| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 7246489 |
Position control actuator system |
July 24, 2007 |
| A position control actuator system includes a control element and first and second actuators. The first and second actuators are each comprised of magneto-active twinned material. The first actuator is configured to extend and drive the control element in a first direction when the first |
| 7228976 |
Toothbrush holder |
June 12, 2007 |
| A deployable toothbrush holder includes a single piece of sheet material including spaced first and second end edges. A single fold area across the sheet material defines a holder portion and a base portion. The holder portion terminates in the first end edge and has a length relative |
| 7205707 |
Laser machining of electroactive ceramics |
April 17, 2007 |
| Laser beam machining is applied to form arbitrarily shaped electroactive ceramics for transducers (e.g., electromechanical sensors and actuators). One particularly preferred embodiment of the invention comprises machining parallel grooves in a ceramic plate to improve flexibility. The |
| 7167009 |
Method and apparatus for determining electrical properties of structures |
January 23, 2007 |
| A method and apparatus for determining an electrical property of a structure. The method involves creating a model of an electrical property of a structure and measuring the electrical property of the structure between at least two of a plurality of locations. The method also involve |
| 6979937 |
Laser machining of electroactive ceramics |
December 27, 2005 |
| Laser beam machining is applied to form arbitrarily shaped electroactive ceramics for transducers (e.g., electromechanical sensors and actuators). One particularly preferred embodiment of the invention comprises machining parallel grooves in a ceramic plate to improve flexibility. The gr |
| 6758199 |
Tuned power ignition system |
July 6, 2004 |
| An ignition system employing a piezoelectric transformer having a drive side and an output side. The ignition system further includes circuit elements in electronic communication with the output side that tune output impedance in series with a breakdown gap to optimize power flow from th |
| 6698510 |
Article and method for temperature regulation using a thermosensitive reactive hydrogel material |
March 2, 2004 |
| A temperature regulation and flow control device is described. A web of material, e.g., for a wet suit, has a layer of gel particles embedded in a flow control layer, preferably a foam matrix. A water permeable neoprene layer covers the flow control layer and allows water to enter the su |
| 6674222 |
Single crystal piezoelectric transformer |
January 6, 2004 |
| The present invention comprises a piezoelectric transformer having substantially improved performance. The piezoelectric element is composed of a single crystal of a relaxor ferroelectric piezoelectric material. This element is coupled to input and output electrodes. The element vibr |
| 6550341 |
Method and device for measuring strain using shape memory alloy materials |
April 22, 2003 |
| An article and method for measuring strain using a strain gauge made of a shape memory y alloy, and preferably a pseudoelastic alloy, is disclosed. The strain gauge includes an element that preferably is attached to a substrate and mounted on an object, or is woven or stitched to a fabri |
| 6488017 |
Piezoelectric ignition device for increasing spark energy |
December 3, 2002 |
| An improved spark ignition system. Pressure on a piezoelectric element results in a voltage that, when discharged across a spark gap, causes dielectric breakdown in a fuel air mixture. Additional current to power combustion is supplied by a capacitor circuit. The ignition system incr |
| 6361451 |
Variable stiffness shaft |
March 26, 2002 |
| An variable shaft, for example for a golf club. A hollow shaft has a cable or wire in the center, and means for varying the tension of the cable or wire. Increasing tension on the cable or wire places the shaft in compression and thereby reduces its bending stiffness. Preferably, the |
| 6138654 |
Piezoelectric ignition and sensing device |
October 31, 2000 |
| A spark plug comprising a piezoelectric element that strains with the increase in pressure in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, and methods of making and using such a spark plug. The strain on the element generates a voltage across the poles of the piezoelectric element that |
