Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100097462 | WEB LONGITUDINAL POSITION SENSOR - Methods and systems for determining longitudinal position of an elongated web are described. Sensors are used to detect one or more substantially continuous fiducial marks disposed longitudinally on the web. The sensors generate signals associated with the fiducial marks. A position detector receives the signals and determines a longitudinal position of the web using the sensor signals. The fiducial marks may be periodic fiducial marks, such as sine and/or cosine marks on the web and/or may be piecewise continuous marks. The coarse longitudinal position of the web can be determined based on periodically recurring features of the fiducial marks. The fine longitudinal position can be determined based on continuous portions of the fiducial marks between the periodically recurring features. | 04-22-2010 |
20100119730 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORMING A THIN FILM ELECTRONIC DEVICE ON A THERMOFORMED POLYMERIC SUBSTRATE - An apparatus and method for fabricating electronic devices on a polymeric substrate provide for positionally constraining a polymer substrate on a platen, and heating the constrained polymer substrate to at least a glass transition temperature of the polymer substrate. A heat processable ink is applied to the constrained polymer substrate to form at least a portion of a layer of an electronic device thereon. | 05-13-2010 |
20100159197 | ULTRASONIC INJECTION MOLDING ON A WEB - Injection molding, parts onto a carrier web ( | 06-24-2010 |
20100187277 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INDICATING THE POSITION OF A WEB - Methods and systems for indicating the displacement of a flexible web are described. An elongated, flexible web includes an integral scale having scale features configured to modulate energy directed towards the web. A transport mechanism provides relative movement between the web relative to a transducer. The transducer detects energy modulated by the scale features and generates a signal indicting a continuous web displacement based on the modulated energy. | 07-29-2010 |
20100188668 | TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION DISPLACEMENT SCALE - Methods and systems for determining the displacement of a substrate using a scale comprising TIR scale features are described. A scale that includes a number of total internal reflection (TIR) prisms as scale elements is disposed on the substrate. Light directed towards the scale is modulated by the TIR prisms. A signal indicating a displacement of the substrate is generated based on the modulated light. The signal | 07-29-2010 |
20100196607 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FABRICATING DISPLACEMENT SCALES - Methods and systems for forming a displacement scale comprising TIR prisms on a substrate are described. A system for forming the displacement scale includes one or more rollers having a pattern of total internal reflection (TIR) prism features in negative relief. As the rollers are rotated, the scale is formed on the substrate. The rollers may also include pattern features in negative relief. Rotation of the rollers simultaneously forms the displacement scale and the pattern features on the substrate. The TIR prism features of the displacement scale may be oriented to provide measurement of one or more of lateral displacement, longitudinal displacement and angular displacement. | 08-05-2010 |
20100285231 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING TWO-SIDED PATTERNED WEB IN REGISTRATION - An apparatus for casting a patterned surface on both sides of an opaque web. The apparatus includes a first patterned roll, a second pattered roll, and a means for rotating the first and second patterned rolls such that their patterns are transferred to opposite sides of the opaque web while it is in continuous motion. During this process, their patterns are maintained in continuous registration to within at least 100 micrometers. | 11-11-2010 |
20110067234 | METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS SINTERING ON INDEFINITE LENGTH WEBS - A method of applying a conductive pattern of metal onto a web of indefinite length material. This method includes applying a metal containing composition onto the web in a predefined pattern, providing a roll having a very low thermal mass, and conveying the patterned web around the roll while simultaneously applying heat energy to the metal containing composition thereby converting the metal to a conductive pattern. This allows for flexible circuitry to be fabricated in an inexpensive roll-to-roll process. | 03-24-2011 |
20110247511 | Apparatus and Method for Making Fiducials on a Substrate - Fiducials having substantially continuous portions made on a substrate allow the position of the substrate to be determined. An approach for making fiducials involves moving first and second fiducial devices together back and forth across the substrate along a trajectory having a component along the lateral axis of the substrate while the substrate and the first and second fiducial devices are in relative motion along the longitudinal axis of the substrate. The first fiducial device operates to make one fiducial on the substrate during the movement along the trajectory and the relative motion. The second fiducial device operates to make another fiducial on the substrate during the movement along the trajectory and the relative motion. The fiducials may be formed so that they have a constant spatial frequency with the first fiducial being out of phase with respect to the second fiducial. | 10-13-2011 |
20110257779 | Phase-locked Web Position Signal Using Web Fiducials - Approaches for enhancing web position determination involve phase locking a web movement encoder signal to a sensed web fiducial signal. Fiducials disposed along a longitudinal axis of a substrate are sensed and corresponding sensor signals are generated. An estimated web position is provided by one or more encoder signals. The phase difference between the sensor signals and the encoder signals is calculated and the web position error is determined based on the phase difference. The web position error signal can be fed back to adjust the encoder signals which improves the accuracy of the web position determination. | 10-20-2011 |
20120262796 | ULTRASONIC INJECTION MOLDING ON BOTH SIDES OF A WEB - Injection molding parts onto a carrier web located between mold halves, each mold half having a cavity, resulting in molded articles having parts on both sides of the carrier web. Polymer flow into the cavities is assisted by application of ultrasonic energy to the mold. After the molding operation, mold halves are separated, and the carrier web is advanced, or indexed, to a next position for another molding sequence. Articles produced include lenses with part of the carrier web between lens halves, and a carrier web bearing an array of molded parts. | 10-18-2012 |
20120263919 | ARTICLES INJECTION MOLDED ON A WEB - Articles enabled by an injection molding process that molds parts on a carrier web located between mold halves and uses ultrasonic energy to assist flow of polymer melt into the mold cavity. One such article is a carrier web having a high density of molded parts, i.e., bearing an array of molded articles adhered to the web in rows and columns, the articles being spaced closer (center-to-center or edge-to-edge) than the diagonal spacing between articles in the next adjacent row and next adjacent column. Another such article is a microneedle array on a land no more than 250 μm thick on which at least 60% of the microneedles across the array are filled (i.e., completely formed). | 10-18-2012 |
20130009329 | Precision Control of Web Material having Micro-replicated Lens Array - A manufacturing system includes a sensing system that provides high-resolution feedback for web guiding and tension control. The system may be especially useful for web material that is manufactured to include micro-replicated structures with micron size scale. A micro-replication station forms a pattern of micro-replicated lenses on a web material. The sensing system illuminates a measurement area on the web material and detects an angular distribution of light exiting a set of the micro-replicated lenses within the first measurement area. A control system that adjusts at least one process control parameter of the transport system based on the detected angular distribution. | 01-10-2013 |
20140161511 | WEB-HANDLING MACHINE FRAME - A web-handling machine frame, at least partially built from reconfigurable interconnected blocks having precision alignment points. From such blocks, modular equipment web-handling lines for web-handling operations can be constructed ad hoc with their shaft mounted web-contacting devices in tram without the need for separate alignment procedures. | 06-12-2014 |
20140239555 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING TWO-SIDED PATTERNED WEB IN REGISTRATION - An apparatus for casting a patterned surface on both sides of an opaque web. The apparatus includes a first patterned roll, a second pattered roll, and a means for rotating the first and second patterned rolls such that their patterns are transferred to opposite sides of the opaque web while it is in continuous motion. During this process, their patterns are maintained in continuous registration to within at least 100 micrometers. | 08-28-2014 |
20140319194 | APPARATUS FOR GUIDING A MOVING WEB - An apparatus ( | 10-30-2014 |
20140368185 | PHASE-LOCKED WEB POSITION SIGNAL USING WEB FIDUCIALS - Approaches for enhancing web position determination involve phase locking a web movement encoder signal to a sensed web fiducial signal. Fiducials disposed along a longitudinal axis of a substrate are sensed and corresponding sensor signals are generated. An estimated web position is provided by one or more encoder signals. The phase difference between the sensor signals and the encoder signals is calculated and the web position error is determined based on the phase difference. The web position error signal can be fed back to adjust the encoder signals which improves the accuracy of the web position determination. | 12-18-2014 |