Patents Examined by Hongmin Fan
  • Patent number: 11412952
    Abstract: A low complexity, low powered, non-invasive, and wearable system for detecting pulmonary edema and emphysema by estimating an average dielectric constant includes a radio frequency (RF) sensor array, which is fabricated along a flexible substrate, a data collection unit, a body area network (BAN), and a post-processing unit. The flexibility of the flexible substrate allows the RF sensor array to worn around the chest region. A plurality of ports of the RF sensor array is used to measure a set of transmission coefficients. The data collection unit accumulates and transfers the set of transmission coefficients to the post-processing unit, wherein the BAN is used during the transfer process. At the post-processing unit, the average dielectric constant is estimated. Since the average dielectric constant can be used as a measure of fluids and air within the lungs, pulmonary edema and emphysema may be detected using the average dielectric constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignees: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Mohammad S. Sharawi, Muhammad Tayyab, Atif Shamim, Abdelsalam Al-Sarkhi
  • Patent number: 11417198
    Abstract: A modular damage control system and portable damage control apparatus for integrating damage control monitoring information with a transport vessel's centralized monitoring system. The modular damage control system includes a centralized monitoring system, portable equipment installation, at least one alarm, and a relay enclosure. The portable damage control apparatus includes at least one alarm and a relay enclosure, further comprising an external power supply, relay, end of line resistor, and alert device. The portable damage control apparatus allows for plug-and-play type integration with a centralized monitoring system, wherein the system described herein can enable the monitoring of hazards to a portable equipment installation by interfacing with a transport vessel's damage control network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Jeffery T. Gilchrist, William A. Chambers, Tyler J. Browe
  • Patent number: 11410523
    Abstract: An occurrence of one or more “care events” is detected by an electronic device monitoring environmental data and/or user data from one or more sensors. The electronic device transmits one or more alerts regarding the detected occurrence to at least one other electronic device. In some cases, the electronic device may cooperate with at least one other electronic device in monitoring, detecting, and/or transmitting. For example, the electronic device may detect the occurrence based on sensor data received from a cooperative electronic device or such data in combination with the electronic device's sensor data. By way of another example, the electronic device may detect the occurrence and signal a cooperative electronic device to transmit one or more alerts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Martha E. Hankey, James Foster
  • Patent number: 11403922
    Abstract: A curved haptic actuator according to an embodiment may comprise: a housing having a receiving space and having a shape where the receiving space and an outer appearance thereof are bent outward; a vibration unit disposed in the receiving space, being movable along the longitudinal direction of the housing, and having a shape bent upward; elastic bodies connected to an inner wall of the housing and both sides of the vibration unit; and a magnetic field generation unit which is installed on the inner wall of the housing and generates a magnetic field and applies the magnetic field to the vibration unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: CK MATERIALS LAB CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hyeong Jun Kim, Myung Sun Park, Jong Hun Lee, Cheol Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 11404171
    Abstract: A method for automatically managing and responding to alarms in a building management system. The method includes obtaining an operating procedure comprising a set of action items to be performed in response to an alarm in the building management system. The method includes determining, for an action item of the set of action items, whether the action item is capable of being performed automatically by the building management system or whether the action item requires user involvement. The method further includes in response to determining that the action item is capable of being performed automatically, automatically performing the action item by the building management system. The method further includes in response to determining that the action item requires user involvement, providing the action item to a user device for action by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventors: Viswanadha Reddy, Chiranjib Dhar, Rajeev T. Singh, Ishmeet Bhatia
  • Patent number: 11393327
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a storage device, for enabling drone activity in a property monitored by a property monitoring system without triggering a false alarm. In one aspect, the method includes actions of obtaining a location of the drone, identifying a first sensor installed at the property that is within a predetermined distance of the drone, detecting first sensor data generated by the first sensor that is within a predetermined distance of the drone, wherein the first sensor data includes data that is indicative of an event, determining whether a second sensor that is mounted to the drone is generating second sensor data that corroborates the event indicated by the first sensor data, and disregarding, by the property monitoring system, the first sensor data in determining whether to trigger an alarm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Alarm.com Incorporated
    Inventors: Gary Franklin Bart, Dean Constantine
  • Patent number: 11393312
    Abstract: A smoke detection device main body of a portable smoke detector can switch smoke detection sensitivity. At the start of operation, the smoke detection sensitivity of the portable smoke detector is equal to or higher than a smoke detection sensitivity of a fixed smoke detector that detects smoke in a monitoring area. At this time, switching of smoke detection sensitivity does not work. After the fixed smoke detector detects smoke generation, when the portable smoke detector is used to locate the smoke generation position while moving in the monitoring area, an operation is performed from an initial sensitivity. When a predetermined smoke detection signal is detected while using the portable smoke detector to identify the smoke generation position, the smoke detection sensitivity switching is activated, and the smoke detection sensitivity is changed accordingly. By lowering the smoke detection sensitivity, the smoke generation position is narrowed down and identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: HOCHIKI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hidenari Matsukuma
  • Patent number: 11380186
    Abstract: A method for managing an alarm issued by a medical device being used to treat a patient is disclosed. The method includes the steps of receiving an alarm from the medical device, retrieving a dynamic attribute associated with the patient, assigning a sub-priority to the alarm based in part on evaluation of the dynamic attribute, and providing an alert to a staff member that is associated with the sub-priority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventor: Marc Neubauer
  • Patent number: 11380185
    Abstract: The present invention describes a contactless signaling system for retail and other commercial environments whereby customers or workers can submit requests for assistance without the need to physically touch any button or other input device. A contactless call button unit comprises a proximity sensor operatively communicating with transmission means for sending a signal to at least one of a hub appliance and an employee communication receiver. The proximity sensor is triggered without requiring the user to physically contact the call button unit. Instead, when a portion of the user's body, such as the user's hand or finger, is within a predefined distance from the call button unit for a predefined period of time, a signal will be transmitted with a call request message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: FLORLINK INC.
    Inventors: Julia Truchsess, Bill Dussinger, Mark Barnes
  • Patent number: 11372039
    Abstract: A vehicle LED lighting outage detection circuit is disclosed for detecting a fault in the LED light and automatically increasing the power drawn from the light power supply in response to the fault. A complementary detection circuit is also disclosed for detecting the increased power draw and signaling a fault to an operator. The increased power draw can be selected to be in the form of a pulse that settles to a lower power draw state after a time to avoid excessive and wasteful power draw. The system can be mounted in a vehicle and, more particularly, to a semi-tractor truck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Grote Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy W. Brooks, Eric Thorstensen, Christopher Busse
  • Patent number: 11370348
    Abstract: A method for securing cargo that can form a unit load when the cargo is immobilized on a load carrier or on a vehicle by means of a securing device, and a measuring device for measuring a tensile stress acting on the securing device being disposed on the securing device, the measuring device being equipped with a data processing system having a device for signal transfer to a central data processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: SPANSET INTER AG
    Inventor: David Ehnimb
  • Patent number: 11372060
    Abstract: A power distribution busway joint monitoring sensor assembly is provided. A first sensor is configured to measure a first position temperature and generate a first signal indicative of the first position temperature, wherein the first position is proximate to a busway joint. A second sensor is configured to measure a second position temperature and generate a second signal indicative of the second position temperature. A sensor controller is configured to i) receive the first signal and the second signal, ii) process the first signal and the second signal, and iii) generate a processed first signal and a processed second signal. A system controller is configured to receive the processed first signal and the processed second signal and generate an alert when a temperature differential between the first position temperature and the second position temperature is greater than a predetermined threshold temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: ABB POWER ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jayesh Ranchhodbhai Patel, Gary Dean Kirkpatrick, Stanley Gene Kotwitz, Jr., Roy Jaescentt Davis
  • Patent number: 11367534
    Abstract: A building system of a building, the building system including one or more memory devices configured to store instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive occupancy data of occupants from an occupant tracking system, the occupancy data indicating locations of the occupants within a building space of the building. The instructions cause the one or more processors to determine, based on the occupancy data, whether one or more occupants of the occupants have violated a social distancing policy that reduces a spread of an infectious disease within the building based on the locations of at least two of the occupants, the social distancing policy based on one or more characteristics of the building space and perform one or more operations to improve compliance with the social distancing policy within the building.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventors: Edward Gerard Mc Namara, James Callanan, Tim Murphy, Robert Artur Dubisz, Matthew Breed Myung-Sun Scott, Amit Kumar, Sarah O'Connell, Rachel D. M. Ellerman, Vikas Sharma, Sourabh Taranath Joshi, Akshay Chavan
  • Patent number: 11367358
    Abstract: A method of arranging platooning vehicles based on the vehicles' historic wireless performance. The method includes a requesting vehicle requesting permission from a lead vehicle of a platoon to join the platoon. The lead vehicle determines if the Advance Driver Assisted Systems (ADAS) Instance State-of-Health (SOH) Scores are above a predetermined minimal threshold and if so, then whether the Overall Historic ADAS SOH Score contains one or more discrepancies. If the Overall Historic ADAS SOH Score contains no discrepancies, the lead vehicle than analyzes the historic wireless performance data from the requesting vehicle and determines a historic wireless performance (WP) score for the requesting vehicle. The requesting vehicle is then arranged in the platoon based on the relative historic WP score of the requesting vehicle to the WP score of the platooning vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Naga Siva Vikas Vemuri, Andrew J. MacDonald, Scott T. Droste, Charles A. Everhart, Ashhad Mohammed
  • Patent number: 11357211
    Abstract: A system for maintaining inter-object separation between different objects such as animals, machinery, or people, that uses distance signaling to provide and maintain separation via correction activities that may also be used to keep the first two objects at a prescribed distance from a third object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Universtiy of South Carolina
    Inventors: Hossein Haj-Hariri, Gavin Thomas Garner, Mitra Minter Haj-Hariri, Dara Davisson Haj-Hariri
  • Patent number: 11347985
    Abstract: A method of granting control access comprises displaying a QR code on a fire panel annunciator. A user device captures the QR code, extracts information from it, and forwards the extracted information to the fire panel. If the fire panel verifies that the extracted information is valid, the panel grants temporary control access to the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: JOHNSON CONTROLS TYCO IP HOLDINGS LLP
    Inventor: Christopher Mark Barrieau
  • Patent number: 11348380
    Abstract: Examples disclosed herein relate to an autonomous driving system in an ego vehicle. The autonomous driving system includes an antenna system having an antenna controller configured to provide a radar transmission signal for transmission to a target. The antenna system also includes a beacon circuit coupled to the antenna controller and configured to generate a superimposed signal comprising the radar transmission signal and a beacon signal having information that identifies the ego vehicle to other vehicles that are in a range distance of the ego vehicle. The antenna system also includes a metamaterial antenna structure coupled to the beacon circuit and configured to transmit the superimposed signal to the other vehicles. Other examples disclosed herein include a radar system having a beacon system and a method of operating the antenna system in the autonomous driving system of the ego vehicle, for vehicle identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Inventor: Jun Fang
  • Patent number: 11335185
    Abstract: Provided herein are examples of a remote control device that provides a retrofit solution for an existing switched control system. The remote control device may comprise a control circuit, a rotatable portion, a magnetic ring coupled to the rotatable portion, and first and second Hall-effect sensor circuits configured to generate respective first and second sensor control signals in response to magnetic fields generated by the magnetic elements. The control circuit may operate in a normal mode when the rotatable portion is being rotated, and in a reduced-power mode when the rotatable portion is not being rotated. The control circuit may disable the second Hall-effect sensor circuit in the reduced-power mode. The control circuit may detect movement of the rotatable portion in response to the first sensor control signal in the reduced-power mode and enable the second Hall-effect sensor circuit in response to detecting movement of the rotatable portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Matthew V. Harte, Jeffrey S. Hayes, Stephen M. Ludwig, Jr., Robert C. Newman, Jr., Jaykrishna A. Shukla
  • Patent number: 11332069
    Abstract: In various embodiments, methods, systems, and vehicle apparatuses are provided. The method includes receiving, via an interface of the V2X enabled safety triangle warning reflector, vehicle information before deployment for storing the vehicle information in a memory disposed locally at the V2X enabled safety triangle warning reflector for subsequent use at the deployment; generating, by a processor chip in communication with the memory, a failure message associated with the vehicle failure based at least on the vehicle information contained locally in memory; and broadcasting, the failure message generated by the processor chip via a transmitter disposed of in the V2X enable safety triangle warning reflector during a vehicle failure, wherein the failure message is broadcasted in a surrounding area of the failure vehicle on a set of multiple different channels including cloud, infrastructure and personal communication service (PCS) channels to entities that provide traffic and vehicle control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Wenyuan Qi
  • Patent number: 11335132
    Abstract: A method of partial sensor data sharing is described. The method includes defining an area of interest (AoI) based on a traffic topology and state information of a selected sender vehicle. The method also includes transmitting the area of interest to the selected sender vehicle. The method further includes sharing, by the selected sender vehicle, a sensor data corresponding to the area of interest when the area of interest is within a sensor coverage area of the selected sender vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Ahmed Hamdi Sakr