Patents Examined by Jose M. Solis
  • Patent number: 5814996
    Abstract: The noise received by the unused connectors limits the accuracy of a device for measuring the leakage from a piece of electronic medical equipment. To reduce noise the device is surrounded by a Faraday shield which encloses unused connectors of the device. The shielded connector includes a post having a transverse hole near its distal end. A coil spring surrounds the post end and is connected to the Faraday shield of the device. An insulated retainer prevents the distal end of the coil spring from extending beyond the end of the post. The retainer is compressed against the coil spring to expose the transverse hole when a lead is to be attached to the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignee: Bowden's Automated Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert A. Winter
  • Patent number: 5811975
    Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method for electronically monitoring and testing the operational status of emergency luminare in a building at predetermined times for predetermined intervals, accurately, quickly, non-intrusively. The apparatus includes a programmable processor pre-programmed with programmed information for producing electrical input signals at predetermined times for predetermined intervals, a plurality of switches receiving the electrical input signals and electronically coupled between the programmable processor and the plurality of emergency luminare for deactivating the power source and activating the battery source, and a plurality of detectors electronically coupled between the emergency luminare and the programmable processor for collecting data of the operational status of the emergency luminare. The programmable processor receives and stores the data in a memory device for monitoring by a user accessible computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Inventor: James Segura Bernardo
  • Patent number: 5811980
    Abstract: The invention is a tester that uses a capacitive probe to test whether components that have multiple power and/or ground pins are correctly oriented relative to the signal-pin tracks on a circuit board. The tester connects, to the signal-pin track to which the pin under test is connected, a test-signal source that supplies to that pin a relatively high-voltage test signal. The tester actively guards the pin by applying to the remaining component pins, through the tester scanning system and its internal resistance, a signal that has the same voltage as that sensed by the capacitive probe. If the component is oriented such that one of the multiple power or ground pins is connected to the signal-pin track to which the test signal is applied, the test signal appears also at the other power or ground pins, since these pins are interconnected by a low impedance path through the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: GenRad, Inc.
    Inventors: John Doyle, Jeffrey Collette
  • Patent number: 5804975
    Abstract: The breakdown of an ultra-thin dielectric layer is detected by applying a test signal to the layer. Measurements are taken of noise signals present in the layer during the application of the test signal. At breakdown, a significant increase occurs in the amplitude of the measured noise signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Glenn Baldwin Alers, Kathleen Susan Krisch, Bonnie Elaine Weir
  • Patent number: 5801525
    Abstract: A power sensor that enables determination of the frequency of a microwave signal comprises a signal input that receives the microwave signal at a particular frequency, at least one sensor that produces a first and second output corresponding to the power of the microwave signal, and a means for coupling the signal input to the sensor so that the coupling means distinguishes the first output from the second output in order that the ratio of these outputs produces a unique value at the particular frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Wiltron Company
    Inventors: William Oldfield, Russell Brown, Michael Osborne
  • Patent number: 5801526
    Abstract: A faulted indicator elbow-type termination connector for indicating the occurrence of a fault current in an electrical conductor of an alternating current distribution power system includes means for producing a magnetic field in response to an applied current to the electrical conductor. The termination connector includes a cylindrical body portion having a recessed housing section which projects radially from a central axis thereof. A faulted circuit indicator module is rotatably mounted within the recessed housing section and contains a trip setting device which is responsive to the magnetic field. The trip setting device has its sensitivity adjusted by rotating the faulted circuit indicator module relative to the cylindrical body portion. As a result, the sensitivity of the trip setting device can be changed quickly and easily so as to accommodate various trip settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Dipl-Ing. H. Horstmann GmbH
    Inventor: Hendrik Horstmann
  • Patent number: 5796257
    Abstract: A system for detecting a fault in a power line (1) includes, in the power line (1), a first circuit (4) capable of attenuating signals within a first frequency band, which is centered on a first frequency, substantially more than it attenuates signals outside the first frequency band, and, a second circuit (5) connected to the power line (1) on one side of the first circuit (4), the second circuit (5) being capable of extracting signals within a second frequency band that includes the first frequency. The relative levels of two signals extracted by the second circuit (5), are detected and signalled, the two signals being at respective frequencies which the first circuit is capable of attenuating by different relative amounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: The University of Bath
    Inventor: Allan Thomas Johns
  • Patent number: 5796258
    Abstract: A quadrilateral characteristic relay system for determining a fault associated with a multiple-phase electric power transmission system is disclosed. The system dynamically adapts one line of the quadrilateral trip region to account for the interaction of load current and fault resistance. As a result of the adaptation, the system exhibits better overreach and underreach performance characteristics. The system employs impedance and voltage plane quadrilateral characteristics using negative sequence current as a proxy for fault current. In the voltage plane, the fault determination is made through a series of comparisons, avoiding computationally inefficient mathematical divisions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: ABB Power T&D Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Lifeng Yang
  • Patent number: 5793215
    Abstract: A 6 port TEM cell for measuring garbage EMI/EMS of an electrical and electronic equipment which can form an electromagnetic field of horizontal/vertical polarization using characteristic that internal electric field polarization is changed according to feeder line selection inside a multi-transmission line, and coupling amount among internal conductors is reduced by positioning the spherical internal conductors at corners of external conductors, thereby widening a test area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventor: Jae-Hoon Yun
  • Patent number: 5793214
    Abstract: A highly accurate electromagnetic-induction-type conductivity and dielectric constant meter is obtained by using a calibration box (instrument) and a structure as below. The conductivity and dielectric constant meter employs an electromagnetic inductive probe which includes a primary transformer composed of a toroidal core with a wound primary coil, a secondary transformer composed of a toroidal core with a wound secondary coil, an electrostatic shield shielding the transformers, and cables that connect the probe to a meter. To eliminate the electrostatic capacity produced by causes other than electromagnetic induction, the structure of the probe is symmetrical. In a first embodiment, the secondary transformer is placed between two parts of the primary transformer, which has two cores of the same shape that are placed symmetrically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Hideki Wakamatsu
  • Patent number: 5789912
    Abstract: A high frequency switch to be mounted on a board, which includes an insulating housing to be mounted on a board of a high frequency apparatus on which ground and signal conductors are disposed; a pair of parallel ground conductive plates disposed on opposite sides of the insulating housing in a direction perpendicular to the board such that when the insulating housing is mounted on the board, the ground plates are connected to the ground conductors on the board; an non-ground conductive plate disposed in the insulating housing between and at right angles with the parallel ground conductive plates such that when the insulating housing is mounted on the board, the non-ground conductive plate is connected to the signal conductor, the non-ground conductive plate including: a switching spring to be connected to one of the signal conductors on an input side, and a connection plate to be connected to one of the signal conductors on an output side; a free end of the switching spring being pressed against a free end o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Miyake Yukinori, Kaneko Mitsunori, Masuzaki Yasuhiro, Ozaki Tetsuya
  • Patent number: 5786699
    Abstract: A relay test apparatus for testing a protective relay operation of a protective relay system comprises GPS receivers, respectively connected to the protective relays, each GPS receiver analyzing time data included in a signal transmitted from a satellite and outputting a time signal, simulation signal generators, respectively connected to the protective relays, each simulation signal generator generating a simulation signal and inputting the simulation signal to a corresponding protective relay, and synchronous starting units, respectively provided in the protective relays, each synchronous starting unit starting a corresponding simulation signal generator to generate the simulation signal, when time signals output from the GPS receivers coincide with a preset time at a same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yukio Sukegawa, Tetsuo Matsushima
  • Patent number: 5786698
    Abstract: An apparatus for bootstrapping an amplifier of a capacitive displacement transducer. The apparatus replaces a transformer with two capacitors and two resistors configured to provide biased supply voltages to the positive and negative power supply connections of an amplifier configured as a high impedance unity gain buffer in the transducer. The replacement of the transformer with a pair of standard capacitors and resistors provides for similar performance at a reduced size and cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: ADE Corporation
    Inventor: Roy E. Mallory
  • Patent number: 5781019
    Abstract: A probe for use in time domain reflectometry includes a body having a conductive portion and an insulated portion. A conductive loop is provided having a first end and a second end. The first end is secured in the insulated portion of the body. The second end is secured in the conductive portion of the body, thereby shorting and grounding the conductive loop. An RF connector is provided for coupling the first end of the conductive loop to time domain reflectometry instrumentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Inventor: Bert Jan Telder
  • Patent number: 5773978
    Abstract: A battery impedance monitor includes a driver section having an oscillator which produces a pulsating loading signal which controls periodic loading of the battery to produce at its output terminals a pulsating voltage component having a peak-to-peak amplitude superimposed on the DC output voltage of the battery. This pulsating voltage component is detected in a measuring section, which applies the battery output through a voltage divider to a peak detector which outputs an indicating voltage level proportional to the peak-to-peak amplitude of the pulsating output signal, this indicating level being held on a storage capacitor. The voltage divider includes a Zener diode which shifts the DC level of the battery output without affecting the amplitude of the pulsating component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Snap-on Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas P. Becker
  • Patent number: 5773981
    Abstract: A short between terminals of a linear solenoid controlled by an electronic control in an automatic transmission is detected by sensing when a PWM duty ratio set by a feedback control operating the linear solenoid is less than a reference duty ratio. The reference duty cycle is calculated to be between a range of expected normal duty ratios in the absence of the short and a range of expected short duty ratios in the presence of the short.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Sugiura, Shinichi Matsui, Tatsuyuki Yoneda, Kenji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5767685
    Abstract: A portable microwave measurement instrument is disclosed for measuring an unknown property of a test material, such as moisture content, by generating and transmitting two microwave beams of different frequency through such material so a portion of the beam energy is absorbed by the moisture. The corresponding attenuated received signals are compared in order to compensate for the presence of a component in the test material, which is not being measured but which also absorbs microwave beam energy. A temperature compensation circuit using two thermistors is connected to the PIN diode attenuators to adjust their attenuation characteristics in compensation for changes in temperature. To determine the density of the test material, one of the microwave signals is used to measure the phase shift of the corresponding received signal and produce a phase shift output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Inventor: Charles W. E. Walker
  • Patent number: 5764066
    Abstract: A sensing system locates an object by sensing the object's effect on electric fields. The object's effect on the mutual capacitance of electrode pairs varies according to the distance between the object and the electrodes. A single electrode pair can sense the distance from the object to the electrodes. Multiple electrode pairs can more precisely locate the object in one or more dimensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1998
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: James L. Novak, Ben Petterson
  • Patent number: 5764045
    Abstract: A fractional time frequency measuring apparatus includes a divider for dividing a frequency of a signal to be measured with a predetermined division factor; a counter unit for counting the divided signal with a standard clock for every period of the divided signal and outputting count results; a fractional time measuring unit for measuring fractional times produced by the counting with the standard clock; a sequence control unit to form a sequence circuit for sequentially counting the divided signal with the standard clock; a memory unit for holding the count results from the counter unit; a microprocessor for determining a value of the divisional factor, generating a reset signal, and calculating the frequency of the signal to be measured from the count results stored in the memory unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1998
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventor: Mishio Hayashi
  • Patent number: 5764065
    Abstract: A remote contamination sensing device for contamination on insulation of electric power lines and substations includes a data logger and a supporting structure to which a sensing capacitor with at least two conductors is attached such that the conductors are spaced apart and insulated from each other. A capacitance measuring device, for measuring capacitance data between the conductors, is connected to the data logger. A hygrometer, for measuring the relative humidity of the ambient air, is also connected to the data logger. A first temperature sensor, for measuring the ambient temperature, and a second temperature sensor, for measuring the surface temperature of the capacitance sensor, are connected to the data logger. The measured capacitance data, relative humidity data, ambient temperature data, and surface temperature data are stored in the data logger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1998
    Inventors: Clyde N. Richards, Joseph D. Renowden