Patents Examined by Leon W Rhodes, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10161813
    Abstract: A system to determine thermal properties of wall assemblies under dynamic weather conditions is presented. The system comprises a house-like structure with a suite of measurement devices to measure temperatures, heat fluxes, and weather conditions. The data is recorded over several days, and employed in the calculations for the thermal transmittance and thermal resistance of the wall assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
    Inventor: Aftab Ahmad
  • Patent number: 10156807
    Abstract: From an upper surface of a housing of an optical scanning device, a plate-like rail part, which extends along a screw shaft to guide movement of a holding member, protrudes, and the holding member is provided with a guide part having a guide groove engaged with the rail part. The optical scanning device further includes scraper members fixed to the holding member and scraping off foreign matters attached to the rail part. On side surfaces of the housing, which face a moving end side, collection cases are provided to collect the foreign matters scraped off by the scraper members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: Koji Tsujioka
  • Patent number: 10156820
    Abstract: A sheet heating device includes a heater, a power supply for the heater, and a control unit configured to set an initial power supply level of the power supply at a start of a sheet heating job by the heater based on the sheet heating job and according to whether or not maximum and minimum power supply levels from a last sheet heating job are stored, and control the power supply level of the power supply during the sheet heating job based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ishii
  • Patent number: 10145754
    Abstract: A method for detecting gas leakage from a radioactive material sealed container includes measuring a temperature at a bottom portion of a metallic sealed container. A feeding air temperature of external air passing between the metallic sealed container and a concrete-made storage container is also measured. Presence of leakage of inactive gas is determined by comparing the temperatures or by utilizing a physical amount calculated by using the temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry
    Inventor: Hirofumi Takeda
  • Patent number: 10139766
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member; a charging member configured to electrically charge the photosensitive member; a developing device configured to form a toner image by supplying toner to the photosensitive member; a transfer member configured to transfer the toner image from the photosensitive member onto a toner image receiving member; a cleaning member provided in contact with the photosensitive member and configured to remove the toner remaining on a surface of the photosensitive member after transfer; and a controller configured to carry out a process for notifying information on a lifetime of the charging member, on the basis of use amount information on a use amount of the charging member and contact pressure information on contact pressure applied by the cleaning member to the photosensitive member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Makino, Ryuta Ai, Yuichi Hatanaka, Takashi Ueno
  • Patent number: 10134511
    Abstract: A resistance element includes a first electro-conductive layer that is formed on a substrate and includes a body portion and a protruding portion protruding from the body portion, and the body portion includes a current path from an input portion to an output portion. The resistance element further includes a second electro-conductive layer that is formed on the first electro-conductive layer via an insulating layer by using a material having a lower resistivity than the first electro-conductive layer. The resistance element further includes a connection portion that is provided to the insulating layer at a position corresponding to the protruding portion and includes a contact hole penetrating from the first electro-conductive layer to the second electro-conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shinsuke Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 10120295
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit that includes a heating and pressurizing member, and fixes the toner image by performing the operation of heating and pressurizing on the toner image on a recording medium twice or more times with the heating and pressurizing member, wherein the toner contains a toner particle which contains a binder resin containing a crystalline polyester resin, a colorant, and a release agent, and an external additive, and satisfies Expression: 2?tan ?P1?2.5, wherein tan ?P1 represents a maximum value of a mechanical loss tangent existing in a range where a complex elastic modulus is from 1×106 Pa to 1×108 Pa, which is measured at an angular frequency of 6.28 rad/sec and a distortion amount of 0.3%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Ota, Masataka Kuribayashi, Takafumi Koide, Yusuke Fukuda, Katsuyuki Kitajima, Yasuhisa Morooka
  • Patent number: 10107696
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a calorimeter device and an electrochemical system analysis method. The device includes a first thermo-electric gauge (TEG) and a first conductor thermally coupled to the first TEG, the first conductor comprising a first surface. The device may also include a second conductor with a second surface, the second surface facing the first surface, thereby forming a gap. The device may also include a second TEG thermally coupled to the second conductor and an adjustment mechanism attached to the second TEG, operable to modify a size of the gap between the first surface and the second surface. The method includes applying a plurality of electrical signals across an electrochemical system, determining, using a calorimeter, at least one rate at which heat is generated by the system, and determining at least one thermal characteristic of a component of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
    Inventors: Shriram Santhanagopalan, Matthew Allen Keyser, Aron Ray Saxon, John Ireland
  • Patent number: 10108106
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing device, a supplying device, and a control unit. The image bearing member bears a latent image. The developing device develops the latent image with a toner. The supplying device supplies toner to the developing device. The control unit executes a discharge operation to consume toner transferred onto the image bearing member from the developing device without transferring the toner onto a recording medium. The control unit executes the discharge operation where first deterioration integrated information exceeds a first executing threshold, and where second deterioration integrated information exceeds a second executing threshold that is larger than the first executing threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanori Akita, Kyosuke Takahashi, Atsushi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10101685
    Abstract: A developing cartridge, comprising: a housing; a developing roller; a drive mechanism configured to transmit a driving force to the developing roller; and a restriction part configured to restrict movement of the housing when the restriction part engages with an external member, wherein the housing comprises: a first side wall; and a second side wall spaced from the first side wall in a first direction, wherein the drive mechanism is disposed to the second side wall, wherein: the restriction part is disposed to the first side wall; and the restriction part comprises projecting parts spaced from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10094714
    Abstract: A temperature measurement system includes at least one temperature measurement probe. The at least one temperature measurement probe includes at least one hollow filament configured to emit thermal radiation in a predetermined and substantially continuous wavelength band at least partially representative of a temperature of the at least one hollow filament. The at least one hollow filament has a first diameter and a first emissivity. The at least one temperature measurement probe also includes at least one thin filament extending within at least a portion of the at least one hollow filament. The at least one thin filament is configured to emit thermal radiation in a predetermined and substantially continuous wavelength band at least partially representative of a temperature of the at least one thin filament. The at least one thin filament has a second emissivity and a second diameter less than the first diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Guanghua Wang, Bin Ma, James Peter DeLancey, K. M. K. Genghis Khan, Carlos Bonilla Gonzalez, Robert David Briggs, Nirm Velumylum Nirmalan
  • Patent number: 10095178
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium includes an image-bearing-unit support member, a developing unit support member, a plurality of light exposure units, and a light-exposure-unit operating member. The image-bearing-unit support member is movable between the inside and the outside of the image forming apparatus while supporting a plurality of image bearing units which each include an image bearing member. The developing unit support member is movable independently of the image-bearing-unit support member. The plurality of light exposure units each cause a corresponding one of the image bearing members to be exposed to light so as to form an electrostatic latent image. The light-exposure-unit operating member moves the light exposure units relative to the developing unit support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Ogino, Tomonori Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 10088439
    Abstract: Thermophysical property measurement apparatus and method that can obtain accurate absolute thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity are provided easily and conveniently. A thermophysical property measurement apparatus 50 is provided which includes a DC-AC voltage generator 100 which selectively applies AC or DC voltages of different polarities to a metal sample 4 to which temperature gradient is provided by connecting the metal sample 4 between metal blocks of temperatures T1 and T2; a thermocouple 5 which measures a temperature change at the center of the metal sample 4 when the AC voltage is applied thereto by the DC-AC voltage generator 100 and a temperature change at the center of the metal sample 4 when the DC voltages of the different polarities are applied; and an operation device 54 which calculates absolute thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity of the metal sample 4 using the two temperature changes measured by the thermocouple 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Yasutaka Amagai, Hiroyuki Fujiki, Nobuhisa Kaneko, Atsushi Yamamoto, Megumi Akoshima
  • Patent number: 10088367
    Abstract: A device for measuring body core temperature includes a light guide. The light guide is coupled to an earpiece. A first sensor is positioned at a first end of the light guide, and a second sensor is positioned at a second end of the light guide. A processor is coupled to the first sensor and the second sensor. The first sensor senses infrared radiation from an infrared source at the second end of the light guide, and the second sensor measures a temperature of the light guide at the second end of the light guide. The processor determines a temperature of the infrared source at the second end of the light guide by compensating for infrared radiation due to a thermal gradient of the light guide via a regression analysis across a range of ambient temperatures of the light guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Scott Larsen, Brian Keith Olmsted
  • Patent number: 10088777
    Abstract: A rotation detection device includes a light emitting portion, a light-passing control member, and a light receiving portion. The light-passing control member controls passing of the light from the light emitting portion. The light receiving portion outputs a light receiving signal based on the light received by the respective light receiving elements as detection signals representing detection results of the rotation by the rotator. A first virtual extended line that extends the first opening margin and a light-receiving-portion center line along the first direction passing through the respective light receiving elements at the light receiving portion pass through positions shifted from a rotational center of the light-passing control member. The light receiving portion is arranged such that the first virtual extended line corresponds to the light-receiving-portion center line, when the first opening margin passes through an optical path from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yuta Nohara
  • Patent number: 10078016
    Abstract: An on-die temperature sensor measures temperature during a temperature-measurement session. A PTAT (proportional-to-absolute-temperature) generator generates an analog PTAT voltage that is dependent on temperature. A ramp generator generates a changing, analog ramp voltage whose rate of change is dependent on the PTAT voltage, such that the rate of change of the ramp voltage is dependent on the temperature. A comparator compares the ramp voltage to a reference voltage to detect termination of the temperature-measurement session. A counter generates a count value based on the duration of the temperature-measurement session, where the count value is mapped to the measured temperature using a lookup table. The PTAT generator has (i) two npn-type bipolar devices that generate a base-to-emitter voltage difference that is dependent on temperature and function as an amplifier input stage and (ii) circuitry to generate base currents for the bipolar devices to avoid current loading at the PTAT output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: NXP USA, INC.
    Inventor: Sanjay K. Wadhwa
  • Patent number: 10078021
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring body core temperature includes a light guide. The light guide can be coupled to an earpiece, or it can be a standalone device. The apparatus also includes a sensor positioned at one end of the light guide, and a processor coupled to the sensor. The sensor is operable to sense infrared radiation from an infrared source at the opposite end of the light guide. The processor is operable to determine a temperature of the infrared source at the opposite end of the light guide via a transfer function that correlates a measurement of the infrared radiation observed by the sensor and an effect of radiation of the light guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Scott Larsen, Brian Keith Olmsted
  • Patent number: 10078018
    Abstract: A temperature detection apparatus and a rotation angle detection apparatus are provided that allow a temperature of a resolver to be calculated in real time. A rotation angle detection apparatus (10) (temperature detection apparatus) includes a resolver (20) with an excitation coil and output coils wound thereon, the excitation coil being subjected to an excitation voltage (VA) and the output coil outputting voltage signals (VB, VC) corresponding to the excitation voltage (VA), and a temperature calculation circuit (sensor microcomputer (32)) that detects a phase of the excitation voltage (VA) and that detects a phase of an excitation current (IA). The temperature calculation circuit (sensor microcomputer (32)) calculates a temperature of the resolver (20) based on a phase difference between the excitation voltage (VA) and the excitation current (IA).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiaki Murakami
  • Patent number: 10072989
    Abstract: A device including: a paper film including cellulose fibers, a first surface, and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and at least one first heat-sensitive resistor having a negative temperature coefficient, the first heat-sensitive resistor including a first electrode arranged on the first surface, a second electrode arranged on the second surface, the first and second electrodes having at least first portions facing each other, the first heat-sensitive resistor further including the portion of the paper film arranged between the first portions facing each other. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Commissariat à I'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
    Inventor: Abdelkader Aliane
  • Patent number: 10067000
    Abstract: The invention provides an inverter. The inverter includes a first converter and a second converter. The first converter is coupled between a supply voltage and an output node of the inverter. The second converter is coupled between the output node of the inverter and a ground voltage. The first converter, the second converter, or both include diode-connected transistors. The propagation delay time of the inverter is substantially a linear function of the temperature of the inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: MEDIATEK INC.
    Inventors: Bo-Jr Huang, Yi-Feng Chen, Jia-Wei Fang