Patents Examined by Helen Kwok
  • Patent number: 10120341
    Abstract: A method for determining an imbalance characteristic of a hairspring (5) balance (4) oscillator (3) of a timepiece movement (2), the method comprising at least the following steps: —Setting the hairspring balance oscillator in an oscillating motion at at least two amplitudes, —Determining, for each amplitude and for at least two positions of the oscillator, a piece of data representative of the oscillation period of the oscillator, —Using the data from the previous step to calculate the imbalance characteristic of the hairspring balance oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: ROLEX SA
    Inventors: Richard Bossart, Marc Cerutti, Frédéric Burger, Olivier Hunziker, Denis Favez
  • Patent number: 10101235
    Abstract: A method to measure and determine the unbalance of a rotor, by decoupling the unbalance of the balancing machine and the unbalance of the rotor, which includes the following procedures make the zero angle reference on the rotor or on the balancing machine, select two planes on the rotor, and use a balancing machine to measure the unbalances of the rotor in the two planes, these unbalances are designated as first nominal unbalances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Inventors: Weijian Guo, Fang Jiang
  • Patent number: 10101242
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring noise includes: a signal generator configured to input an input signal having an excitation frequency to an audio device; and a controller configured to measure rattle noise from a sound pressure signal generated in response to the input signal. The controller measures the rattle noise by comparing a frequency component of the sound pressure signal with a masking curve corresponding to the excitation frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, SM INSTRUMENTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyoung Sil Lim, Tae-Woong Lee, Young-Key Kim
  • Patent number: 10094747
    Abstract: A passive diffusion sampler and kit that includes a passive diffusion sample bag comprising a regenerated cellulose membrane to allow for sampling of a broad spectrum of contaminants and VOCs. The sample bag is disposed in a rigid housing which protects the bag from tearing and also allows the housing to be inverted to suspend the bag upside down and provide a user access to a fluid outlet means on the bag for withdrawing a sample from the bag without agitating the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Summit Holding Company, LLC
    Inventor: Craig Intelisano
  • Patent number: 10094688
    Abstract: A calibration system has a calibration device which includes at least one calibration fluid receptacle, an electric and a fluidic interface for releasably connecting at least one sensor module to be calibrated, which is a unit constructionally separate from the calibration device and contains one or more sensors, and a controller which controls the flow of calibration fluid through the sensor module connected to the calibration device and which is electrically coupled with the connected sensor module via the electric interface and can collect measurement data from the sensor module. In the calibration system, in particular in the sensor module, calibration data are stored, so that the calibration device can calibrate various sensor modules which are coupled to the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Buerkert Werke GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Hahn, Vinoth Pathmanathan, Florian Fischer
  • Patent number: 10088495
    Abstract: A capacitive physical quality detection device includes a sensor part, a control circuit, and a CV conversion circuit. The sensor part includes a movable electrode, a first fixed electrode, and a second fixed electrode. The CV conversion circuit is configured to receive a reference voltage and to output a voltage corresponding to a capacitance change. In a first time period, the control circuit applies a first signal to the first fixed electrode, and applies a second signal, which is opposite in phase to the first signal, to the second fixed electrode. In a second time period, the control circuit applies the reference voltage to the first fixed electrode and applies the second signal to the second fixed electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keisuke Kuroda, Takeshi Mori
  • Patent number: 10091895
    Abstract: An access control reader includes a housing incorporating a base having a main wall designed to be secured to a support and a front part mounted on the base; a device detects opening of the housing. The reader is characterized in that the base and the front part include complementary guide components shaped so as to guide the front part in a tilting movement relative to the base when the housing is opened, from a closed configuration in which the front part is secured and folded down onto the base into an open configuration in which the front part is spaced apart from the base and is inclined relative to the main wall at a predefined angle which is not zero. The detection device is mounted on the front part in order to detect the tilting movement thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: SYSTEMES ET TECHNOLOGIES IDENTIFICATION (STID)
    Inventors: Vincent Dupart, Jéröme Silve, Sylvain Poitrat
  • Patent number: 10080550
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are an ultrasonic apparatus for imaging an ultrasonic signal and a control method for the same. The ultrasonic apparatus may include a transducer configured to irradiate a plurality of ultrasonic waves which have different traveling directions onto an object and to collect a plurality of echo ultrasonic waves reflected from the object; and a controller configured to acquire a plurality of sound velocities of the plurality of ultrasonic waves in the object and to compound the acquired plurality of sound velocities in order to determine a composite sound velocity in the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Baehyung Kim, Youngil Kim, Jong Keun Song, Seungheun Lee, Taeho Jeon, Kyungil Cho
  • Patent number: 10073065
    Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous monitoring system which will monitor the pipes without the need of shutting down of the plants. The major issues in designing such a system using magnetostriction as per prior art is the loss of magnetization of the permanent magnets used to provide the magnetic bias and also the disbonding of interfaced adhesives with which the magnetostrictive ribbons are bonded at high temperatures. The invention identifies a novel sensor which can be taken up to high temperatures without any loss of signal strength, this is achieved by generating guided waves using a special amorphous magnetostrictive ribbons. L(0, 2) mode waves are generated using these ribbons to monitor pipes working at high temperatures as per the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS
    Inventors: Krishnan Balasubramaniam, Tarun Kumar Mishra
  • Patent number: 10073063
    Abstract: A hollow structure like a pipeline is inspected using an array of ultrasound transmitters located within the hollow structure distributed over different radial directions from a center of the array. Parameters such as ellipticity, defining a shape and/or orientation of an inner surface of a wall of the hollow structure are first determined based on measured delays between transmission of ultrasound pulses from the transmitters to reception of first reflections of those ultrasound pulses. Parameters may be used that define an elliptically shaped cross-section of the inner wall surface for example. Next an ultrasound wavefront composed of joint transmissions from the transmitters along at least a sector of the array is transmitted, using relative time delays between waves transmitted by the respective ones of the transmitters to compensate for estimated differences between travel times from the transmitters to the shape defined by the parameters. Reflections of the joint transmissions are detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST-NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO
    Inventors: Paul Louis Maria Joseph van Neer, Gerrit Blacquiere, Arno Willem Frederik Volker, Huibert Blokland
  • Patent number: 10066942
    Abstract: A sensor chip includes sensor pads, and the first set of differential detection signal pads are symmetrically arranged on both sides of a ground pad and are centered at the ground pad, the second set of differential detection signal pads are arranged on both sides thereof, and a power supply pad is arranged in one end of the two ends of the sensor pads. A processing circuit chip includes sensor connection pads including power supply connection pads, a ground connection pad, and two sets of differential detection signal connection pads, and the power supply connection pads connectable to the power supply pad of the sensor chip are arranged in two ends of the sensor connection pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Junichi Saito
  • Patent number: 10065143
    Abstract: The present disclosure is a filtration monitoring system. Filtration monitoring system may include a sensor configured to measure a characteristic of usage of a monitored filter. The sensor may be communicatively coupled to a controller which is configured to transfer measured data to a server of the filter monitoring system. Server may be configured to store historical data regarding representative filter usage and may determine a predicted expiration time for a monitored filter which may be adjusted based upon the measured data from the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Complete Filter Management LLC
    Inventor: Michael B. Beier
  • Patent number: 10060884
    Abstract: A method of scanning a sample includes simultaneously forming a plurality of co-linear scans. Each scan is formed by a sweep of a spot by an acousto-optical device (AOD). The co-linear scans are separated by a predetermined spacing. A first plurality of swaths are formed by repeating the simultaneous forming of the plurality of co-linear scans in a direction perpendicular to the co-linear scans. The first plurality of swaths have an inter-swath spacing that is the same as the predetermined spacing. The predetermined spacing can be a scan length or an integral number of scan lengths. A second plurality of swaths can be formed adjacent to the first plurality of swaths. Forming the second plurality of swaths can be performed in an opposite direction to that of the first plurality of swaths or in a same direction. An inspection system can implement this method by including a diffractive optical element (DOE) path after a magnification changer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Jamie Sullivan, Wenjian Cai, Yevgeniy Churin, Ralph Johnson, Meier Yitzhak Brender, Mark Shi Wang, Rex Runyon, Kai Cao
  • Patent number: 10060883
    Abstract: A method includes emitting an ultrasonic signal into a test specimen from a transducer, receiving a first reflected ultrasonic signal from the test specimen, wherein the first reflected ultrasonic signal is reflected from a feature in the test specimen and the first reflected ultrasonic signal is internally reflected within the test specimen three times prior to being received, and determining a threshold depth of the feature in the test specimen based on receiving the first reflected ultrasonic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Inventors: Jochen Uwe Giese, Andrew Robinson, Markus Holger Blust, Christian Alexander Goldmann
  • Patent number: 10058029
    Abstract: A vibration sensor unit (66) is provided with a vibration sensor (72) and with an electronic signal processing circuit (82) which derives from the signals of the vibration sensor (72) information regarding a quantity of lost grain detected by the vibration sensor (72). The electronic signal processing circuit (82) also examines the signals of the vibration sensor (72) for vibrations that may be signs of potential damage to moving parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventor: Lutz Bischoff
  • Patent number: 10060940
    Abstract: A sensor includes a sensor element configured to measure a physical variable. At least one elastic damping element is configured to damp external interfering vibrations. The at least one elastic damping element is configured to electrically and/or mechanically contact the sensor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Michael Hofsaess
  • Patent number: 10049522
    Abstract: A means and method for checking a value document of at least one irregularity of at least one specified type, in which an ultrasound data record is captured which describes in locally resolved fashion at least one ultrasound property, a deviation data record is ascertained which describes in locally resolved fashion a deviation between the ultrasound data record and a model and is ascertained such that the deviation described thereby is minimal with respect to the model. The model comprises a model for the location dependence of the at least one ultrasound property of reference value documents of the specified value document type without irregularities of the at least one specified type, and using the deviation data record, it is checked whether an indication of an irregularity of the at least one type is present on the value document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: GIESECKE+DEVRIENT CURRENCY TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Johannes Feulner, Jan Domke
  • Patent number: 10041828
    Abstract: A method for inspecting an object by ultrasound transmission, including sweeping an ultrasound beam over a reference part that has the same geometry as the object to be inspected, and measuring the amplitude transmitted through the part to obtain a mapping thereof. The ultrasound beam is amplified with a reference gain. The method further includes determining gain corrections to be added to the reference gain at certain points during the sweeping of the reference part to obtain an ultrasound beam amplitude transmitted through the part which is constant at each point of the mapping, and sweeping an ultrasound beam over the object to be inspected and measuring the transmitted amplitude. The gain applied to the various points during the sweeping corresponds to the reference gain corrected on the basis of said corrections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: SNECMA
    Inventors: Nicolas Broussais-Colella, Jean-Yves Chatellier, Jeremy Duval
  • Patent number: 10041909
    Abstract: A portable ultrasonic testing device which with respect to a plate material having a chamfered surface formed between an outer plate surface and an inner peripheral surface, irradiates the chamfered surface with ultrasonic waves while moving along the chambered surface to thereby detect flaws in the plate material is provided with: a device frame; a probe which irradiates the chambered surface with the ultrasonic waves, and receives reflected ultrasonic waves; a wedge to which the probe is fixed and which is able to come into contact with the chamfered surface; a slide mechanism which moves the wedge in a sliding direction with respect to the device frame; a spring member which is urged in a direction in which the wedge and the chamfered surface approach each other in the sliding direction; and a movable roller and a pair of fixed rollers which are provided in the device frame and each have a rolling contract surface that is in contact with the inner peripheral surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takemoto, Kazuhiro Ueshiro, Tadayoshi Kimura
  • Patent number: 10036735
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed to enhance three-dimensional photoacoustic imaging behind, through, or inside a scattering material. Some embodiments can increase the optical fluence in an ultrasound transducer focus and/or enhance the optical intensity using wavefront shaping before the scatterer. The photoacoustic signal induced by an object placed behind the scattering medium can serve as feedback to optimize the wavefront, enabling one order of magnitude enhancement of the photoacoustic amplitude. Using the enhanced optical intensity, the object can be scanned in two dimensions and/or a spot can be scanned by re-optimizing the wavefront before post-processing of the data to reconstruct the image. The temporal photoacoustic signal provides information to reconstruct the third-dimensional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, A BODY CORPORATE
    Inventors: Rafael Piestun, Hengyi Ju, Jacob Dove, Antonio Miguel Caravaca-Aguirre, Todd Murray, Donald Conkey