Patents Examined by Christopher J Clark
  • Patent number: 11972894
    Abstract: A power divider includes a first inductor connected between a first terminal and a second terminal, a second inductor connected between the first terminal and a third terminal, a resistor connected between a second terminal side of the first inductor and a third terminal side of the second inductor, a third inductor connected between a connection portion between the first inductor and the resistor, and the second terminal, a fourth inductor connected between a connection portion between the second inductor and the resistor, and the third terminal, a fourth capacitor connected in parallel with the resistor, and a fifth capacitor connected between the second terminal and the third terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Ogata, Takuya Sato
  • Patent number: 11955794
    Abstract: A surge protection system includes a receptacle body, at least one power output jack, a power obtaining device, at least one surge protection module, a microcontroller unit, and a surge detection circuit. The at least one surge protection module includes a housing, a memory element, and a surge protection circuit that includes a surge absorption element and a thermal fuse connected in series and parallel. The surge absorption element absorbs a surge inputted from an external power supply, and the memory element records a number of surges carried by the surge absorption element. When the surge enters the surge protection system from the external power supply, the surge absorption element absorbs the surge, and the surge detection circuit outputs a signal to the microcontroller unit that writes the number of surges carried by the surge absorption element into the memory element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: POWERTECH INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jung-Hui Hsu, Po-Hua Hsu, Chi-Chien Chen
  • Patent number: 11955790
    Abstract: An electronic fuse circuit for safeguarding a multi-channel electronic power distributor includes a driver circuit for each channel of the power distributor configured to control an electronic switch of a corresponding channel to assume a certain state, and a microcontroller interface configured to receive from a microcontroller a command for setting the state of the electronic switch of a corresponding channel. The driver circuit of the corresponding channel is configured to set the state of the electronic switch of the corresponding channel according to the command from the microcontroller. The electronic fuse circuit further includes a safety circuit for detecting a malfunction in the microcontroller and/or the power distributor. In the event of a detected malfunction in the microcontroller and/or the power distributor, the driver circuit of each channel is configured to set the state of the electronic switch of the corresponding channel according to a channel-specific preconfigured safety state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Lisa Draexlmaier GmbH
    Inventor: Michael Wortberg
  • Patent number: 11942765
    Abstract: An underarm gang operated vacuum break switch (underarm switch) has an electrically live portion under a mounting arm, which provides advantages over the standard vacuum break switch, which have the electrically live portion above the mounting arm. Because the non-electrified mounting arm is above the electrified portion, the underarm switch is safer for perching birds and other wildlife. The nature of the underarm switch also provides other benefits including a disconnect blade that when opened creates a visual gap to ensure electrical discontinuity along with a safety locking arm tied to deactivating the underarm switch. Adding to the safety measures is a visual indicator that shows an electrician when the switch is live and safe to open the disconnect blade. Other safety measures include a shock absorber assembly and inertia slowing mass protecting electrical contacts within the vacuum break switch from failing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Inertial Engineering and Machine Works, Inc.
    Inventors: Dean Carnell Sanders, Elliott James Gist
  • Patent number: 11942927
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for short-circuit detection by saturation detection in power semiconductor switches and to a corresponding device. A reference voltage (Uref) is provided as a function of a supply voltage (UVDD) of a power semiconductor switch. A differential voltage (Udiff) is generated from the difference of a voltage drop (U?) of a load path of the power semiconductor switch and the provided reference voltage (Uref). The generated differential voltage (Udiff) is compared with a predetermined threshold voltage (Ulim). A short-circuit current in the load path of the power semiconductor switch is detected when the differential voltage (Udiff) exceeds the threshold voltage (Ulim). In this case, the power semiconductor switch is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Calin Purcarea, Daniel Schweiker, Deepa Mathai, Falko Friese
  • Patent number: 11935714
    Abstract: A load control device may control power delivered to an electrical load from an AC power source. The load control device may include a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series electrical connection between the AC power source and the electrical load, a zero-cross detect circuit configured to generate a zero-cross signal representative of the zero-crossings of an AC voltage. The zero-cross signal may be characterized by pulses occurring in time with the zero-crossings of the AC voltage. The load control device may include a control circuit operatively coupled to the controllably conductive device and the zero cross detect circuit. The control circuit may be configured to identify a rising-edge time and a falling-edge time of one of the pulses of the zero-cross signal, and may control a conductive state of the controllably conductive device based on the rising-edge time and the falling-edge time of the pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Robert W. Lenig, Michael Sizemore, Joshua W. Thaler, Russell L. MacAdam
  • Patent number: 11929580
    Abstract: A power strip and method for providing and controlling power to power strip outlets and for differing amperages and/or voltages is disclosed. The power strip includes a power cord for connecting to a power outlet and a plurality of electrical outlets of the same of differing amperage and voltage connected to receive the electrical current from the power cord. At least one of the plurality of electrical outlets is powered continuously with electrical current from the power outlet. Electrical current from the power outlet to the plurality of electrical outlets is controlled by load presence controlled circuit, current limiting circuit, and/or soft-start circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: RAYMOND INNOVATIONS, LLC
    Inventor: Will Hansen
  • Patent number: 11929606
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a safety control circuit and an automobile emergency starting clamp provided with the same. The safety control circuit is integrated with an EC5 input module, an ignition clip module, a relay module, a timing control module, an input high-voltage protection module, a voltage-stabilizing power supply module, an input low-voltage protection module, a high-temperature protection module, a low-temperature protection module, an error alarm module, a first timing module, a second timing module and a light display module, and has fast response and high safety. The automobile emergency starting clamp provided with the circuit includes an anode cable clamp, a cathode cable clamp and a control box; and the control box includes a control box upper shell, a control box lower shell, an on/off button and the above-mentioned safety control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Dongguan Hang Che Bao Future Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Guozhi Zeng
  • Patent number: 11916368
    Abstract: The invention relates to remote activation of a communication module of a self-powered intelligent electronic device (IED). The IED controls an auto recloser mounted on an electric pole of a power distribution network. A controller of the IED, receives an activation signal from a trigger source, positioned within a predefined distance from the IED, through an optical sensor to activate the communication module. A control signal is generated, upon the controller of the IED detecting the activation signal, for powering the communication module from a power supply module. The power supply module is enabled to power the communication module for a duration controlled with the control signal. The communication module is activated for communicating a plurality of data associated with the IED to a remote communication device upon enabling the power supply module for the communication module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Nishith Patel, Darshit Prajapati, Thomas Kueng, Vishal Shah, Tero Talvitie, Juhani Koivupuro
  • Patent number: 11910514
    Abstract: Apparatus to neutralize static electricity present on the surface of containers (100; 10?) and/or of nests (200; 300) comprising a plurality of seatings (212; 312) according to a positioning matrix (M1) and able to receive, resting on them, an ordered group of said containers (100; 100), wherein the apparatus comprises an extraction member (15) configured to engage at least one part of said ordered group of containers (100; 100?), in order to perform at least one relative lifting movement with respect to the nest (200; 300) so as to at least partly extract the containers (100; 100?) engaged from the respective seatings (212; 312), and at least one ionizing device (19) configured to be relatively mobile with respect to the extracted containers and/or with respect to the nest (200; 300), while said group of containers (100; 100?) extracted is in said raised condition, along a path that develops in the proximity of the containers (100; 100?) extracted and/or in the proximity of said nest (200; 300), so as to ion
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: I.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
    Inventors: Mattia Chianura, Sergio Manera
  • Patent number: 11901885
    Abstract: A PWM-based (pulse width modulation-based) overcurrent protection circuit and an operating method for the same are provided. The PWM-based overcurrent protection circuit includes a pulse-width-modulation circuit that is connected to a charge pump and a load detection circuit of a power-switch circuit. The charge pump outputs a voltage to the power-switch circuit according to a clock-voltage signal. The load detection circuit is used to detect an overcurrent flowing through the power-switch circuit according to a load at an output end of the power-switch circuit. Thus, when the load detection circuit detects the overcurrent, the pulse-width-modulation circuit controls a duty-cycle width of the charge pump, so as to suppress the voltage outputted by the charge pump. Therefore, an output voltage from the power-switch circuit can be corrected for preventing or reducing the overcurrent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: REALTEK SEMICONDUCTOR CORP.
    Inventor: Li-Cheng Chu
  • Patent number: 11888467
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a current-based temperature compensation circuit having a reference buffer, a biasing current mirror, and a controller. The reference buffer is configured to receive a biasing reference voltage at a voltage input terminal and replicate the biasing reference voltage to first and second buffer terminals. At least one of the first and second buffer terminals is configured to be electrically connected to at least one gate terminal of an analog complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) physically unclonable function (PUF) cell. The biasing current mirror is configured to receive a reference current at a current input terminal and replicate the reference current to the first buffer terminal. The controller is configured to compensate an output of the CMOS PUF cell for temperature variation based on a weighted sum of a bandgap current, a current proportional to absolute temperature, and a current complementary to absolute temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Krishna Shivaram
  • Patent number: 11882235
    Abstract: A protection circuit for use with an electronic DSL component having a tip connection and a ring connection, the protection circuit including: a first unidirectional transient-voltage-suppression (TVS) diode, having a negative TVS breakdown voltage BDV and diode forward voltage DV clamp, connected between Vcc and the tip connection of the DSL component; a second unidirectional TVS diode, having a diode forward voltage DV, connected between the tip connection of the DSL component and a negative ground clamp node; a third unidirectional TVS diode, having a negative TVS breakdown voltage BDV and diode forward voltage DV clamp, connected between Vcc and the ring connection of the DSL component; and a fourth unidirectional TVS diode, having a diode forward voltage DV, connected between the ring connection of the DSL component and the negative ground clamp node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Christopher John Choulos, Robert Charles Burk, Viswanath Bhagavatula Rao, Andrew Carl Brost
  • Patent number: 11870244
    Abstract: A CMTI circuit includes a first detector that receives one or more output signals from an oscillator and a first enable signal and generates a first detection signal when the received output signals are determined to be substantially not oscillating at a first time. The CMTI circuit further includes a first activation signal generator that generates a first activation signal in response to the first detection signal to resume oscillation of the output signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Wookang Jin
  • Patent number: 11862964
    Abstract: A circuit to protect an overvoltage in a universal serial bus (USB) device include an overvoltage protection (OVP) switch connected to a pin of a USB receptacle and a switch controller to turn off the OVP switch when an overvoltage is detected such that power between the pin and the USB device is interrupted. The switch controller supplies a control signal to the OVP switch such that the OVP switch has a first on-resistance when the USB device is operating in a normal mode and no overvoltage is detected, and has a second on-resistance, higher than the first on-resistance, when the USB device is operating in a low-power mode and no overvoltage is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Je-kook Kim
  • Patent number: 11862962
    Abstract: A controllable main breaker includes a main breaker sized to fit within an existing panel slot of an electrical panel. The main breaker comprises a trigger to open the main breaker in response to a thermal fault or overcurrent event. The controllable main breaker further includes an auxiliary shell sized to fit within at least one adjacent breaker slot. The auxiliary shell includes a controllable actuator that mechanically opens the main breaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Lunar Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Holveck, Randol Aikin, Mark Daniel Goldman, Kyle Breuning Evans
  • Patent number: 11862416
    Abstract: The present invention provides a hybrid DC circuit breaker, wherein the hybrid DC circuit breaker comprises: a mechanical switch connected in a first current branch; and a semiconductor switch and a forced resonant injection circuit connected in a second current branch, wherein the forced resonant injection circuit comprises a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal of the forced resonant injection circuit is connected to one end of the semiconductor switch, and the second terminal of the forced resonant injection circuit and the other end of the semiconductor switch are connected to two ends of the mechanical switch; wherein, when the mechanical switch is in a process of switching off, the semiconductor switch is controlled to be switched on, and at the same time the forced resonant injection circuit is controlled to inject to the mechanical switch a gradually increasing injection current in a direction opposite to that of a current in the mechanical switch, so that the current in the mechan
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Eaton Electrical Ltd.
    Inventor: Martin Bernardus Johannes Leusenkamp
  • Patent number: 11842872
    Abstract: A switching device includes: a triggering unit; an actuator coupled to the triggering unit; a switching mechanism coupled to the actuator; and an interface module. The interface module includes: a signal processing unit coupled to the triggering unit; an interface circuit coupled to a transmitting and receiving circuit of the signal processing unit; a power supply input for feeding a first supply voltage; and a voltage converter connected on an input side to the power supply input and a power outlet for issuing a second supply voltage. The power outlet is coupled to the signal processing unit and to the triggering unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
    Inventors: Gregor Fleitmann, Hans-Juergen Mader, Daniel Andreas Jansen, Rolf Arck, Ralph Kriechel
  • Patent number: 11837865
    Abstract: In one aspect, a hybrid circuit protection device for current-limiting a fault current between a source and a load during a fault is provided. The hybrid circuit protection device includes an input configured to couple to the source, an output configured to couple to the load, a return configured to couple the source to the load, a main switch configured to selectively couple the input to the output, a switching network coupled in parallel with the main switch, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine that the main switch has opened in response to the fault current, where the fault current has an initial value, and activate the switching network to current-limit the fault current to less than the initial value during the fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: ABB S.p.A.
    Inventors: Li Qi, Yuzhi Zhang, Taosha Jiang
  • Patent number: 11799467
    Abstract: A device is provided that includes a power transistor and an overcurrent detection logic. The overcurrent detection logic has a first stable state providing a first signal level on a status output terminal and a second stable state providing a second signal level on the status output terminal. The overcurrent detection logic changes from the first stable state to the second stable state in response to detecting that a current through the power transistor exceeds a current limit. The overcurrent detection logic remains in the second state when the current through the transistor drops below the limit after exceeding the current limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Markus Sievers, Michael Glavanovics, Dethard Peters