Patents Examined by Dru Parries
  • Patent number: 9735836
    Abstract: An inductive power transfer system comprises a power transmitter (101) and a power receiver (105). The power transmission system supports two-way communications. The power receiver (105) first initiates a mandatory configuration phase by transmitting a signal strength package and the power transmitter and receiver then operates (505, 507) the mandatory configuration phase wherein a first set of power transfer operating parameters are selected for the power transmitter (101) and the power receiver (105). The power receiver (105) subsequently transmits (509) a request to enter a negotiation phase and the power transmitter (101) acknowledges (511) the request by transmitting an acknowledgement. It then enters the negotiation phase. The power receiver (105) enters the negotiation phase in response to receiving the acknowledgment message. The power receiver (105) and power transmitter (101) then determines (513, 515) a second set of operating parameters by performing the negotiation phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventor: Andries Van Wageningen
  • Patent number: 9729145
    Abstract: A circuit is provided, the circuit including: a first power supply terminal connected to a first p-type metal oxide semiconductor transistor; a second power supply terminal connected to a second p-type metal oxide semiconductor transistor; an output node connected between the first p-type metal oxide semiconductor transistor and second p-type metal oxide semiconductor transistor; and a decision circuit connected to the first power supply terminal and the second power supply terminal, wherein the decision circuit is powered by the output node and wherein gate terminals of the first p-type metal oxide semiconductor transistor and second p-type metal oxide semiconductor transistor are complementarily and actively controlled by the decision circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Richard Sbuell
  • Patent number: 9729005
    Abstract: In order to add an emergency light function to a fluorescent LED lighting device, thereby increasing safety during a power outage, this LED lighting device, which can be mounted between a pair of sockets for fluorescent lighting, is equipped with a first power supply circuit, which lights the LED using direct current power obtained by converting/rectifying alternating current power supplied from the sockets, and a second power supply circuit, which lights the LED using an embedded battery. An embedded SW controller detects that a sudden drop in the current value or the voltage value in the lighting device, from a prescribed value Von when the lighting switch is turned on to a value that is essentially zero, occurs within a prescribed time T. When the sudden drop occurs two or more times in the prescribed time (FIG. 5), it is determined that a normal operation of turning off the light has been performed, and the light is turned off, and when the sudden drop occurs only once during the prescribed time (FIG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Inventor: Hirokazu Noguchi
  • Patent number: 9722459
    Abstract: Systems and methods of controlling an uninterruptible power supply are provided. The uninterruptible power supply includes an input configured to receive input power, an output, a power conversion circuit coupled with the input and the output, and a controller coupled with the power conversion circuit. The power conversion circuit includes an inverter, which includes a low pass filter. The low pass filter includes an inductor, and the controller is configured to provide control signals to the inverter such that a first current, measured at the inductor, generates a second current, measured at the output, where the first current has a first polarity and the second current having a second polarity, and the first polarity is either zero or the same polarity as the second polarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC IT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Henning Roar Nielsen
  • Patent number: 9722421
    Abstract: Various embodiments of a DC plant controller and methods of selecting among multiple power sources. In one embodiment, the DC plant controller includes: (1) a source identifier configured to identify power sources couplable to a common DC bus, (2) a source prioritizer coupled to the source identifier and configured to prioritize the power sources based on at least one criterion, (3) an output characteristic assigner coupled to the source prioritizer and configured to place ones of the power sources on standby based on a calculated battery holdup time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Anurag Jagota, Roy J. Davis, Vijayan J. Thottuvelil
  • Patent number: 9722603
    Abstract: The switch housing for capacitive switches has an outer contact surface and flat electrode structures which are arranged on the inside and in a position opposite the contact surface and which are placed by two-component injection molding in recessed regions of the housing body injected from a first, electrically non-conductive plastic component by a second, electrically conductive plastic component. Preferably, both plastic components are a polycarbonate, the second plastic component containing carbon fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH
    Inventor: Udo Koberstein
  • Patent number: 9722540
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for setting the frequency of wireless power transmission. To this end, the method for setting the frequency of a wireless power transmission apparatus can include the steps of: obtaining power transmission information from the wireless power receiving apparatus receiving a wireless power signal; and setting the transmission frequency of the wireless power signal on the basis of the obtained power transmission information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jaesung Lee, Bongsik Kwak, Yongcheol Park, Taewook Kwon, Seonghun Lee
  • Patent number: 9722422
    Abstract: Various embodiments of a DC plant. In one embodiment, the DC plant includes (1) power sources couplable to a common DC bus, (2) rectifiers and DC-DC converters associated with the power sources and (3) a DC plant controller. The DC plant controller includes a source identifier configured to identify the power sources, a source prioritizer coupled to the source identifier and configured to prioritize the power sources based on at least one criterion, and an output characteristic assigner coupled to the source prioritizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Anurag Jagota, Roy J. Davis, Vijayan J. Thottuvelil
  • Patent number: 9696358
    Abstract: A method for detecting the presence of a receiver in an inductively coupled power transfer system having a transmitter and receiver. The method includes switching on a transmitter converter at a first frequency, measuring the inrush current and determining whether there is a receiver present. In another method, the inrush current is measured for a range of transmitter frequencies, and the variation in current is used to determine where there is a receiver present. In another method, the inrush current is measured when there is a change in voltage in the transmitter, and the variation in current is used to determine where there is a receiver present. In another method, the current supplied to the transmitter converter is measured over two transmitter frequencies, and the variation in current is used to determine where there is a receiver present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: PowerbyProxi Limited
    Inventor: Daniel James Robertson
  • Patent number: 9698615
    Abstract: An electric vehicle includes: a storage device configured to store power used for traveling; an auxiliary battery configured to store power supplied to an auxiliary load; a converter configured to charge the auxiliary battery by using power supplied from the storage device; and a shut-off device configured to switch between a supply condition in which power is supplied to the auxiliary load from the auxiliary battery and a shut-off condition in which power is not supplied to the auxiliary load from the auxiliary battery. During control of the electric vehicle, the converter is controlled such that an output voltage of the converter is higher when the shut-off device is in the shut-off condition than when the shut-off device is in the supply condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Sugiyama, Keiji Kaita, Takahiko Hirasawa, Yasuomi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 9689598
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing power to a refrigeration unit or an air conditioner used on a hybrid vehicle. The system includes an accumulation choke, a PWM rectifier, and a frequency inverter. The accumulation choke is configured to receive a first AC power, a second AC power, and a DC power. The accumulation choke and PWM rectifier convert the received power into an intermediate DC power having a peak voltage. The PWM rectifier provides the intermediate DC power to the frequency inverter. The frequency inverter converts the intermediate DC power to an output AC power. The frequency inverter provides the output AC power to the refrigeration unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: THERMO KING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gregory Robert Truckenbrod, Arnost Hurych, Bruce Kranz, Eric Kirby, Michael D. Gilman, Richard W. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9692254
    Abstract: Power systems include a housing and an automatic transfer switch (ATS switch) held in the housing, a Bypass switch held in the housing and a control circuit in communication with the ATS switch and the Bypass switch to automatically direct the Bypass switch and the ATS switch to carry out the selective connections to thereby allow automated, redundant power transitions to the system load from three different power sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Mark Steven Tomassi
  • Patent number: 9685791
    Abstract: A system for controlling wireless power transfer to mobile devices is disclosed. The system includes a power transmitter configured to transmit power via a wireless coupling to the mobile devices. Each of the mobile devices includes a power receiver configured to receive the power from the power transmitter via the wireless coupling with the power transmitter. Each power receiver is configured to transmit control data modulated with a spreading code via the wireless coupling to the power transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
    Inventor: In-Soo Yoon
  • Patent number: 9669722
    Abstract: The present technique relates to a power supply device and method as well as a program which can surely perform a billing process when a device is charged. When a vehicle ID registered in advance in an external storage matches a vehicle ID acquired by a reader/writer, a control unit makes a request to input, by operating a display unit formed of a touch panel, information which determines the amount of electric power to be charged. Once the information determining the amount of electric power to be charged has been input, the control unit controls a billing part to calculate the amount of electric power, so that a billing server performs a billing process on the amount of money corresponding to the amount of electric power. The control unit then controls a communication unit and turns on a selector switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takanori Washiro, Kazuyoshi Takemura, Isao Soma
  • Patent number: 9649939
    Abstract: A controller area network (CAN) installed on a hybrid electric vehicle provides one node with control of high voltage power distribution system isolation contactors and the capacity to energize a secondary electro-mechanical relay device. The output of the secondary relay provides a redundant and persistent backup signal to the output of the node. The secondary relay is relatively immune to CAN message traffic interruptions and, as a result, the high voltage isolation contactor(s) are less likely to transition open in the event that the intelligent output driver should fail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC
    Inventor: Jay E. Bissontz
  • Patent number: 9647493
    Abstract: A detection unit determines whether a commercial power supply is in a power failure state or a power distribution state. A power source connection management unit controls whether a solar cell is to be connected to a first power conditioner connected to a storage battery or to be connected to the commercial power supply via a second power conditioner. A load connection controller controls connection of the first power conditioner, commercial power supply, and a load. When the commercial power supply is in a power distribution state, the power source connection management unit does not cause the solar cell to be connected to the first power conditioner but connected to the commercial power supply via the second power conditioner, and the load connection controller causes the first power conditioner and the commercial power supply to be connected to the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuo Okuda, Ryuzo Hagihara, Mamoru Kubo
  • Patent number: 9642958
    Abstract: An external transmitter inductive coil can be provided in, on, or with a belt designed to be placed externally around a part of a body of a patient. An implantable device (such as a VAD or other medical device) that is implanted within the patient's body has associated with a receiver inductive coil that gets implanted within that part of the patient's body along with the device. The externally-located transmitter inductive coil inductively transfers electromagnetic power into that part of the body and thus to the receiver inductive coil. The implanted receiver inductive coil thus wirelessly receives the inductively-transferred electromagnetic power, and operates the implant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Leviticus Cardio Ltd.
    Inventors: Michael Zilbershlag, Anton Plotkin
  • Patent number: 9633783
    Abstract: A bi-directional transmission system for transmission of signals through a non-contact interface includes a transformer inductively coupling a first circuit to a second circuit. The second circuit includes at least a first transmitter circuit arranged to translate a first digital input signal into at least one voltage pulse and to provide the at least one voltage pulse to a first winding of the transformer, wherein the at least one voltage pulse takes a positive or negative form based on whether the first digital input signal has a positive or negative edge. The first circuit includes at least a first receiver circuit arranged to receive at least one induced voltage pulse from a second winding of the transformer and to provide a first digital output signal reflecting the first digital input signal based on the at least one induced voltage pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: ATLAS COPCO INDUSTRIAL TECHNIQUE AB
    Inventor: Lars Håkan Verner Lindström
  • Patent number: 9627664
    Abstract: Disclosed is a battery module including a base plate on which unit modules, each with two or more secondary batteries therein, are stacked in a vertically erected state, a pair of end plates disposed in tight contact with outer surfaces of outermost unit modules while bottoms of the end plates are fixed to the base plate, and supporting bars connected between opposite sides of upper or side parts of the end plates so as to support the end plates, wherein each of the end plates includes a main body contacting a corresponding one of the unit modules, and a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of side walls protruding outward from the perimeter of the main body, the thickness of each of the side walls being increased from the top to the bottom wall, thereby dispersing pressure (bending load) from the unit modules and the supporting bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: YeonSeok Choo, Jin Kyu Lee, Ye Hoon Im, Kwanyong Kim
  • Patent number: 9627921
    Abstract: Solar parking module with integrated Electric Vehicle charging station that, within the same structure, combines energy capture, storage and supply for electric vehicles or for the grid. Each module has an oscillating, counterweighted photovoltaic roof supported by bolts resting on the apexes of three semi-elliptical arches that serve as pillars. The spans of the arches accommodate and protect the energy supply points, accumulators and counterweights that serve as stops for the angle of oscillation of the roof. The roof is fastened on three frames, which are counterweighted, capable of oscillating at the same time by means of linear actuators, enabling the roof to track east to west. Between rows of panels is a trough for protection and for water runoff, which leaves a hollow space for ventilation of the panels. Parking can be expanded by means of lining up modules, without changing the equal distance between the pillars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Tempero 2000 S.L.
    Inventor: Manuel Lahuetra Romeo