Patents Examined by Zeev Kitz
  • Patent number: 7161787
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for controlling a solenoid that ensures accurate timing between the enabling of the driving circuit and the activation of the solenoid, while simultaneously providing a two energy level driving scheme to reduce power consumption. The present invention utilizes a single enable signal and supplies the solenoid two different energy levels, a higher “set” level and a lower “hold” level. The generation of these two levels is based on the enabling signal and guarantees that the higher “set” level is present when the solenoid is activated, thereby minimizing undesirable timing jitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Millipore Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Joens