Patents Examined by Hoai-An D. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11774484
    Abstract: A wire voltage measurement method includes: acquiring a first corresponding relationship of an electric field intensity of a to-be-measured wire, a voltage of the to-be-measured wire, and a perpendicular distance between an electric field sensor and the to-be-measured wire; measuring at least four initial electric field intensities in an electric field sensitive direction through the at least four electric field sensors, and acquiring distances among the four electric field sensors along the straight line; calculating a second corresponding relationship of the voltage of the to-be-measured wire and an external interference electric field intensity in the electric field sensitive direction according to the four initial electric field intensities, the distances among the four electric field sensors along the straight line, the first corresponding relationship, and a spatial position relationship of the at least four electric field sensors; calculating the voltage of the to-be-measured wire according to the seco
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Digital Grid Research Inst., China South Pwr Grid
    Inventors: Peng Li, Bing Tian, Qiancheng Lv, Zhenheng Xu, Xu Yin, Renze Chen, Shaoxiong Nie, Zejie Tan, Zhiming Wang, Licheng Li
  • Patent number: 11747174
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided and includes a rotary encoder that comprises a stator, a rotor, and a controller. The stator has an opening adapted to surround a first portion of a rotatable shaft, a transmit region, and a receive region. The rotor has an opening adapted to surround a second portion of the rotatable shaft, an annular conductive region, and at least one conductor electrically coupled with the annular conductive region. The controller has an input coupled to the receive region and has an output coupled to the transmit region. The controller is configured to transmit a first signal on the output of the controller and to the transmit region of the stator, receive a second signal on the input of the controller and from the receive region of the stator, and determine, based on the second signal, a proximity of the at least one conductor to the receive region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Lichang Cheng, Ziehen Qiu, Songhua Hu, Yang Li
  • Patent number: 11751372
    Abstract: The present invention provides a component mounting machine -comprising a picking tool for picking electronic components from a source of electronic components and placing them onto a workpiece, a verification unit for measuring an electrical property of an electronic component picked and held by the picking tool. The verification unit comprises a board, a plurality of test electrodes arranged on a surface of said board and a system for measuring an output signal from the test electrodes upon contact between a picked electronic component and at least two of said test electrodes. Further, at least one test electrode arranged on a flexible portion of the board that is configured to flex upon engagement between a picked electronic component and said at least two test electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Mycronic AB
    Inventors: Bobbi Ferm, Olle Betzen
  • Patent number: 11733068
    Abstract: A method for operating a capacitive device. The method includes providing a pulsed readout signal having a pulse frequency at a readout signal channel, to which at least one capacitor unit of the capacitive device is electrically connected, and reading out the at least one capacitor unit of the capacitive device, which has a natural frequency with a natural frequency period duration tres, using the pulsed readout signal. Each voltage pulse of the pulsed readout signal is applied to the readout signal channel in n temporally offset voltage stages, n being a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and a time offset ?ti is maintained between each two consecutively applied voltage stages in such a way that the following is true for at least one time offset ?ti between the voltage stages: ? ? t i = m * t res + t res n , m being a natural number greater than or equal to zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Christoph Schelling, Kerrin Doessel
  • Patent number: 11719759
    Abstract: A method and a measuring device for detecting a leakage current in an ungrounded, single-phase alternating-current power supply system. A variable test resistance is switched between one of the outer conductors and ground and starting from a minimally admissible test-resistance value, at least one of three support test-resistance values is determined as support locations. In an equivalent circuit of the modeled alternating-current power supply system, an equations system is set up for describing the dependency of currents and voltages. An extrapolation on the test-resistance value zero leads to a calculated test current which corresponds to the leakage current to be detected. Consequently, a ground fault situation may be simulated without actually causing a dangerous ground fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Bender GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Julian Reitz, Eckhard Broeckmann, Dieter Hackl, Karl Schepp
  • Patent number: 11719730
    Abstract: A test method and device for a contact resistor are provided, configured to test a contact resistor of a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor. The method includes: a resistance value per area and a temperature coefficient of resistance of the contact resistor are acquired; and a target resistance value of the contact resistor is determined according to the resistance value per area, the temperature coefficient of resistance, and an area of the contact resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: CHANGXIN MEMORY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Haiyang Yang
  • Patent number: 11713209
    Abstract: A fish tape system includes a fish tape and a case having a storage compartment that stores the fish tape for deployment from the case. The fish tape has a length extending from a first end to a second end. The length includes a luminescent material that emits light after being energized by exposure to a light source. At least a portion of the case is transparent to allow the luminescent material 22 to be energized by light passing through the transparent portion and into the storage compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Klein Tools, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel R. Pearson
  • Patent number: 11714119
    Abstract: An earth fault detection apparatus includes a switch group configured to switch between a first measurement path including a battery and a capacitor, and a second and third measurement paths including the battery, a positive/negative-side insulation resistance, and the capacitor; a reference resistance and a test switch; and a control unit calculating a first reference value based on each charging voltage in a case where the test switch is opened and the capacitor is charged, and calculating the insulation resistance with reference to a conversion map created to correspond to an electrostatic capacitance between a power supply line and ground, wherein the control unit calculates a second reference value based on each charging voltage in a case where the test switch is closed and the capacitor is charged for a shorter time, and estimates the electrostatic capacitance with reference to a predetermined test conversion map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Mochizuki, Norio Sudo, Haruhiko Yoshida, Ryosuke Arigaya
  • Patent number: 11714140
    Abstract: A ground fault detection device includes: a detection capacitor; a switch group for switching between a first charging path connecting the battery and the detection capacitor, a second charging path connecting the battery, a negative side insulation resistance and the detection capacitor, a third charging path connecting the battery, a positive side insulation resistance and the detection capacitor, and a measurement path for measuring a charging voltage of the detection capacitor; and a controller configured to calculate the insulation resistance based on a charging voltage measured value of the detection capacitor which exists after charging each of the charging paths, wherein after measurement of the charging voltage of the second charging path, the controller is configured to cause the switch group to switch to the third charging path before switching to the first charging path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Mochizuki, Norio Sudo, Haruhiko Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11703530
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sensor includes an element part, and a control circuit part. The element part includes first and second elements. Each of the first and second elements includes a first magnetic element and a first conductive member. The control circuit part includes a first current circuit, a differential circuit, and a phase detection circuit. The first current circuit is configured to supply a first current to the first conductive member. The differential circuit is configured to output a differential signal corresponding to a difference of a first signal and a second signal. The first signal corresponds to a change in a first electrical resistance of the first magnetic element of the first element. The second signal corresponds to a change in a second electrical resistance of the first magnetic element of the second element. The phase detection circuit is configured to perform a phase detection of the differential signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Akira Kikitsu, Satoshi Shirotori, Yoshihiro Higashi, Yoshinari Kurosaki
  • Patent number: 11698417
    Abstract: An earth fault detection apparatus includes a switch group configured to switch between a first measurement path including a battery and a capacitor, a second measurement path including the battery, a negative-side insulation resistance, and the capacitor, a third measurement path including the battery, a positive-side insulation resistance, and the capacitor; and a control unit configured to calculate a reference value, based on each charging voltage of the capacitor in each measurement path, and configured to calculate an insulation resistance with reference to a predetermined conversion map, in which the conversion map includes a conversion map corresponding to a capacitance of the capacitor, and the control unit estimates the capacitance of the capacitor, and refers to the conversion map corresponding to the capacitance of the capacitor that has been estimated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Mochizuki, Norio Sudo, Ryosuke Arigaya
  • Patent number: 11698276
    Abstract: A capacitance sensor includes a switch control unit that performs a first switching process that turns on a first switch and then repeatedly performs a second switching process that complementarily switches off and on second and third switches that are respectively connected to second and third capacitors; an obtaining unit that calculates, as a sensor output value, a number of times the second switching process is repeated until a magnitude relationship reverses between an intermediate potential and a reference potential; a calculation unit that calculates a sensor output corrected value obtained by correcting the sensor output value such that a resolution becomes uniform; and a determination unit that determines whether a detection target exists from a magnitude relationship between a sensor output difference value and a determination threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi Koda
  • Patent number: 11686878
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to electromagnetic marker devices for locating hidden or buried objects. One embodiment includes an antenna having a plurality of conductive windings enclosed in a housing made of a low dielectric constant material and an electronic circuit including a circuit board having circuit elements disposed thereon and electrically coupled to the conductive windings through a connector. The circuit elements receive an input signal having a first frequency from an above-ground transmitter, convert the input signal to a power supply to power up the electronic circuit, generate, in response to the input signal, an output signal having a second frequency different from the first frequency, and provide the output signal, via the antenna element, to an above-ground receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: SEESCAN, INC
    Inventors: Stephanie M. Bench, Mark S. Olsson, Matthew D. Bockman
  • Patent number: 11686600
    Abstract: An apparatus with rotor input detection includes: a first reactance element disposed at a rotor configured such that at least a part of the rotor rotates around a rotation axis, and disposed at the rotor such that reactance of the first reactance element varies depending on relative rotation between a first portion of the rotor and a second portion of the rotor; and a second reactance element disposed at the rotor such that reactance of the second reactance element varies depending on a contact or a force applied to a side surface of the rotor. The first and second reactance elements are configured to detect inputs of different areas of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gye Won Lee, Hong Seok Lee, Hee Sun Oh, Chang Ju Lee, Mun Sun Jung, Jong Yun Kim, Si Young Kwon, Yong Wook Kim
  • Patent number: 11680995
    Abstract: A method for determining degradation of a capacitor in an electric meter includes, charging the capacitor to a predetermined voltage value during a charging period using charging circuitry of the electric meter, discharging the capacitor, during a discharge period, from the predetermined voltage value using discharging circuitry of the electric meter, measuring, during the discharge period, a first capacitor voltage value at a first time and a second capacitor voltage value at a second time later than the first time using capacitor measurement circuitry of the electric meter, determining, by a processor of the electric meter, a capacitance value of the capacitor based on the first voltage value, the second voltage value, the first time, and the second time, comparing the determined capacitance value to a capacitance threshold value, and determining that the capacitor is in a degraded condition when the calculated capacitance value is below the capacitance threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: LANDIS+GYR INNOVATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew E. Kraus, Frank J. Boudreau, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11680968
    Abstract: Embodiments generally relate to an addressing circuit for a conductor array comprising intersecting row and column conductors. The addressing circuit comprises a switching circuit configured to selectively address an intersection between a selected row conductor and a selected column conductor for connection to a measuring circuit; and at least one voltage buffer selectively connectable to un-selected column conductors on opposite sides of and adjacent to the selected column conductor. The at least one voltage buffer is configured to equalise voltages between the un-selected column conductors and the selected column conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Lenexa Medical Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Martin Neil Thompson, William Sing Ho Yang, Ajit Ravindran
  • Patent number: 11680969
    Abstract: A capacitance to digital converter, CDC, has a first and a second reference terminal for receiving first and second reference voltages, a reference block comprising one or more reference charge stores and being coupled to the first and second reference terminals via a first switching block, a scaling block for providing at third and fourth reference terminals downscaled voltages from the first and second reference voltages depending on a scaling factor, first and second measurement terminals for connecting a capacitive sensor element, the first measurement terminal being coupled to the third and fourth reference terminals via a second switching block, and a processing block coupled to the reference block and to the second measurement terminal and being configured to determine a digital output signal based on a charge distribution between the sensor element and the reference block and based on the scaling factor, the output signal representing a capacitance value of the sensor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: ams AG
    Inventors: Rafael Serrano Gotarredona, José Manuel García González
  • Patent number: 11674982
    Abstract: A voltage detection unit includes a voltage detection terminal, a housing including a terminal accommodating concave and a cover to be attached to the housing and to cover the voltage detection terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating concave. The cover includes an extension piece extending in a first direction. The housing includes an accommodating hole to accommodate the extension piece, and a guide portion including an inclined surface and a guide surface. The inclined surface has a first end in the first direction and a second end and is inclined with respect to the first direction such that the first end is provided closer to the accommodating hole than the second end in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and being parallel to the housing. The guide surface is continuous with the inclined surface and an inner wall surface of the accommodating hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignees: YAZAKI CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI
    Inventors: Satoshi Morioka, Motoyoshi Okumura, Hiromi Ueda, Naoto Morisaku, Yutaro Okazaki, Shinichi Yanagihara
  • Patent number: 11675087
    Abstract: A system includes at least one sensing unit, the sensing unit including a sensing element. The system includes at least one spatial Lorentz filter coupled to the sensing element. The spatial Lorentz filter (SLF) includes an input coupled to the sensing element and an analog to digital converter (ADC) providing a filtered output signal. The sensing unit is connected to a processor configured for determining velocity or position with respect to a magnetic field and/or a geographic position by processing SLF output signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: ARCHAIUS LLC
    Inventor: Frederick Vosburgh
  • Patent number: 11671097
    Abstract: The present application provides a capacitance detection module, a method and an electronic device, including: a sensing module and detecting circuit; a first sensing unit is disposed on the first surface of the sensing module, and a second sensing unit is disposed on the second surface of the sensing module; the first sensing unit and the second sensing unit are respectively connected to the detecting circuit; the detecting circuit is configured to determine, according to the capacitance value of the first sensing unit and the capacitance value of the second sensing unit, the wearing state of the user to the device having the capacitance detection module. Thereby the problem that the capacitance detection is affected by temperature is avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: SHENZHEN GOODIX TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuqing Cheng, Ming Yang, Fulin Li, Zicheng Guo