6766results about "Bearings" patented technology

This invention relates to a orthopedic implant that comprises a shape memory polymeric material. The orthopedic implant can be fabricated or molded in a desired configuration selected to provide support or tension to bony structures. Examples of implantable devices include spinal rods, bone plates, and bone fixation cords. The orthopedic implant can be deformed to a second configuration different from the first configuration either prior to implantation or after implantation. When desired, the shape memory polymeric material can be induced to revert to it original molded configuration. This can compress the attached bony structure and/or promote arthrodesis.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a polycrystalline diamond or diamond-like element with greatly improved wear resistance without loss of impact strength. These elements are formed with a binder-catalyzing material in a high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) process. The PCD element has a body with a plurality of bonded diamond or diamond-like crystals forming a continuous diamond matrix that has a diamond volume density greater than 85%. Interstices among the diamond crystals form a continuous interstitial matrix containing a catalyzing material. The diamond matrix table is formed and integrally bonded with a metallic substrate containing the catalyzing material during the HTHP process. The diamond matrix body has a working surface, where a portion of the interstitial matrix in the body adjacent to the working surface is substantially free of the catalyzing material, and the remaining interstitial matrix contains the catalyzing material. Typically, less than about 70% of the body of the diamond matrix table is free of the catalyzing material.

A generally cylindrical rotor very closely confined between two rigid thrust bearing surfaces is radially suspended by an array of attracting or repelling magnets or by a combination of permanent magnets and ring shaped members composed of ferromagnetic material. The geometry permits very small spacing between magnetic components to achieve high radial stiffness. High magnetic axial forces exerted between the rotor and stationary component on one end of the rotor are counter-balanced by equal and opposite forces at the other end of the rotor. Precise positioning of the rotor in the location where the opposing axial magnetic forces counterballance each other yields a net magnetic axial force on the rotor of near zero, hence the reference to this as the null position. Wear resistant mechanical thrust bearings confine the rotor axially to maintain this position during rotatioin. Precisely balance the magnetic axial forces in the proper geometry with relation to the mechanical thrust bearings. Blood pumps utilizing this type of bearing are disclosed, including both axial flow pump and centrifugal flow pump configurations with high flow washing of the junction of the rotating and stationary parts to prevent thrombus accumulation.

Torque shafts and other related systems and methods are described herein. In one embodiment, the torque shafts are both flexible and capable of transmitting torque. An apparatus for transmission of torque includes an elongate body, comprising a plurality of joint segments, each joint segment configured to pivot with respect to an adjacent segment and being further configured to have at least two link elements.

A magnetically-levitated blood pump with an optimization method that enables miniaturization and supercritical operation. The blood pump includes an optimized annular blood gap that increases blood flow and also provides a reduction in bearing stiffness among the permanent magnet bearings. Sensors are configured and placed optimally to provide space savings for the motor and magnet sections of the blood pump. Rotor mass is increased by providing permanent magnet placement deep within the rotor enabled by a draw rod configuration.

A multi-link variable compression ratio engine is provided with a crankshaft, a piston, a control shaft, a linkage, a motor and a reduction mechanism. The crankshaft moves the piston within an engine cylinder. The control shaft has an eccentric axle eccentric relative to its center-axis. The linkage operatively connects the piston to the crankshaft and the crankshaft to the eccentric axle of the control shaft. The motor rotates the control shaft so a top-dead-center position of the piston changes to vary compression ratios by changing the positions of the eccentric axle and the linkage. The reduction mechanism couples the motor to the control shaft to transmit a reduced rotation of the motor to the control shaft so a reduction ratio of a rotation angle of the motor to a rotation angle of the control shaft is less at high-compression ratios than at intermediate compression ratios.

A permanent magnetically excited electrical rotary drive for a blood pump is proposed, comprising a permanent magnetic rotor and a stator, said stator comprising a drive winding having at least two loops for the production of a magnetic drive field which produces a torque on the rotor, with each loop belonging to a different electrical phase, furthermore comprising a setting device which supplies each loop in each case with a phase current or in each case with a phase voltage as a setting parameter, with the setting device comprising a separate power amplifier for each loop so that the setting parameter for each loop can be regulated independently of the setting parameter for the other loops.

A driveshaft assembly includes a yoke including a body portion, a pair of opposed yoke arms that extends generally in a first axial direction from the body portion, and a neck portion that extends generally in a second axial direction from the body portion. A driveshaft tube is secured to the neck portion of the yoke, such as by magnetic pulse welding. A ring is secured to the body portion of the yoke, such as by press fitting, and a balance weight is secured to the ring, such as by welding.

The present invention relates to a new intravascular ultrasound imaging device with an increased field of view. By using more than one ultrasound transducer crystal that is capable of producing an ultrasonic signal for imaging, and preferably aligning the individual crystals on a shared backing with at least one edge of the crystals in contact, the field of view generated by a given actuator mechanism is increased without substantially increasing the overall dimensions of the device. Also disclosed are methods of using the same.

Method for making diamond bearings and diamond bearing components. Some methods include sintering diamond feedstock and a substrate under high pressure and high temperature to create a sintered polycrystalline diamond compact with a non-planar bearing and articulation surface. Various machining, grinding and polishing methods for finishing the compact are provided.

A bearing, a composite structure, an implant and a method for producing a bearing with a micro-rough bearing surface are proposed. An improvement in the bearing properties—minimization of particle formation and reduction of friction—and a universally usable composite structure are achieved by the surface of the bearing or of the composite structure being roughened by etching and possibly provided with a coating, preferably consisting of plastic.

A pump includes an impeller, a stator, and a plurality of magnets forming bearing poles coupled to a selected one of the stator or the impeller. The pump further includes a plurality of shorted coils coupled to the other of the stator and the impeller. The plurality of bearing poles and shorted coils co-operate to form an electrodynamic bearing during rotation of the impeller. The electrodynamic bearing supports the impeller either axially or radially during operation of the pump. Hydrodynamic bearing surfaces are provided for generating a hydrodynamic bearing between the impeller and stator. The plurality of magnets may comprise a plurality of distinct magnetic elements or a single element comprising a plurality of distinct magnetic domains. The plurality of distinct magnetic elements or domains may be arranged to form a Halbach array.

The invention relates to an improved diamond-like nanocomposite composition comprising networks of a-C:H and a-Si:O wherein the H-concentration is between 40% and 80% of the C-concentration and having a coefficient of friction against steel which is smaller than 0.1 in air with a relative humidity up to 90%, or in water. The invention relates also to a process for depositing the composition on a substrate in a vacuum chamber. The composition comprises preferably 30 to 70 at % of C, 20 to 40 at % of H, 5 to 15 at % of Si and 5 to 15 at % of O and can be doped with transition metals.

A ball-and-socket joint with integrated angle sensor for a motor vehicle, especially for the chassis of the motor vehicle is created. The ball-and-socket joint has a ball-and-socket joint housing (6) provided with a joint opening (7), a ball pivot (1) having a joint ball (2) and a pin (3), which is mounted, with its joint ball (2), rotatably and pivotably in a hollow-ball-shaped bearing surface in the ball-and-socket joint housing (6), and projects, with its pin (3), through the joint opening (7) out of the ball-and-socket joint housing (6). A two-pole field transducer (5) is provided at the end of the joint ball (2) facing away from the pin (3). The poles of the field transducer (5) are arranged on the ball surface. In this case, at least two field sensors (13) are arranged at a distance from one another with respect to the meridian plane defined by the large circle on the hollow-ball-shaped bearing surface running at right angles to the bearing longitudinal axis in the area or on the ball-and-socket joint housing (6) facing away from the joint opening, and interact with the field produced by the field transducer (5).

This invention relates to a three freedom degree AC-DC radial-axial mixing magnetic bearing, which is fit for the electrical main shaft and rotary main shaft needs suspending support. The permanent magnet will provide radial-axial static bias magnetic flux to generate static bearing ability; the radial controlling coil and the axial controlling coil will provide magnetic flux to generate dynamic suspending force, making the rotor suspending on the balance place in radial-axial three freedom degree. The power enlarging circuit comprises axial liner power amplifier and radial CRPWM current tracking inverter, and the displacement sensor will test the shift of the rotor and then feedback to DSP controller; the DSP will operate PID compute and process, provide controlling signal to power enlarging circuit; the controlling signal will generate controlling current in magnetic bearing coil, and the controlling current will generate magnetic force in operation magnet, by which it can realize the stable suspending and real-time monitoring of the rotor in radial and axial.

There is disclosed a reinforced structural assembly and a method of using the assembly for reinforcing components of an automotive vehicle. The assembly generally includes a first member and a second member with a reinforcement material intermediate the first and second member. According to the method, the assembly is placed in a cavity of an automotive vehicle and the reinforcement material is expanded to promote connection between the first member and a surface defining the cavity and to promote connection between the second member and another surface defining the cavity.

There is disclosed a magnetic bearing which is an improvement over conventional radial magnetic bearings, and has a very small bearing loss. At least three U-shaped laminates 10 of electromagnetic steel sheets are circumferentially arranged around a rotation shaft 1, and are fixedly mounted on a housing 100. Exciting coils 31 and 32 are wound on each electromagnetic steel sheet laminate 10, and permanent magnets 20 and 21 are provided in the laminate 10. Rotor cores 2, each comprising a laminate of I-shaped electromagnetic steel sheets stacked together in the circumferential direction, are mounted on the rotation shaft 1 in such a manner that each rotor core 2 is opposed to magnetic pole surfaces of the electromagnetic steel sheet laminates 10. In accordance with a signal from position sensors 5 which detect the radial position of the rotation shaft 1, control current is caused to flow through the exciting coils 31 and 32 to thereby control the position of the rotation shaft 1. Thus, merely by causing the control current to flow through the exciting coils 31 and 32 when this is required, the control of the rotation shaft 1 can be achieved, and with this method, the energy consumption can be much reduced.

A display apparatus for a portable terminal includes an expandable flexible display unit, a sensing unit including of a plurality of magnets and a plurality of sensors sensing the magnets to sense an amount of display unit area accommodated in an accommodation unit of the display unit, and a controller setting pixel values according to sensed amount of the display unit area.

An electrostatic interaction system includes a first structure having a first fixed electrostatic charge and a second structure having a second fixed electrostatic charge. The polarity of the first and second fixed electrostatic charges determines a positional relationship of the first structure to the second structure.

A mechanical release mechanism is provided. The mechanical release mechanism includes two structural members in slideable relation one to another. A latch holds one structural member in a latched position relative to the other structural member. A shape memory alloy member disposed within one of the structural members is used to move the latch holding the other structural member thereby allowing relative motion between the structural members.