Patents by Inventor Michael C. Dietrich

Michael C. Dietrich 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).

  • 2-wire ultrasonic magnetostrictive driver
    Patent number: 9554871
    Abstract: A method for controlling a magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer of the type used in a magnetostrictive ultrasonic dental scaler includes generating a drive signal for a resonant circuit using a full bridge synchronous class D amplifier. The electrical signal output by the resonant circuit drives an excitation coil that generates an electromagnetic field that causes the magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer to vibrate. A feedback wire is rendered unnecessary by measuring current and voltage outputs of the resonant circuit and quadrature sampling the measured current and voltage outputs at the same sampling rate as used for the generation of the electrical signal by the resonant circuit. A pulse width modulated signal is generated from the quadrature sampled sensed current and voltage that represents a pulse train approximation of a sine wave of the drive signal for, in turn, being applied to the full bridge synchronous class D amplifier to generate the drive signal for the resonant circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Dentsply International, Inc.
    Inventors: Ilya Kovnatsky, Michael C. Dietrich, Peter H. Werner, David C. Klunk, Kenneth R. Guaragno
  • 2-Wire Ultrasonic Magnetostrictive Driver
    Publication number: 20150366631
    Abstract: A method for controlling a magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer of the type used in a magnetostrictive ultrasonic dental scaler includes generating a drive signal for a resonant circuit using a full bridge synchronous class D amplifier. The electrical signal output by the resonant circuit drives an excitation coil that generates an electromagnetic field that causes the magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer to vibrate. A feedback wire is rendered unnecessary by measuring current and voltage outputs of the resonant circuit and quadrature sampling the measured current and voltage outputs at the same sampling rate as used for the generation of the electrical signal by the resonant circuit. A pulse width modulated signal is generated from the quadrature sampled sensed current and voltage that represents a pulse train approximation of a sine wave of the drive signal for, in turn, being applied to the full bridge synchronous class D amplifier to generate the drive signal for the resonant circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Inventors: Ilya Kovnatsky, Michael C. Dietrich, Peter H. Werner, David C. Klunk, Kenneth R. Guaragno
  • Dental scaler with display
    Patent number: D768862
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Dentsply International, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter H. Werner, Michael C. Dietrich, David J. Kierce, Jeremy J. Kile, Meghan E. Anderson, Jill C. Denna, Clifford Krapfl
  • Display for dental scaler
    Patent number: D770626
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Dentsply International, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter H. Werner, Michael C. Dietrich, David J. Kierce, Jeremy J. Kile, Jill C. Denna, Clifford Krapfl, Thomas R. Mitchell