Patents Examined by Duc M Pham
  • Patent number: 12221042
    Abstract: A power distribution box having a wake-up circuit for causing a system basis chip to transmit a wake-up signal to wake up a microcontroller is provided. The wake-up circuit combines an input from actuating two different electric devices, the wake-up circuit includes a first conversion unit and a second conversion unit. The first conversion unit is interposed between a first source input and a first input, the first conversion unit configured to process the pulsed signal and ground the voltage potential for a period of time, changing the potential of the system basis chip to wake up the system basis chip. The second conversion unit is interposed between the second source input and the first input and is configured to process the signal to ground the potential of the system basis chip, changing the potential of the system basis chip to wake up the system basis chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jessica L. Thompson, Robert Grooms, Vibhor Singh
  • Patent number: 12218509
    Abstract: A plurality of photovoltaic (PV) modules are configured into a PV string to generate a PV string voltage in a solar power system. The number of PV modules per PV string is based on operating conditions at the solar power system site and cause the PV string voltage to exceed a maximum voltage specification when operating at the lowest expected ambient temperature at the site, but only exceeds the maximum voltage specification for a limited number of occurrences for which the operating conditions at the site cause the PV string voltage to exceed the maximum voltage specification. Under control of a string voltage control circuit, voltage bypass circuits selectively bypass the bypass photovoltaic module so as to eliminate the PV module from the PV string voltage when the operating conditions at the site cause the PV string voltage to exceed the maximum voltage specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: OPTiVOLTS, LLC
    Inventors: Vincent Ambrose, George Kuo
  • Patent number: 12208756
    Abstract: Examples described herein provide a method for managing current in a low voltage bus of a vehicle. The method includes receiving an electrical load request for an electrical load of the vehicle. The method further includes, prior to enabling the electrical load, adjusting a current provided by a direct current (DC)/DC converter for a period of time based at least in part on the electrical load. The method further includes, responsive to expiration of the period of time, enabling or disabling the electrical load based at least in part on the electrical load request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Mohamed Kamel, Suresh Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 12202357
    Abstract: A safety circuit for a high-voltage (HV) electrical system and a HV electrical device are disclosed. The HV electrical system includes one or more one HV electrical devices. Each HV electrical device includes a low-voltage electrical line. A resistor is connected in parallel to the low-voltage electrical line. A controller is connected to the HV electrical device through the low-voltage electrical line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Private Limited
    Inventors: George Vellanikkaran, Vemula Nagaraj Prajwal
  • Patent number: 12194884
    Abstract: A battery management system includes a plurality of batteries each comprising a positive terminal and a negative terminal, wherein the positive or negative terminal of each of the plurality of batteries is coupled to the positive or negative terminal of another one of the plurality of batteries; a monitoring board connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of at least one of the plurality of batteries; and a controller connected to the monitoring board through the positive terminals and the negative terminals of the plurality of batteries, wherein the monitoring board is configured to monitor a status of the at least one battery and transmit one or more battery parameters of the at least one battery to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust performance of the plurality of batteries based on the one or more battery parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Monfort Technology, LLC
    Inventor: Edward Riggs Monfort
  • Patent number: 12199322
    Abstract: A power supply apparatus according to an example embodiment includes an abnormal state determiner configured to determine a maximum output of a fuel cell by determining whether there is an abnormality in the fuel cell, a fuel cell controller configured to control output power of the fuel cell within the maximum output based on demand power of a load, an energy storage configured to charge with power by receiving the power from the fuel cell and supply the power to the load, a charging state determiner configured to determine a charging state of the energy storage based on a charging amount of the energy storage, and a storage controller configured to control charging and discharging of the energy storage based on a difference between the demand power of the load and the output power of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Sewan Heo, Tai-yeon Ku, Wan Ki Park
  • Patent number: 12191705
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for controlling an energy control system. The method includes detecting a power outage at a grid interconnection. The method includes connecting a first set of the plurality of backup loads to a backup load interconnection, in which the backup load interconnection is electrically coupled to a backup power interconnection. The method includes disconnecting a second set of the plurality of backup loads from the backup load connection such that power is interrupted between the backup power source and the second set of backup loads. The method includes receiving a request from a user device to connect at least one load of the second set of the plurality of backup loads to the backup interconnection. The method includes determining whether to connect one load of the second set of the plurality of backup loads to the backup interconnection according to one or more programmed rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: UNIRAC, Inc.
    Inventors: Sandeep Narla, Brian Kuhn, Kevin C. Fischer, Udo Uebel, Marc A. Robinson
  • Patent number: 12184087
    Abstract: A method for detecting a foreign metal object near an inductive wireless power transfer system is based on combined inductive sensing and thermal sensing. A sensing system senses the object based on an inductive or thermal effect. The sensing system includes a sense element which has an electrical characteristic that changes in a presence of the object based on the inductive effect. A mediating heat-sensitive material has a property that varies as a function of temperature and changes the electrical characteristic of the sense element as the property changes. The mediating heat-sensitive material is heated by the foreign object when the foreign object is heated by a magnetic field generated by the wireless power transfer system. A controller measures the electrical characteristic and determines a presence of the object based on the change in the measured electrical characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
    Inventors: Hans Peter Widmer, Marcel Fischer, Ning Liu
  • Patent number: 12166431
    Abstract: Systems and circuits relating to the integration of energy storage subsystems into components for use with systems that harvest energy from PV panels and that convert that energy for use with a power grid. Various configurations of inverters that integrate energy storage cells are presented. Half-bridge and full bridge configurations for the inverters are presented. The integrated energy storage cells may be battery cells, supercapacitor cells, or a combination of the two.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: SPARQ SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventors: Majid Pahlevaninezhad, Praveen Jain
  • Patent number: 12160128
    Abstract: A system includes a subsea power system. The subsea power system includes a bus. A plurality of energy storage units is coupled to the bus at a plurality of positions distributed throughout the subsea power system. The subsea power system also includes a controller. The controller includes a memory, a processor, and instructions stored on the memory and executable by the processor. The processor is configured to control the subsea power system to selectively discharge a first energy storage unit of the plurality of energy storage units over the bus to supply power to a first electrical actuator of a plurality of electrical actuators. The processor is also configured to control the subsea power system to selectively charge a second energy storage unit of the plurality of energy storage units over the bus via power from a power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: ONESUBSEA IP UK LIMITED
    Inventor: Burkhard Sommer
  • Patent number: 12160119
    Abstract: Prior art systems can achieve full-body motion capture without external cameras; however, these systems are often expensive, limit the user's movements to a specified area, require the user to wear a specialized full-body suit, have a high device count, may be fully wired and/or require an energy-intensive WiFi connection. These systems also often require a thorough calibration procedure before each use and can lose their calibration when moving to different areas. The presently disclosed technology is directed to systems and methods for providing full-body motion capture in non-controlled environments where using multiple known camera perspectives is not possible or practical. Specifically, the presently disclosed technology utilizes a wireless inductive charging system including a charging hub with an array of docking stations for selectively charging an array of battery-powered sensing devices, such as a set of trackers and a link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: XEED, LLC
    Inventors: Folasade Michelle Oba, Alfredo Muniz Herrera
  • Patent number: 12155252
    Abstract: A system includes a first bus, a second bus, a first battery that includes a first plurality of cells, and a second battery that includes a second plurality of cells, wherein the second battery is connected to the second bus. A first converter connects the first battery to the first bus. A second converter connects the first bus to the second bus. A controller is configured to control operation of the first converter and the second converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Philip W. Juang, Christopher D. Laws, Brandon Pierquet, Giridhar N. Murching, William A. Braff
  • Patent number: 12155251
    Abstract: A system includes a first bus, a second bus, a first battery that includes a first plurality of cells, and a second battery that includes a second plurality of cells, wherein the second battery is connected to the second bus. A first converter connects the first battery to the first bus. A second converter connects the first bus to the second bus. A controller is configured to control operation of the first converter and the second converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Philip W. Juang, Christopher D. Laws, Brandon Pierquet, Giridhar N. Murching, William A. Braff
  • Patent number: 12155216
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a control technique capable of connecting a storage battery to a DC bus via a DC/DC converter and controlling charging and discharging of the storage battery by the DC/DC converter. A DC grid system according to the invention calculates a voltage command value of a DC bus using a present voltage of a storage battery and a target voltage of the storage battery, and provides the voltage command value as a command value for each of an AC/DC converter and a DC/DC converter (see FIG. 1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Wakabayashi, Toru Kouno, Satoru Akiyama, Emha Bayu Miftahullatif, Katsutoshi Kondo
  • Patent number: 12145523
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are described herein for detecting a state of presence of a given object in a vehicle. In aspects, techniques include processing data received over time from various devices in the vehicle to determine a set of accumulated scores. The data includes parameters indicative of a presence or absence of a detected object in the vehicle. Further, the processing may be effective to determine a set of accumulated scores. The techniques further include determining an object-related confidence value representing a likelihood that the detected object is present in the vehicle, based on the set of accumulated scores, and then comparing the object-related confidence value to a predetermined threshold. The comparison is sufficient to detect the presence of the detected object in the vehicle if the object-related confidence value exceeds the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
    Inventors: Marek Uszkur, Alexander Barth
  • Patent number: 12143083
    Abstract: Various embodiments for controlling a resonant frequency of a resonator are described. A system includes at least one resonant circuit and an active variable reactance circuit that controls a resonant frequency of the at least one resonant circuit. The active variable reactance circuit includes an electrically-controllable switching element and a switch controller sub-circuit configured to switch the electrically-controllable switching element at a frequency of a radio-frequency (RF) current or voltage passing through or across a device such that the RF current flowing from a first terminal to a second terminal is substantially sinusoidal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Etherdyne Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert A. Moffatt
  • Patent number: 12134330
    Abstract: This specification describes an electrically powered modular platform comprising a power module comprising a common power bus, the power module electrically connected to a power source; one or more service modules that provide a service; a termination module that is configured to cover an opening in the one or more service modules, wherein the power module, each of the one or more service modules, and the termination module are modular and stackable, and wherein the power module and each of the one or more service modules are electrically connected using the common power bus to provide power to each of the one or more service modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Inventor: Cora Castle
  • Patent number: 12097768
    Abstract: Subject matter disclosed herein may relate to electronic systems, devices, and/or modules such as a power inverter that is configurable and may have input power ports to receive the direct current voltage, a plurality of output power ports to provide single-phase, two-phase, or phase alternating current power, and signal ports to receive commands to select single-phase, two-phase, or three-phase alternating current power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz Group AG
    Inventors: Eric Pawelkowski, Agasthya Ayachit
  • Patent number: 12096528
    Abstract: A battery-powered control device may be configured to control an amount of power delivered to one or more electrical loads and provide various feedback associated with the control device and/or the electrical loads. The feedback may indicate a low battery condition and/or the amount of power delivered to the one or more electrical loads. The control device may include a light bar and/or one or more indicator lights for providing the feedback. The control device may operate in different modes including a normal mode and a low battery mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin F. Bard, Chris Dimberg, Matthew V. Harte, Jason C. Killo, Matthew Philip McDonald, Daniel L. Twaddell
  • Patent number: 12095268
    Abstract: A directly-connected high-voltage battery energy storage system (BESS) and a control method thereof are provided. The directly-connected high-voltage BESS includes a battery module, a direct current (DC)/DC converter, a DC bus capacitor, a DC/alternating current (AC) converter, and a grid-side filter inductor. A plurality of battery modules is connected in series to form a battery cluster. The battery cluster is connected in series to the DC/DC converter to form a battery branch, and a plurality of battery branches is connected in parallel to form a battery stack. The battery stack is connected in parallel to the DC bus capacitor and then connected to a DC port of the DC/AC converter to form a battery energy storage submodule. AC ports of a plurality of battery energy storage submodules are connected in series to form a chain-type phase converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignees: SHANGHAI JIAO TONG UNIVERSITY, SHENZHEN HOPEWIND ELECTRIC CO., LTD
    Inventors: Xu Cai, Xiqi Wu, Dangsheng Zhou, Rui Li, Chang Liu, Xiao Huang, Yihang Lyu, Zihao Hu