Patents Examined by Melissa Koval
  • Patent number: 10094853
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a test probe assembly for testing packaged integrated circuit (IC) devices includes a plurality of probes, a pad and a PCB/interposer. The plurality of probes is configured to repeatedly maintain reliable electrical contact with a corresponding plurality of DUT contacts when under a compliant force. The pad provides mechanical support and/or electric coupling for the plurality of probes. In turn, the PCB/interposer supports the pad. In some embodiments, the plurality of probes includes a hard core material such as diamond. In other embodiments, the surface of the probes is hardened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: ESSAI, INC.
    Inventors: Nasser Barabi, Hans Dieter Huber, Joven R. Tienzo, Chee Wah Ho
  • Patent number: 10094894
    Abstract: An arrangement includes a superconducting split ring resonator, a cryostat, and a copper coil. The resonator is arranged in the cryostat and includes at least one ring-shaped conductor made of a superconducting material and including an opening and a taper. The copper coil may be used to transmit a MRI excitation signal. This signal causes a current to be induced in the conductor that leads to the breakdown of the superconductivity. The conductor is detuned and therefore no longer develops an interfering effect. It is possible for the effect of the breakdown of superconductivity to be used for detuning in a targeted manner. After the transmission is complete, the conductor returns into the superconducting state and acts as a superconducting reception antenna for the MRI measurement signal. The copper coil is inductively coupled to the conductor and configured to read out the signal induced in the conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andreas Fackelmeier, Sebastian Martius, Robert Rehner, Christopher Stumpf, Markus Vester
  • Patent number: 10089161
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally provides for a method of managing semiconductor manufacturing defects. The method includes: determining a cumulative aging parameter for each of a plurality of first IC products produced with a particular manufacturing line, the cumulative aging parameter being dependent on a product operating condition; calculating an observed defect rate for the plurality of first IC products based on a difference between a predicted value of the aging parameter and the cumulative aging parameter for each of the plurality of first IC products; and adjusting a manufacturing reliability model for the particular manufacturing line in response to the observed defect rate being different from a predicted defect rate for the plurality of first IC products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jeanne P. S. Bickford, Nazmul Habib, Baozhen Li, Pascal A. Nsame
  • Patent number: 10087738
    Abstract: Various downhole logging tools and methods of using and making the same are disclosed. In one aspect, a downhole logging tool for inspecting a well casing is provided that includes a housing adapted to be supported in the well casing by a support cable. A transmitter is positioned in the housing and operable to generate a magnetic field. Plural receivers are positioned in the housing in circumferentially-spaced apart relation and are operable to sense the magnetic field with azimuthal sensitivity. Electronic circuitry is operatively coupled to the receivers to determine a parameter of the sensed magnetic field and determine a characteristic of the well casing based on the parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Probe Technology Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Jun Zhang
  • Patent number: 10088858
    Abstract: A power supply apparatus supplies a power supply voltage VDD. The power supply apparatus includes a compensation circuit in addition to a main power supply. The compensation circuit receives, via its input, as a feedback signal, a detection signal VS that corresponds to the power supply voltage VDD. The compensation circuit has input/output characteristics fIO that correspond to the characteristics of the main power supply and the characteristics of a target power supply to be emulated. The compensation circuit injects or otherwise draws a compensation current iCOMP that corresponds to the detection signal VS to or otherwise from a node for generating the power supply voltage VDD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignees: ADVANTEST CORPORATION, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
    Inventors: Masahiro Ishida, Takashi Kusaka, Rimon Ikeno, Kunihiro Asada, Toru Nakura, Naoki Terao
  • Patent number: 10088530
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a slave module for monitoring an electric system. The slave module includes: a data transmitting/receiving unit configured to receive request data from the master module and transmit response data to the master module via the serial bus; a data converting unit configured to convert the request data into first digital data and convert second digital data into the request data; a determining unit configured to determine whether the serial bus is in inactive state based on the first digital data and the second digital data; and a data processing unit configured to transmit emergency data to the master module if it is determined that the serial bus is in the inactive state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sung-Sik Ham
  • Patent number: 10082544
    Abstract: A latch assembly comprising: a latch operative to adopt a latched condition and an unlatched condition; a magnet imparting a magnetic field; a sensor adapted to sense the magnetic field; the latch, magnet and sensor being configured such that a change in the condition of the latch effects a variance in the magnetic field sensed by the sensor such that the sensor is able to distinguish between the latched condition and the unlatched condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: D & D Group Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Glenn Smith, Klaus Peter Nink
  • Patent number: 10082592
    Abstract: A borehole resistivity instrument for use in a borehole drilled within a geologic formation includes an emitting electrode and an imaging electrode. The borehole resistivity instrument also includes a current isolator positioned between the emitting electrode and the imaging electrode. The current isolator prevents a substantial portion of the electric current emitted from the emitting electrode from passing to the imaging electrode through the borehole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Sondex Wireline Limited
    Inventors: Dean Douglas Kleckner, Marian Morys
  • Patent number: 10082552
    Abstract: The embodiments relate to signal selection devices for reception antennas. The signal selection device includes a plurality of signal inputs for the reception of signals from the reception antennas via an interface arrangement, and a plurality of signal outputs for the output of altered signals from the reception antennas. The signal selection device is used for selecting/reducing received signals from the reception antennas and forwarding them to an image processing device. The signal selection device contains a plurality of A/D converter chips, a plurality of digital selection chips, and at least physical and/or logical portions of a control unit. The received signals from the reception antennas are fed into the plurality of A/D converter chips via a plurality of signal inputs, are converted into digital data streams, and are supplied to the digital selection chips via signal outputs of the A/D converter chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Swen Campagna, Stephan Stöcker
  • Patent number: 10082594
    Abstract: Nuclear magnetic resonance apparatuses and methods for estimating properties of an earth formation are provided. An apparatus includes a carrier configured to be deployed in a borehole, at least one transmitting assembly configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field in a volume of interest within the earth formation, at least one receiving assembly configured to detect a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal originating in the volume of interest; and a magnet assembly configured to generate a static magnetic field in the formation from a primary side of the magnet assembly. The magnet assembly includes an array of longitudinally elongated magnets having a rotating pattern of magnetic orientations, the array configured to generate the static magnetic field in the volume of interest, and the static magnetic field strength is higher at the primary side than the field strength at a side of the magnet assembly that is opposite the primary side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Marc Stephen Ramirez, Stanislav Wilhelm Forgang, Babak Kouchmeshky
  • Patent number: 10078030
    Abstract: Embodiments of the described system are related to detecting and locating liquids. The system comprises at least one sensor tile, wherein each sensor tile includes a first plurality of conductive lines attached to a first side of a substrate and a second plurality of lines attached to a second side of a substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the first plurality of conductive lines is arranged to be offset 90 degrees with respect to the second plurality of conductive lines. The system also contains at least one processor operably connected to the first and second plurality of conductive lines by at least two multiplexer pieces. The sensor tiles, multiplexer pieces, and processor are interconnected by conductive connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Wassarman, Inc.
    Inventors: Dana Wassarman, Sebastien Weyland
  • Patent number: 10078111
    Abstract: A handler includes a loading unit transporting substrates and sockets coupled to the substrates, a test unit including a printed circuit board, the sockets being mounted on the printed circuit board, and latches fixing the sockets to the printed circuit board, and an unloading unit unloading the substrates and the sockets from the test unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Guiheum Choi, Hogyung Kim, Younggil Lee
  • Patent number: 10078124
    Abstract: A phantom calibration body (12) for calibrating diffusion MRI device (16) that mimics a material such as a mammalian tissue is disclosed. The phantom calibration body (12) includes a homogeneous aqueous solution (30) that contains a mixture of low molecular-weight and high molecular-weight polymers housed in a container (14) that is placed in the diffusion MRI device (16) for obtaining one or more diffusion MRI images of the phantom calibration body (12). A measure of diffusivity is calculated for each of the one or more diffusion MRI images in order to calibrate the diffusion MRI device. Methods of using the phantom calibration body (12) to calibrate diffusion MRI device (16) are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: Ferenc Horkay, Carlo Pierpaoli, Peter J. Basser
  • Patent number: 10073143
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detecting anomalies in a battery cell (22), wherein a short-circuit sensor system (20) detects events (44) in a signal of a terminal voltage of the battery cell, which events have successive edges in an interval of time of microseconds, and wherein events detected by the short-circuit sensor system are transmitted to a battery management system (16) which determines anomalies in the battery cells using the detected events. A short-circuit sensor system (20) and a battery system (12) which are set up to carry out the method are also stated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Leidich, Schumann Schumann, Fabian Henrici
  • Patent number: 10073066
    Abstract: A non contact sensor for use in magnetostrictive testing of a solid ferrous structure. In its simplest form, the sensor has a set of permanent magnets arranged in a row with their poles in the same direction, an electrical coil wrapped around the set of magnets, wrapped in direction parallel to the common poles of the magnets, thereby forming a top portion above the set of magnets and a bottom portion below the set of magnets, and a metal shield interposed between the top portion of the coil and the set of magnets. The sensor is operable such that a time varying current in the coil causes guided waves to travel to the structure and to be reflected from anomalies in the structure even when there is no ferromagnetic coupling material between the sensor and the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Sergey A Vinogradov, Glenn M Light
  • Patent number: 10072943
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a magnetic substrate for an encoder scale. The method comprising the step of mechanically working the substrate, wherein the substrate is cooled prior to the mechanical working step. In one embodiment, a stainless steel substrate is used. The stainless steel may comprise an austenite (non-magnetic) phase and a martensite (magnetic) phase. Mechanically working and cooling in this manner increases the amount of magnetic (martensite) phase material that is formed, thereby improving the magnetic contrast when non-magnetic (austenite) marking are subsequently formed on the substrate by laser marking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignees: RLS MERILNA TEHNIKA D.O.O., RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Peter Kogej, Vojteh Leskovsek
  • Patent number: 10073158
    Abstract: In a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus and method to evaluate the consistency of a signal model used to generate a quantitative parameter map, the residual of the quantitative parameter map is calculated and a residual map is generated. The residual map is displayed together with the quantitative parameter map, with the residual map serving as an indicator of the quality of fit of the signal model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: David Grodzki
  • Patent number: 10073125
    Abstract: A digital measurement system includes an oscillator, a mixer, and a controller coupled to each other. The oscillator provides a reference signal having a second frequency. The mixer generates a down-converted signal based on the output signal and the reference signal. The controller then determines a characteristic of the output signal (e.g., frequency or phase) based on the down-converted signal. An analog measurement system includes a filter having a center frequency, a rectifier, and a controller. The filter filters the output signal and the rectifier rectifies the filtered signal. The controller samples the rectified signal and determines a characteristic of the output signal based on the level of the rectified signal. The reference signal controller may adjust a characteristic of the output signal based on the determined frequency and/or phase of the output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventors: Wayne L. Moul, Robert J. Behnke, II, Scott E. M. Frushour, Jeffrey L. Jensen
  • Patent number: 10067202
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a static magnetic field magnet and a gradient coil. The static magnetic field magnet generates a static magnetic field. The gradient coil is provided on an inside of the static magnetic field magnet and includes an X coil, a Y coil and a Z coil. The X coil generates a gradient magnetic field along a horizontal axis of a substantially circular cylinder, the horizontal axis being perpendicular to a long axis. The Y coil generates a gradient magnetic field along a vertical axis of the substantially circular cylinder. The Z coil generates a gradient magnetic field along the long axis of the substantially circular cylinder. In the gradient coil, coils are laminated in such a manner that the X coil is positioned more distant from a magnetic field center than the Y coil is.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshitomo Sakakura
  • Patent number: 10067176
    Abstract: An insulation resistance measuring device including a positive electrode test resistor connected to a positive electrode node of a battery assembly, a negative electrode test resistor connected to a negative electrode node of the battery assembly, a first switch connecting the positive electrode node of the battery assembly to the positive electrode test resistor, a second switch connecting the negative electrode node of the battery assembly to the negative electrode test resistor, a voltage measurement unit that measures a first voltage applied to the positive electrode test resistor and a second voltage applied to the negative electrode test resistor, and a voltage estimation unit that estimates a final convergence value of the first and second voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Chang-Hyun Sung, Young-Hwan Kim, Jae-Dong Park, Ho-Byung Yoon, Sang-Hoon Lee, Tae-Joong Lee