Patents Examined by Bot L. Ledynh
  • Patent number: 7956607
    Abstract: Digital ferromagnetic part inspection system and method use a magnetizer for magnetizing a ferromagnetic part to be inspected, wherein a defect in or near a surface of the ferromagnetic part causes an external magnetic field. A magnetic field sensing element is positioned near the ferromagnetic part for sensing the external magnetic field. An inspection module identifies the defect in or near the surface of the ferromagnetic part by interpreting data collected by the magnetic field sensing element in response to the magnetic field sensing element being placed near the ferromagnetic part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Robert William Bergman
  • Patent number: 7952347
    Abstract: A vibration detection circuit. The circuit includes an accelerometer, a combining filter, an amplifier, and an analog to digital converter. The accelerometer generates one or more signals indicative of movement along an axis. The combining filter filters a component of the one or more signals not associated with movement and combines the components of the one or more signals indicative of movement to create a combined signal. The amplifier amplifies the combined signal and creates an amplified signal. The analog to digital converter converts the amplified signal into a digital value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Carnes Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph S. Simon
  • Patent number: 7952349
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for harvesting energy from the environment and/or other external sources and converting it to useful electrical energy. The harvester does not contain a permanent magnet or other local field source but instead relies on the earth's magnetic field of another source of a magnetic field that is external to the sensing device. One advantage of these new harvesters is that they can be made smaller and lighter than energy harvesters that contain a magnet and/or an inertial mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Ferro Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Jiankang Huang, Hariharan Venketesh Sundram, Robert C. O'Handley, David C. Bono
  • Patent number: 7952346
    Abstract: A method for estimating the magnetization level of one or more permanent magnets established in one or more permanent magnet rotors of a wind turbine generator includes the steps of: establishing one or more magnetization sensors at the stator of the generator, connecting the one or more magnetization sensors to a measuring mechanism, processing measured data in the measuring mechanism, and establishing values of magnetization. Furthermore the invention also relates to a wind turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventors: Lars Helle, Morten Lindholm, Flemming Buus Bendixen
  • Patent number: 7948234
    Abstract: A magnetoresistive element includes, in plan view, an element section and an extension region extending from an end portion of the element section; and an insulation layer is formed on the element section and the extension region. A contact hole having a recessed shape, penetrating through the insulation layer, and extending at least to the extension region is formed; an electrode pad is formed in the contact hole; a surface of the electrode pad is exposed to outside; and the electrode pad is electrically connected to the extension region. The element section and the extension region are integrally formed so as to have an identical layer configuration employing a magnetoresistive effect in which electrical resistance varies in response to external magnetic fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideto Ando, Takashi Takabatake, Tatsuya Saito
  • Patent number: 7948229
    Abstract: A system and method for sensing the periodic proximity of one or more objects, such as the rotating blades of a gas turbine. The system includes a passive eddy current sensing unit having first and second magnets and first and second coil-wound cores coupled to generate and detect first and second magnetic fields. The sensing unit is positioned relative to the object such that the first and second coil-wound cores produce outputs in response to the object periodically passing through the first and second magnetic fields, respectively. Circuitry electronically combines the outputs of the first and second coil-wound cores to produce output signals corresponding to the proximity and timing of the object as it periodically passes through the first and second magnetic fields. Electromagnetic interference noise present in the outputs of the first and second coil-wound cores is eliminated from the output signals of the circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: John Weickert
  • Patent number: 7948237
    Abstract: An airborne time domain electromagnetic survey system is provided. The system and apparatus of the present invention are able to address the interest in exploring base metals and uranium deposits at depths approaching 1 kilometer. It encompasses a transmitter coil having a large magnetic dipole moment, flight stability, which is light weight, compatible with small helicopters, and can be transported, setup and repaired in the field. It is of a semi-rigid modular structure that can decrease the incidence of damage or breakage during take-off or landing in rough terrain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Geotech Airborne Limited
    Inventors: Petr Valentinovich Kuzmin, Edward Beverly Morrison
  • Patent number: 7948232
    Abstract: A position measuring apparatus includes at least one bearing, a rod of magnetizable material guided in the at least one bearing, a linear magnetic field sensor, and a magnet disposed next to the linear magnetic field sensor. The rod includes a cutout, and the magnet is arranged in the cutout within an enveloping cylinder lateral surface around the rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: WABCO GmbH
    Inventors: Jens-Thorsten Gronau, Mike Heurich, Tino Wiggers
  • Patent number: 7944203
    Abstract: A corrosion evaluation device for performing a quantitative evaluation of corrosion by measuring a quantity of decrease in the thickness of a magnetic material which is covered by a non magnetic material or a magnetic material which is not covered by a non magnetic material which includes: a magnetic field generating device for generating such a magnetic field that includes the magnetic material in a magnetic path, a Giant Magnet-Resistive effect (GMR) sensor provided with a GMR sensor for detecting a magnetic flux leakage with regard to the magnetic material and converts a change in the magnetic flux into an electrical signal, a thickness reduction calculation portion for calculating a quantity of decrease in the thickness of the magnetic material based on the electrical signal. The corrosion evaluation device precisely performs a quantitative evaluation of corrosion even when the magnetic material, which is to be evaluated, is covered by a non magnetic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Hatanaka, Katsuya Toda, Minoru Tagami
  • Patent number: 7932718
    Abstract: A magnetic anomaly sensing system and method uses at least four triaxial magnetometer (TM) sensors with each of the TM sensors having X,Y,Z magnetic sensing axes. The TM sensors are arranged in a three-dimensional array with respective ones of the X,Y,Z magnetic sensing axes being mutually parallel to one another. The three-dimensional array defines a geometry that forms at least one single-axis gradiometer along each of the X,Y,Z magnetic sensing axes. Information sensed by the TM sensors is to generate scalar magnitudes of a magnetic anomaly field measured at each of the TM sensors, comparisons of the scalar magnitudes to at least one threshold value, distance to a source of the magnetic anomaly field using the scalar magnitudes when the threshold value(s) is exceeded, and a magnetic dipole moment of the source using the distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Roy Wiegert
  • Patent number: 7932716
    Abstract: Rotation angle sensor and rotation angle sensor system for determining the angle of rotation of a shaft which can rotate at its shaft end, having a housing, having a shaft mount which is mounted on the housing such that it can rotate, having at least one signal transducer arranged on the shaft mount and having at least one signal receiver which is arranged on the housing and interacts with the signal transducer, wherein the shaft mount is designed in a manner such that the housing is attached only by means of the shaft mount at the shaft end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH
    Inventor: Christian Ruetz
  • Patent number: 7928726
    Abstract: A rotation sensor unit includes an encoder, a holder radially positioning the encoder, and a rolling bearing having an inner race. The rolling bearing is fitted around the shaft so that one end of the inner diameter surface of the inner race protrudes from the end of the outer diameter surface of the shaft. The holder has a screwed portion fitted in the inner race, positioning the encoder coaxially with the shaft. The holder is non-magnetic, having a retaining portion in which the encoder is axially pressed. The encoder is a plastic magnet, with protrusions and recesses formed integrally on its outer diameter surface and biting the inner diameter surface of the retaining portion to prevent the encoder from rotating. With the holder screwed to the shaft, the encoder is disposed between the magnetism detection element and the one end of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventor: Shoji Itomi
  • Patent number: 7924000
    Abstract: A method for producing a coil assembly includes overlaying printed circuit traces on a core. The traces include terminals for coupling to conductive connections on a base on which the coil assembly is to be mounted. Two or more wires are wrapped around the core so as to define two or more coils, wrapped in different, respective directions. The ends of the wires are coupled to the printed circuit traces, so as to connect the wires through the traces to the terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Biosense Webster, Inc.
    Inventors: Pesach Susel, Shlomo Fried, Avi Shalgi, Dan Raz, Dror Benatav
  • Patent number: 7923995
    Abstract: This invention relates to magnetic inductance tomography, and in particular, to coils of a sensor/driver coil array for use in a magnetic inductance tomography apparatus, in which driver/sensor coils are used to measure the induced flux in a conductive, dielectric and permittivity body, such as the human body. The sensor/driver coil array comprises at least one layer of thin coils whose centers are arranged on a regular grid, with adjacent coils overlapped by a suitable distance to cancel inductive neighbor coupling between them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Volkmar Schulz
  • Patent number: 7923993
    Abstract: A rotation detection device includes a plurality of magnetic encoders of a ring shape arranged coaxially and having different numbers of magnetic poles, a plurality of magnetic sensors each operable to detect the magnetic field of the corresponding magnetic encoder and having a function of detecting positional information within a single magnetic pole of the corresponding magnetic encoder, a phase difference detector to determine the phase difference of magnetic field signals detected respectively by the magnetic sensors, and an angle calculator to calculate an absolute rotation angle of the magnetic encoders based on the detected phase difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Takahashi, Shintarou Ueno
  • Patent number: 7920784
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a heat generating member arranged in a body, and a heat transmission member of a shape of a three-dimensional body having at least a first surface that is joined to the heat generating member and a second surface that is joined to an inner surface of the body. The first surface of the heat transmission member has an area greater than or equal to an area of the heat transmission member joined to the heat generating member, and an entire area of the second surface is joined to the inner surface of the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Akinori Ito
  • Patent number: 7915895
    Abstract: A phase error in measurements made by a resistivity logging tool is estimated by positioning the tool above a conducting surface. Deviation of the measured phase difference between the transmitter and the receiver from 90° gives the phase error in the electronics. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Roland E. Chemali, Wallace H. Meyer, Gulamabbas Merchant, Tsili Wang
  • Patent number: 7911202
    Abstract: Provided is an electromagnetic coil arrangement comprising a set of electromagnetic sensors at fixed locations with respect to each other, each of the electromagnetic sensors comprising a planar coil coupled to a conductive layer, the planar coil comprising non-concentric rings. Further, provided is an electromagnetic tracking system, comprising an electromagnetic coil arrangement, at least one complementary electromagnetic sensor and a processor configured to process a signal comprising data indicative of a mutual inductance between the at least one complementary electromagnetic sensor and each of the set of the electromagnetic sensors of the electromagnetic coil arrangement. Also, provided are a method of tracking and a method of manufacturing an electromagnetic coil arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Peter Traneus Anderson
  • Patent number: 7906960
    Abstract: A position sensor having a transmitter coil with both an outer loop portion and an inner loop portion. A receiver coil is disposed in close proximity to the transmitter coil and the receiver coil includes a first loop and an oppositely wound second loop. The receiver coil generates an electrical output signal when the transmitter coil is excited due to the inductive coupling between the transmitter and receiver coils. A movable coupler element varies the inductive coupling between the transmitter coil and the loops of the receiver coil as a function of the position of the coupler element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: KSR Technologies Co.
    Inventor: Joong K. Lee
  • Patent number: 7906961
    Abstract: A magnetic field sensor arrangement (4) comprises a stacked arrangement (1) with a first magnetic field sensor body (20) and a second magnetic field sensor body (40). The first magnetic field sensor body (20) has a first main surface (21), on which is arranged a first magnetic field sensitive element (23), and a second main surface (22), which is approximately parallel to the first main surface (21). The second magnetic field sensor body (40) has similarly a first main surface (41), on which is arranged a second magnetic field sensitive element (43), and a second main surface (42), which is approximately parallel to the first main surface (41).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: austrianmicrosystems AG
    Inventors: Sari Abwa, Manfred Brandl, Josef Janisch