21
A micromovement device comprising:
- a. a housing having a diaphragm;
- b. a first movable element located on a first side of said diaphragm;
- c. a second movable element located on a second side of said diaphragm;
- d. an actuator mounted on said diaphragm intermediate said first moveable element and said second moveable element;
- and
- e. a controller that is operatively coupled to said first moveable element, said second moveable element and said actuator, said controller being configured to detect
- i. a first current flowing between first moveable element and said diaphragm,
- ii. a second current flowing between said second moveable element and said diaphragm,
- wherein
- when said first current is above a first predetermined threshold current and said second current is above a second predetermined threshold current, said actuator is not energized, and
- when one of said first current and said second current drops below said respective first predetermined threshold and said second predetermined threshold, said controller causes said actuator to energize and move at least one of said first moveable element and said second moveable element with respect to said diaphragm.
A micromovement device comprising:
- a. a housing having a diaphragm mounted therein;
- b. a first conductive element moveably mounted in said housing on a first side of said diaphragm;
- c. a second conductive element moveably mounted in said housing on a second side of said diaphragm;
- d. an actuator mounted in said housing and operatively coupled to said first and said second conductive elements such that said actuator can move at least one of said first and said second conductive elements with respect to said diaphragm;
- and
- e. a controller operatively coupled to said first conductive element, said second conductive element and said actuator, said controller configured to detect
- i. a first current flowing between said first conductive element and said diaphragm, and
- ii. a second current flowing between said second conductive element and said diaphragm.
A micromovement device comprising:
- a. a housing having a diaphragm mounted therein, wherein at least a portion of said diaphragm is conductive;
- b. a first conductive element moveably mounted in said housing on a first side of said diaphragm;
- c. a second conductive element moveably mounted in said housing on a second side of said diaphragm;
- d. an actuator mounted in said housing and operatively coupled to said first and said second conductive elements such that said actuator can move at least one of said first and said second conductive elements with respect to said diaphragm;
- and
- e. a controller operatively coupled to said first conductive element, said second conductive element and said actuator, said controller configured to detect one of
- i. a first current and a first voltage between said first conductive element and said conductive portion of said diaphragm and
- ii. a second current and a second voltage between said second conductive element and said conductive portion of said diaphragm,
- wherein when one of said one of said first current and said first voltage and said one of said second current and said second voltage changes with respect to a predetermined threshold, said actuator is energized for a predetermined period of time causing said at least one of said first and said second conductive elements to move with respect to said diaphragm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.