Patents Examined by Courtney McDonnough
  • Patent number: 10006960
    Abstract: A reflectometer for allowing a test of a device, the reflectometer comprising: a source of pulsed radiation; a first photoconductive element configured to output a pulse in response to irradiation from said pulsed source; a second photoconductive element configured to receive a pulse; a transmission line arrangement configured to direct the pulse from the first photoconductive element to the device under test and to direct the pulse reflected from the device under test to the second photoconductive element; and a termination resistance provided for said transmission line configured to match the impedance of the transmission line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: TeraView Limited
    Inventor: Bryan Edward Cole
  • Patent number: 10001540
    Abstract: Provided is a method for adapting the sensitivity of a sensor system, in particular of a capacitive sensor system, which provides a sensor signal, wherein a first lower threshold value is adapted, if the sensor signal fulfills a first switching threshold criterion, a first upper threshold value is adapted, if the sensor signal fulfills a second switching threshold criterion, and at least one switching threshold value is adapted such that the switching threshold value has a predetermined first distance from the first upper threshold value and/or a predetermined second distance from the first lower threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY GERMANY GMBH
    Inventors: Holger Erkens, Claus Kaltner, Holger Steffens
  • Patent number: 9983150
    Abstract: A fluid sensor (10) comprises a core (27) defining a fluid flow path (21) and a cavity member (30) located externally of the core. The cavity member (30) comprises an electrically-conductive composite material including a matrix and one or more reinforcing elements embedded within the matrix. The cavity member (30) is configured so as to provide confinement for an electromagnetic field and the core (27) is configured so as to permit transmission therethrough of electromagnetic radiation at a frequency of the electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field may be a radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field. The fluid sensor (10) may be used in the measurement of the composition and/or flow characteristics of fluid in the fluid flow path (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: M-Flow Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Giles Edward, Alan Parker
  • Patent number: 9970788
    Abstract: A scale device includes a scale main body having at least two incremental tracks, at least two or more incremental signal detection heads for detecting incremental signals from the incremental tracks, and an operation processing unit that generates, based upon detection outputs by the two or more incremental signal detection heads, relative positional information in a measuring direction of a measuring axis and parallel movement amount information in a direction orthogonal to the measuring direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: DMG MORI SEIKI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kayoko Taniguchi, Shigeaki Maruyama, Masaaki Kusumi
  • Patent number: 9964657
    Abstract: This detection terminal (2) includes a fixing portion (4) intended to be fixed in a structure, an electrically conductive protective portion (5) secured to the fixing portion (4) and arranged to protect the fixing portion (4), the protective portion (5) being arranged to be accessible from the outside of the structure so as to allow the injection of an electric signal, and connection means intended to connect propagation means capable of propagating an electric signal along the optically invisible network, the connection means being connected to the protective portion (5) so as to hold, when in use, an electrical continuity between the protective portion (5) and the propagation means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: SOCIETE PLYMOUTH FRANCAISE
    Inventors: Daniel Arnaud, Mounir Saad
  • Patent number: 9958496
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining misregistration of internal layers of a PCB using resistance measurements is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes measuring a first resistance between a first center terminal and a first peripheral terminal of a first registration coupon on a printed circuit board (PCB) panel including at least one PCB. The method further includes measuring a second resistance between the first center terminal and a second peripheral terminal of the first registration coupon, wherein the first and second peripheral terminals are associated with a first internal layer of the PCB. A difference between the first and second resistances is then calculated. Then, based on this difference, a determination is made of a distance of misregistration of the first internal layer, if any, along a first axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Stephanie Moran, Michael C. Freda, Karl Sauter
  • Patent number: 9933462
    Abstract: A current sensor includes an element substrate that has a first surface facing a wire to which electric current to be measured is supplied and a second surface positioned on the opposite side of the first surface; a pair of sloping surfaces that are formed mutually juxtaposed in the element substrate so as to have slope angles by which their mutual spacing gradually decreases in a first direction approximately orthogonal with the first surface heading from the first surface to the second surface; a pair of magnetism detecting elements that are respectively attached to the pair of sloping surfaces formed in the element substrate; and external connection terminals that are respectively connected to the pair of magnetism detecting elements and that extend in a second direction that is the opposite direction of the first direction, in which the sensitivity directions of the pair of magnetism detecting elements are respectively set so as to slope along the pair of sloping surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Sekimoto, Norihiro Kawagishi, Katsuya Hirano
  • Patent number: 9935324
    Abstract: A voltage detection device includes voltage detection sections that measure cell voltages in the blocks, a control section, and (N?1) or less converters that raise the voltage, which is supplied from a DC power source, to a voltage of a driving power source for the voltage detection section. In a case where a voltage detected by at least one voltage detection section among the voltage detection sections which operate by the power supplied from the respective converters, exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the control section controls at least one voltage detection section among the voltage detection sections to operate using the cell voltage of each of the blocks as a driving power source and acquires the cell voltage in each of the blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9933374
    Abstract: A device for measuring the unloaded quality factor of a resonant cavity which has an input port to accept incident power and an output port to measure the dissipated power, wherein the device includes: a transmission line designed to be coupled to the input port of the resonant cavity to be characterized, which has a coupling coefficient ?i and which is designed to transmit an incident power generated by a power generator; a switch located upstream of the transmission line at a distance from the cavity which is equivalent to (2n+1)?g/4, where n is a whole number equal to or greater than zero and ?g the wavelength of the wave guided by the transmission line, the switch allowing the coupling coefficient ?i at the input port to the cavity to be modified at the time of the measurement of the unloaded quality factor of the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
    Inventor: Michel Luong
  • Patent number: 9929064
    Abstract: Various embodiments comprise apparatuses and methods for testing and repairing through-substrate vias in a stack of interconnected dice. In various embodiments, an apparatus is provided that includes a number of through-substrate vias to couple to one or more devices, at least one redundant through-substrate via to allow a repair of the apparatus, and a pair of pull-up devices coupled to the through-substrate vias and the redundant through-substrate via to provide a high-data value to the first end of the respective through-substrate vias. A test register is coupled the second end of each of the through-substrate vias and the redundant through-substrate via to store a received version of the high-data value. A comparator compares the high-data value with the received version of the high-data value to test the through-substrate vias for short-circuit connections. Other apparatuses and methods are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Venkatraghavan Bringivijayaraghavan, Jason M. Brown
  • Patent number: 9921935
    Abstract: A system-on-Chip (SoC) and a load imbalance detecting method of the same are provided. The SoC includes at least one master, a plurality of slaves, an interconnect, a measurement block, a central controller. The interconnect is configured to connect the at least one master and each of the plurality of slaves. The measurement block is configured to connect each of the plurality of slaves and the interconnect using a channel and to measure a load of each of the plurality of slaves. The central controller is configured to measure a load imbalance among the plurality of channels using the measured load information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: In-Gwang Chang
  • Patent number: 9921278
    Abstract: A superconducting magnet assembly includes a cryostat, a vacuum vessel and a refrigeration stage. An NMR probe using the assembly includes comprises cooled probe components, a two-stage cryocooler, and a counter flow heat exchanger. A cooling circuit guides coolant from one outlet of the counter flow heat exchanger back to an inlet of the counter flow heat exchanger via the second cooling stage, a cooled probe component, and a heat exchanger in the cryostat or a heat exchanger in a helium suspension tube. Both the intake temperature of the coolant flowing into the heat exchanger in the cryostat or in the suspension tube and the return flow temperature of the emerging coolant are at least 5 K lower than the operating temperature of the first cooling stage. Excess cooling capacity of the cryocooler reduces the evaporation rate of liquid helium or cools a superconducting magnet in a cryogen-free cryostat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Bruker BioSpin AG
    Inventors: Joerg Hinderer, Robert Schauwecker
  • Patent number: 9915699
    Abstract: A method of probe testing dies, the method includes loading a wafer having a first die and a second die into a prober and bringing probes of the prober into contact with first contact pads of the first die according to first probe parameters. A first probe contact test of first values of the contact between the probes and the first contact pads is performed, and a die test of the first die is performed after performing the probe contact test. Results of the die test and results of the probe contact test are saved and second probe parameters are automatically generated based on at least the results of the first probe contact test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mill-Jer Wang, Ching-Nen Peng, Hung-Chih Lin, Hao Chen, Mincent Lee, Chen-Hung Tien, Chang Chia How
  • Patent number: 9915720
    Abstract: An electrical panel meter system may include a plurality of meter modules housed in an electrical panel enclosure. Each meter module may be configured to sample electrical readings related to electrical power provided to a respective branch circuit of the electrical panel meter system. To field test the metering accuracy of each meter module, a field tester may be coupled to the electrical panel enclosure. The field tester may inject an electrical signal via a test conductor provided in the electrical panel enclosure. The test conductor may be coupled to each meter module. The field tester may measure an electrical parameter of the injected electrical signal and compare it to electrical readings sampled by the meter modules. A pass/fail result for each meter module may be indicated. Methods of field testing meter modules in an electrical panel meter system are also provided, as are other aspects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Industry, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Leidy, Kevin Miller
  • Patent number: 9909568
    Abstract: A device for detecting critical states of a surface, in which at least one hermetically sealed sensor for detecting critical states of a surface, one system for energy supply and one device for data transfer with an at least partially flexible, thin carrier plate are mechanically connected, and said carrier plate is arranged on the surface to be observed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Eologix Sensor Technology GMBH
    Inventors: Michael Moser, Hubert Zangl
  • Patent number: 9891075
    Abstract: To provide a magnetic encoder in which a base material has a ring-shaped body portion into which a rotation axis is inserted when a magnetic drum is mounted on a rotation axis, and an engagement convex portion provided so as to project over a whole circumference of an outer periphery of the body portion. The body portion has a centering track provided in a part of the outer periphery of the body portion over the whole circumference as a reference of circular runout tolerance on an outer periphery of a magnet. The engagement convex portion has a constricted portion projecting from the outer periphery of the body portion, and a cylindrical portion extending in an axial direction of the body portion from a tip end of the constricted portion. The magnet surrounds the engagement convex portion so as to wrap around to a gap between the cylindrical portion and the body portion, and exposes the centering track without covering the centering track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takumi Asano, Taizo Iwami, Takashi Tamura, Takeshi Musha
  • Patent number: 9864089
    Abstract: A detector with a telescoping support tube wherein a measuring probe is arranged at a front of a forward tube element and an electronics unit with a battery compartment, a handle element and axially offset rearward therefrom a U-shaped arm shell with two arm support bars are arranged at a rear tube element, wherein the arm support bars are pivotable relative to the rear tube element. The arm shell is axially moveable relative to the handle element and includes two arm shell elements which are laterally arranged at a support slide and pivotably moveable in a transversal direction of the support tube. The support slide is supported axially moveable by a support rail. According to the invention it is provided that the support slide is fixateable in a disengageable manner at the support rail at various locations through the arm shell elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: VALLON GMBH
    Inventor: Benjamin Andel
  • Patent number: 9857404
    Abstract: A method for determining a resistance value of a plural number of actuating devices is provided. The method features a step of the application of a test current pulse at each of the plural number of actuating devices. Moreover, the method features the step of the evaluation of a total current of output currents of the plural number of actuating devices engaging on the test current pulses at a measuring resistor, in order to determine the resistance value of the plural number of actuating devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Horst Kiebler, Ralf Brauchle, Kristian Mueller, Peter Sigg
  • Patent number: 9846024
    Abstract: An electric-field sensor is provided that includes a voltage-controlled capacitor and generator circuitry. The voltage-controlled capacitor is influenceable by an electric field created by a target located a distance from the solid-state electric-field sensor. The generator circuitry is configured to generate a modulated voltage for driving the voltage-controlled capacitor to produce a modulated capacitance as the voltage-controlled capacitor is influenced by the electric field to enable measurement of the electric field. In this regard, the voltage-controlled capacitor and generator circuitry are configured such that, in operation, an electric field of the target causes a change in the modulated capacitance and a current flow through the voltage-controlled capacitor. An electric potential of the target, then, is measurable as a function of the change in magnitude of the current flow through the voltage-controlled capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    Inventor: Maciej Artur Noras
  • Patent number: 9841265
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided to measure a gap between a first and second roll. Moreover, a method and an apparatus are provided to correct the gap to a target distance with a closed loop system. Also, a method and an apparatus are implemented to detect the wear for each roll by using a non-contacting measuring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Curtis Hunter VanValkenburgh, Jeremy Georges Bertin, Robert George Cox, Jr., Christopher Robert Lyman, Kevin John Schmitz, Jon Richard Rossiter