Patents Examined by Helen C. Kwok
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Patent number: 11566900Abstract: A sensor for measuring rate of rotation is disclosed which includes a disk resonator, an anchor coupled to the disk resonator and further coupled to a substrate, and an optical waveguide wrapping around at least a portion of the perimeter of the disk resonator, the optical waveguide having an input end and an output end, wherein the disk resonator is configured to expand radially when subject to a rotational input, and wherein said radial expansion is adapted to cause a change in an optical signal passing through the optical waveguide.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2020Date of Patent: January 31, 2023Assignee: Purdue Research FoundationInventor: Sunil Bhave
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Patent number: 11549918Abstract: An ultrasound probe assembly comprises a housing and a wedge, wherein wedges configured for pipes of different diameter may be easily interchanged in the assembly. Four wheels are attached to the housing, there being a front wheel pair and a rear wheel pair. Wheels of each pair are positioned on either side of a linear probe array, wherein the distance between wheels in each pair in a direction perpendicular to the array length is as small as possible. A position encoder monitors the position of the assembly during scanning, and a push lock switch is used to disable the encoder and the data acquisition while indexing to a new scan position on the pipe.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2018Date of Patent: January 10, 2023Assignee: Olympus America Inc.Inventors: Benjamin Spay, Simon Alain, Martin Dupuis, Sylvain Sauvageau, Francois Houde
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Patent number: 11543428Abstract: An inertial structure is elastically coupled through a first elastic structure to a supporting structure so as to move along a sensing axis as a function of a quantity to be detected. The inertial structure includes first and second inertial masses which are elastically coupled together by a second elastic structure to enable movement of the second inertial mass along the sensing axis. The first elastic structure has a lower elastic constant than the second elastic structure so that, in presence of the quantity to be detected, the inertial structure moves in a sensing direction until the first inertial mass stops against a stop structure and the second elastic mass can move further in the sensing direction. Once the quantity to be detected ends, the second inertial mass moves in a direction opposite to the sensing direction and detaches the first inertial mass from the stop structure.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2020Date of Patent: January 3, 2023Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l.Inventors: Gabriele Gattere, Francesco Rizzini, Alessandro Tocchio
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Patent number: 11536700Abstract: The disclosure relates to a control method of a probe with ultrasonic phased array transducers in a hinge array, and belongs to the technical field of ultrasonic detecting.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2020Date of Patent: December 27, 2022Assignee: HARBIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYInventors: Bo Zhao, Jiaxin Li, Weijia Shi, Jiubin Tan
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Patent number: 11531042Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sensor includes a base body, a first supporter fixed to the base body, and a first movable part separated from the base body. The first movable part includes a first movable base part supported by the first supporter, a second movable base part connected with the first movable base part, and a first movable beam. The first movable beam includes a first beam, a first movable conductive part, and a first connection region. The first beam includes a first beam portion, a second beam portion, and a third beam portion between the first beam portion and the second beam portion. The first beam portion is connected with the first movable base part. The second beam portion is connected with the second movable base part. The first connection region connects the third beam portion and the first movable conductive part.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2021Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Kei Masunishi, Yasushi Tomizawa, Etsuji Ogawa, Ryunosuke Gando, Shiori Kaji, Hiroki Hiraga, Fumito Miyazaki
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Patent number: 11531019Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for determining a property of construction material. According to one aspect, a material property gauge operable to determine a property of construction material is disclosed. The gauge may include an electromagnetic sensor operable to measure a response of construction material to an electromagnetic field. Further, the electromagnetic sensor may be operable to produce a signal representing the measured response by the construction material to the electromagnetic field. An acoustic detector may be operable to detect a response of the construction material to the acoustical energy. Further, the acoustic detector may be operable to produce a signal representing the detected response by the construction material to the acoustical energy. A material property calculation function may be configured to calculate a property value associated with the construction material based upon the signals produced by the electromagnetic sensor and the acoustic detector.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2021Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: Troxler Electronic Laboratories, IncInventor: Robert Ernest Troxler
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Patent number: 11531039Abstract: A wheel assembly including a sensor for measuring wheel movement is provided comprising: a frame member; an axle fixed to the frame member; a wheel rotatably mounted to the axle and comprising wheel recess; a code ring located within the wheel recess for rotation with the wheel; and a sensor device coupled to the frame member and located adjacent to the code ring. The sensor device senses movement of the code ring and generates an output signal indicative of the wheel movement. A materials handling vehicle comprising the wheel assembly is also provided.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2020Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: Crown Equipment CorporationInventors: Cole T. Steinbrunner, Donald T. Meiring, Nicholas R. Rose, John H. Hinders
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Patent number: 11531041Abstract: A sensor system including a plurality of individual and separate sensor elements. Each of the individual sensor elements is independently functional. The individual sensor elements of the sensor system being formed in one piece from parts of a wafer or a vertically integrated wafer stack. The sensor system including at least one separation structure, in particular a scribe line, between the individual and separate sensor elements.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2021Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventors: Amin Jemili, Joerg Braeuer, Johannes Classen
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Patent number: 11525811Abstract: A sound source device and a signal receiver are disposed at first and second ports of a target object, respectively. A sound of a specific frequency of the sound source device is introduced into the target object to generate a resonant sound wave. A computer simulates a signal generated when the resonant sound wave is received by the signal receiver and regarding the signal as reference information. The reference information comprises first data having characteristics of the resonant sound wave, and data having features of an imaginary defect formed on the target object. The features of the imaginary defect correspond to the characteristics of the resonant sound wave. When the target object has a real defect, the sound of the specific frequency of the sound source device is introduced into the target object. Features of the real defect are derived by comparing the first data with the second data.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2018Date of Patent: December 13, 2022Assignee: Industrial Technology Research InstituteInventors: Yao-Long Tsai, Tai-Ping Tsai, Li-Hua Wang, Yi-Tsung Pan
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Patent number: 11519932Abstract: A MEMS inertial sensor includes a supporting structure and an inertial structure. The inertial structure includes at least one inertial mass, an elastic structure, and a stopper structure. The elastic structure is mechanically coupled to the inertial mass and to the supporting structure so as to enable a movement of the inertial mass along a first direction, when the supporting structure is subjected to an acceleration parallel to the first direction. The stopper structure is fixed with respect to the supporting structure and includes at least one primary and one secondary stopper elements. If the acceleration exceeds a first threshold value, the inertial mass abuts against the primary stopper element and subsequently rotates about an axis of rotation defined by the primary stopper element. If the acceleration exceeds a second threshold value, rotation of the inertial mass terminates when the inertial mass abuts against the secondary stopper element.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2021Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.Inventors: Francesco Rizzini, Gabriele Gattere, Sarah Zerbini
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Patent number: 11512958Abstract: An angular rate sensor includes an annular resonator. The resonator includes an annular base material made of a first material, and an annular first low thermal conductor made of a second material having a lower thermal conductivity than the first material, the first low thermal conductor being sandwiched between an annular first region and an annular second region on an inner side of the first region in the base material over substantially an entire circumference of the resonator.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2018Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Assignee: Sumitomo Precision Products Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ryohei Uchino, Takashi Ikeda
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Patent number: 11513000Abstract: Provided are a waveform analysis method and a waveform analysis device capable of preventing, in advance, a breakage accident during operation and preventing stoppage due to breakdown of machinery and performing efficient maintenance work by specifying a degraded part from among the parts that constitute the machinery.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2017Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Inventor: Daigo Tamatsukuri
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Patent number: 11506682Abstract: A processing device (120) of a tire state detection system (100) is provided with an acceleration data acquisition unit (123) for acquiring the acceleration data detected by an acceleration sensor (111) at every predetermined acquisition interval, an acceleration data extraction unit (125) for extracting the maximum acceleration data indicating at least the maximum acceleration and the intermediate acceleration data indicating the intermediate acceleration excluding the minimum acceleration data indicating the minimum acceleration from 3 or more acceleration data acquired sequentially, and a calculation unit (127) for executing an calculation using the extracted intermediate acceleration data.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2019Date of Patent: November 22, 2022Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventor: Kyohei Honda
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Patent number: 11499987Abstract: A sensor includes a movable element adapted for rotational motion about a rotational axis due to acceleration along an axis perpendicular to a surface of a substrate. The movable element includes first and second ends, a first section having a first length between the rotational axis and the first end, and a second section having a second length between the rotational axis and the second end that is less than the first length. A motion stop extends from the second end of the second section. The first end of the first section includes a geometric stop region for contacting the surface of the substrate at a first distance away from the rotational axis. The motion stop for contacting the surface of the substrate at a second distance away from the rotational axis. The first and second distances facilitate symmetric stop performance between the geometric stop region and the motion stop.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2020Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.Inventors: Andrew C McNeil, Fengyuan Li
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Patent number: 11493531Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques of configuring capacitive comb fingers of an accelerometer resonator into discreet electrodes with drive electrodes and at least two sense electrodes. The routing of electrical signals is configured to produce parasitic feedthrough capacitances that are approximately equal. The sense electrodes may be placed on opposite sides of the moving resonator beams such that the changes in capacitance with respect to displacement (e.g. dC/dx) are approximately equal in magnitude and opposite in sign. The arrangement may result in sense currents that are also opposite in sign and result in feedthrough currents of the same sign. The sense outputs from the resonators may be connected to a differential amplifier, such that the difference in output currents may mitigate the effect of the feedthrough currents and cancel parasitic feedthrough capacitance. Parasitic feedthrough capacitance may cause increased accelerometer noise and reduced bias stability.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2020Date of Patent: November 8, 2022Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventor: John Reinke
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Patent number: 11473909Abstract: A MEMS system includes a gyroscope that generates a quadrature signal and an angular velocity signal. The MEMS system further includes an accelerometer that generates a linear acceleration signal. The quadrature signal and the linear acceleration signal are received by a processing circuitry that modifies the linear acceleration signal based on the quadrature signal to determine linear acceleration.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2020Date of Patent: October 18, 2022Assignee: INVENSENSE, INC.Inventors: Pietro Scafidi, Kevin Hughes, Daniele Ghezzi
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Patent number: 11474126Abstract: A high precision rotation sensor comprises an inertial mass suspended from a base wherein the mass is responsive to rotational inputs that apply loads to load-sensitive resonators whose changes in resonant frequency are related to the applied loads.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2020Date of Patent: October 18, 2022Assignee: QUARTZ SEISMIC SENSORS, INC.Inventors: Jerome M. Paros, Krishna Venkateswara
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Patent number: 11467181Abstract: The present invention provides a high-accuracy low-noise MEMS accelerometer by using at least two symmetric out-of-plane proof masses for both out-of-plane and in-plane axes. Movement of the proof masses in one or more in-plane sense axes is measured by comb capacitors with mirrored comb electrodes that minimise cross-axis error from in-plane movement of the proof mass out of the sense axis of the capacitor. The two out-of-plane proof masses rotate in opposite directions, thus maintaining their combined centre of mass at the centre of the accelerometer even as they rotate out of plane.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2020Date of Patent: October 11, 2022Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Matti Liukku, Ville-Pekka Rytkönen, Anssi Blomqvist
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Patent number: 11466985Abstract: A rotation-rate sensor having a substrate, the substrate having a main-extension-plane, and the rotation-rate sensor includes at least one first and one second mass-element which are oscillate-able, and a first main-extension-direction of the substrate points from the first mass-element to the second mass-element, and a coupling-structure is situated in the first main-extension-direction between the first and second mass-element, in which a first coupling-region of the coupling-structure is situated in a first function-layer, and a first mass-region of the first mass-element is situated in the first function-layer and a second mass-region of the first mass-element is situated in a second function-layer, the first function-layer being situated in an extension-direction perpendicular to the main-extension-plane between the substrate and the second function-layer, a second main-extension-direction being situated perpendicular to the first main-extension-direction, and the first coupling-region having a greater eType: GrantFiled: July 30, 2018Date of Patent: October 11, 2022Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventors: Jan-Timo Liewald, Andreas Lassl, Burkhard Kuhlmann, Matthias Kuehnel, Niels Bode, Nils Felix Kuhlmann, Odd-Axel Pruetz, Peter Degenfeld-Schonburg, Reinhard Neul
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Patent number: 11467132Abstract: Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure relate to devices, systems and methods of manufacture for an exemplary waveguide usable for acoustic signal transmission for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of a wooden specimen. An exemplary waveguide comprises a mating portion for interfacing with a transducer horn of an ultrasonic transducer. The mating portion comprises an impact surface and a contact well that is fabricated within the impact surface so that the contact well is not contacted during an impact that drives the waveguide into wood. The contact well is utilized to connect the waveguide to a transducer horn. The waveguide further comprises a body portion that comprises a radiating component optimized for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of wood and transmission of ultrasonic signal data.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2019Date of Patent: October 11, 2022Assignee: VOLT HOLDINGS LIMITEDInventors: Yishi Lee, Wayne Hall