Patents Examined by Joshua L Allen
  • Patent number: 11774439
    Abstract: Disclosed is an integrated biochemical sensor including a reference electrode, a plurality of working electrodes each having different artificial lipid membranes, and partition layers for electrically insulating the reference electrode and each of the working electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: DAEGU GYEONGBUK INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Kyung In Jang, Jun Woo Yea, Han Hee Jung
  • Patent number: 11768168
    Abstract: A sensor (1) comprising: a sensor element (10); metal terminals; and a front side separator (90) and a rear side separator (95) to hold the metal terminals, the metal terminals each include a front side metal terminal (30) and a rear side metal terminal (40) respectively held by the front side separator and the rear side separator, a first connection portion (33) is provided on a rear side of the front side metal terminal, a second connection portion (43) is provided on a front side of the rear side metal terminal, and an axis P2 of one of the first and the second connection portion, in all of the plurality of metal terminals, is displaced toward a radially outer side of the sensor element relative to an axis P1 of a counterpart thereof, and the first connection portion and the second connection portion are in contact with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sunchao Liu, Takehiro Oba
  • Patent number: 11761923
    Abstract: An amperometric electrochemical sensor for measuring the concentrations of one or more target gas species in a gas sample or gas stream, the sensor having at least one electrochemical cell with first and second surface electrodes, an electrolyte layer and a passive signal amplifying layer (“SAL”) comprising electrically conductive material like platinum, wherein at least a portion of the electrolyte layer is located between the surface electrodes and the SAL such that the SAL is in direct, conductive contact with the electrolyte layer but is not in direct contact with the surface electrodes. Sensor systems and detection methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: NEXTECH MATERIALS, LTD.
    Inventors: Gene B. Arkenberg, Scott L. Swartz, Matthew M. Seabaugh
  • Patent number: 11761924
    Abstract: A sensor element (100) including a measurement chamber (89); a pump cell (83) including a solid electrolyte body (69), an inner electrode (101), and an outer electrode (99); and a reference cell (85). At least one electrode contains a noble metal and a component of the solid electrolyte body. In a cross section, the at least one electrode has a noble metal region (205), a solid electrolyte body region (203), and a coexistence region (207) in which the noble metal and the component of the solid electrolyte body coexist. Further, in the cross section, an area ratio SR of the coexistence region is not less than 15.5% and is less than 30%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yosuke Suzuki, Takumi Yamada, Hitoshi Furuta, Kentaro Kamada
  • Patent number: 11754549
    Abstract: Devices for sequencing linear biomolecules (e.g., DNA, RNA, polypeptides, proteins, and the like) using quantum tunneling effects, and methods of making and using such devices, are provided. A nanofabricated device can include a small gap formed by depositing a thin film between two electrodes, and subsequently removing the film using an etching process. The width of the resulting gap can correspond with the size of a linear biomolecule such that when a part of the biomolecule (e.g., a nucleobase or amino acid) is present in the gap, a change in tunneling current, voltage, or impedance can be measured and the part of the biomolecule identified. The gap dimensions can be precisely controlled at the atomic-scale by, for example, atomic layer deposition (ALD) of the sacrificial film. The device can be made using existing integrated circuit fabrication equipment and facilities, and multiple devices can be formed on a single chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Roche Sequencing Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven Henck
  • Patent number: 11749802
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a porous carbon material doped with a heterogeneous element and a porous carbon material doped with a heterogeneous element manufactured using the method are proposed. The method includes melting carbon precursor powder that contains one or more kinds of heterogeneous elements selected from metal and nonmetal to prepare a precursor melt; disposing a pair of metal wires in the precursor melt; and applying power to the metal wires to perform plasma-discharge, thus forming and aggregating carbon nanoparticles doped with the heterogeneous element while having a micropore and thereby forming a porous carbon material having a meso-macro hierarchical pore structure. As the heterogeneous element is bound to carbon of the carbon precursor, the carbon nanoparticles are formed in an amorphous structure while being doped with the heterogeneous element, thus increasing an active site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Inventors: Jun Kang, Dae Young Kim
  • Patent number: 11733201
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a solid electrolyte body with oxygen ion conductivity, a gas flow portion (ranging from a gas inlet port to a second inner cavity), a particular gas detector (including a main pump cell, a measurement pump cell, an auxiliary pump cell, etc.), and a control device. Prior to startup of the gas sensor, the control device sets electric power supplied to a heater such that a temperature difference between a temperature of the heater and a preset target temperature becomes zero, and determines, on the basis of the set electric power, whether temperature raising control of supplying the set electric power to the heater is to be executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Onishi, Yasuhide Kojima
  • Patent number: 11733202
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes: a metal tubular body including a through hole allowing a sensor element to penetrate in an axial direction; and a powder compact being filled between an inner surface of the tubular body constituting the through hole and the sensor element, and sealing between both end portion sides of the sensor element. At least a range of a through hole inner surface to come into contact with the powder compact filled between the inner surface and the sensor element is a stripe-like recessed and projecting region in which projecting portions and recessed portions are alternately arranged in the axial direction and those portions extend along an inner circumferential direction of the tubular body. An interval between the projecting portions in the axial direction is 50 ?m to 150 ?m. The following expressions are satisfied, 0.3 ?m?Rz1?10 ?m, and Rz1/Rz2?2.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki Adachi, Yuka Wada
  • Patent number: 11726055
    Abstract: Measurement unit for an ion-sensitive solid-state electrode, that serves to measure pH in a measurement solution, with a layered structure including an ion-sensitive glass layer with a first ring-shaped contact surface, an electrically conducting layer that directly or via at least one intermediate layer adheres to the ion-sensitive glass layer, and a substrate that adheres to the electrically conducting layer and is provided with a second ring-shaped contact surface; and with a holding member that is provided with a first ring-shaped sealing surface, a second ring-shaped sealing surface, and an annular section; wherein the first ring-shaped sealing surface is sealingly connected to the first ring-shaped contact surface, wherein the second ring-shaped sealing surface is connected to the second ring-shaped contact surface of the substrate, and wherein the first and second ring-shaped sealing surfaces of the holding member are sealingly connected by the annular section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: METTLER-TOLEDO GMBH
    Inventors: Andreas Rutz, Philippe Ehrismann, Juan Limon Petersen, Corrado Barcella
  • Patent number: 11714062
    Abstract: A gas sensor element for detecting a specific gas component in a measured gas, comprising: an element body in the form of a long plate having a gas detection part at an end thereof on a distal end face side in a longitudinal direction; and a porous protective layer covering an outer periphery of the end on said end face side of the element body, wherein in a cross section including two adjacent ones of the end face and side faces connected to the end face, an outer surface of the protective layer facing an element corner where the two faces meet has a shape with a corner part, and a ratio of an assumed diameter of a water droplet contained in the measured gas in a use environment to an effective length of the corner part in the cross section is equal to or larger than 1.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomotaka Mouri, Shota Imada, Toru Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 11714059
    Abstract: An embodiment provides a method for measuring a characteristic of an aqueous sample, including: introducing the aqueous sample to a titration region and a reaction region of a measurement device, wherein the titration region comprises a pH electrode and a protonator electrode contacting a first portion of an aqueous sample, wherein the reaction region comprises a counter electrode contacting a second portion of the aqueous sample; placing an electrolyte reservoir in a state of electrical continuity with the titration region and the reaction region, wherein the electrolyte reservoir comprises a reference electrode, wherein the volume of the electrolyte reservoir comprises a large volume of an electrolyte; and determining a characteristic of the aqueous sample by measuring an electrochemical characteristic between the reference electrode and at least one of: the pH electrode and the counter electrode. Other aspects are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: HACH COMPANY
    Inventor: Corey Alan Salzer
  • Patent number: 11697103
    Abstract: A system includes a first chamber, a second chamber, an ultraviolet light source and a microwave source. The first chamber includes an inlet. The second chamber is adjacent the first chamber and includes an outlet and a waveguide. The ultraviolet light source resides within the waveguide of the second chamber. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Breakthrough Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Kamal Jaffrey
  • Patent number: 11692962
    Abstract: A measuring element is disclosed for an ion-sensitive solid-contact electrode for measuring ion activity in a measurement medium. An ion-sensitive solid-contact electrode having such a measuring element and an electrochemical sensor having such a solid-contact electrode are also disclosed. The measuring element can include an ion-sensitive layer arranged to contact a measurement medium when in operation, and conductive to lithium ions; and a single-phase electrically conductive layer, which includes metallic lithium or a lithium-(0)-alloy. A solid-state electrolyte layer can be arranged between the ion-sensitive layer and the electrically conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: METTLER-TOLEDO GMBH
    Inventors: Juan Limon Petersen, Andreas Rutz
  • Patent number: 11692960
    Abstract: An electrochemical measurement cartridge includes a container including a first analysis chamber for receiving a fluid to be analyzed and a second calibration chamber for receiving a calibration fluid; an electrochemical measurement sensor including at least one work electrode and one reference electrode; a container supporting the sensor and a cover arranged mobile relative to one another to confer on the cartridge at least two separate operating configurations, a first configuration in which the sensor is communicating with the first analysis chamber and a second configuration in which the sensor is communicating with the second calibration chamber; sealing between the chambers of the container and the cover; and a drive member for providing a relative movement of the container relative to the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
    Inventors: Eric Gouze, Frederic Bottausci, Pascal Mailley, Olivier Fuchs
  • Patent number: 11686704
    Abstract: A biosensor system includes an array of biosensors with a plurality of electrodes situated proximate the biosensor. A controller is configured to selectively energize the plurality of electrodes to generate a DEP force to selectively position a test sample relative to the array of biosensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Jie Huang, Jui-Cheng Huang, Yi-Hsing Hsiao
  • Patent number: 11686702
    Abstract: An electrochemical sensor for potentiometric measurements in a measurement medium has a sensor head (201) at an end of a longitudinal sensor body (203). A sensing electrode (210) and a reference electrode (220) are disposed within the longitudinal sensor body. A liquid junction (223) is established between the reference electrode and the sensing electrode. The sensor is characterized by a protective outer shaft (250) into which a polymeric tube-like structure (230) is disposed, electrically isolating the protective outer shaft from a reference electrolyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Mettler-Toledo GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Rutz, Daniel Zwahlen
  • Patent number: 11686700
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes an element body having an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte layer and internally provided with a measurement-object gas flow section that introduces a measurement-object gas and allows the gas to flow; a measurement-object gas-side electrode disposed in a portion of the element body, the portion being exposed to the measurement-object gas; and a reference electrode disposed inside of the element body. Let A [?A] be a limiting current when oxygen is pumped from the surroundings of the measurement-object gas-side electrode to the surroundings of the reference electrode with the measurement-object gas introduction section, and B [?A] be a limiting current when oxygen is pumped from the surroundings of the reference electrode to the surroundings of the measurement-object gas-side electrode with the reference gas introduction section, then a ratio A/B is greater than or equal to 0.005.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventor: Yusuke Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11680926
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a sensor element including an element body, a first electrode, a second electrode, and a heater; a voltage acquisition section that acquires a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode; a heater power supply; an external common lead that serves as both at least part of an electric circuit used to acquire the voltage by providing electrical continuity between the first electrode and the voltage acquisition section and at least part of an electric circuit used to supply an electric power from the heater power supply to the heater and that is disposed outside the sensor element; and a correction section that derives a value of a voltage drop in the external common lead in accordance with a heater current and that corrects the voltage acquired by the voltage acquisition section in accordance with the derived value of the voltage drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Taku Okamoto, Yuichiro Kondo, Osamu Nakasone
  • Patent number: 11674885
    Abstract: A method to detect and assess microorganism influenced corrosion includes measuring current flow between a test electrode and a control electrode in a split chamber zero resistance ammeter apparatus and calculating a predictive difference in mass loss between the test electrode and the control electrode based on that current over time; and measuring the resistance, Rpit, of a surface of the subject metal to assess pitting corrosion using an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: The University of Akron
    Inventors: Chelsea Monty-Bromer, John Senko, Anwar Sadek, Sai Prasanna Chinthala
  • Patent number: 11674922
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to a system for detecting neurotransmitters. A non-limiting example of the system includes a porous electrode. A system can also include a pH sensor attached to the porous electrode, wherein the pH sensor includes a sensing electrode and a reference electrode. The system can also include electronic circuitry in communication with the pH sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Qing Cao, Hariklia Deligianni, Fei Liu