Patents Represented by Attorney Miller IP Group, PLC
  • Patent number: 7919839
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure, such as a wafer-level package or a vertically stacked structure. The wafer-level package includes a substrate wafer on which an integrated circuit is formed. A cover wafer is bonded to the substrate wafer to provide a cavity between the substrate wafer and the cover wafer in which the integrated circuit is hermetically sealed. Vias are formed through the substrate wafer and make electrical contact with signal and ground traces formed on the substrate wafer within the cavity, where the traces are electrically coupled to the integrated circuit. Probe pads are formed on the substrate wafer outside of the cavity and are in electrical contact with the vias. A support post is provided directly beneath the probe pad so that when pressure is applied to the probe pad from the probe for testing purposes, the support post prevents the substrate wafer from flexing and being damaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Patty Pei-Ling Chang-Chien, Kelly Jill Tornquist Hennig
  • Patent number: 7916083
    Abstract: A vertically integrated electronically steered phased array that employs beamsteering using a programmable phase locked loop including a local oscillator. The local oscillator provides an oscillator signal that is converted to an RF signal that can be either up-converted for a transmit operation or down-converted for a receive operation. The relative off-set between independently generated local oscillator signals forms the basis of the off-set phase required for a phased array. The absolute measure of off-set phase is referenced to a globally distributed clock signal that aligns the zero degree phase shift of the oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: EMAG Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jack H. Thiesen, Karl F. Brakora
  • Patent number: 7912665
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting the absence of contact between the hands of a driver of a vehicle and a steering wheel of the vehicle that have particular application in ensuring the proper functioning of various components of the driver assist steering systems and maintaining driver attentiveness. The method for detecting a no-contact condition between the hands of the driver of the vehicle and the steering wheel includes generating a model of the no-contact condition using a second-order transfer function. The method further includes obtaining a set of model-generated steering dynamics by estimating a plurality of parameters of the second-order transfer function and a set of measured steering dynamics using a plurality of sensors. The set of model-generated steering dynamics and the set of measured steering dynamics are then compared and the no-contact condition is detected based on this comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Weiwen Deng, Yong H. Lee, Haicen Zhang
  • Patent number: 7908112
    Abstract: A system and method for estimating vehicle lateral velocity that defines a relationship between front and rear axle lateral forces and front and rear axle side-slip angles. The method includes providing measurements of vehicle yaw-rate, lateral acceleration, longitudinal speed, and steering angle. The method also includes using these measurements to provide a measurement of the front and rear axle forces. The method calculates a front axle lateral velocity and a rear axle lateral velocity, and calculates a front axle side-slip angle based on the rear axle lateral velocity and a rear axle side-slip angle based on the front axle lateral velocity. The method then estimates front and rear axle forces, and selects a virtual lateral velocity that minimizes an error between the estimated and measured lateral axle forces. The method then provides an estimated vehicle lateral velocity using the selected virtual lateral velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Flavio Nardi, Jihan Ryu, Nikolai K. Moshchuk, Kevin A. O'Dea
  • Patent number: 7899607
    Abstract: An open-loop control system that provides control signals to active engine mounts to reduce or eliminate the transfer of engine vibration to a vehicle body structure, where the system uses only a crank signal from the engine as an input. The control system includes an instant crank speed variation sensing processor that receives the crank signal from the engine, where the crank signal is a pulsed signal including missing pulses as a result of teeth missing on the vehicle crank wheel. The crank speed variation sensing processor provides a measurement of the instant crank speed variation of the crank signal and minimizes an error in the measurement as a result of the missing pulses. The crank speed variation sensing processor outputs a crank speed sensing variation signal as a sine wave that identifies order content in the crank pulse signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Kwang-Keun Shin, David J. Verbrugge
  • Patent number: 7899573
    Abstract: A system and method for inspecting a machined surface. The method includes acquiring optical information of the machined surface from a predefined orientation. Further, the method includes comparing one or more parameters of the optical information with a corresponding one or more reference parameters. Furthermore, the method includes assessing a quality of the machined surface based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: John S. Agapiou, Phillip K Steinacker
  • Patent number: 7897295
    Abstract: A flow field plate or bipolar plate for a fuel cell, where a surface of the flow field plate is textured or roughened to change the surface morphology of the plate. A conductive coating is deposited on the roughened surface where the roughness of the surface of the plate increases the hydrophilic nature of the coating. Therefore, if the coating is naturally hydrophobic, the surface roughness makes the coating hydrophilic to wick water away. If the coating is a conductive hydrophilic coating, then the surface roughness makes the coating super-hydrophilic, and may counter the effects of surface contamination that would act to make the hydrophilic coating less hydrophilic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Gayatri Vyas, Mahmoud H. Abd Elhamid, Youssef M. Mikhail, Thomas A. Trabold
  • Patent number: 7899761
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are a system and method for trend prediction of signals in a time series using a Markov model. The method includes receiving a plurality of data series and input parameters, where the input parameters include a time step parameter, preprocessing the plurality of data series according to the input parameters, to form binned and classified data series, and processing the binned and classified data series. The processing includes initializing a Markov model for trend prediction, and training the Markov model for trend prediction of the binned and classified data series to form a trained Markov model. The method further includes deploying the trained Markov model for trend prediction, including outputting trend predictions. The method develops an architecture for the Markov model from the data series and the input parameters, and disposes the Markov model, having the architecture, for trend prediction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Shubha Kadambe, Leandro G. Barajas, Youngkwan Cho, Pulak Bandyopadhyay
  • Patent number: 7898472
    Abstract: A system and method for determining the position and velocity of a plurality of vehicles relative to a host vehicle using GPS data. The method includes building a graph of the vehicles that define weighted baselines between each of the vehicles and the host vehicle and each of the vehicles where the weighted baselines define a geometric dilution of precision between the vehicles. The method then determines the optimal baseline between the host vehicle and each of the other vehicles using the weighted baselines based on the lowest geometric dilution of precision. The method then computes the relative position and velocity between all of the vehicles and the host vehicle using the optimal baselines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Shuqing Zeng
  • Patent number: 7892265
    Abstract: A surgical screw that includes a body portion that facilitates bone in-growth from a bone in which the screw is mounted so as to stabilize the screw in the bone. The body portion can have various configurations for facilitating bone in-growth, such as indentations, a roughened surface, such as by acid etching or abrasive media blasting, specialized coatings, such as hydroxyapetite, sintered beads, machined channels, etc. Because the body portion of the screw facilitates bone growth, the screw will be more firmly mounted to the bone so as to have a greater integrity in response to movement of the bone. The type of surgical screw can be any surgical screw that will benefit from being better anchored in bone, such as pedicle screws, long bone screws, cervical fusion screws, tendon anchoring screws, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Mi4spine, LLC
    Inventors: Miquelangelo J. Perez-Cruet, John R. Pepper, John A. Miller
  • Patent number: 7892263
    Abstract: A method for providing disc regeneration that includes at least partially restoring disc height using a vertebral disc annular fibrosis tensioning and lengthening device, and then injecting a biologic substance, such as stem cells, into the disc that differentiate into chondrocytes and/or notochordal cells that facilitate disc regeneration. Once the biologic substance has regenerated the disc, it may be possible to remove the vertebral disc annular fibrosis tensioning and lengthening device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Mi4Spine, LLC
    Inventors: Miguelangelo J. Perez-Cruet, John R. Pepper
  • Patent number: 7887968
    Abstract: A flow control valve for a fuel cell that has particular application for controlling the flow of cathode air through a cathode flow channel of the fuel cell. The valve includes an element that controls the flow through the flow channel in response to changes in the voltage potential of the fuel cell. The valve includes a shape memory alloy wire and a flow control element secured to both ends of the shape memory alloy wire. The ends of the wire are also coupled to the anode and cathode of the fuel cell. When no current is flowing through the wire, the flow control element holds the wire in a pre-strained condition. If the voltage generated by the fuel cell increases, the current passing through the wire will heat the wire and cause it to shrink or contract which forces the flow control element into the flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Alan J. Jacobsen, Jennifer J. Zinck, Leslie A. Momoda, Michael W. Murphy
  • Patent number: 7885764
    Abstract: A method for constructing and revising road maps in a vehicle map database using vehicle location signals to provide traffic flow information for recognized vehicle patterns from past vehicle travel. The method includes identifying vehicle travel segments as a series of exemplar points from the location signals. Exemplar points in each travel segment are eliminated to define the travel segment by a beginning exemplar point and an ending exemplar point. A potential ending exemplar point may be redefined if an average location of the exemplar points from a line connecting the beginning point and the potential ending point is outside of a threshold distance. The travel segments are stored in a database, where each stored travel segment includes a travel time. The method compares new vehicle travel segments to the stored vehicle travel segments to identify a match, and then revise the vehicle travel time for the stored travel segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Darrel J. Van Buer
  • Patent number: 7883810
    Abstract: A system for the slow purge of a fuel cell stack. A pump can be used to keep the coolant circulating, so that the stack, an associated radiator, and coolant plumbing therebetween are maintained at the same temperature. The heat from the stack, liquid coolant, and radiator can be used to provide the heat of vaporization of the liquid in the stack, and the liquid water can be removed from the stack as water vapor. Because the air flow rate is relatively low, there is sufficient time for the water to vaporize and for the air to come to the same temperature as the stack, which is also facilitated by high surface area for heat transfer. Purge air can be drawn into the stack through the radiator, via a purge air blower, which preheats the air to help avoid frigid air contacting the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: John C. Fagley, Yan Zhang, Paul Taichiang Yu
  • Patent number: 7883809
    Abstract: A technique for heating a fuel cell stack at stack start-up that includes using the vehicle motor drive system to generate waste heat independent from providing traction. Particularly, at fuel cell stack start-up, the electric traction inverter associated with the traction motor that drives the vehicle is controlled so that command signals provided by an inverter to a traction motor do not provide motor torque, but dissipates power into the motor windings and/or motor structure as waste heat. Thus, the output power generated by the fuel cell stack can be made high enough to quickly heat the fuel cell stack through inefficiencies in the stack operation, without providing driving torque. Additionally, the electric traction inverter can be operated so that waste heat is generated within the semiconductor power switches in the inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Clark G. Hochgraf
  • Patent number: 7880429
    Abstract: A method for controlling the current output from a fuel cell stack to prevent the stack voltage or the minimum fuel cell voltage from dropping below predetermined voltage set-points. The method for the stack voltage control includes determining whether the stack voltage has dropped to the predetermined voltage set-point, and if so, capturing and holding the actual stack current at that point as the maximum allowed stack current. If the stack voltage continues to fall below the voltage set-point, then the voltage set-point is subtracted from the actual voltage to get a positive error signal. Controller gains are then multiplied by the error signal to reduce the current allowed from the stack to drive the error signal to zero, and increase the stack voltage. The method for the minimum fuel cell voltage operates in the same manner, but with different values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: David A. Arthur, Sriram Ganapathy
  • Patent number: 7879039
    Abstract: An interspinous process spacer insertion device that positions an interspinous process spacer between the spinous process of adjacent vertebrae in a minimally invasive percutaneous surgical procedure. The device includes a trocar rod that extends through a cannulated sleeve. The spacer is attached to the end of the cannulated sleeve, where a trocar tip of the trocar rod extends through the spacer. The trocar rod is moved through the cannulated sleeve and an incision in the patient, and is positioned between the spinous process of the vertebra to align the device. The cannulated sleeve is then moved down the trocar rod so that the spacer slides between the spinous process, and the trocar rod is then withdrawn from the patient. The spacer is then rotated so that it locks behind the spinous process, and the cannulated sleeve is detached from the spacer and removed from the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: MI4Spine, LLC
    Inventors: Miquelangelo J. Perez-Cruet, John R. Pepper, John A. Miller
  • Patent number: 7879502
    Abstract: A method for revising a reference polarization curve of a fuel cell stack that identifies the relationship between the voltage and the current of the stack over time. When the stack is operating at a low load where kinetic voltage losses of the stack dominate, a first adaptation value is revised as the difference between the actual stack voltage and the stack voltage of the reference polarization curve. When the stack is operating at higher loads where ohmic voltage losses of the stack dominate, a second adaptation value is revised as the difference between the actual stack voltage and the stack voltage of the reference polarization curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Sebastian Lienkamp, Bernd Krause
  • Patent number: 7879389
    Abstract: A method for depositing a hydrophilic and electrically conductive layer onto a bipolar plate substrate for a fuel cell in a one step process. The method includes mixing a solution of a conductive material, such as gold particles, and a hydrophilic material, such as silicon dioxide particles, in a suitable solvent, such as ethanol. The solution is then deposited on the bipolar plate substrate by any suitable low cost process. Once the solution dries and the ethanol has evaporated, a thin layer of the conductive and hydrophilic particles remains on the substrate. In one embodiment, the conductive particles are significantly larger than the hydrophilic particles to provide both the desirable hydrophilicity and the low contact resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Gayatri Vyas, Upendra Rao
  • Patent number: 7879503
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack including a bypass is provided. The fuel cell stack includes a plurality of electricity generating cells in the known manner. A bypass is included for reducing the water entering the electricity generating cells of the fuel cell stack. The bypass may comprise at least one bypass cell disposed adjacent the first electricity generating cell in the stack. The bypass cell comprises a pair of separator plates defining an anode side and a cathode side. The bypass cell includes a conductive spacer comprising gas diffusion media disposed between the pair of separator plates. The bypass cell preferably blocks the cathode port on the separator plate. In this manner, the cell is inactive and does not produce electricity. The anode port of the cell remains open and an anode feed flows through the bypass to reduce water provided to the first electricity-generating cell. Alternatively or additionally, the cathode port remains open. Further the bypass may be placed before the cell stack itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Gm Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Charles Mackintosh, Seth Valentine, Sitima R. Fowler, Steven L. Piedmont