Patents Examined by Melissa J Koval
  • Patent number: 10649036
    Abstract: A battery state estimating apparatus is provided with: an acquirer configured to obtain complex impedances of a battery at a different temperatures; a calculator configured to calculate a slope of a first straight line or a slope of a second straight line as an impedance slope, wherein the first straight line connects values of the complex impedances at a first predetermined frequency, wherein the second straight line connects a convergence point and at least one of values of the plurality of complex impedances at a second predetermined frequency; and an estimator configured to estimate a battery state associated with the battery on the basis of the impedance slope and a relation stored in a storage, if it is determined by a determinator that a temperature of the battery is in a predetermined temperature area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasumasa Oguma, Tetsuya Osaka, Tokihiko Yokoshima, Shingo Tsuda, Kazuaki Utsumi, Daikichi Mukoyama
  • Patent number: 10641796
    Abstract: An oscilloscope comprises at least one analog input channel configured to receive and process an analog input signal, at least one digital input channel configured to receive and process a digital input signal, and a trigger unit. Said trigger unit is connected with said at least one analog input channel and said at least one digital input channel. Said trigger unit is configured to detect predetermined trigger events in both said analog input signal and said digital input signal. Said trigger unit further is configured to control data acquisition based on a combination of at least two trigger events detected in said analog input signal and said digital input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Herbordt
  • Patent number: 10641694
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of an interfacial tension measurement system of the present disclosure is one in which Faraday waves or instability are formed within a vessel of fluids to be tested via electrostatic oscillations. Then, by tracking the amplitude of an applied electrical voltage having an AC harmonic load to the mixture of fluids that result in a Faraday instability, as well as the wavelength of the instability, the interfacial tension measurement system determines the interfacial tension between layers of immiscible liquids present in the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignees: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC., NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Ranganathan Narayanan, Kevin L. Ward
  • Patent number: 10641594
    Abstract: A corrosion detection system for a pipe may include a corrosion detection tool. The corrosion detection tool may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter and receiver have measurements associated with each and these measurements may be used to determine an impedance. Derived constants match a numerical model that is based on the measurements associated with the transmitter and the nominal thickness of the pipe. The information related to the thickness of a pipe surrounding the corrosion detection is based on the derived constants and the impedance. This thickness of the pipe may be used to determine if a section of a pipe has a defect, such as, corrosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Luis Emilio San Martin, Reza Khalaj Amineh, Ahmed E. Fouda
  • Patent number: 10641785
    Abstract: A wheel speed sensor for a motor vehicle can be supplied with an operating voltage by a control device. The control device has a load resistance with a load resistance value. An operating voltage can be at a voltage input by the control device. An electrical circuit is designed to determine a turn-on or a turn-off voltage value according to the load resistance value. An operation control is designed to transfer the wheel speed sensor into a normal operation using the operating voltage, when the turn-on voltage value is exceeded, and to transfer the wheel speed sensor into an emergency operation using the operating voltage, when a turn-off voltage value is not met. In emergency operation only a low constant signal level is emitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventor: Ralf Endres
  • Patent number: 10641802
    Abstract: Systems and methods described herein provide a current sensor having fault detection circuitry configured to detect over-current and/or current faults corresponding to current through a conductor being greater than a predetermined level. The current sensor can include a shared signal path, a main signal path, and a fault detection signal path to perform both fault detection and current detection signal processing. The current sensor can include one or more magnetic field sensing elements configured to generate a magnetic field signal indicative of the current through the conductor, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to receive the magnetic field signal and convert the magnetic field signal into a digital signal, and a fault detector responsive to the digital signal to generate a fault signal indicative of the current through the conductor being greater than a predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Allegro MicroSystems, LLC
    Inventors: Craig S. Petrie, Soo-Chang Choe, Cory Voisine
  • Patent number: 10641857
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a computer-implemented method for sequencing magnetic resonance imaging waveforms using a multistage sequencing hardware. The method comprises creating, with the aid of a computer processor, an active memory region that includes waveforms and schedules being played, and creating one or more buffer memory regions that contain waveforms and schedules not currently being played. Next, the waveforms and schedules in the one or more buffer memory regions may be updated while waveforms may be played in the active memory region. Upon completion of the waveform playback in the active memory region, the active and buffer memory regions may be swapped so that the former buffer memory region becomes the active memory region, and the former active memory region becomes the buffer memory region. The method may be repeated as needed until the imaging process is completed or otherwise halted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: HeartVista, Inc.
    Inventors: William Overall, Juan Santos
  • Patent number: 10641596
    Abstract: A BTC probe may comprise a housing having a body, a neck extending radially from the body coupled to a hard lead comprising a hard shield, a driven guard, and a lead wire, and a cap coupled at a top surface of the body enclosing an interior volume of the housing. A sensor element may be disposed within the housing an coupled to the lead wire. The sensor element may comprise a sensor head having a first vertex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eli Cole Warren, Edward F. Dreger
  • Patent number: 10634750
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and other embodiments associated with NMR fingerprinting with parallel transmission are described. One example apparatus includes individually controllable radio frequency (RF) transmission (TX) coils configured to apply varying NMR fingerprinting RF excitations to a sample. The NMR apparatus may apply excitations in parallel. An individual excitation causes different resonant species to produce different signal evolutions. The apparatus includes a parallel transmission logic that causes one of the coils to apply a first excitation to the sample and that causes a different coil to apply a second, different excitation to the sample. The excitations are configured to produce a spatial inhomogeneity between a first region in the sample and a second region in the sample that allows a resonant species to produce a first signal evolution in the first region and to produce a second signal evolution in the second region to facilitate de-correlating the signal evolutions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
    Inventor: Mark Griswold
  • Patent number: 10637567
    Abstract: A measuring instrument for detecting a source of passive intermodulation (PIM) includes a first signal source, a second source and a receiver. The first and second signal sources are each connected with separate transmit antenna to transmit a first and second signal, respectively. The first transmit antenna and the second transmit antenna are arranged in a fixed relationship relative to each other such that the first signal and the second signal are combinable to generate a PIM signal at a PIM. The receiver is connected with a receive antenna and arranged in a fixed relationship relative to the first transmit antenna and the second transmit antenna to receive the PIM signal reradiated from the PIM source. The receiver is configured to receive the PIM signal and indicate detection of the PIM source in response to receiving the PIM signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: ANRITSU COMPANY
    Inventor: Donald Anthony Bradley
  • Patent number: 10634740
    Abstract: A magnetic sensor having a yoke that can achieve large magnetic flux density and that can be accurately formed is provided. The magnetic sensor includes magnetic field detection element 21 that detects a magnetic field in first direction X and first yoke 23 that is located near magnetic field detection element 21 and extends in second direction Z that is orthogonal to first direction X. First yoke 23 includes first portion 23a that is located away from magnetic field detection element 21 at least in first direction X and second portion 23b that is located farther away from magnetic field detection element 21 than first portion 23a with respect to second direction Z. The second portion 23b has surface 23f that is opposite to interface 23d with the first portion 23a, surface 23f having a curved shape that protrudes in a direction away from the first portion 23a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Ohta, Keisuke Takasugi
  • Patent number: 10634732
    Abstract: A system and method verifies continuity with and measures voltage across a circuit under test (in some instances simultaneously) using two or more test probes. Two or more probe continuity circuits measure continuity through the test probes by injecting a test current through and measuring a processed test current received at each of the plurality of test probes. The probe continuity circuits measure the respective processed test current rendered by the test current flowing through the test circuit at each test probe. A voltmeter measures the potential difference across the test probes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Warmack, Milton Nance Ericson, Roger A. Kisner, Yarom Polsky
  • Patent number: 10627546
    Abstract: Provided is a lighting system comprising at least one lightning detection site including a local controller. The lightning detection site comprises one or more sensors configured for detecting data associated with at least one from the group selected from sound, electromagnetic field, and ambient light flashes. The local controller is configured to analyze the detected data to determine probability that a lightning strike occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC
    Inventors: Sebastien Magnan, Gleb Geguine
  • Patent number: 10627423
    Abstract: A method for testing a detection sensor positioned facing a target fixed to a drive shaft that is intended to be installed in a motor vehicle. The method includes generating a pulsed voltage test signal, amplifying the high states of the generated test signal, filtering the amplified test signal so as to obtain a voltage test signal having high states the voltage of which is higher than a predetermined high-state detection threshold and low states the voltage of which is lower than a predetermined low-state detection threshold, and detecting the high states and the low states of the filtered test signal in order to test the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignees: Continental Automotive France, Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventor: David Mirassou
  • Patent number: 10627442
    Abstract: A method for estimating resistances of a source contact and a drain contact of a MOS transistor includes the following steps. A MOS transistor is provided. The MOS transistor includes a substrate, a gate, a source region and a drain region, a source contact electrically connected to the source region, and a drain contact electrically connected to the drain region. A resistance difference between a source contact resistance and a drain contact resistance is obtained. A resistance sum of the source contact resistance and the drain contact resistance is obtained. The source contact resistance and the drain contact resistance are calculated based on the resistance sum of the source contact resistance and the drain contact resistance, and on the resistance difference between the source contact resistance and the drain contact resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Nanya Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Shih-Ting Lin, Kung-Ming Fan, Hung-Hsiang Xsiao
  • Patent number: 10627258
    Abstract: In a related-art resolver, a front and a back of a stator core cannot be distinguished, and it is difficult to mass-produce the resolver while matching directions of shear drops and burrs. Thus, assembly accuracy of the resolver is degraded. Further, productivity and assembling ability are degraded because electromagnetic steel sheets are laminated by rotary lamination. The present invention provides a resolver including: a resolver stator including: a stator core formed of electromagnetic steel sheets, which have teeth, and are laminated without rotary lamination; a one-phase excitation winding; and two-phase output windings; and a resolver rotor arranged to be opposed to the resolver stator, in which the stator core has marks which enable distinction of a rolling direction of the stator core and distinction of a front and a back of the stator core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Morita, Atsushi Yamamoto, Masahiko Fujita, Naohiro Motoishi, Kazumasa Ito, Masatsugu Nakano
  • Patent number: 10630251
    Abstract: A bias current circuit includes: an N-type MOSFET in which a gate terminal and a drain terminal are connected to a current source, and N-type MOSFETs in which respective drain terminals are connected to respective bias current output terminals and source terminals are grounded. The bias current circuit further includes: an N-type MOSFET in which one terminal type, either a drain terminal or a source terminal, is connected to the gate terminal of the N-type MOSFET, and the other terminal type is connected to the gate terminals of the N-type MOSFETs, and an N-type MOSFET in which a drain terminal is connected to the gate terminals of the N-type MOSFETs and a source terminal is grounded. A control signal, that is LOW when the bias current is supplied and is HIGH when the bias current is not supplied, is input to the gate terminal of the N-type MOSFET, and an inverse signal of the control signal is input to the gate terminal of the N-type MOSFET.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Miki Kagano, Tomokazu Ogomi
  • Patent number: 10627459
    Abstract: Some embodiments are directed to an anisotropic magneto-resistive (AMR) angle sensor die. The die comprises a plurality of AMR angle sensors, each of the plurality of AMR angle sensors comprising a first Wheatstone bridge and a second Wheatstone bridge, wherein an angle position output of the sensor die includes a combination of angle position outputs of each of the plurality of AMR angle sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Dok Won Lee
  • Patent number: 10620255
    Abstract: Evaluation method and system for a lightning protection system of a wind turbine with blades, the lightning protection system including a down conductor connected to earth and to each blade by conductor plates embedded in the corresponding blade. The method is configured for determining the quality of the connections between the conductor plates and the blade thereof and includes injecting direct current between two conductor plates of one and the same blade, a flow of current being generated through the segment of the blade comprised between both conductor plates, measuring the voltage at measurement points of the segment, comparing the voltages to one another, and determining the quality of the connections between the conductor plates and the blade depending on the result of the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY, S.L.
    Inventors: Victor March Nomen, David Romero Duran, Ricard Horta Bernús, Joan Montanyà Puig
  • Patent number: 10622800
    Abstract: The line power and neutral conductors for an arc fault sensing circuit interrupter such as in a miniature circuit breaker are arranged as a rigid conductor surrounding and holding an insulated flexible conductor when passing through the Ground Fault Interrupter current transformer. Voltage metering takes place across the rigid conductor to enable arc fault detection and ground fault detection in the miniature circuit breaker within the space of a single current transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall J Gass, Jason Potratz, Dennis W Fleege