Patents Examined by Bot Ledynh
  • Patent number: 7567084
    Abstract: A system for investigating subterranean strata. An electromagnetic field and a seismic event are applied from the same location and the responses are detected using respective receivers both located at a second location spaced from the first. The responses are combined to identify the presence and/or nature of subterranean reservoir. The refracted wave components are used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Electromagnetic Geoservices AS
    Inventors: Terje Eidesmo, Svein Ellingsrud, Anders Farestveit, Sylvia Sandra Pettersen, legal representative, Stale Johansen, Hans Magne Pedersen
  • Patent number: 7564235
    Abstract: A method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus for measuring properties of a magnetic read head are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a first and a second magnetic read head. A first dimension of the first magnetic read head is different from a corresponding first dimension of the second magnetic read head. The method further includes determining a first change in conductance of the first magnetic read head resulting from an applied magnetic field and a second change in conductance of the second magnetic read head resulting from the applied magnetic field. The first change in conductance and the second change in conductance are used to determine a change in the first dimension and the corresponding first dimension of the first and second magnetic read heads, respectively. The change in the first dimension and the corresponding first dimension results from a manufacturing process of the first and second magnetic read heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Robert S. Beach, Arley C. Marley
  • Patent number: 7564236
    Abstract: A method for testing magnetic heads formed on a wafer to detect the presence of thermal induced popcorn noise resulting from thermal fly height control. The method includes performing a quasi test on a magnetic head, the quasi test being performed over 400 or more cycles of magnetic field application. For additional test accuracy, the write head can be cycled while 400 or more cycles of magnetic field are generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: David Ernest Call, Hardayal Singh Gill
  • Patent number: 7557566
    Abstract: A system for determining the magnetic permeability of a material is provided. Two electrical inductors formed as primary and secondary concentric coils share a common magnetic core space. An AC voltage applied to the primary coil creates a magnetic flux in the core proportional to the magnetic permeability of a sample of the material positioned within the core space. The magnetic flux induces an AC voltage in the secondary coil indicative of the sample magnetic permeability. When the material is a magnetorheological fluid, the magnetic permeability is proportional to the concentration of magnetic particles in the sample and can be back-calculated from the amplitude of the secondary voltage signal. Sensitivity and resolution can be increased by using two identical sets of coils wherein a reference material forms a core for the primary set and the MR fluid sample forms a core for the secondary set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: QED Technologies International, Inc.
    Inventors: William Kordonski, Arpad Sekeres, Robert James
  • Patent number: 7557569
    Abstract: There are provided first and second characteristic change portions 9 and 10 having characteristic boundary inclination directions different from each other in an inner half portion and an outer half portion of the encoder 4. Detections portions of one pair of sensors 6a1 (6b1, 6c1) and 6a2 (6b2, 6c2) are opposed to three circumferential positions of both the characteristic change portions 9 and 10. A operator has a function of calculating the displacements x, y, z, and inclinations ?x, ?z, on the basis of phase differences among output signals of the sensors 6a1, 6a2, 6b1, 6b2, 6c1, and 6c2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Ono, Nagao Dohi
  • Patent number: 7550966
    Abstract: A retrofit pivot pin for positioning at a pivot joint between a pair of articulated arms including a Hall effect element secured to a first arm and a magnet secured to said second arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Kraft Telerobotics, Inc.
    Inventor: Brett W. Kraft
  • Patent number: 7546032
    Abstract: An electronic camera comprises a light-emitting unit 38 for emitting light, color components of which can be changed; a color-component measuring unit 51 for obtaining color components involved in any one of light from a light source for illuminating an object and light reflected by the object; an input-image processing unit 52 for determining color components of light to be emitted based on the color components calculated by the color-component measuring unit; and a light-emitting member driving unit 39 for making the light-emitting unit emit light involving the color components determined by the input-image processing unit in response to an instruction of photographing given by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazunori Kita
  • Patent number: 7542669
    Abstract: A diffraction display device includes a diffraction optical element that comprises a diffraction display portion and a non-display portion disposed between a pair of substrates, and an illuminating device that emits linearly polarized illuminating light to be incident on a side surface of the diffraction optical element. In the diffraction display device, the illuminating light having entered the diffraction optical element exits the diffraction optical element through a substrate surface at which the diffraction display portion is disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Koishi
  • Patent number: 7538544
    Abstract: An inductive position sensor for position sensing includes a transmitter coil and a receiver coil, the receiver coil generating a receiver signal when the transmitter coil is excited by an alternating current source. A moveable coupler element modifies the inductive coupling between the transmitter coil and the receiver coil so that the receiver signal is sensitive to the coupler element position. For example, the coupler element may rotate about a common central axis of the transmitter coil and receiving coil. In further examples, a reference coil is configured so that a provided reference signal is substantially insensitive to variations in the angular position of the coupler element. A ratio between the receiver signal and the reference signal is sensitive to the coupler element position, but substantially insensitive to common mode factors that influence the reference signal and receiver signal to a substantially equal degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: KSR Technologies Co.
    Inventor: Joong K. Lee
  • Patent number: 7535219
    Abstract: A rotation angle detector includes a rotator, first and second detecting bodies, an auxiliary detecting body, first and second detectors, an auxiliary detector, and a controller. The first detecting body rotates in association with the rotator, and the first detector detects rotation of the first detecting body. The second detecting body rotates in association with the first detecting body at a different speed therefrom, and the second detector detects rotation of the second detecting body. The auxiliary detecting body is engaged with the rotator at a position symmetrical to the first detecting body with respect to a rotation axis of the rotator. The auxiliary detector detects rotation of the auxiliary detecting body. The controller detects a rotation angle of the rotator based on detection signals from the first, second, and auxiliary detectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shozoh Shiraga, Tamotsu Ohta, Hiromitsu Noda, Mayuko Okada
  • Patent number: 7535216
    Abstract: The invention relates to an incremental displacement transducer for determining a displacement of a first object relative to a second object with a scanning unit linked with the first object for scanning a division track linked with the second object having first areas and second areas alternately arranged with a period length, the first areas having a first physical property and the second areas a second physical property differing therefrom. The scanning unit has a plurality of sensors for scanning the first areas and second areas on the basis of the first and/or second physical property. An evaluating unit is linked with the scanning unit for determining the displacement on the basis of the measuring signals of the sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Pepperl + Fuchs GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Speckmann, Timo Glam
  • Patent number: 7528597
    Abstract: Position sensor circuits are disclosed for use with variable reluctance sensors. Variable reluctance sensors are described for linear, angular and rotary position measurement and for acceleration measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Digisensors, Inc.
    Inventors: G. Brandt Taylor, Steven E. Beard
  • Patent number: 7529477
    Abstract: An image-taking apparatus includes a lighting section having LEDs that individually correspond to areas, into which a field is divided, and that each emit light to the corresponding one of the areas. The apparatus also includes a CCD and an AF section. The lighting section is configured to emit light to the field after an amount of emitted light for each of the divided areas is adjusted based on subject brightness information from the CCD and subject distance information from the AF section according to field conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Endo
  • Patent number: 7528619
    Abstract: A voltage droop detector captures the very high-frequency noise on the power grid of a load, such as a microprocessor. The droop detector includes twin circuits, one of which receives the voltage from the power grid of the load, the other of which receives a filtered voltage. A 0th droop, as well as 1st droops, 2nd droops, and so on, are captured and stored for subsequent analysis. The circuits sample the voltages frequently enough to ensure that all droop events are captured. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Fabrice Paillet, Tanay Karnik, Jianping Xu, Vivek K. De
  • Patent number: 7519291
    Abstract: A digital still camera includes a lens unit and a camera body. The lens unit has a photographing lens, and a CCD for image pickup by detecting object light from the photographing lens. The camera body has a lens mount portion adapted to loading of the lens unit, and a camera contact for electrical connection with the lens unit. The lens unit has a lens unit coupling portion, engageable with the lens mount portion, for removable loading on the camera body. A lens connection contact touches the camera contact when the lens mount portion is engaged with the lens unit coupling portion, for electrical connection. A circuit board is connected with the CCD, has a first surface opposed to the camera body. The lens connection contact is mounted on the first surface. In preferred embodiment, a bayonet mechanism couples the lens unit coupling portion with the lens mount portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Kentaro Tokiwa, Hiroshi Tanaka, Takehiko Senba
  • Patent number: 7514916
    Abstract: Disclosed is a CCP-CPP-GMR head assembly which has: a CCP-CPP-GMR head that includes at least a current control layer having as a microstructure a plurality of truncated cone electric conductors with axes the same as a current direction and an insulator filling between the plurality of truncated cone electric conductors, and in which a surface on which a larger-area basal plane of the plurality of truncated cone electric conductors is greater in number is a first surface of the current control layer and a surface of an opposite side of the first surface is a second surface of the current control layer; and a sense current source providing the CCP-CPP-GMR head with a sense current that flows from the second surface to the first surface, a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus having such a head, and a specification method of an appropriate sense current direction of the CCP-CPP-GMR head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tomomi Funayama, Kohichi Tateyama, Masayuki Takagishi
  • Patent number: 7514920
    Abstract: A positioning structure of a magnetic induction ruler comprises a base, an induction ruler and a fixing assembly. In one end of the base is formed a first positioning portion, one end of the fixing assembly is formed with a second positioning portion, and the other end of the fixing assembly is formed with a restriction portion. The positioning member of the second positioning portion of the fixing assembly is inserted in the positioning hole of the first positioning portion, enabling both ends of the induction ruler to be fixed to the base by the pressure of the restriction portion of the fixing assembly. Thereby, the magnetic member and the metal members of the induction ruler can be stuck to each other firmly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Hiwin Mikrosystem Corp.
    Inventors: Ming-Chih Huang, Chih-Mao Shiao
  • Patent number: 7513700
    Abstract: A method for providing positioning information related to image information presentation for a portable communication device, includes providing first image information to be presented (202), obtaining the first image information by the portable communication device under control of the user of the portable communication device, registering second image information by the camera of the portable communication device (206) and mapping presented first image information and registered second image information (208). The method may also include recognizing at least one image element of the presented first image information as being included in the registered second image information (210) and determining the position of a predefined area of the registered second image information in relation to the recognized at least one image element (212). The determined relative position of the predefined area may be used for controlling purposes of the first image information being presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
    Inventor: Joakim Nelson
  • Patent number: 7515815
    Abstract: An imaging device includes a guiding device which guides at least one radially-retractable optical element, serving as part of a photographing optical system, along a guide direction between a photographing position on a common optical axis of the photographing optical system and a radially-retracted position away from the common optical axis in a plane orthogonal to the common optical axis; a detector for detecting a direction and a magnitude of vibration applied to the photographing optical system; and a common actuator for moving the radially-retractable optical element along the guide direction to counteract the vibration in accordance with an output of the detector when the radially-retractable optical element is in the photographing position, and for moving the radially-retractable optical element along the guide direction between the photographing position and the radially-retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Nomura
  • Patent number: 7511476
    Abstract: Sensor circuits including an oscillator circuit are disclosed. In one instance, the sensing element is a variable reactance element (a variable inductor or/and capacitor).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Digisensors, Inc.
    Inventors: G. Brandt Taylor, Steven E. Beard