Patents Examined by Nasima Monsur
  • Patent number: 11213100
    Abstract: A foot presence sensor system for an active article of footwear can include a sensor housing configured to be disposed at or in an insole of the article, and a controller circuit, disposed within the sensor housing, configured to trigger one or more automated functions of the footwear based on a foot presence indication. In an example, the sensor system includes a capacitive sensor configured to sense changes in a capacitance signal in response to proximity of a body. A dielectric member can be provided between the capacitive sensor and the body to enhance an output signal from the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven H. Walker, Phillip Meneau
  • Patent number: 11187726
    Abstract: An oscilloscope comprises a processing module or circuit and at least a first channel and a second channel. The first channel comprises a digitizer configured to receive an analog input signal and to provide a time and amplitude discrete representation of the input signal to the processing module. The second channel comprises a phase digitizer configured to receive a reference signal and to provide a time discrete representation of the phase of the reference signal to the processing module. The processing module is configured to process both the time and amplitude discrete representation of the input signal and the time discrete representation of the face of the reference signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Oliver Landolt
  • Patent number: 11189901
    Abstract: Example embodiments are directed to systems and methods for denying power to unauthorized power loads within a spherical waveguide bounded by the Earth's surface. One or more eigenmodes of the Earth-ionosphere waveguide may be computed based on a mathematical model incorporating electrical properties of the terrestrial surface and plasma physics of the ionosphere. A phased array of wave guide couplers, each including an array of electrically-connected waveguide-coupling elements, may be configured at different geographic locations for coupling to the one or more eigenmodes and generating standing waves in the Earth-ionosphere waveguide. Power loads may be detected via power reflections, and power nodes and nulls of the standing waves may be steered with respect to specified locations by adjusting relative phases and/or amplitudes of the waveguide couplers. Locations of power loads may be triangulating reflections. Power nulls of the standing waves may be steered to locations of unauthorized power loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: X Development LLC
    Inventor: Brian John Adolf
  • Patent number: 11181498
    Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting a crack or defect in a material are described. An example method may include determining, by a computing device, for each respective adjacent pair of electrodes of a plurality of electrodes electrically coupled to the material, a respective electrode pair voltage. The method also may include determining, by the computing device, for each respective adjacent pair of electrodes, a respective temperature-corrected electrode pair value based on the respective electrode pair voltage and at least one of a respective control voltage associated with the respective adjacent pair of electrodes or a temperature correction factor. The method may further include determining, by the computing device, whether the material includes a crack or defect based on the plurality of respective temperature-corrected electrode pair values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: David H. Redinger, Christopher R. Yungers, Jennifer F. Schumacher
  • Patent number: 11181565
    Abstract: A method for measuring a coil property, modeled as a parallel-circuit including a capacitance with a series-circuit including a DC-voltage and frequency-dependent resistance, and an inductance and current-voltage converter series connected, by: applying an AC-voltage, having a first-frequency and a DC-voltage component, to the coil and a voltage at the current-voltage converter is captured at a second-frequency, and the impedance and phase-angle at the first-frequency are derived from n-measured values; and applying an AC-voltage, having a third-frequency differing from the first and having a DC-voltage component, to the coil and voltage at the current-voltage converter is captured at the second or fourth-frequencies, in which the impedance and phase-angle at the third-frequency are derived from m-measured values for the DC-voltage resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: KNORR-BREMSE SYSTEME FUER NUTZFAHRZEUGE GMBH
    Inventor: Markus Eissner
  • Patent number: 11169298
    Abstract: A system for reduced noise during remote field testing (RFT). The system, while moving an RFT probe through a structure: generates, RFT probe, a magnetic field. The system detects, at a detector solenoid on the RFT probe, a measured magnetic field which is the magnetic field modified by the presence of nearby pipe, and wherein the detector solenoid has a non-uniform solenoid response (i.e. a non-uniform turn density and/or cross sectional winding area) along a longitudinal axis extending from a one end of the detector solenoid to the opposite end of the detector solenoid. The system then identifies and measures pipe properties from an analysis of the measured magnetic field, via signal processing in conjunction with modeling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
    Inventor: Thomas Louis Yonley
  • Patent number: 11156479
    Abstract: A linear contactless displacement sensor assembly is provided. The sensor assembly can include a shaft configured to translate linearly, and a sleeve rotatably coupled about the shaft and linearly fixed such that the shaft can linearly translate through the sleeve as the sleeve rotates. The sleeve includes an outer surface having a threading that varies in pitch. A tooth is disposed in the threading and fixed on a linear track such that the tooth moves linearly as the sleeve rotates. A sensor is configured to sense a location of the tooth along the linear track. This allows the sensor assembly to measure an amount of linear movement and a corresponding amount of rotation of the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO. KG
    Inventors: Timothy Jacques, Shaun Tate, Constantine Mastory
  • Patent number: 11150294
    Abstract: A radio-frequency receiver includes built-in-self-test (BIST) circuitry which generates a self-test signal. A local oscillator signal is divided. A self-test oscillation signal is generated, based, at least in part, on the frequency-divided local oscillation signal. The self-test signal is generated based on the self-test oscillation signal. The BIST circuitry includes a divider, which divides the self-test oscillation signal. The frequency-divided local oscillation signal and the divided self-test oscillation signal are used to perform one or more of generating the self-test oscillation signal and controlling the generation of the self-test oscillation signal. The radio-frequency receiver may be an automotive radar receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l.
    Inventors: Giorgio Maiellaro, Angelo Scuderi, Angela Bruno, Salvatore Scaccianoce
  • Patent number: 11150290
    Abstract: A technique includes determining an approximate location of the fault based at least in part on a local current measurement and a local voltage measurement from a local relay and a remote current measurement and a remote voltage measurement from a remote relay. The technique includes determining a corrected location of the fault based on the approximate fault location and a correction factor. The correction factor is based on a propagation constant of the power line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Kanchanrao Gangadhar Dase
  • Patent number: 11147158
    Abstract: Tamper-respondent assemblies and methods of fabrication are provided which include at least one tamper-respondent sensor and a detector. The at least one tamper-respondent sensor includes conductive lines which form, at least in part, at least one tamper-detect network of the tamper-respondent sensor(s). In addition, the tamper-respondent sensor(s) includes at least one interconnect element associated with one or more conductive lines of the conductive lines forming, at least in part, the tamper-detect network(s). The interconnect element(s) includes at least one interconnect characteristic selected to facilitate obscuring a circuit lay of the at least one tamper-detect network. The at least one interconnect element is undetectable by x-ray, and the conductive lines are detectable by x-ray. In operation, the detector monitors the tamper-detect network(s) of the tamper-respondent sensor(s) for a tamper event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James A. Busby, John R. Dangler, Michael J. Fisher, David C. Long
  • Patent number: 11137267
    Abstract: A rotational angle sensor includes a stator element and a rotor element. The stator element has a transmitting coil and at least two receiving coils that are arranged within the transmitting coil and on a circuit board. The rotor element is mounted for rotation with respect to the stator element about an axis of rotation. The rotor element is configured to inductively couple the transmitting coil to the at least two receiving coils in such a way that the inductive coupling is dependent on a rotational angle between the stator element and the rotor element and the transmitting coil induces at least two angle-dependent alternating voltages in the at least two receiving coils. The rotor element and the at least two receiving coils are configured in such a way that an alternating voltage, the amplitude of which is sinusoidally dependent on the rotational angle, is induced in the receiving coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Fabian Utermoehlen, Andreas Merz
  • Patent number: 11137461
    Abstract: In a magnetic resonance method and apparatus for the quantitative spatially resolved determination of a physiological tissue parameter of an examination subject, a signal model is determined with m different signal parameters that influence an MR signal of the subject. N different MR images of the subject are recorded with m?N, and measured data tuples with N measured values are determined from the N MR images. A lookup table is created with multiple table entries, which each assigns an N-dimensional tuple of t synthesized measured values, which were calculated using the signal model, to an m-dimensional tuple of signal parameters. The lookup table is pre-processed into a sorted lookup table, and at least some of the signal parameters are determined by comparing the pixel-by-pixel measured data tuples with N dimensional tuples of the synthesized measured values in the sorted lookup table for at least some of the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Marcel Dominik Nickel
  • Patent number: 11137428
    Abstract: An acquisition system includes a first acquisition and quantizer unit, a second acquisition and quantizer unit as well as a trigger unit. The first and second acquisition and quantizer units are configured to receive a respective interleaved digitized input signal, to acquire the respective interleaved digitized input signal, to quantize the respective interleaved digitized input signal, and to output a respective quantized interleaved digitized input signal. The trigger unit is configured to receive the respective quantized interleaved digitized input signals from the first and second acquisition and quantizer units. The trigger unit is further configured to de-interleave the respective quantized interleaved digitized input signals. The trigger unit is configured to generate a de-interleaved quantized digitized input signal. The trigger unit is also configured to detect an event in the de-interleaved quantized digitized input signal. Further, a method of acquiring a high bandwidth input signal is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Felix Haberstroh, Nico Toender, Julian Zinsser
  • Patent number: 11131700
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of establishing specific electrode positions by providing a multi-point probe and a test sample. The method comprises the measuring or determining of a distance between two of the electrodes of the multi-point probe and establishing a resistance model representative of the test sample. The method further comprises the performing of at least three different sheet resistance measurements and establishing for each of the different sheet resistance measurement a corresponding predicted sheet resistance based on the resistance model. Thereafter the method comprises the establishment of a set of differences constituting the difference between each of the predicted sheet resistance and its corresponding measured sheet resistance, and deriving the specific electrode positions of the multi-point probe on the surface of the test sample by using the distance and performing a data fit by minimizing an error function constituting the sum of the set of differences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: CAPRES A/S
    Inventors: Frederik Westergaard Osterberg, Alberto Cagliani, Dirch Hjorth Petersen, Ole Hansen
  • Patent number: 11126244
    Abstract: Described implementations utilize existing power lines at a location to detect and monitor the presence, position, and/or identity of users at the location. Rather than requiring dedicated monitors within each room or position within the location, the described implementations monitor a baseline voltage signal and/or an introduced voltage signal on the ground line of an existing power line of the location to determine the presence, position, and/or identity of a user at the location, either alone or in combination with other information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Cameron Dean Whitehouse, Matthew Liang Chaboud, Arielle Rachel Bertman
  • Patent number: 11112525
    Abstract: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) well logs are obtained from a well in the reservoir measures of the total fluid, including both water and hydrocarbon, in the shale of the reservoir. NMR measurement at the surface of shale subsurface samples obtained in the form of drill cuttings or core samples from the same well provide measures of total water content of the shale. At the surface, pressure on the subsurface sample becomes that of atmospheric pressure, and hydrocarbon gas contained in the shale cuttings bleeds off. The remaining fluid within the shale cuttings is then only water, which can be measured using NMR techniques. Compensation for the effect of drilling fluids (drilling mud) on the NMR measures from the fluid cuttings is also performed. The hydrocarbon gas content of the formation shale can be determined from the difference between formation NMR well log readings and NMR measurements from subsurface sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Jinhong Chen, Stacey M Althaus, Daniel T Georgi, Hui-Hai Liu
  • Patent number: 11092642
    Abstract: An electronic component handler including a first holding section and a second holding section holding an electronic component by adsorption, a suction section giving the first holding section and the second holding section an adsorption force to adsorb the electronic component, a suction flow path, a first branch flow path, a second branch flow path, a first opening/closing section opening and closing the first branch flow path, a second opening/closing section opening and closing the second branch flow path, a first pressure measurement section measuring first pressure inside the first branch flow path, a second pressure measurement section measuring second pressure inside the second branch flow path, and a control section, in which the control section opens the first branch flow path by the first opening/closing section and causes the first holding section to adsorb the electronic component, and checks whether or not the first pressure is lower than preset pressure when the second branch flow path is opene
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Inventor: Makoto Yanagisawa
  • Patent number: 11092637
    Abstract: Various approaches can be used to interrogate a surface such as a surface of a layered semiconductor structure on a semiconductor wafer. Certain approaches employ Second Harmonic Generation and in some cases may utilize pump and probe radiation. Other approaches involve determining current flow from a sample illuminated with radiation. Decay constants can be measured to provide information regarding the sample. Additionally, electric and/or magnetic field biases can be applied to the sample to provide additional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: FemtoMetrix, Inc.
    Inventors: Viktor Koldiaev, Marc Kryger, John Changala
  • Patent number: 11085953
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a half-bridge signal processing circuit comprising a first and a second branch. The first branch comprises a first stimulus responsive sense element and a first current source arranged to provide a current to the first sense element. The second branch comprises a second stimulus responsive sense element and a second current source arranged to provide a current to said second sense element. The first and the second branch have a terminal in common. The first branch comprises a first node between said the current source and the first stimulus responsive sense element configured to generate a first signal related to a voltage over the first sense element. The second branch comprises a second node between the second current source and the second stimulus responsive sense element configured to generate a second signal related to a voltage over the second sense element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: MELEXIS TECHNOLOGIES NV
    Inventors: Asparuh Ivanov Grigorov, Johan Vergauwen
  • Patent number: 11071355
    Abstract: A foot presence sensor system for an active article of footwear can include a sensor housing configured to be disposed at or in an insole of the article, and a controller circuit, disposed within the sensor housing, configured to trigger one or more automated functions of the footwear based on a foot presence indication. In an example, the sensor system includes a capacitive or magnetic sensor configured to sense changes in a body's proximity to the sensor in footwear. Characteristics of the sensed proximity can be used to update an automated footwear function, such as an automatic lacing function, or can be used to determine a step count, foot strike force, a rate of travel, or other information about a foot or about the footwear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven H. Walker, Phillip Meneau