Patents Examined by Kevin J Comber
  • Patent number: 11843225
    Abstract: An example apparatus for charge neutralization includes: a first emitter nozzle; a power supply configured to supply a high frequency alternating current (AC) signal to the first emitter nozzle; control circuitry configured to: provide a polarity signal to the power supply to generate a DC offset signal, wherein a combination of the high frequency AC signal and the DC offset signal causes the power supply to output a positive ion generation pulse or a negative ion generation pulse; control the polarity signal to cause the power supply to provide a period of positive ion generation and a period of negative ion generation; determine a balance voltage at an output of the first emitter nozzle; and control the polarity signal to adjust a relative durations of the period of positive ion generation and the period of negative ion generation based on the balance voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Bernard Heymann, Edward Anthony Oldynski, Joseph Cassio, Juan Guerrero
  • Patent number: 11842895
    Abstract: An SBD includes: a terminal well region formed to surround an active region; a field insulating film formed to cover part of the terminal well region; a surface electrode formed on a drift layer on an inner side in relation to the field insulating film and electrically connected to the terminal well region; a surface protection film covering an end portion on an outer side of the surface electrode; and a back surface electrode formed on a back surface of a single crystal substrate. An end portion of an outer side of the surface electrode in the corner portion of the terminal region is located on an inner side in relation to the end portion of the outer side of the surface electrode in a straight portion of a terminal region based on a position of an end portion of an outer side of the terminal well region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kohei Ebihara, Takaaki Tominaga
  • Patent number: 11837493
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck including a clamping layer having a first clamping electrode and a second clamping electrode is disclosed. A first clamping electrode defining a first clamping zone and a second clamping zone is provided. The first clamping zone and the second clamping zone are separated by a first gap and are electrically connected by at least one electrical connection extending across the first gap. A second clamping electrode disposed radially outward from the first clamping electrode. The second clamping electrode defining a third clamping zone and a fourth clamping zone that are separated by a second gap. The third clamping zone and the fourth clamping zone are electrically connected by at least one electrical connection extending across the second gap. Plasma processing apparatuses and systems incorporating the electrostatic chuck are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignees: Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd., Mattson Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Maolin Long, Weimin Zeng
  • Patent number: 11837420
    Abstract: A system for short-circuiting or grounding low-voltage and/or medium-voltage installations. The system includes at least one fault detection unit for detecting an arc and at least one signal-processing unit for processing signals from the at least one fault detection unit. The signal-processing unit is or can be connected to the fault detection unit for signal transmission. The system further includes at least one control unit which is or can be connected to the signal-processing unit for signal transmission, an electrical energy storage device in or on the control unit, and at least one fast-switching switching element having a mechanical energy store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Lecheler, Martin Bindrich, Juergen Einschenk, Karsten Freundt
  • Patent number: 11830753
    Abstract: A composite sintered body includes a base material that contains Al2O3 as a main component, and an electrode arranged inside or on a surface of the base material. The electrode contains Ru, ZrO2, and Al2O3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keita Miyanishi, Kyohei Atsuji, Asumi Nagai, Hirofumi Yamaguchi, Soichiro Aoyagi
  • Patent number: 11831141
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a circuit breaker having main contacts configured to be coupled within an electrical line. The circuit breaker also has trip contacts and auxiliary contacts. A protection relay is electrically coupled to the trip contacts of the circuit breaker and is configured to trip the circuit breaker. A trip circuit supervision relay has a first coil electrically coupled to the auxiliary contacts of the circuit breaker and a second coil electrically coupled to the trip contacts of the circuit breaker. The first coil and the second coil are magnetically coupled to each other. The trip circuit supervision relay is single circuit supervision relay that includes both first coil and the second coil and is configured to be magnetically operated by either of the first coil and the second coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Hitachi Energy Ltd.
    Inventors: Loganadhan Venkatesh, Shambhulingappa Siragappala, Ashoka Shyama Prasad, Uthaya Kumar
  • Patent number: 11831139
    Abstract: Circuit interrupting devices are provided. One circuit interrupting device includes a fault sensor configured to output a sensor signal; a voltage sensor configured to sense a reference voltage; and a controller configured to determine an occurrence of an actual fault based on the sensor signal and the reference voltage. The circuit interrupting device further includes an amplifier configured to receive the sensor signal and the reference voltage and output an amplified signal; an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the reference voltage and the amplified signal and output respective digital signals corresponding to the reference voltage and the amplified signal; and a line interrupt assembly configured to interrupt current flow through a conductive path when a characteristic of the sensor signal exceeds an actual fault threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: LEVITON MANUFACTURING CO., INC.
    Inventor: Michael Ostrovsky
  • Patent number: 11830755
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic dielectric substrate and a base plate. The ceramic dielectric substrate includes a first major surface, a second major surface, a groove part, and a plurality of cooling gas holes. The groove part includes first and second circumferential grooves, and first and second radial-direction grooves. The plurality of cooling gas holes includes first and second holes. The first hole overlaps the first radial-direction groove. The second hole overlaps the second radial-direction groove. The base plate includes a gas inlet path that supplies the cooling gas to the first and second holes. The first circumferential groove includes first and second end portions. The second circumferential groove includes third and fourth end portions. The third end portion and the fourth end portion do not overlap the first end portion in the radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihito Ono, Jumpei Uefuji, Tomoki Umetsu, Tatsuya Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 11831137
    Abstract: A cargo (22) detection system for a refrigerated cargo container (10) includes a cargo sensor (50) body configured to detect presence of cargo (22) in a refrigerated cargo container (10) and a sensor bracket (56) configured for securing the cargo sensor (50) body at a refrigeration unit (24) of the refrigerated cargo container (10). A temperature sensor (72) is located at the cargo sensor (50) body and is configured to detect a temperature of the cargo sensor (50) body. A temperature controller (74) is operably connected to the temperature sensor (72) and is configured to activate the cargo sensor (50) body for collection of data when the temperature of the cargo sensor (50) body is above a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: CARRIER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Stockbridge, William F. Caswell
  • Patent number: 11831152
    Abstract: A short circuit test device includes: a first line test conductor couplable to a first load line conductor of an electric load network and a neutral test conductor couplable to a neutral conductor of the electric load network; a voltage source switchable to the first line test conductor and the neutral test conductor to output a predefinable test signal; a measurement unit for measuring an electric voltage and/or current, the measurement unit including measurement inputs which are connectable to the first line test conductor and the neutral test conductor, the measurement unit including an output for providing a measurement signal; and a control unit connected to the voltage source and the measurement unit, the control unit: causing the voltage source to apply a test voltage to the first line test conductor and the neutral test conductor and comparing the measurement signal provided by the measurement unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
    Inventors: Volker Heins, Axel Britz, Amritendu Das, Yogesh Rajwade, Himadri Sengupta, Sandeep Yeole, Christoph Bausch
  • Patent number: 11824439
    Abstract: System and method for managing a cumulative DC offset in a magnetizable material. A primary driving AC voltage and a magnetic flux sensor. The flux sensor output is continuously received into memory while the the flux sensor output for each phase half-cycle is processed to continuously compute and re-compute in real time a flux-second integral for each half-cycle. The two half-cycle flux-second integrals are compared to each other for a DC offset value and the offset value drives a slow loop DC compensation circuit to steer a PWM control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Inventors: Orris Dent, Gregory Wiegand
  • Patent number: 11817237
    Abstract: A surge protection device has at least one disconnecting device (34), at least one actuating device (36), an indicating device (40), and a shaft (38) mounted for rotation between at least a first position and a second position, the at least one actuating device (36) being variable between a first position and a second position. The shaft (38), the indicating device (40) and the actuating device (36) are formed in such a way and the actuating device (36), when in the first position, is fastened to the at least one disconnecting device (34) so as to be preloaded such that when the disconnecting device (34) is triggered, the actuating device (36) is released and triggers the indicating device (40) by means of the shaft (38). Further, a modular surge protection system is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: DEHN SE
    Inventors: Edmund Zäuner, Georg Wittmann
  • Patent number: 11817340
    Abstract: A power supply comprises at least one waveform generator that produces a clamp waveform responsive to a clamp signal, and at least one amplifier that amplifies and provides the clamp waveform to an electrostatic chuck. An advisor module receives parameter values for parameters affecting operation of the power supply, uses a neural network to determine whether the parameter values are consistent with trained parameter values, and continuously and automatically modifies weighting of inputs to the neural network when any parameter values are inconsistent with the trained parameter values. A controller provides the clamp signal to the waveform generator, receives reports from the advisor module, and adjusts the clamp signal or provides a status report when any parameter values are inconsistent with the trained parameter values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Donnie Herman
  • Patent number: 11817283
    Abstract: An electrical switching system of a circuit breaker, with a first busbar extending in a longitudinal direction, which carries a first contact and a second contact spaced apart therefrom in the longitudinal direction, and which has a first power connection, and with a second busbar extending in the longitudinal direction, which carries a first counterpart contact and a second counterpart contact spaced apart therefrom in the longitudinal direction, and which has a second power connection. The second busbar is mounted so as to be movable in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, wherein the first busbar partially overlaps the second busbar along the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction, the contacts and the counterpart contacts are arranged between the two power connections in the overlap region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Ellenberger & Poensgen GmbH
    Inventors: Hubert Harrer, Hendrik-Christian Koepf, Klaus Loos, Klaus Werner, Juergen Zeberl
  • Patent number: 11817702
    Abstract: A power restoration system for restoring power to feeder segments in response to a fault. The system includes a reclosing device having a switch and one or more sensors for measuring current and/or voltage on the feeder, where the reclosing device performs a pulse testing process to determine circuit fault conditions. The system also includes a plurality of switching devices electrically coupled along the feeder, where each switching device includes a section switch and one or more sensors for measuring current and/or voltage on the at least one feeder. In one embodiment, each switching device recognizes predetermined pulse codes having a sequence of pulses, where the reclosing device uses the pulse testing process to generate and selectively transmit defined pulse codes on the feeder that selectively cause the section switches to change states between an open state and a closed state depending on the code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: S&C Electric Company
    Inventors: Martin T Bishop, Stephen E Williams, Michael John Meisinger, Sr.
  • Patent number: 11810701
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device and method for forming skyrmion in a magnetic thin film. A skyrmion forming method comprises aligning the surface of the magnetic thin film and a horizontal magnetic field to be applied to the magnetic thin film and applying the horizontal magnetic field and a vertical magnetic field to the magnetic thin film. Accordingly, it is possible to form the bubble skyrmion easily even in the case of a wide width of a stripe formed on the magnetic thin film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: KOREA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND SCIENCE
    Inventors: Chan Yong Hwang, Kyoung Woong Moon, Seung Mo Yang, Chang Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 11811221
    Abstract: The present description concerns an electrostatic discharge protection device including a first clipping circuit coupled between a first node and a second node and a second active clipping circuit, series-coupled with a first resistor, the second clipping circuit and the first resistor being coupled between the first and second nodes, the second clipping circuit including a field-effect transistor having a metal-oxide-semiconductor structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS
    Inventor: François Tailliet
  • Patent number: 11810767
    Abstract: A wafer placement device includes a wafer placement stage including a wafer electrostatic chuck and a wafer cooling plate, a focus-ring placement stage including a focus-ring electrostatic chuck and a focus-ring cooling plate, and a clamping member arranged around the focus-ring placement stage. The wafer placement stage, the focus-ring placement stage, and the clamping member are separate from one another. A pressing portion of the focus-ring cooling plate presses a wafer cooling plate flange against a mounting plate. The clamping member is fastened to the mounting plate with bolts in a state of pressing a flange against the mounting plate at its flange, thus fixing the wafer placement stage and the focus-ring placement stage to the mounting plate without directly fastening them to the mounting plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Takebayashi
  • Patent number: 11804705
    Abstract: An electrical receptacle contains a plug outlet that has a pair of contacts for electrical connection to respective hot and neutral power lines. A controlled switch, such as a TRIAC, is connected in series relationship between the outlet contact and the hot power line. Sensors in the receptacle outputs signals to a processor having an output coupled to the control terminal of the controlled switch. The processor outputs an activation signal or a deactivation signal to the controlled switch in response to received sensor signals that are indicative of conditions relative to the first and second contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Brainwave Research Corporation
    Inventors: John Eriksen, Jean-Guy Gagne, James W. Rogers, Patrick Belanger, Rene K. Pardo
  • Patent number: 11798792
    Abstract: A ceramic heater includes a ceramic plate, a planar electrode, and a resistive heating element. A first via, a second via, a coupler, and a reinforcement portion are embedded in the ceramic plate. The first via is conductive and extends from the resistive heating element toward a via through-hole. The second via is conductive and extends from the via through-hole in a direction opposite a direction toward the resistive heating element. The coupler is conductive and electrically couples the first via and the second via with each other. The reinforcement portion is disposed inside the via through-hole 16 between the coupler and an inner circumferential surface around the via through-hole and is composed of a material that is the same as the material of the ceramic plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Takebayashi