Patents Examined by Jermaine Jenkins
  • Temperature compensation for monitoring a load bearing member
    Patent number: 9618409
    Abstract: An exemplary system includes a moveable mass. A load bearing member includes at least one electrically conductive tension member that supports a load associated with movement of the mass. An electrically conductive member is situated along a selected portion of a path of movement of the load bearing member. The electrically conductive member is not subject to a load on the tension member. A processor is configured to determine an electrical resistance of the tension member as an indicator of a condition of the tension member. The processor is configured to determine an electrical resistance of the electrically conductive member. The processor uses the determined electrical resistance of the electrically conductive member to compensate for any environmental influence on the determined electrical resistance of the tension member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael Garfinkel, Peter Keyo, Peter Liaskas
  • Strain sensors and methods of manufacture and use
    Patent number: 9618403
    Abstract: Strain sensors are provided that include a flexible substrate, a sheet affixed to the flexible substrate, and two or more microelectrodes printed at spaced locations onto either the sheet or the flexible substrate, wherein the sheet includes a carbon nanotube network, the sheet having a top side and an opposing second side. The two or more microelectrodes are printed at spaced locations onto the top side of the sheet or onto a side of the flexible substrate facing the second side of the sheet. Methods are provided for fabricating a strain sensor wherein the sheet is arranged between the printed microelectrodes and the flexible substrate or wherein the second side of the sheet is arranged atop or across the printed microelectrodes. Methods are also provided for measuring strain in a structure via the strain sensors affixed or integrated therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Florida State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Shu Li, Zhiyong Liang
  • Rain gauge
    Patent number: 9606262
    Abstract: A rain gauge that is resistant to damage from freezing water. The gauge includes a collector defining an open top vessel with a closed bottom for collecting water. The collector includes a plurality of tapered and curved sidewalls with curved corners connecting the sidewalls, the curved sidewalls having a direction of curvature and the curved corners having a direction of curvature opposite the direction of curvature of the curved sidewalls. The curved sidewalls tend to flex sufficiently when water collected therein freezes and expands, and thereby resists breakage from freezing of collected water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Dalen Products, Inc.
    Inventor: E. Neal Caldwell
  • Liquid container and method for measuring liquid level using same
    Patent number: 9605990
    Abstract: A liquid container includes: a container main body which stores a liquid; an ultrasonic sensor which is disposed so as to contact an outer side wall of the container main body and so as to emit an ultrasonic wave into the liquid; and a reflecting means which is disposed at an inner bottom portion of the container main body and reflects the ultrasonic wave emitted into the liquid from the ultrasonic sensor towards a surface of the liquid, the reflecting means being disposed at a position where a distance the ultrasonic wave travels through the liquid in a path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to a reflecting surface of the reflecting means, is greater than a distance at which an insensitive band of the ultrasonic sensor is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: ADEKA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiji Enomoto, Kazuto Takahashi
  • Optical fiber pressure sensor and pressure measuring method using the same
    Patent number: 9581515
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical fiber pressure sensor including: a polarization beam splitter that splits input light from a broadband light source into two beams; a polarization controller through which vertically and horizontally polarized light coming out of the polarization beam splitter pass; a pressure chamber in which the polarization beam splitter and the polarization controller may be placed; and an optical spectrum analyzer into which vertically and horizontally polarized light passing through the polarization controller and getting out of the polarization beam splitter is introduced, wherein the pressure chamber includes a polarization-maintaining fiber and an optical fiber Bragg grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: PUKYONG NATIONAL UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Yong Wook Lee, Tae Kyu Noh
  • Sensor device for sensing and wireless transmission of tire pressure having a programmable interface
    Patent number: 9573426
    Abstract: A tire pressure measuring module for a vehicle tire includes a receiving space in which are disposed a pressure sensor, a control circuit coupled to the pressure sensor and a transmitter for wireless transmission of data from the control circuit to a vehicle side receiver. The receiving space is designed to be attached to the vehicle tire. The control circuit has programmable storage devices and a programming interface for writing on the storage device is designed with contact areas. The contact areas are galvanically contacted by contact pins of an associated programming device. The contact areas are covered by an elastic insulating layer which is designed so that it can be perforated by the contact pins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Huf Huelsbeck & Fuerst GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Markus Wagner
  • Shoe testing apparatus
    Patent number: 9560897
    Abstract: A test apparatus and method for testing a shoe comprises a base, with a shoe fixture for fixing a shoe against displacement, and an actuator, including a shoe contactor, mounted to the movable portion of the actuator connected to the base so that a shoe fixed to the shoe fixture can be placed in alternating stress conditions. The movable portion of the actuator is displaceable between a first position in which the shoe contactor is positioned away from the shoe fixture and a second position in which the shoe contactor is positioned proximate to the shoe fixture to contact and deflect the shoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Flextronics AP, LLC
    Inventors: Cat Le, Dennis Willie
  • Fluid composition analysis device and method
    Patent number: 9557258
    Abstract: The invention relates in particular to a device for determining one or more fluid properties of a fluid. The device preferably comprises a flow distributor comprising a cavity, an inlet to the cavity, one or more outlets from the cavity, and one or more flow deflecting elements present in the cavity and/or one or more flow dividing wall elements of the cavity, wherein the one or more flow deflecting elements and/or the flow dividing wall elements being arranged in such a manner that it provides sub-streams of different strength through the outlet. Furthermore, the device comprises an analyzer downstream of the outlet of the flow distributor comprising means adapted to provide a read-out indicative of the strengths of sub-streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
    Inventor: Fridolin Okkels
  • Pressure sensor having cantilever and displacement measurement unit
    Patent number: 9551621
    Abstract: A pressure sensor includes a sensor body which has a first surface and a cavity with an opening in the first surface, a cantilever which has a base end portion supported on the first surface and a distal end portion provided to form a gap from a peripheral edge of the opening inside the opening, is flexurally deformed according to a pressure difference between an inside and an outside of the cavity, and is formed of a semiconductor material, and a displacement measurement unit which measures a displacement of the cantilever vibrating according to the pressure difference at a frequency larger than a lower limit frequency fLOW (Hz) defined by Expression (1), where a width (?m) of the gap is represented by G, a volume (ml) of the cavity is represented by V, and a proportional constant is represented by k.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignees: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC., THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
    Inventors: Isao Shimoyama, Kiyoshi Matsumoto, Hidetoshi Takahashi, Minh-Dung Nguyen, Yoko Shinohara, Takeshi Uchiyama, Manabu Oumi, Masataka Shinogi
  • Ultrasonic liquid level sensing systems
    Patent number: 9550260
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an ultrasonic probe having an increased number (e.g., twelve) of ultrasonic sensors for measuring the level of liquid within a sealed container. The ultrasonic probe includes a neck tube that enables the ultrasonic probe to be used with existing, standardized container fittings despite having an enlarged barrel to accommodate the increased number of ultrasonic sensors. Embodiments of the present invention also provide a system and method in which ultrasonic sensors within an ultrasonic probe are activated one at a time to reduce crosstalk between the ultrasonic sensors and their wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC.
    Inventors: Charles Michael Birtcher, Thomas Andrew Steidl
  • Vertical pressure sensitive structure
    Patent number: 9550669
    Abstract: Embodiments related to pressure sensitive structures are described and depicted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventor: Thoralf Kautzsch
  • Temperature range optimized sensor system
    Patent number: 9546920
    Abstract: A sensor arrangement comprises a first sensor element for converting a physical quantity into a first electrical signal and at least a second sensor element for converting said physical quantity into a second electrical signal. The first sensor element has a first sensitivity while said second sensor element has a second sensitivity different from said first sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Karl-Heinz Kuebler
  • System and methods for fuel level inference
    Patent number: 9546894
    Abstract: A method for a fuel system, comprising: monitoring a fuel tank pressure during a refueling event; determining a fuel flow rate based on a steady-state portion of the monitored fuel tank pressure; and indicating an amount of fuel added to a fuel tank based on the fuel flow rate. In this way, a fuel tank fill level can be determined following a refueling event, even in a scenario where the fuel level indicator is stuck or malfunctioning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Aed M. Dudar
  • Contact state observation apparatus of golf ball and contact state observation method of golf ball
    Patent number: 9541483
    Abstract: A contact state observation apparatus of golf ball can observe the contact phenomenon between a golf ball and a golf club which has been conventionally hidden and unobservable. The contact state observation apparatus of golf ball includes: launching means for launching a golf ball 10; an impact plate 20 with which the launched golf ball 10 impacts; and imaging means 30, provided opposite to the launching means across the impact plate 20, for shooting an image of the contact state between the golf ball 10 and the impact plate 20 at the time of impact of the golf ball 10. The impact plate 20 has, in a part where the golf ball 10 impacts, an observation hole 21 whose area is smaller than a contact area with the golf ball, and the imaging means 30 shoots the image of the contact state through the observation hole 21.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignees: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION, BRIDGESTONE SPORTS CO., LTD
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ueda, Kazuo Uchida, Atsushi Komatsu, Wataru Ban
  • Drop test device and method for carrying out a drop test
    Patent number: 9540120
    Abstract: A drop test device includes a suspension frame, a delay roller which is placed and mounted on the suspension frame, and at least one suspension cable, a first end of which is connected in a stationary manner to an attachment point on the outer surface of the delay roller and a second end of which includes a mounting which can be releasably or fixedly connected to a drop object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventor: Roelant Van Der Bos
  • Pressure sensor for vehicle in the event of a collision
    Patent number: 9534976
    Abstract: A pressure sensor includes a sensor housing mounted on a vehicle, a first detector located in the housing and having a first diaphragm facing a sealed space of the vehicle, a second detector located in the housing and having a second diaphragm facing the sealed space, and a protector located in the housing and covering the first and second detectors. A first chamber is formed between the first diaphragm and the housing and isolated from the sealed space so that the first diaphragm can be deformed by a pressure in the sealed space. A second chamber is formed between the second diaphragm and the sensor housing and communicates with the sealed space. The first and second diaphragms produce the same signal when being deformed by the same amount in the same direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatada Yoshida, Makoto Sakai
  • Flame resistant fabric with tracing yarns
    Patent number: 9528862
    Abstract: A flame resistant fabric with tracing yarns includes a flame resistant fabric with a first non-tracing yarn, and a second tracing yarn. The first non-tracing yarn and/or the second tracing yarn include flame resistant fibers being selected from the group consisting of inherently flame resistant fibers and treated fibers. When the flame resistant fabric is exposed to heat, flames, long-term excessive UV light, or the like, the first non-tracing yarn is adapted to hold its color and the second tracing yarn is adapted to change colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: PBI Performance Products, Inc.
    Inventors: William L. Lawson, III, Kimberly M. Henry, Brian P. Shiels
  • Solenoid transmission hydraulic model method
    Patent number: 9518679
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining off-temperature accuracy information of a solenoid fluid control valve. The method comprises performing a current sweep at a first temperature, and for at least one command pressure, determining an error in a control pressure based on the current sweep. The error may be determined at the first temperature. A metric may then calculated based on the current sweep, and a pressure error offset may be determined for a second temperature based on the metric. The pressure error offset may describe a difference between the error in control pressure at the first temperature and an expected error in control pressure at the second temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Flextronics AP, LLC
    Inventors: David Seid, Ritchie Wycoco Baje, Hamid Najmolhoda
  • Optical multi-axis force sensor
    Patent number: 9518882
    Abstract: A force sensor includes a rigid loaded member including a flat plate having a first major side, a second major side opposite the first major side, and a center; wherein the first major side and the second major side are substantially parallel to each other and to a plane including orthogonal X and Y axes, and are substantially perpendicular to the Z axis; at least two optical strain sensors directly secured to at least one of the first major side and the second major side; and an attachment means secured to the first major side substantially at the center; wherein the loaded member is configured to be securable to an associated supporting surface such that the second major side faces the associated supporting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Inventor: Mike McNeilly
  • Identifying forces in a well bore
    Patent number: 9512710
    Abstract: A member is moved within a well bore in a plurality of cycles, each cycle including holding the member in slips, releasing the slips, moving the member within the well bore and applying the slips. The hook load is measured at multiple points during each of these cycles and the plurality of measured values are used to identify data indicative of the forces on the member within the well bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: BP EXPLORATION OPERATING COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Colin James Mason, Edward James Streeter