Patents Examined by Michael J Singletary
  • Patent number: 11650350
    Abstract: An experimental apparatus comprises a centrifuge basket experiment module, a structural deformation device, an image reflector and a geomorphometer; the centrifuge basket experiment module is installed on a cantilever of a drum centrifuge in a hanging manner during an experiment; the structural deformation device is configured for extending and compressing experimental materials; a mirror panel of the image reflector reflects images inside an experiment box through a transparent window; the geomorphometer can simulate rainfall and recover wastewater, and the apparatus can also heat the experimental materials. An image acquisition device is installed on a bulkhead of the experiment module and the cantilever of the centrifuge to acquire top and side images of the experiment box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: NANJING UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Dong Jia, Xiaojun Wu, Shufeng Yang, Hanlin Chen, Yiquan Li, Zhuxin Chen, Hongwei Yin, Guoai Xie, Yinqi Li, Jianying Yuan
  • Patent number: 11644510
    Abstract: A battery characterization system includes a drive-sense circuit (DSC), memory that stores operational instructions, and processing module(s) operably coupled to the DSC and the memory. Based on a reference signal, the DSC generates a charge signal, which includes an AC (alternating current) component, and provides the charge signal to a terminal of a battery via a single line and simultaneously to senses the charge signal via the single line to detect an electrical characteristic of the battery based on a response of the battery. The DSC generates a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the battery. The processing module(s), based on the operational instructions, generate the reference signal to include a frequency sweep of the AC component of the charge signal (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Michael Frederick David Olley, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11567135
    Abstract: A battery characterization system includes a drive-sense circuit (DSC), memory that stores operational instructions, and processing module(s) operably coupled to the DSC and the memory. Based on a reference signal, the DSC generates a charge signal, which includes an AC (alternating current) component, and provides the charge signal to a terminal of a battery via a single line and simultaneously to senses the charge signal via the single line to detect an electrical characteristic of the battery based on a response of the battery. The DSC generates a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the battery. The processing module(s), based on the operational instructions, generate the reference signal to include a frequency sweep of the AC component of the charge signal (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Michael Frederick David Olley, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11549991
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a state of charge of a battery of a field device wherein the field device includes the battery, a voltage converter and a battery-powered component connected to the voltage converter, is disclosed. The method includes enabling the voltage converter and subsequently operating the voltage converter in duty cycles based on a current flowing from the battery to the voltage converter by repeatedly: disabling the voltage converter when the current exceeds an upper limit and enabling the voltage converter again when the current drops below a lower limit; and at least once determining and providing a state of charge of the battery determined based on a duration of at least one first time interval during which the voltage converter was enabled during one of the duty cycles and a previously determined dependency of the durations on the state of charge of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Endress+Hauser SE+Co. KG
    Inventors: Ralf Lobenstein, Gautham Karnik
  • Patent number: 11541921
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes determining, by a controller, a first wind direction relative to a first vehicle and determining, by the controller, a first wind speed relative to the first vehicle. The method also includes calculating, by the controller, an absolute wind direction relative to ground using the first wind direction relative to the first vehicle and calculating, by the controller, an absolute wind speed relative to the ground using the first wind speed relative to the first vehicle. The method further includes calculating, by the controller, a second wind direction relative to a second vehicle using the absolute wind direction and calculating, by the controller, a second wind speed relative to the second vehicle using the absolute wind speed. A front end of the first vehicle and a front end of the second vehicle face different directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Inventors: Brian J. Dumont, James Paul, Matthew Fleming, Paul Harris, Corey D. Wills, Corey T. Pasta, Paul K. Gabler, Dennis W. Morgart
  • Patent number: 11532097
    Abstract: A method for estimating the quality of localization using sensor detection, wherein the vehicle detects dynamic objects on the road and in the direct surroundings of the road and estimates the dimensions of the objects. The movement of these objects in the near future is estimated. The outer casings of these objects are entered into a map of the surroundings. From the perspective of the sensors used to detect the features in the surroundings, the limitations of the fields of view and the predicted temporal development thereof resulting from the movement of the transportation vehicle and the predicted movements of the objects are entered into the map of the surroundings. The surrounding features that have been entered into the map of the surroundings and which may at visible in the near future are determined. An upper limit for a measure of the quality of localization is estimated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel Wilbers, Christian Merfels, Bernd Rech, Thilo Schaper, Niklas Koch, Stefan Jürgens, David Perdomo Lopez, Constanze Hungar
  • Patent number: 11525715
    Abstract: An apparatus for linearizing an input signal includes a memory, in which an output value is stored for each of a plurality of linearization points. The linearization points divide a value range into a plurality of intervals. Each interval is delimited by a first linearization point with an assigned first output value and a second linearization point with an assigned second output value. The apparatus includes a computer device configured to determine the interval in which an input signal value of the input signal is located and to calculate a linearized output signal value for the input signal value by way of a linear interpolation using the input signal value, the first output value of this interval, and the second output value of this interval. At least two of the intervals have different interval lengths, which are formed by multiplication of an output interval length by an integer factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Christoph Krall, Stefan Lanschuetzer, Sebastian Uitz
  • Patent number: 11520078
    Abstract: Determining a white plume control line of smoke after wet desulphurization includes: drawing a saturated air enthalpy humidity curve or equivalent; obtaining annual temperature and humidity change data of located cities or regions along with the time at the frequency of at least one datum every day; drawing the data obtained in the saturated air enthalpy humidity curve; and drawing a tangent line on the saturation curve by using each meteorological point in a chart, the right lower side of the tangent line is a de-pluming control region, the de-pluming effect superior to that at the feature meteorological point can be realized when the smoke enters the region after regulation, a region defined by the de-pluming control line and the saturation curve at a low-temperature side forms a de-pluming day number control region, and the point number falling within the region is the white plume generating day number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: NANJING TECH UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Haitao Xu, Changcheng Zhou, Jianjun Jiang, Qiang Li, Jian Zou, Kai Shen, Da Shen
  • Patent number: 11519966
    Abstract: A battery characterization system includes a drive-sense circuit (DSC), memory that stores operational instructions, and processing module(s) operably coupled to the DSC and the memory. Based on a reference signal, the DSC generates a charge signal, which includes an AC (alternating current) component, and provides the charge signal to a terminal of a battery via a single line and simultaneously to senses the charge signal via the single line to detect an electrical characteristic of the battery based on a response of the battery. The DSC generates a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the battery. The processing module(s), based on the operational instructions, generate the reference signal to include a frequency sweep of the AC component of the charge signal (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Michael Frederick David Olley, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11500028
    Abstract: A sensor unit includes a current sensor that detects a current, a voltage sensor that detects a voltage, a ground fault sensor that detects a ground fault, and a common substrate on which the current sensor, the voltage sensor, and the ground fault sensor are mounted. In the sensor unit, for example, in a power supply circuit of a vehicle, the three sensors of the high voltage system can be integrated on the common substrate, so that an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Morimoto, Kazuo Sugimura, Kazuya Tsubaki, Eiichiro Oishi
  • Patent number: 11500024
    Abstract: A battery characterization system includes a drive-sense circuit (DSC), memory that stores operational instructions, and processing module(s) operably coupled to the DSC and the memory. Based on a reference signal, the DSC generates a charge signal, which includes an AC (alternating current) component, and provides the charge signal to a terminal of a battery via a single line and simultaneously to senses the charge signal via the single line to detect an electrical characteristic of the battery based on a response of the battery. The DSC generates a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the battery. The processing module(s), based on the operational instructions, generate the reference signal to include a frequency sweep of the AC component of the charge signal (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Michael Frederick David Olley, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11493559
    Abstract: A battery characterization system includes a drive-sense circuit (DSC), memory that stores operational instructions, and processing module(s) operably coupled to the DSC and the memory. Based on a reference signal, the DSC generates a charge signal, which includes an AC (alternating current) component, and provides the charge signal to a terminal of a battery via a single line and simultaneously to senses the charge signal via the single line to detect an electrical characteristic of the battery based on a response of the battery. The DSC generates a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the battery. The processing module(s), based on the operational instructions, generate the reference signal to include a frequency sweep of the AC component of the charge signal (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Michael Frederick David Olley, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11480625
    Abstract: Battery management systems and methods can provide real-time automated monitoring of various aspects of battery health and operation. Some battery management systems can use an equivalent cell circuit model to predict a range for the expected behavior of a battery cell under actual operating conditions in real-time. The prediction can be compared to the actual behavior of the cell to determine whether an anomaly exists. Some battery management systems can maintain an estimate of battery state-of-health parameters such as charge capacity and internal resistance and can update these estimates in real time while the battery is being discharged and/or charged. Anomalous variations in a monitored parameter can trigger a real-time fault notification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Wisk Aero LLC
    Inventor: Lewis Romeo Hom
  • Patent number: 11474044
    Abstract: Devices and methods for determining the cumulative distribution of a polymer property in a reactor without physical separation of reaction subcomponents. The device includes a means of measuring an instantaneous property of the polymers being produced in a reaction vessel a plurality of times during a polymerization reaction as well as a means of determining the corresponding change in polymer concentration in the reaction vessel between measurements of the instantaneous polymer property The device also includes a means of computing a statistical distribution appropriate to the polymer characteristic and applying the statistical distribution to a recently measured instantaneous value of the polymer property so as to have an instantaneous distribution of the polymer property and a means of adding together the instantaneous distributions of the polymer property in order to obtain the cumulative distribution of the polymer property in the reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignees: ADVANCED POLYMER MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES, INC., THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND
    Inventors: Wayne Frederick Reed, Rick D. Montgomery, Michael Felix Drenski, Aide Wu
  • Patent number: 11476795
    Abstract: A method for determining a level of solar radiation at a point of interest (POI). Multiple sky images are captured by a distributed network of digital cameras. Sun location parameters are determined. A three-dimensional (3D) sky model is generated based on the sky images. Generating the 3D sky model includes generating 3D object data based on the sky images to model one or more objects in a region of sky, and generating position data to model a position of the one or more objects in the region of sky. A level of solar radiation at the POI is determined based on the position data and 3D object data of the 3D sky model and the sun location parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
    Inventors: Sam West, Ryan Lagerstrom, Changming Sun, Rongxin Li, Joel Wong
  • Patent number: 11410544
    Abstract: A current sensor including a sensitive portion with a first detection line and a second detection line; the sensitive portion is suitable for detecting the passage of a moving target, a connection device suitable for delivering a detection signal arising from the sensitive portion. The current sensor further includes a duplication device suitable for duplicating the first detection line to make a duplicate first detection line and for duplicating the second detection line to make a duplicate second detection line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Inventors: Jacques Rocher, Leroy Yannick
  • Patent number: 11397281
    Abstract: A system and method for forecasting perceived transitions to the four annual seasons in geographic areas is disclosed. The perceived transitions are identified by comparing forecasted daily temperatures in each geographic area to thresholds generated based on normal daily temperatures in those geographic areas. The forecasted daily temperatures may be calculated using both forecasted temperatures and forecasted perceived ambient temperatures (calculated using both temperature and humidity, cloud cover, sun intensity, and/or wind speed).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: AccuWeather, Inc.
    Inventors: Rosemary Radich, Tim Loftus, Jennifer Akers, Michael R. Root
  • Patent number: 11378713
    Abstract: A method for collecting and processing the tensor artificial-source electromagnetic signal data and a device thereof; the method comprising the steps of: step S1: determining an electric field polarization direction in a measuring area, and arranging electromagnetic field sensors according to the electric field polarization direction in the measuring area, step S2: respectively collecting artificial-source electromagnetic field signals and natural-field-source electromagnetic field signals, step S3: respectively Fourier-transforming the collected electromagnetic field signals, thereby obtaining the electromagnetic field values corresponding to the artificial source, and the collected electromagnetic field signals corresponding to n groups of natural sources, step S4: calculating to obtain the underground tensor impedances according to the electromagnetic field values corresponding to the artificial source and the electromagnetic field signals corresponding to n groups of natural sources that are obtained base
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventors: Changmin Fu, Qingyun Di
  • Patent number: 11364812
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle is applied to a hybrid vehicle capable of running in EV mode and configured to allow external charging. The control apparatus comprises a controller configured to acquire an external charging time at which charging of the battery by electrical power supplied from outside the vehicle becomes possible with the hybrid vehicle staying at a predetermined charging site and execute generation control to control electrical power generation by the electric motor using an internal combustion engine on the basis of a remaining time defined as the length of time from the current time to the time of the next external charging time, when an SOC value becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined lower threshold. The control apparatus as above can reduce the degree of dependence on the internal combustion engine as much as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masahiro Sato
  • Patent number: 11359943
    Abstract: Various examples pertaining to a sensor system interconnect for automatic configuration of sensors of the sensor system are described. A sensor senses at least one parameter. The sensor also determines its respective position among a series of sensors. Based on a result of the determining, the sensor performing either a first procedure, responsive to the sensor being a first sensor in the series of sensors, or a second procedure, responsive to the sensor not being the first sensor in the series of sensors. The first procedure involves the sensor transmitting first data of the sensed at least one parameter via a second input/output (I/O) pin of the sensor. The second procedure involves the sensor receiving second data from a preceding sensor in the series of sensors via a first I/O pin of the sensor and transmitting the first data and the second data via the second I/O pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Inventors: Chih-Ming Hung, ChiaYu Lin