Patents Represented by Attorney Elliott N. Kramsky
  • Patent number: 8342023
    Abstract: A Coriolis gyro having an arrangement which comprises a substrate, at least two individual structures and spring elements. The spring elements couple the individual structures to the substrate and to one another. Force transmitters and taps are provided. The arrangement has at least one excitation mode which can be excited by the force transmitters and at least one detection mode which can be measured by the taps. The excitation mode and the detection mode are closed, as a result of which no disturbance excitations of the excitation mode and of the detection mode can be caused by linear accelerations and/or vibrations if there is no need to take account of manufacturing tolerances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfram Geiger
  • Patent number: 8258590
    Abstract: A method for producing a component, especially a micromechanical, micro-electro-mechanical or micro-opto-electro-mechanical component, as well as such a component which has an active structure that is embedded in a layer structure. Strip conductor bridges are formed by etching first and second depressions having a first and second, different etching depth into a covering layer of a first layer combination that additionally encompasses a substrate and an insulation layer. The deeper depression is used for insulating the strip conductor bridge while the shallower depression provides a moving space for the active structure with the moving space being bridged by the strip conductor bridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfram Geiger, Uwe Breng
  • Patent number: 8114090
    Abstract: A tool centers an elongated drill bit within an elongated canal surrounded by bone tissue. A sleeve having an expandable diameter is internally threaded. The sleeve threadedly engages an externally-threaded cylindrical guide. A key includes a handle at one end of an elongated rod. The rod includes transversely-protruding buttons for engaging the guide so that rotation of the handle produces rotation of the guide to cause radial expansion of the sleeve. This results in symmetrical contacting of the interior surfaces of the bone tissue, thereby creating a vertical, centered channel with respect to the bone, that extends through the tool for guiding the drill bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Inventors: Richard I. Kertzner, Michael Wang
  • Patent number: 7964428
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a microelectromechanical or microoptoelectromechanical component. The method includes producing first and second layer composites. The first has a first substrate and a first insulation layer, which covers at least one part of the surface of the first substrate, while the second has a second substrate and a second insulation layer, which covers at least one part of the surface of the second substrate. An at least partly conductive structure layer is applied to the first insulation layers and the second composite is applied to the structure layer so that the second insulation layer adjoins the structure layer. The first and second layer composites and the structure layer are configured so that at least one part of the structure layer that comprises the active area of the microelectromechanical or microoptoelectromechanical component is hermetically tightly sealed by the first and second layer composites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Uwe Breng, Wolfram Geiger
  • Patent number: 7961373
    Abstract: A digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic measurement device. A predetermined total number of electrodes of different lengths are arranged in parallel and on both sides of a light guidance path in or on an optical substrate. The electrodes are arranged in two or more triples along the light guidance path. In each case, two electrodes of successive length within a triple have the same length ratio with respect to one another. Such length ratio is chosen, in particular, to be ?=1.618. The electrode lengths of this triple are chosen such that the smallest step widths of the output value range of the phase modulator can be formed by subtraction between the values of at least two larger electrodes. This allows the resolution of the phase modulator to be increased from 9 bits to 11 bits without change in chip size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Guenter Spahlinger, Alfons Newzella, Sven Voigt
  • Patent number: 7922105
    Abstract: An atomizer adapter for application of heavy viscous material from an airless paint sprayer. The adapter includes a housing that is coupled to the output of the sprayer through one housing port by an elongated tube that delivers viscous material and to the output of an air compressor through another housing port that delivers compressed air through a conduit. A nozzle within the housing directs pressurized air into an internal chamber where it is directed at and atomizes the flow of viscous material prior to output through an aperture in a tip fixed to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Benron Equipment and Supply, Inc.
    Inventor: Eran Zagorsky
  • Patent number: 7805993
    Abstract: An operating method for a Coriolis gyro. Digital read signals are produced that represent a measure of the instantaneous amplitudes/frequencies of the stimulation oscillation/read oscillation of the gyro resonator. Force signals are applied to the resonator. The force signals are controlled as a function of the digital read signals so that the stimulation oscillation/read oscillation assume specific amplitudes/frequencies. The force signals are produced from quantized output signals from a pulse modulator. The modulator is fed with digital stimulation/compensation signals derived from the digital read signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Guenter Spahlinger
  • Patent number: 7710702
    Abstract: A primary side control module for a switching power supply and a method for protecting a MOSFET that is controlled by a controller chip of the type that includes a timing network and switching drive output pins. The module includes the controller chip and the MOSFET. The controller chip provides a gating signal at the switching drive output pin to the MOSFET that may regulate the passage of current through the primary winding of a transformer of a switching power supply. A circuit branch provides communication between the throughput of the MOSFET and the timing network pin of the controller chip. A capacitor is provided within the circuit branch to differentiate the throughput and provide a signal characterized by downgoing spikes that result in protection of the MOSFET from burnout due to abnormalities associated with the internal operation of the controller chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Global Power Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jo-Chien Kuo
  • Patent number: 7691040
    Abstract: A grip-handle for coupling to a resistance force provided by exercise equipment. The handle includes a hollow, generally-cylindrical hand hold. A flexion cable is fixed to opposed ends of a central shaft that is coaxial with the hand hold with a pulley guide member having a hook for engaging the equipment cable located therebetween. Generally-planar, circular side members having notched peripheries are fixed to the ends of the hand hold. The diameters of the side members exceed that of the hand hold to maintain the cable in position and removed from the hand of a user during the full range of wrist motion provided by the grip-handle during exercise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Inventor: Paul A. Schwinghamer
  • Patent number: 7624219
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for connection to a communication bus, in particular an apparatus for encoding the status of several emergency devices for communication across an AS-interface. A data code indicative of a collective state of one or more subsets of the emergency devices is communicated during cyclic communication from the slave to the master whereas information indicative of the individual states of the emergency devices is communicated during acyclic communication from the slave to the master.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: IFM Electronic GmbH
    Inventors: Bernd Fuessl, Thomas Riehm, Peter Schoepe
  • Patent number: 7490015
    Abstract: A method for controlling/regulating a physical variable of a dynamic system to a specific desired value profile with use made of a pulse modulator that generates a sequence of discrete modulation signals that affect the control or regulation of the physical variable. The method involves repeated execution of: determining an exact value or an approximation for the deviation between the momentary desired value and the momentary actual value of the physical variable; determining the respective change in the deviation which would result from the maintenance of the momentary modulation signal or the switching over to the other modulation signals; and generating that modulation signal which results in the best approximation of the momentary desired value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Guenter Spahlinger
  • Patent number: 7481110
    Abstract: A method for quadrature-bias compensation in a Coriolis gyro whose resonator is in the form of a coupled system comprising a first and a second linear oscillator. The quadrature bias of the Coriolis gyro is determined. An electrostatic field is produced by variation of the mutual alignment of the two oscillators with respect to one another. The alignment/strength of the electrostatic field is regulated so that the determined quadrature bias is made as small as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Eberhard Handrich, Wolfram Geiger
  • Patent number: 7469075
    Abstract: A method and arrangement of electrodes for increasing the resolution of a digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic signal transmission or measuring device. A predetermined total number m of electrodes of different lengths are arranged parallel and on both sides with respect to a light guiding path in or on an optical substrate. The electrodes are divided into two groups. A first group n of electrodes represents a coarse modulator with binary and more significant weighted electrodes of length ratio bn+0:bn=2, the longest electrode of which corresponds to the sum of lengths of all the remaining electrodes of the overall modulator. A second, smaller group of n0 non-binary and less significant weighted electrodes represents a fine modulator. The smallest output values are not formed by driving individual electrodes of the fine modulator, but rather by forming the difference, in each case, between two larger electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Voigt, Guenter Spahlinger, Alfons Newzella
  • Patent number: 7448742
    Abstract: A cartridge for an inkjet printing apparatus. A case of molded plastic includes a downwardly-projecting nose section. An opening in the bottom of the nose section is surrounded by an upstanding stand pipe internal to the cartridge. An insert holds a filter and includes a tube section and an upper flange. The insert is selectively removably fixed to the stand pipe to permit ready filter replacement and thereby facilitate reliable recharging of the cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Inventor: Raymond D. Shaw
  • Patent number: 7340954
    Abstract: A Coriolis gyro includes a first and a second resonator, each in the form of a coupled system comprising first and second linear oscillators. The first resonator can be caused to oscillate in antiphase with respect to the second resonator along a common oscillation axis. A system coupled in this way has the advantage that it is possible to measure rotation rate and acceleration simultaneously, with insensitivity to disturbances (e.g., externally or internally acting vibrations).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Eberhard Handrich
  • Patent number: 7337665
    Abstract: In a method for electronic tuning of the frequency of the read oscillation to the frequency of the stimulation oscillation in a Coriolis gyro, the resonator of the Coriolis gyro has a disturbance force applied to it such that the stimulation oscillation remains essentially uninfluenced. The read oscillation is changed so that a read signal that represents the read oscillation contains a corresponding disturbance component. The frequency of the read oscillation is controlled so that the magnitude of the disturbance component contained in the read signal is a minimum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Werner Schroeder
  • Patent number: 7324206
    Abstract: A method for determination of/compensation for the bias/random walk errors induced by the light source in fiber-optic Sagnac interferometers employing a modulation method for stochastically independent shifting of the operating point to the points of highest sensitivity. A reference beam is output from the light beam emitted from the light source of the interferometer and passed to the fiber coil to produce a proportional reference intensity signal. Such signal is demodulated with the demodulation pattern of the rotation rate control loop to demodulate the rotation rate intensity signal (proportional to rotation rate). The demodulated reference intensity signal measures the bias/random walk errors to be determined. Demodulation of the reference intensity signal is simultaneous with that of the rotation rate intensity signal so that components of the reference and rotation rate intensity signals (each resulting from light components simultaneously emitted from the light source) are identically demodulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Guenter Spahlinger
  • Patent number: 7283246
    Abstract: A method for regulating the operating frequency of a closed loop fiber optic gyroscope. The demodulated output signal of a detector, as actual signal, is applied to the input of a main controller and, via a gating filter, to a VCO that determines the system clock of the FOG. An additional modulation signal, as analog signal is fed to separate phase correction electrodes that are formed together with the electrodes of a digital phase modulator in an integrated optical chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Litef GmbH
    Inventors: Sven Voigt, Guenter Spahlinger
  • Patent number: 7278312
    Abstract: In a method for electronic tuning of the frequency of the read oscillation to the frequency of the stimulation oscillation in a Coriolis gyro the resonator of the Coriolis gyro has a disturbance force applied to it such that the stimulation oscillation remains essentially uninfluenced. The read oscillation is changed so that a read signal that represents the read oscillation contains a corresponding disturbance component. The disturbance force is defined as the force caused by the signal noise in the read signal. The frequency of the read oscillation is controlled so that the strength of the disturbance component contained in the read signal is a minimum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Werner Schroeder
  • Patent number: 7261638
    Abstract: A bowling practice device for regularizing and perfecting bowling technique. An aerodynamically designed hollow body includes an outer wall and a cylindrical inner wall. The opposed ends of the outer wall taper to meet the cylindrical inner wall. The outer wall preferably comprises a plurality of foam panels, one of which includes at least two finger holes suitable for personalization to the hand of the bowler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Inventors: Randy R. Davis, Richard Shum