Patents by Inventor Dan G. Allen

Dan G. Allen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9983164
    Abstract: An electrochemical sensor assembly is disclosed. In some implementations, the electrochemical sensor assembly comprises at least one electrochemical sensor/cell including a substrate with a cavity formed on a first side of the substrate, an ionic conductor is disposed within the cavity, and a lid assembly positioned over the cavity. The lid assembly may include a plurality of electrodes and a gas permeable region positioned over the plurality of electrodes, where the plurality of electrodes include a working electrode configured to react a molecular species when the molecular species is received through the gas permeable region. The lid assembly may be sealed to the substrate with a bonding layer disposed between the lid assembly and the substrate. The bonding layer may be curable with light or thermally curable at a suitably low temperature to avoid thermal damage to the ionic conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan G. Allen, Jim Chih-Min Cheng
  • Patent number: 9851327
    Abstract: A micro electrochemical cell, a micro electrochemical gas sensor, and a method for fabrication of the micro electrochemical cell are described that include a photopatternable glass substrate, two or more embedded electrodes integrated with through-glass vias, and a gas-permeable membrane lid. In an implementation, a micro electrochemical cell includes a photopatternable glass substrate; at least one recess formed in the photopatternable glass substrate; a plurality of through-glass vias formed in the photopatternable glass substrate, at least one electrolyte disposed in the at least one recess; a wicking layer disposed over the at least one electrolyte; and a lid assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan G. Allen, Anand Chamakura, Christopher F. Edwards
  • Patent number: 9823211
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of a gas sensor system and methods of analyzing data therefrom. In embodiments, a gas sensor system includes one or more gas preconcentrator modules and one or more gas sensor modules. Each gas preconcentrator module includes a substrate that has a top surface having a gas adsorbent material attached to the top surface and has an electrical heater element for heating each preconcentrator module to release adsorb gases to the sensor. The gas sensor modules and the gas preconcentrator modules are in fluid communication with each other. The gas sensor modules responses are readout in parallel multiple times as the preconcentrators are heated yielding a 2-dimensional gas spectrum. The gas sensor output data is analyzed and compared to a library of known data to analyze the gas composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Dan G. Allen
  • Patent number: 9778099
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices for estimating spectral contributions in ambient light. The present disclosure also describes systems, methods, and devices for compensating for field of view errors resulting from the user, contextual structures (e.g., buildings, trees, fixtures, or geological formations), atmospheric effects (e.g., ozone coverage, smog, fog, haze, or clouds), device structures, and/or device orientation/tilt relative to a light source being measured (e.g., sun, indoor/outdoor light emitter, or an at least partially reflective surface). The present disclosure also describes systems, methods, and devices for estimating spectral contributions in light or color measurements and accounting for field of view errors to obtain a refined estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Dan G. Allen, Cheng-Wei Pei, Richard I. Olsen, Rudi Hechfellner
  • Patent number: 9769393
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to color matching with shade detection. A method of color matching can include: receiving a camera image of a target, the camera image being collected in the presence of flash illumination; receiving a color sensor spectral measurement of the target, the color sensor spectral measurement being collected in the presence of flash illumination; determining specular and diffuse fractions of a flash intensity profile of the camera image of the target; determining parallax based upon a detected location of a flash centroid within the camera image of the target; converting the parallax to a range measurement for the target; calculating an expected white level for the target based upon the specular and diffuse fractions and the range measurement for the target; and calculating a shade of a detected color based upon the color sensor spectral measurement and the expected white level for the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Dan G. Allen
  • Patent number: 9627573
    Abstract: An optical sensor is described that includes a light emitter and a photodetector assembly directly attached to a transparent substrate. In one or more implementations, the optical sensor comprises at least one light emitter and a photodetector assembly (e.g., photodiodes, phototransistors, etc.). The light emitter(s) and the photodetector assembly are directly mounted (e.g., attached) to a transparent substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Maxim Integreated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Jerome C. Bhat, Dan G. Allen, Richard I. Olsen, Kumar Nagarajan
  • Patent number: 9534955
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes an ultraviolet (UV) sensor configured to detect a target UV spectrum (e.g., UVB spectrum). The UV sensor includes a first photodiode with a first UV spectral response and a second photodiode with a second UV spectral response. A filter layer having a graded spectral response is formed over the second photodiode, and the second UV spectral response is affected by a controlled parameter (e.g., thickness) of the filter layer. The UV sensor further includes a subtraction circuit coupled with the first photodiode and the second photodiode. The subtraction circuit is configured to provide a differential response based on a difference between the first UV spectral response and the second UV spectral response. The controlled parameter of the filter layer can be selected such that the differential response provides a detected spectral response of the target spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher F. Edwards, Dan G. Allen, Cheng-Wei Pei, Timothy K. McGuire, Joy T. Jones, Nicole D. Kerness
  • Publication number: 20160307336
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to color matching with shade detection. A method of color matching can include: receiving a camera image of a target, the camera image being collected in the presence of flash illumination; receiving a color sensor spectral measurement of the target, the color sensor spectral measurement being collected in the presence of flash illumination; determining specular and diffuse fractions of a flash intensity profile of the camera image of the target; determining parallax based upon a detected location of a flash centroid within the camera image of the target; converting the parallax to a range measurement for the target; calculating an expected white level for the target based upon the specular and diffuse fractions and the range measurement for the target; and calculating a shade of a detected color based upon the color sensor spectral measurement and the expected white level for the target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventor: Dan G. Allen
  • Publication number: 20160131525
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes an ultraviolet (UV) sensor configured to detect a target UV spectrum (e.g., UVB spectrum). The UV sensor includes a first photodiode with a first UV spectral response and a second photodiode with a second UV spectral response. A filter layer having a graded spectral response is formed over the second photodiode, and the second UV spectral response is affected by a controlled parameter (e.g., thickness) of the filter layer. The UV sensor further includes a subtraction circuit coupled with the first photodiode and the second photodiode. The subtraction circuit is configured to provide a differential response based on a difference between the first UV spectral response and the second UV spectral response. The controlled parameter of the filter layer can be selected such that the differential response provides a detected spectral response of the target spectrum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventors: Christopher F. Edwards, Dan G. Allen, Cheng-Wei Pei, Timothy K. McGuire, Joy T. Jones, Nicole D. Kerness
  • Publication number: 20160041035
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices for estimating spectral contributions in ambient light. The present disclosure also describes systems, methods, and devices for compensating for field of view errors resulting from the user, contextual structures (e.g., buildings, trees, fixtures, or geological formations), atmospheric effects (e.g., ozone coverage, smog, fog, haze, or clouds), device structures, and/or device orientation/tilt relative to a light source being measured (e.g., sun, indoor/outdoor light emitter, or an at least partially reflective surface). The present disclosure also describes systems, methods, and devices for estimating spectral contributions in light or color measurements and accounting for field of view errors to obtain a refined estimate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Dan G. Allen, Cheng-Wei Pei, Richard I. Olsen, Rudi Hechfellner
  • Publication number: 20150346138
    Abstract: A micro electrochemical cell, a micro electrochemical gas sensor, and a method for fabrication of the micro electrochemical cell are described that include a photopatternable glass substrate, two or more embedded electrodes integrated with through-glass vias, and a gas-permeable membrane lid. In an implementation, a micro electrochemical cell includes a photopatternable glass substrate; at least one recess formed in the photopatternable glass substrate; a plurality of through-glass vias formed in the photopatternable glass substrate, at least one electrolyte disposed in the at least one recess; a wicking layer disposed over the at least one electrolyte; and a lid assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventors: Dan G. Allen, Anand Chamakura, Christopher F. Edwards
  • Publication number: 20150243824
    Abstract: An optical sensor is described that includes a light emitter and a photodetector assembly directly attached to a transparent substrate. In one or more implementations, the optical sensor comprises at least one light emitter and a photodetector assembly (e.g., photodiodes, phototransistors, etc.). The light emitter(s) and the photodetector assembly are directly mounted (e.g., attached) to a transparent substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: Jerome C. Bhat, Dan G. Allen, Richard I. Olsen, Kumar Nagarajan