Patents Examined by Mohammed E Keramet-Amircola
  • Patent number: 9821611
    Abstract: A tire wear state estimation system includes a vehicle-based sensor for measuring wheel speed of a tire-supporting and first and second features extracted from the wheel speed signal. A data classifier conducts a classification of the first extraction feature data relative to the second extraction feature data by a statistical analysis of the wheel speed signal to estimate the wear state of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Kanwar Bharat Singh
  • Patent number: 9804135
    Abstract: An apparatus for chemical separations includes a first substantially rigid microfluidic substrate defining a first fluidic port; a second substantially rigid microfluidic substrate defining a second fluidic port; and a coupler disposed between the first and second substrates, the coupler defining a fluidic path in fluidic alignment with the ports of the first and second substrates. The coupler includes a material that is deformable relative to a material of the first substrate and a material of the second substrate. The substrates are clamped together to compress the coupler between the substrates and form a fluid-tight seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Waters Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph D. Michienzi, James P. Murphy, Dennis DellaRovere
  • Patent number: 9802197
    Abstract: Provided herein are fluid reservoirs or hoppers for controlled delivery of liquid biological sample to a microfluidic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Cynvenio Biosystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Behrad Vahidi, Bernard Strong, Samuel Ferguson
  • Patent number: 9804192
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a micromechanical sensor element, a piece of primary information describing a motion-state of the micromechanical sensor element being ascertained by the micromechanical sensor element during a first time interval, a piece of reference information describing the motion-state of the micromechanical sensor element being ascertained during a second time interval on the basis of an acoustic signal emitted by a sound source, the first time interval and the second time interval overlapping at least partially with respect to time, and the reference information being compared with the primary information in order to calibrate the micromechanical sensor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Dominik Geisler, Thomas Claus, Jochen Hahn
  • Patent number: 9791150
    Abstract: The state of a flame in a gas turbine engine combustor is acoustically monitored using a dynamic pressure sensor within the combustor. A spectral pattern of a dynamic pressure sensor output signal from the sensor is compared with a characteristic frequency pattern that includes information about an acoustic pattern of the flame and information about acoustic signal canceling due to reflections within the combustor. The spectral pattern may also be compared with a characteristic frequency pattern including information about a flame-out condition in the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignees: SIEMENS ENERGY, INC., SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Heiko Claussen, Nancy H. Ulerich, Zainul Momin, Patrick Ronald Flohr
  • Patent number: 9790826
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method for monitoring lubricant of an engine. The system for monitoring lubricant of an engine comprises: a lubricant sensor, which measures lubricant quantity of the engine; a data acquisition unit, which collects the lubricant quantity of the engine from the lubricant sensor at a fixed time interval; and a message generation unit, which generates lubricant quantity monitoring messages according to the lubricant quantity of the engine collected by the data acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Air China Limited
    Inventors: Dechao Zhong, Zhuping Gu, Huifeng Ding, Jiaju Wu, Lei Huang, Bingzheng Wang, Hongtao Ma, Lei Chen, Yi Zhu
  • Patent number: 9772319
    Abstract: A chemical sensor (10) is described with at least one layer of a metal oxide (11) arranged between two current injecting electrodes (16,16?) with the length (L) of the layer of a metal oxide between the current injecting electrodes being less than 50 microns and one or a pair of voltage sensing electrodes (17) connected to the layer of a metal oxide (11) with the electrodes (16,16?,17) forming a 3- or 4-terminal arrangement for determining the resistance changes of layer material (11) excluding series resistances such as contact resistances close to or at at least one of the current injecting electrodes (16) from the resistance measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Lukas Burgi, Marc Von Waldkirch, Felix Mayer
  • Patent number: 9759675
    Abstract: A particulate matter (PM) sensor unit may include an exhaust line where exhaust gas passes, and a PM sensor that may be disposed at one side of the exhaust line and that generates a signal when particulate matter included in the exhaust gas passes the vicinity thereof, wherein the PM sensor may be an electrostatic induction type that generates an induction charge while the particulate matter having an electric charge passes the vicinity thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, SNU R&DB FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Jin Ha Lee, Ji Ho Cho, Kukjin Chun, Sungchan Kang, Keunho Jang
  • Patent number: 9718017
    Abstract: A multi-filter chemical speciation sampler and a virtual impaction particle separation inlet therefore are provided. The inlet includes a housing having a bottom, a collection tube that extends through the bottom, and collection apertures formed in the bottom, arranged around the collection tube; a first plate disposed on top of the housing, having acceleration nozzles disposed at the perimeter thereof; a second plate disposed in the housing below the first plate, having a central aperture and separation apertures disposed around the central aperture. The sampler includes: an inlet; a virtual impaction separator to further fractionate the PM into a course fraction and a fine fraction; a first separation assembly to divide the course fraction into coarse aliquots, comprising first filters to collect the coarse aliquots; a second separation assembly to divide the fine fraction into fine aliquots, comprising second filters to collect the fine aliquots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    Inventor: Paul A. Solomon
  • Patent number: 9719884
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a gas sensing element positioned at least partially within a body and being exposed at a first end to measure a gas in contact with the first end. A sleeve is fixed to the body and extends from the body in a direction opposite the first end of the gas sensing element. The sleeve includes it remote end portion having an engagement feature. A connector housing is overmolded onto the end portion of the sleeve to lock onto the sleeve via the engagement feature. The connector housing includes a plug connector portion partially enclosing a plurality of electrical terminals electrically connected to the gas sensing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Craig Magera, Claus Schnabel, David Boyd
  • Patent number: 9714931
    Abstract: A system includes a sensor that may measure one or more engine oil parameters to assess engine oil health of an engine and a processor communicatively coupled to the sensor and that may receive a signal from the sensor. The signal is representative of a real-time measurement of the one or more engine oil parameters. The processor may also estimate the one or more engine oil parameters over time via an adaptive predictive model associated with the one or more engine oil parameters to generate estimated data and reconcile the real-time measurement and the estimated data to generate an integrated engine oil degradation model and predict engine oil remaining useful life based on the integrated engine oil degradation model and one or more condemn limits associated with the one or more engine oil parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rahul Srinivas Prabhu, Saratchandra Shanmukh, Venkatesh Kattigari Madyastha, Subramani Adhiachari, Sethuraman Vijay, Partho Kayal
  • Patent number: 9709012
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a characteristic of an injector are set forth. In one example, a compressed gas is applied to the inlet chamber of the injector while the spoolvalve is closed until the pressure of the compressed gas in the inlet chamber reaches a predetermined pressure. A change in pressure of the compressed gas in the inlet chamber is measured over time while the spool valve is closed. The pressure change measurement corresponds to the characteristic of the injector that is to be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC.
    Inventors: Paul Curtis, Raymond Mueller
  • Patent number: 9702856
    Abstract: The subject technology is directed to a CO2-based chromatography system and method for rapid determination of the levels and/or the presence or absence of polymer additives (PAs) leachable or extractable from packing materials or implantable medical devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Waters Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Stephane Dubant, Baiba Cabovska, Andrew Aubin, Michael Jones, Peter Hancock
  • Patent number: 9702558
    Abstract: A combustion pressure sensor having a tubular housing extending in an axial direction DX, a displacement member disposed within the housing, and a tubular connection member which elastically connects the displacement member to the housing. The combustion pressure sensor has a housing weld W1 that connects the housing and the connection member At least a circumferential portion of the housing weld is a bulge housing weld RW1 which bulges in a radial direction DR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomonari Hatta, Yoshihiro Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9695736
    Abstract: An ECU sets a leakage flow rate flowing through a radiator circulation passage in a closed state of a thermostat valve, calculates an estimated temperature of coolant water in the radiator circulation passage based on a set leakage flow rate and a detected water temperature of an engine-side coolant water temperature sensor, and performs a failure diagnosis for the thermostat valve based on a difference between the calculated estimated temperature and the detected water temperature of the radiator-side coolant water temperature sensor. The leakage flow rate during operation of the electric pump is set to be a larger value as compared to the leakage flow rate during stopping of the pump. As a result, a diagnostic can be prevented by improving an accuracy of failure detection for the thermostat valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoki Sugimoto, Toshitake Sasaki, Yoshihisa Oda, Kenji Kimura
  • Patent number: 9664585
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a pressure sensor includes connecting the pressure sensor to first and second fluid storage vessels; providing an initial fluid pressure at the pressure sensor and at the fluid storage vessels; and carrying out a pressure measurement of the initial fluid pressure at a time t0. The method then disconnects the second fluid storage vessel from the pressure sensor and the first fluid storage vessel; provides a first fluid pressure at the second fluid storage vessel; and carries out a pressure measurement of the first fluid pressure at a time t1. The method then connects the second fluid storage vessel with the pressure sensor and the first fluid storage vessel, so that a second fluid pressure between the initial and first fluid pressures is provided at the pressure sensor; and carries out a pressure measurement of the second fluid pressure at a time t2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Sartorius Stedium Biotech GmbH
    Inventor: Magnus Stering
  • Patent number: 9638669
    Abstract: A portable fuel dilution meter and method includes a plurality of sample bottles each with a lid securable thereto and an absorbent material in the bottle. A housing includes a sample bottle receptacle and a hinged head unit over the receptacle including at least a first needle piercing the lid of a sample bottle loaded into the housing receptacle and extending into the headspace of the sample bottle when the head is closed. A vapor sensor is fluidly coupled to the first needle for analyzing vapors in the headspace of the sample bottle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Spectro Scientific, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric J. Olson, Henry Wohltjen, Yuegang Zhao
  • Patent number: 9513201
    Abstract: A system and method for measuring physical properties of non-Newtonian fluids, such as fluids containing dispersed solid particulate material and having a yield stress. A fluid resistance member is moved through the non-Newtonian fluid sufficiently slowly that viscous drag on the member is negligible and fluid resistance is essentially due to the yield stress of the fluid. The torque required to maintain the movement of the member through the fluid is measured, and at least one physical property, other than apparent viscosity of the fluid, is determined by employing a known relationship between the measured torque and the physical property of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Valerie Anderson, Gerald Henry Meeten
  • Patent number: 9500163
    Abstract: A method and system for testing an evaporative emission control system for leaks. The method begins by setting a variable reference orifice to a preselected diameter. Then, a vacuum pump evacuates a reference volume in the vicinity of the variable reference orifice. The reference volume is defined by the vacuum pump, and the reference orifice. Then, after a specified evacuation time, the method determines a pressure in the reference volume. That pressure is stored as the threshold test value. The method continues by evacuating the entire EVAP system for a predetermined time. A leak can then be identified if after the evacuation, the system pressure falls at least to the threshold test value. Switching the vacuum pump between the first and second positions is accomplished with a changeover valve having parallel airways configured for evacuating a small volume to the reference orifice and also evacuating the entire EVAP system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Russell Randall Pearce, Aed M. Dudar
  • Patent number: 9500512
    Abstract: A probe unit comprising a probe housing, an at least sectionally rod-shaped, probe electrode, a supplemental electrode, which surrounds the probe electrode at least sectionally coaxially and is isolated from the probe electrode by an electrical insulation. A first securement means, by means of which the supplemental electrode is secured in the probe housing is included, and a contacting module, which is mountable on a rod-shaped section of the probe electrode arranged in the probe housing, and which has a flexible circuit board having at least one first conductive trace for electrically contacting the probe electrode and at least one second conductive trace for electrically contacting the supplemental electrode, and a second securement means for securing the contacting module on the probe electrode are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Robert Schmidt, Andreas Krumbholz