1. A sensing system configured to locate a desired position for a manufacturing operation on a workpiece, comprising:
a first portion including a magnet having a magnetic field emanating therefrom and at least one field-directing member configured to provide a zone of approximately spherically-shaped magnetic force gradient lines, the zone having an angular extent of at least approximately three degrees and the zone at least partially extending through the workpiece and outwardly beyond a second surface of the workpiece; and
a second portion including a magnetic field sensor moveable through at least a portion of the zone extending outwardly beyond the second surface, the magnetic field sensor being configured to sense a characteristic of the zone indicative of the desired position for the manufacturing operation.
2. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein the angular extent of the zone is at least approximately five degrees.
3. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein the angular extent of the zone is at least approximately ten degrees.
4. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein the first portion is configured to provide the zone of approximately spherically-shaped magnetic force gradient lines configured such that a center of the zone may be located to within a tolerance of at least approximately 0.0001 inches.
5. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein the first portion is configured to provide the zone of approximately spherically-shaped magnetic force gradient lines configured such that a center of the zone may be located to within a tolerance of at least approximately 0.001 inches.
6. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one field-directing member includes an axisymmetrically-shaped field-directing portion.
7. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one field-directing member includes a frustrum-shaped field-directing portion.
8. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one field-directing member includes an outer portion having a first magnetic permeability and an inner portion having a second magnetic permeability.
9. The sensing system of claim 8, wherein the inner portion includes a hollow cavity.
10. The sensing system of claim 8, wherein the outer portion includes a first material and the inner portion includes a second material.
11. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field sensor is configured to transmit one or more signals based on the sensed characteristics of the shaped magnetic field portion, and wherein the second portion includes a data analyzer, the magnetic field sensor being configured to transmit the one or more signals to the data analyzer.
12. The sensing system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second portions includes a position control assembly operatively coupled to at least one of the magnetic field sensor and the workpiece.
13. A method of performing a manufacturing operation on a workpiece, the method comprising:
providing a magnetic field;
shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field to provide a zone of approximately spherically shaped magnetic force gradient lines, the zone having an angular extent of at least approximately three degrees and the zone extending from a first side of the workpiece outwardly beyond a second side of the workpiece;
traversing a sensor through a portion of the zone extending outwardly beyond the second side of the workpiece;
sensing a characteristic of the zone; and
determining a desired location for performing the manufacturing operation on the workpiece based on the sensed characteristic.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field includes shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field using a field-directing member.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field includes shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field using a supplemental field-directing member from the second side of the workpiece.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field includes shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field lines using an axisymmetrically-shaped portion of the field-directing member.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field includes shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field using a field-directing member including a first portion having a first magnetic permeability, and a second portion having a second magnetic permeability.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein traversing a sensor includes traversing the sensor using a position control assembly.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field includes shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field to provide a zone having an angular extent of at least approximately five degrees.
20. The method of claim 13, wherein shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field includes shaping at least a portion of the magnetic field to provide a zone of approximately spherically-shaped magnetic force gradient lines configured such that a center of the zone may be located to within a tolerance of at least approximately 0.0001 inches
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A guide wire comprising:
a wire body having a tapered portion disposed on a distal end portion of the wire body and having an outside diameter progressively reduced toward a distal end of the taper portion, the tapered portion possessing an outer circumference;
a coil disposed in covering relation to the distal end portion of the wire body and comprising a helically shaped wire possessing a diameter;
wherein the helically shaped wire includes an increasing wire-diameter portion at which the diameter of the wire increases continuously in a direction toward a distal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion;
the increasing wire-diameter portion being disposed in covering relation to the outer circumference of at least a portion of the tapered portion in a longitudinal direction; and
the helically shaped wire comprising a constant wire-diameter portion where the diameter of the wire is constant, the constant wire-diameter portion being positioned adjacent to a proximal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion, the constant wire-diameter portion extending in a proximal direction from adjacent the proximal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion.
2. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein the wire body and the coil are spaced from each other by a clearance distance which is substantially constant along a longitudinal direction of the wire body.
3. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein adjacent turns of the wire of the increasing wire-diameter portion contact each other when no external force is applied to the guide wire.
4. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein the coil possess an outside diameter which is constant along a longitudinal direction of the coil.
5. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion possesses a minimum diameter at which the diameter of the wire is a minimum, the diameter of the constant wire-diameter portion being equal to or less than the minimum diameter of the increasing wire-diameter portion.
6. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion and the constant wire-diameter portion together form a unitary, single, one-piece, wire.
7. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion and the constant wire-diameter portion comprise two individual wires.
8. The guide wire according to claim 7, wherein a proximal end portion of the increasing wire-diameter portion and a distal end portion of the constant wire-diameter portion mesh with one another at a biting portion forming a boundary between the increasing wire-diameter portion and the constant wire-diameter portion.
9. The guide wire according to claim 8, comprising:
a plurality of spaced apart fixing materials by which the coil is fixed to the wire body at a plurality of spaced apart locations; and
wherein none of the fixing materials are disposed in the biting portion.
10. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion and the constant wire-diameter portion are made of the same material.
11. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion and the constant wire-diameter portion are made of different materials.
12. The guide wire according to claim 1, wherein adjacent turns of the wire of the increasing wire-diameter portion are spaced from each other so that gaps exist between adjacent turns of the increasing wire-diameter portion.
13. A guide wire comprising:
a wire body having a tapered portion disposed on a distal end portion of the wire body and having an outside diameter progressively reduced toward a distal end of the taper portion, the tapered portion possessing an outer circumference;
a coil disposed in covering relation to the distal end portion of the wire body and comprising a helically shaped wire possessing a diameter;
the helically shaped wire including an increasing wire-diameter portion at which the diameter of the wire increases continuously from a proximal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion to a distal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion which is spaced from the proximal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion;
the increasing wire-diameter portion covering the outer circumference of at least a portion of the tapered portion of the wire body in a longitudinal direction; and
the helically shaped wire comprising a constant wire-diameter portion at which the diameter of the wire does not change from a distal end of the constant wire-diameter portion to a proximal end of the constant wire-diameter portion, the constant wire-diameter portion being positioned proximally of the increasing wire-diameter portion so that the distal end of the constant wire-diameter portion is positioned proximally of the distal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion.
14. The guide wire according to claim 13, wherein the wire body and the coil are spaced from each other by a clearance distance so that a space exists between an outer surface of the wire body and an inner surface of the coil.
15. The guide wire according to claim 13, wherein adjacent turns of the wire of the increasing wire-diameter portion contact each other in absence of an external force applied to the guide wire.
16. The guide wire according to claim 13, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion of the coil possess an outside diameter which is constant along a longitudinal direction of the increasing wire-diameter portion.
17. The guide wire according to claim 13, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion possesses a minimum diameter at which the diameter of the wire is a minimum, the diameter of the constant wire-diameter portion being equal to or less than the minimum diameter of the increasing wire-diameter portion.
18. The guide wire according to claim 13, wherein the coil possesses a distal-most end and a proximal-most end, and the increasing wire-diameter portion possesses a distal-most end and a proximal-most end, the distal-most end of the increasing wire-diameter portion being located at the distal-most end of the coil.
19. A guide wire comprising:
a wire body having a tapered portion disposed on a distal end portion of the wire body and having an outside diameter progressively reduced toward a distal end of the taper portion, the tapered portion possessing an outer circumference;
a coil disposed in covering relation to the distal end portion of the wire body and comprising a helically shaped wire possessing a diameter;
the helically shaped wire including an increasing wire-diameter portion at which the diameter of the wire increases continuously from a proximal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion to a distal end of the increasing wire-diameter portion;
the increasing wire-diameter portion covering the outer circumference of at least a portion of the tapered portion of the wire body in a longitudinal direction; and
the helically-shaped wire comprising a constant wire-diameter portion at which the diameter of the wire does not change from a distal end of the constant wire-diameter portion to a proximal end of the constant wire-diameter portion, the constant wire-diameter portion being positioned proximally of the increasing wire-diameter portion;
the wire in the increasing wire-diameter portion possessing a minimum diameter at which the diameter of the wire is a smallest diameter, the diameter of the wire in the constant wire-diameter portion being equal to or less than said smallest diameter of the wire in the increasing wire-diameter portion.
20. The guide wire according to claim 19, wherein the wire body and the coil are spaced from each other by a clearance distance so that a space exists between an outer surface of the wire body and an inner surface of the coil.
21. The guide wire according to claim 19, wherein adjacent turns of the wire of the increasing wire-diameter portion contact each other in absence of an external force applied to the guide wire.
22. The guide wire according to claim 19, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion of the coil possess an outside diameter which is constant along a longitudinal direction of the increasing wire-diameter portion.
23. The guide wire according to claim 19, wherein the increasing wire-diameter portion possesses a minimum diameter at which the diameter of the wire is a minimum, the diameter of the constant wire-diameter portion being equal to or less than the minimum diameter of the increasing wire-diameter portion.