Patents Examined by Georgia Y. Epps
  • Patent number: 11988555
    Abstract: Configurable sensor units and sensor apparatus are provided. A configurable sensor unit comprises a sensor device for generating an electrical signal, dependent on a stimulus sensed by the device, in a circuit, and a programmable non-volatile memory element operable in the circuit as a load resistor for the sensor device, whereby resistance of the load resistor depends on a programmed state of the memory element. The sensor unit has an output for providing an output signal dependent on the aforementioned electrical signal and programmed state. Sensor apparatus may comprise a plurality of these configurable sensor units. Such sensor apparatus may be configured to perform in-sensor compute operations for neural network architectures. Further sensor apparatus comprises a configurable sensor unit and a controller for programming the memory element of the sensor unit to a programmed state dependent on an operating requirement for the sensor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ghazi Sarwat Syed, Urs Egger, Abu Sebastian
  • Patent number: 11982871
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, method, reagents, and kits for conducting assays as well as process for their preparation are described. They are particularly well suited for conducting automated analysis in a multi-well plate assay format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: MESO SCALE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC.
    Inventors: Ian Chamberlin, Charles M. Clinton, Eli N. Glezer, Bandele Jeffrey-Coker, Manish Kochar, Sandor Kovacs, D. T. Le, Aaron Leimkuehler, George Sigal, Leo Tabakin, Jon Willoughby
  • Patent number: 11973471
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides for process and temperature compensation in a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) using a dual replica via monitoring an output of a first TIA (transimpedance amplifier) and a second TIA; configuring a first gain level of the first TIA based on a feedback resistance and a reference current applied at an input to the first TIA; configuring a second gain level of the second TIA and a third TIA based on a control voltage; and amplifying a received electrical current to generate an output voltage using the third TIA according to the second gain level. In some embodiments, one or both of the second TIA and the third TIA include a configurable feedback impedance used in compensating for changes in the second gain level due to a temperature of the respective second or third TIA via the configurable feedback impedance of the respective second or third TIA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Stefan Barabas, Joseph Balardeta, Simon Pang, Scott Denton
  • Patent number: 11965869
    Abstract: An apparatus for remote detection of plant growth dynamics is described. The apparatus includes an excitation LED (light emitting diode) module, a detection module and a controller module coupled to the excitation LED module and the detection module. The excitation LED module includes at least one LED. Each LED is configured to emit an excitation light in response to an excitation control signal. The excitation light has an emitted light spectrum. The detection module includes a photodetector configured to detect an initial chlorophyll a fluorescence (“ChlF”) light and an excited ChlF light from a plant species. The photodetector is further configured to convert the detected initial ChlF light into an initial detection electrical signal and the detected excited ChlF light into an excited detection electrical signal. The excited ChlF light is emitted from the plant species in response to receiving the excitation light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Inventors: Matthew R. Urschel, Andrew Turk, Tessa Hilary Pocock
  • Patent number: 11968462
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image pickup apparatus, a correction method, and an electronic apparatus, enabled to suppress an apparent uncomfortable feeling of an image output from a solid-state image pickup apparatus in which pixels of different OCL shapes are mounted mixedly. A solid-state image pickup apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a pixel array in which a first pixel in which an OCL (On Chip Lens) of a standard size is formed and a second pixel in which an OCL of a size different from the standard size is formed are present mixedly, and a correction section that corrects a pixel value of the first pixel that is positioned in the vicinity of the second pixel among the first pixels on the pixel array. The present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a CMOS image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeru Tsuzuki, Katsumi Nishikori
  • Patent number: 11956554
    Abstract: A remote detection method, node, and system is described. The detector includes a wireless communications module that wirelessly transmits the detection message to a remote sensing device. The remote sensing device includes a camera having a field of view and wirelessly communicates with the detector. The remote illumination and detection method performs preliminary filtering of captured image data to determine images/frames of interest with a computer vision module on board a processor in the node. The images of interest are then transmitted to a cloud computing component via a wireless or cellular network for detailed analysis to determine the presence or absence of motion or an object in each image of interest. The cloud computing component may employ machine learning computations that time and energy intensive, such as convolutional neural networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: SENSERA SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: David Curtis Gaw, John Daley
  • Patent number: 11935906
    Abstract: An image sensor for securing an area of a photodiode includes a pixel area and a transistor area adjacent to the pixel area. The pixel area may include a photodiode and a floating diffusion area. The transistor area may include transistors extending along an edge of the pixel area. The transistors in the transistor area may include a reset transistor, one or more source follower transistors, and one or more selection transistors, and the reset transistor and one source follower transistor adjacent to the reset transistor may share a common drain area. The source follower transistors and the selection transistors may each share a common source area or a common drain area between two adjacent transistors thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jonghyun Go, Jae-Kyu Lee
  • Patent number: 11929313
    Abstract: A chip package structure, manufacturing method thereof, and module are described. In an embodiment, the chip package structure includes: a substrate, a wiring layer, a chip, and a second conductive bump, wherein, in an embodiment, the substrate includes a first region and a second region surrounding the first region, and the wiring layer is located on side of the substrate and includes metal wire, wherein at least part of a metal wire is in contact with the substrate in direction perpendicular to the substrate, and the metal wire overlaps with the second region, wherein the chip is located on side of the wiring layer facing away from the substrate, and the chip corresponds to the first region. In an embodiment, a first conductive bump is provided on side of the chip facing away from the substrate and is electrically connected to the metal wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Shanghai Tianma Micro-Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mingyu Wang, Kerui Xi, Xuhui Peng, Feng Qin, Jie Zhang
  • Patent number: 11929375
    Abstract: An image sensor for securing an area of a photodiode includes a pixel area and a transistor area adjacent to the pixel area. The pixel area may include a photodiode and a floating diffusion area. The transistor area may include transistors extending along an edge of the pixel area. The transistors in the transistor area may include a reset transistor, one or more source follower transistors, and one or more selection transistors, and the reset transistor and one source follower transistor adjacent to the reset transistor may share a common drain area. The source follower transistors and the selection transistors may each share a common source area or a common drain area between two adjacent transistors thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jonghyun Go, Jae-Kyu Lee
  • Patent number: 11921253
    Abstract: An obstacle detection system includes a light emitter that emits a light signal and a light detector configured to receive a portion of the light signal reflected back from an object. The system includes a processor operatively coupled to the light emitter and the light detector to determine a presence of an obstacle based on the portion of the light signal received by the light detector. The system includes a heater operatively coupled to a power source and at least one sensor configured to determine an ambient temperature and an ambient relative humidity. The processor is operatively coupled to the power source, the heater, and the at least one sensor. The processor is configured to calculate a dew point of the environment from the ambient relative humidity and the ambient temperature and to activate the heater in response to the ambient temperature being less than the dew point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: THE CHAMBERLAIN GROUP LLC
    Inventor: James J. Fitzgibbon
  • Patent number: 11914202
    Abstract: The optical module includes a housing, a lid that closes an opening of the housing, an optical component arranged inside the housing, and a printed circuit board arranged on a front surface of the lid outside the housing so as to be used as a board on which a control circuit that controls the optical component is mounted. The optical module further includes a side electrode that is provided on a side surface of the housing and configured to be electrically connected to an electrode of the optical component; and a flexible substrate that provides electrical connection between the side electrode and an electrode of the control circuit. The optical module can be miniaturized by integrating the optical component and the control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: FUJITSU OPTICAL COMPONENTS LIMITED
    Inventor: Takuya Nakao
  • Patent number: 11906351
    Abstract: A photonic integrated circuit and a method for its manufacture are provided. In an embodiment, an intermetal dielectric layer, for example, a silicon oxide layer, is contiguous between an upper metal layer and a lower metal layer on a substrate. One or more waveguides having top and bottom faces are formed in respective waveguide layers within the intermetal dielectric layer between the upper and lower metal layers. There is a distance of at least 600 nm from the upper metal layer to the top face of the uppermost of the several waveguides. There is a distance of at least 600 nm from the lower metal layer to the bottom face of the lowermost of the several waveguides. The waveguides are formed of silicon nitride for longer wavelengths and alumina for shorter wavelengths. These dimensions and materials are favorable for CMOS processing, among other things.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Gehl, Christopher Todd DeRose, Hayden James McGuinness, Daniel Stick, Randolph R. Kay, Matthew G. Blain
  • Patent number: 11902687
    Abstract: A generator of phases of a detector integrates at least one elementary machine for interpreting a microcode stored in a register. Each elementary machine includes at least one control input having a logic level change detector. Each elementary machine also includes at least one phase output having a controlled switch, enabling to define the logic level of the phase output, and a controlled inverter enabling to toggle the logic level of the phase output. Further, each elementary machine includes at least one clock signal associated with a counter, and a unit for loading the instructions and the arguments stored in the register, the instructions being coded over 3 bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: LYNRED
    Inventor: Philippe Mejean
  • Patent number: 11899160
    Abstract: A system to detect obstacles includes a power beam transmission circuit, a power beam reception circuit arranged to receive a power beam from the power beam transmission circuit, an emitter module, and a detector module arranged to distinguish between a first characteristic and a second characteristic. The emitter module includes a first emitter arranged to emit a first signal having the first characteristic, the first signal emitted in proximity to the power beam, and a second emitter arranged to emit a second signal having the second characteristic, the second characteristic different from the first characteristic, the second signal emitted in proximity to the first signal. The detector module includes a first detector arranged to respond to the first signal emitted by the first emitter, wherein the detector module is arranged to determine when an obstacle is in or near a line-of-sight transmission path between the first emitter and the first detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: LASERMOTIVE, INC.
    Inventors: Jordin T. Kare, Thomas J. Nugent, David Bashford, Carsten Casey Erickson, Thomas W. Bashford
  • Patent number: 11901168
    Abstract: A method of controlling the performance of a night vision device includes supplying, by a power supply, to a microchannel plate of a light intensifier tube, a control voltage that controls a gain of the microchannel plate, determining an amount of compensation to apply to the control voltage based on a change to the control voltage attributed to a change in temperature of an operating environment of the night vision device, adjusting the control voltage in accordance with the amount of compensation to obtain a compensated control voltage, and supplying, by the power supply, the compensated control voltage to the microchannel plate of the light intensifier tube. The method may further include determining whether the night vision device has been used for a predetermined amount of time, and only after that predetermined amount of time, is the method configured to supply the compensated control voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Elbit Systems of America, LLC
    Inventors: Mark Michalski, Ransom Hal Castleberry, John A. Balboni, Arlynn W. Smith, Raymond Leo Chabot
  • Patent number: 11892692
    Abstract: A light receiving and emitting module includes a sub-mount platform, a photoelectrical conversion component, a lens and a base. The sub-mount platform is made of silicon-based material and has first and second contact surfaces. The photoelectrical conversion component is disposed on the first contact surface. The lens is disposed on the second contact surface. The sub-mount platform is disposed on one side of the base. The first contact surface and second contact surface have therebetween a height difference, such that the photoelectrical conversion component matches the center of the lens. Further provided is a light receiving and emitting device including the light receiving and emitting module, a printed circuit board and a plurality of conducting wires. The conducting wires are electrically connected to the photoelectrical conversion component and printed circuit board. The conducting wires are disposed on at least two sides of the light receiving and emitting module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: CLOUD LIGHT TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Cheng-Kai Huang, Ming-Hsing Chung, Bo-Hong Ma, Chang-Hung Tien
  • Patent number: 11885672
    Abstract: A wireless battery-powered daylight sensor for measuring a total light intensity in a space is operable to transmit wireless signals using a variable transmission rate that is dependent upon the total light intensity in the space. The sensor comprises a photosensitive circuit, a wireless transmitter for transmitting the wireless signals, a controller coupled to the photosensitive circuit and the wireless transmitter, and a battery for powering the photosensitive circuit, the wireless transmitter, and the controller. The photosensitive circuit is operable to generate a light intensity control signal in response to the total light intensity in the space. The controller transmits the wireless signals in response to the light intensity control signal using the variable transmission rate that is dependent upon the total light intensity in the space. The variable transmission rate may be dependent upon an amount of change of the total light intensity in the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: James P. Steiner, Greg Edward Sloan, Nathan A. Boring
  • Patent number: 11885675
    Abstract: Electro-optical conversion of an input analog signal and optical modulation of the optical signal to provide light of different intensity levels to 2n photodetection sites whose outputs can be encoded as an n-bit digital output value. The sample rate can exceed 10 GHz (rates above 100 GHz are possible) with much greater simplicity of electronic circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Inventor: Najeeb Ashraf Khalid
  • Patent number: 11874104
    Abstract: An apparatus for transferring an optical instrument, includes: a transferring block, wherein the optical instrument is coupled to a front surface thereof; a fixed block disposed at a rear side of the transferring block and coupled to a granite surface plate; a wedge stage module disposed on the fixed block to move the transferring block in a vertical direction; a vertical guide disposed at a side end of the transferring block to guide the transferring block in the vertical direction; and a horizontal stage module connected between the wedge stage module and the transferring block to guide a movement in a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: AUROS TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Dea Kyung Won, So Yeon Yoon
  • Patent number: 11874478
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a light gathering lens that instantaneously corrects for the effect of varying distance between an object and a sensor such as a range finding sensor or LiDAR. Methods of designing these lenses using both traditional lenses and exotic metamaterials and gradient index materials are disclosed, as well as methods of optimizing a design for a given detector type and application. Range-finding systems using these lenses in practice to optically correct for radiometric variation of returned signals received from an object of varying distances are further disclosed. Lenses and range-finding systems suitable for use in a variety of electromagnetic wavelength ranges are disclosed including but not limited to visible, infrared, and millimeter wave regimes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Golden Gate Light Optimization LLC
    Inventor: Jason D Mudge