Patents Examined by Andre Allen
  • Electronic device, physical quantity sensor, pressure sensor, vibrator, altimeter, electronic apparatus, and moving object
    Patent number: 9891125
    Abstract: A physical quantity sensor includes a substrate, a piezoresistive element that is arranged on one face side of the substrate, a wall portion that is arranged to surround the piezoresistive element on the one face side of the substrate in a plan view of the substrate, and a ceiling portion that constitutes a cavity portion with the wall portion, in which the ceiling portion includes a cladding layer that has a pore which passes therethrough in the thickness direction of the cladding layer, and a seal layer that is stacked on the opposite side of the cladding layer from the substrate and closes the pore, the seal layer in which at least a part of the outer periphery of a contact portion where the seal layer is in contact with the cladding layer is on the outside of the cavity portion in a plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yusuke Matsuzawa
  • System for measuring pressure able to discriminate a failure from an over pressure or under pressure
    Patent number: 9891129
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system for measuring pressure, including a pressure sensor comprising: a deformable membrane on which is placed a resistive bridge able to deliver a bridge voltage representative of a deformation of the deformable membrane caused by a pressure applied to said deformable membrane; a system for limiting the deformation of the deformable membrane, able to limit the bridge voltage in the case of an over-pressure or an under-pressure on the deformable membrane; and an amplifying electronic circuit connected to the resistive bridge, able to deliver an output voltage depending on the bridge voltage; the limiting system and the electronic circuit are conjointly configured so that the output voltage makes it possible to distinguish the case of failure of the pressure sensor and/or of the electronic circuit from the case of an over-pressure or under-pressure on the deformable membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: AUXITROL S.A.
    Inventor: Guillaume Longu
  • Method for testing the fracture toughness of an adhesive joint to be formed
    Patent number: 9885651
    Abstract: A method for testing the fracture toughness of an adhesive joint to be formed between two components made of fiber-reinforced plastic, by forming a test joint between two sample elements and applying a tensile load onto this test joint until a pre-defined value is reached. One of these sample elements is formed by one of the components of the joint to be formed, and the tensile load acts on the other sample element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
    Inventors: Bernd Raeckers, Lutz Wiese
  • Central tire inflation system and method
    Patent number: 9884522
    Abstract: A central tire inflation system for a tire. The system includes one or more pneumatic control valves for controlling inflation of a respective tire. A first compressed air source is provided for supplying compressed air to inflate the tire. A second compressed air source is provided for supplying compressed air to control the at one or more pneumatic control valves. A control means is provided for controlling the supply of compressed air from the second compressed air source to generate a pneumatic control signal to control the one or more pneumatic control valves. The first compressed air source can be a compressor configured to provide compressed air to inflate the tires. The second compressed air source can form part of an air suspension system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited
    Inventors: Paul King, Emma-Claire Dunning, Robbie Lesbirel, Maelle Dodu, Thuy-Yung Tran
  • Adapter assembly for an inflating device
    Patent number: 9885354
    Abstract: An adapter assembly for an inflating device has a case body and a warning unit. The case body has a first chamber and a second chamber. The first chamber and the second chamber are formed in the case body and communicate with each other. The warning unit is mounted in the second chamber and has a selection module, multiple adjusting modules, a sounding body, and a cover body. The selection module is mounted in the second chamber and has multiple accommodating portions formed in the selection module. One of the accommodating portions communicates with the second chamber. The adjusting modules are respectively mounted in and communicate with the accommodating portions. The sounding body is mounted on the selection module and communicates with the accommodating portions. The cover body is mounted on the selection module, and has a least one sound hole communicating with the sounding body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Jiao Hsiung Industry Corp.
    Inventor: Yung-Hao Yang
  • Pressing load setting method of tire testing machine
    Patent number: 9880074
    Abstract: A tire and a drum are relatively moved so that a pressing load is increased, and stopped when the pressing load becomes a predetermined value lower than a target value. A value of the pressing load and a relative distance between the tire and the drum are measured at timings when a circumferential position of the tire is the same. A dynamic longitudinal spring constant of the tire is calculated by using change amounts of the pressing load and the relative distance. An adjustment amount serving as a distance by which the tire and the drum are relatively moved so that a value of the pressing load when relative movement is stopped becomes the target value is calculated by using the dynamic longitudinal spring constant and a difference between the arrival value and the target value. The tire and the drum are relatively moved by the adjustment amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Ito, Yasuhiro Matsushita
  • Expandable jacket for triaxial, unconfined and uniaxial compression tests and test device for three-dimensional consolidation and settlement tests
    Patent number: 9880081
    Abstract: The expandable jacket consists of the rubber membrane surrounding the cylindrical specimen, circular segmental metal plates surrounding the rubber membrane, and elastomeric rubber bands or rings around the segmental plates to permit uniform radial expansion and maintain uniform diameter of the specimen during the test and thereby providing accurate values of deviator stress, volume change characteristics and shear strength of soil specimen. To determine the three-dimensional coefficient of consolidation and coefficient of consolidation in horizontal direction, the flexible ring consists of all above structural components of expandable jacket except that a filter fabric or paper is wrapped around the cylindrical specimen, and then rubber membrane is mounted surrounding the filter paper or paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Inventor: Ramesh Chandra Gupta
  • Methods and apparatus for packaging a MEMS device
    Patent number: 9874486
    Abstract: Systems and methods for packaging a MEMS device are provided. Embodiments herein avoid the use of a metal housing enclosing the MEMS device or die pad of the MEMS device. Instead, a metal port is mounted directly to the MEMS device using a ceramic carrier. In preferred embodiments, the ceramic carrier is soldered, brazed, welded or eutectic bonded to the metal port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: DUNAN SENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Gary Winzeler, Danny Do, Cuong D. Nguyen, Emir Vukotic
  • Methods and systems for monitoring roadway parameters
    Patent number: 9869630
    Abstract: A method and system receives, at a computing device, a plurality of data points from one or more data collection units. Each data point of the plurality of data points can include data related to road conditions for a specific section of road and each data point can be paired with GPS coordinates. The plurality of data points can be analyzed and a road condition score for each data point can be determined. The road condition score for each data point is applied to a mapping module using the GPS coordinates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Inventor: Maxim Sokol Diamond
  • System for estimating a displacement of a pump
    Patent number: 9869311
    Abstract: A system for determining an estimated displacement of a variable displacement hydraulic pump includes a control cylinder associated with the swash plate of the variable displacement hydraulic pump to control the angle of inclination of the swash plate and a valve that controls the flow of hydraulic fluid to the control cylinder and has a position that defines an effective area of an opening of the valve. A pressure sensor generates pressure signals indicative of an output pressure from the variable displacement hydraulic pump. A controller is configured to receive pressure signals from the pressure sensor and determine an estimated displacement of the variable displacement hydraulic pump based upon the pressure signals from the pressure sensor and the position of the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Hongliu Du, Ronald D. Shinogle
  • Method for controlling the manufacturing of tyres for wheels of vehicles
    Patent number: 9862159
    Abstract: A method for controlling the manufacturing of tires for wheels of vehicles includes: extracting a cured tire from a curing station, in which the cured tire has accumulated heat during a curing process; and verifying the presence of possible defects or imperfections in that cured tire. The verification includes detecting first electromagnetic radiations representative of a heat emission from different portions of the cured tire while the cured tire frees the accumulated heat; providing at least one output signal representative of the first electromagnetic radiations detected to allow an analysis of the cured tire and to verify the presence of the possible defects or imperfections. A plant for the manufacturing of tires for wheels of vehicles is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.P.A.
    Inventors: Vincenzo Boffa, Marco Gallo, Bartolomeo Montrucchio
  • Smart shunt devices and methods
    Patent number: 9861524
    Abstract: Devices and methods for the measurement and control of fluid using one or two capacitors are described. The devices use Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) and radio-frequency inductive coupling to sense the properties of a fluid in a tube. The single and double capacitor devices may be coupled to shunts implantable in a patient and operable to be interrogated non-invasively. The shunts employing the novel capacitor devices are insensitive to stray signals such as the orientation of a patient's head. The devices are operable to employ a wireless external spectrometer to measure passive subcutaneous components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: New Jersey Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Gordon Albert Thomas, Reginald Conway Farrow, Alokik Kanwal
  • Fluid conveyance monitoring system in an extracorporeal blood treatment device
    Patent number: 9855380
    Abstract: A method for monitoring conveyance of fluid in a device for extracorporeal blood treatment, whereby fluid is conveyed by a peristaltic pump in a fluid system from a low-pressure side to a high-pressure side in that an elastically deformable fluid line positioned between the low-pressure side and the high-pressure side is deformed between a support surface and at least two squeeze elements of a rotor rotating opposite the support surface in such a way that a conveyance volume section is formed between the squeeze elements, whereby a fluid pressure value in the fluid system is detected for the conveyance volume section that is specific to the conveyance volume section, and whereby the detected conveyance-volume-specific fluid pressure value of a conveyance cycle n is compared with the detected conveyance-volume-specific fluid pressure value of a previous conveyance cycle n?x.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: B. BRAUN AVITUM AG
    Inventors: Kai-Uwe Ritter, Christian Schleicher
  • Wheel assembly and vehicle model with wheel assembly
    Patent number: 9857276
    Abstract: The present embodiments provide a wheel assembly having a dynamic structure to influence an unloaded profile of a tire. In one embodiment the unloaded profile is also influenced by a centrifugal force on the wheel assembly and an inflation pressure of the tire. In one embodiment, a loaded profile of the tire is influenced by a weight of the wheel assembly, the inflation pressure of the tire, and the centrifugal force on the wheel assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Auto Research Center, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Wright, Andrew Gunselman
  • Pressure transducer with multiple joinable portions
    Patent number: 9857260
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a pressure transducer includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The third portion is positioned in a cavity contained in the second portion. In addition, a seal is placed in the cavity. The first portion and second include provisions for applying a downward pressure on the third portion when the first portion and the second portion are joined. The downward pressure is applied by the third portion to the seal to seal the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: SENSATA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Michael J. Lavado, Mark C. Carlos, Jan klein Bluemink
  • Sensors for detecting incident signals having disturbance elements
    Patent number: 9857231
    Abstract: A sensor and method of making a sensor for detecting an incident signal is provided. The sensor includes a frame, an antenna and a platform configured to detect the incident signal, and a holding arm connected to the frame, the holding arm configured to structurally support the antenna and the platform, and further configured to operably connect the platform to an electronic device external to the frame. The holding arm includes a conductor having an axial length and a plurality of disturbance elements formed along the axial length of the conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dan Corcos, Danny Elad, Bernd W. Gotsmann, Thomas E. Morf
  • Pressure sensor to sense multi-directional movement
    Patent number: 9857258
    Abstract: A pressure sensor includes a sensor, an elastic support portion, a membrane, and a pressure detector. The sensor is accommodated in a frame of a base substrate. The elastic support portion is elastically connecting the sensor to the frame. The membrane is disposed on a surface of the sensor. The pressure detector is disposed on the membrane and configured to detect a variation in pressure based on a movement of the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tae Hun Lee, Chang Hyun Lim, June Kyoo Lee, Dae Hun Jeong
  • Systems and methods for tracing air
    Patent number: 9851275
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention are directed to a system including a tracer delivery device and a detector. The tracer delivery device is operative to emit a tracer including at least one of a terpene and a terpene alcohol into air. The detector is operative to detect the tracer in the air. In one or more embodiments, the tracer may include limonene mixed with isopropyl alcohol (LIPA). The corresponding detector may consist of a photoionization detector. The use of LIPA results in no emissions of global warming or environmentally dangerous chemicals, and the LIPA may be measured by photoionization with high sensitivity and in almost real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Inventor: Clifford A. Cooper
  • Pressure sensor with variable sense gap
    Patent number: 9846097
    Abstract: A sensor device includes a substrate having a port extending through it and a membrane including a first electrode spanning across the port. The port exposes the membrane to a pressure stimulus from an external environment. A second electrode is spaced apart from the first electrode by a gap having a first width. A control circuit applies an actuation voltage to move the second electrode closer to the first electrode and change the gap to a second width that is less than the first width. When the gap is set to the second width, the pressure sensor exhibits a greater sensitivity then when the gap is set to the first width. The membrane with the first electrode is movable in response to the pressure stimulus and the pressure stimulus is sensed as movement of the first electrode relative to the second electrode while the actuation voltage is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Naumann
  • Device and method for determining inertia properties of an object
    Patent number: 9846100
    Abstract: The present application relates to devices for determining inertia properties of an object, said devices comprising a support and a measuring platform which are arranged relative to each other in such a way that movements between two and five degrees of freedom are possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Resonic GmbH
    Inventor: Robert Klöpper