Patents Examined by Nigel H Plumb
  • Patent number: 11480126
    Abstract: A flow-volume detecting apparatus including a flow-volume detecting unit which measures a flow volume of a measured fluid, a flow-volume state determining unit which determines a flow-volume state of the measured fluid based on an output from the flow-volume detecting unit. The flow-volume detecting apparatus further including a plurality of filters which process a flow-volume signal, and a filter selecting unit which selects a filter that processes the flow-volume signal, wherein the filter selecting unit selects the filter that processes the flow-volume signal according to the flow-volume state determined by the flow-volume state determining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Isoya, Hiroaki Hoshika, Takahiro Miki, Takayuki Yogo, Takeo Hosokawa
  • Patent number: 11473990
    Abstract: In an embodiment a membrane includes a hydrophobic region having a plurality of hierarchically arranged micrometer-sized and submicrometer-sized units consisting of a membrane material, wherein a single micrometer-sized unit has a diameter of from 1 ?m to 5 ?m and a single submicrometer-sized unit has a diameter of <1 ?m, and wherein the membrane is configured to be used in a pressure sensor system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TDK ELECTRONICS AG
    Inventors: Markus Eberstein, Peter Sättler, Christian Wohlgemuth
  • Patent number: 11473508
    Abstract: A probe includes a probe head, a probe tip extending from the probe head and having a sensor in fluidic communication with a first fluid stream, a pressure channel extending into the probe tip through the sensor face with a pressure sensor that senses pressure in the pressure channel, and a temperature channel extending into the probe tip through the sensor face. The temperature channel including a temperature orifice disposed on the sensor face and at least one exit port distal from the sensor face. The temperature channel is parallel to and fluidly separate from the pressure channel and includes a temperature sensor that senses temperature in the temperature channel. The temperature channel directs fluid flow from the temperature orifice to the at least one exit port, thereby discharging fluid flow into a second fluid stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: ROSEMOUNT AEROSPACE INC.
    Inventors: Lisa Graham, Robert Edward Sable, Richard William Phillips
  • Patent number: 11454489
    Abstract: A sensor module includes a substrate; a resistor formed of a-film containing Cr, CrN, and Cr2N, on one surface of the substrate; an electronic component mounted on the one surface of the substrate, to be electrically connected to the resistor; and a power source mounted on the one surface of the substrate or on another surface of the substrate, to be electrically connected to the electronic component, to supply power to the electronic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Asakawa, Shigeyuki Adachi
  • Patent number: 11454488
    Abstract: A strain gauge includes a flexible substrate and a functional layer formed of a metal, an alloy, or a metal compound, directly on one surface of the substrate. The strain gauge includes a resistor formed of a film including Cr, CrN, and Cr2N, on one surface of the functional layer. The substrate has an expansion coefficient in a range of from 7 ppm/K to 20 ppm/K.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Asakawa, Shinichi Niwa, Yuta Aizawa, Atsushi Kitamura
  • Patent number: 11448548
    Abstract: An optical fiber assembly comprising an optical fiber casing and optical fiber deployed within and fixed relative to the casing at multiple fixation points spaced along the casing. The optical fiber assembly includes one or more weights attached within the casing to the optical fiber, for increasing a tension of the optical fiber between the multiple fixation points; flexible portions and rigid portions, with the optical fiber fixed to the flexible portions; and/or at least one guide member positioned at at least one of the fixation points and configured to constrain a bend radius of the optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: HIFI ENGINEERING INC.
    Inventors: Arne Dankers, Seyed Ehsan Jalilian
  • Patent number: 11441962
    Abstract: The invention includes differential pressure transducer assembly systems and methods in which headers are configured with header pins that extend perpendicular with respect to an axis of the assembly and through header sidewalls, enabling a compact configuration, ease of assembly, enhanced reliability and/or redundancy. Channels and ports defined in a housing portion of the assembly are configured to enable the use of substantially straight tubing sections for routing main and/or reference pressures to one or more differential sensing elements mounted on the headers. Two or more headers with associated sensing elements can be stacked to provide redundant differential pressure sensing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: KULITE SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS, INC.
    Inventors: Robert Gardner, Louis DeRosa
  • Patent number: 11441963
    Abstract: An aircraft pressure measurement device includes a pressure sensor, a pressure measurement path, a valve, and a fluid port. The pressure measurement path extends between an aircraft skin and the pressure sensor, and the valve is positioned within the pressure measurement path between the aircraft skin and the pressure sensor. The valve is configured to regulate airflow through the pressure measurement path, and the fluid port is configured to allow a pressurized fluid into the pressure measurement path to clear the pressure measurement path of debris. The improved pressure measurement device allows the aircraft to automatically clear debris from the pressure measurement path both during flight and while on the ground, removing the need for manual cleaning processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Rosemount Aerospace Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Robert Daup, Brian Brent Naslund
  • Patent number: 11441926
    Abstract: There is provided a system for determining multiple baselines for detecting events in a conduit. The system comprises an optical fiber interrogator for interrogating optical fiber; and one or more processors communicative with the optical fiber interrogator and memory having stored thereon computer program code configured, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform a method. The method comprises, for each of multiple channels of the conduit, each channel comprising a portion of the conduit: obtaining phase data for the channel, the phase data being obtained by causing the optical fiber interrogator to interrogate optical fiber positioned alongside the conduit; and determining one or more baselines from the phase data. As a result, events in the conduit may be detected with fewer false positives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: HIFI ENGINEERING INC.
    Inventors: Adekunle Adeyemi, Seyed Ehsan Jalilian
  • Patent number: 11434023
    Abstract: A support panel assembly includes a lower panel, an upper panel pivotally coupled to the lower panel by a central pedestal, and a first pressure sensor located about a center of the support panel assembly, and coupled to the central pedestal. The first pressure sensor detects pressure exerted into the upper panel in response to the upper panel pivoting in relation to the lower panel about the central pedestal. The first pressure sensor outputs a pressure signal indicative of pressure exerted into the upper panel. In at least one embodiment, the pressure signal is received by a detecting control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventor: Jamie J. Childress
  • Patent number: 11435243
    Abstract: A printed circuit board including electronic components, a carrier equipped with a network of conductor tracks electrically connecting the electronic components, and a plurality of strain gauges positioned on the carrier such that each one of the plurality of corners has a respective one of the plurality of strain gauges positioned closer to the one of the plurality of corners than to any other of the plurality of corners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignees: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Stéphane Couarraze
  • Patent number: 11428595
    Abstract: A device for determining the relative heights between two points in direction gravity acts and inclination sensor for single- or multi-axis determination of an inclination relative to the vertical direction defined by the gravitational field. The device can include: a connecting hose filled with a liquid; a first and a second pressure sensor arranged at opposite ends of the hose; a processor to determine a relative height between a first reference point with a fixed positional relationship to the first pressure sensor and a second reference point with a fixed positional relationship to the second pressure sensor; a synchronizer; a respective wireless module at each of the hose. The synchronizer can synchronize a first time point with a second measurement time point, wherein the processor is configured to assign the measured hydrostatic pressures to the same, common measurement time point on the basis of the synchronized measurement time points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBH
    Inventors: Jürg Hinderling, Wolfgang Rebhandl, Jochen Scheja, Markus Wenk
  • Patent number: 11428594
    Abstract: A resonant pressure sensor has high linearity and includes: a housing; and a pressure sensing unit that detects a static pressure based on a change value of a resonance frequency and includes: a housing-fixed portion; a substrate that includes a substrate-fixed portion and a substrate-separated portion; the pressure-receiving fluid that is interposed in a gap between the housing-fixed portion and the substrate and envelops the substrate; and a first resonator that is disposed in the substrate-separated portion and detects the change value of the resonance frequency based on a strain in the substrate caused by the static pressure applied by the pressure-receiving fluid, wherein the first resonator is made of a semiconductor material including an impurity, a concentration of the impurity is 1×1020 (cm?3) or higher, and an atomic radius of the impurity is smaller than an atomic radius of the semiconductor material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeto Iwai, Atsushi Yumoto, Makoto Noro, Takashi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11428570
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe aerial fiber optical cable localization using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) that advantageously may determine the locality of electrical transformers affixed to utility poles along with the aerial fiber optical cable as well as any length(s) of fiber optical cable between the poles. Further aspects employ survey manned or unmanned, aerial or terrestrial survey vehicles that acoustically excite locations along the fiber optical cable and associate those DAS excitations with global positioning location (GPS).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Inventor: Yue Tian
  • Patent number: 11422050
    Abstract: A temperature-pressure integrated sensor, includes the following sequentially connected components: an electrical connecting member, a pressure sensor element, and a basal body assembly. A flexible modulation circuit board is provided between the pressure sensor element and the electrical connecting member. The pressure sensor element is directly connected to the flexible modulation circuit board. The flexible modulation circuit board is connected to a conductive extension portion. The conductive extension portion extends from a top end of the pressure sensor element to a bottom end surface of the basal body assembly. A bottom end of the conductive extension portion is provided with a temperature sensor element. The flexible modulation circuit board is coupled to the pressure sensor element and the temperature sensor element, such that the flexible modulation circuit processes and converts both a pressure signal and a temperature signal, and a temperature-pressure integrated sensor is acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: SHENZHEN ANPEILONG TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Wen Xu
  • Patent number: 11422044
    Abstract: A bridge driver circuit applies a bias voltage across first and second input nodes of a resistive bridge circuit configured to measure a physical property such as pressure or movement. A sensing circuit senses drive current, bias current and common mode current for the bridge driver and sums the sensed currents to generate a source current. The source current is processed to determine a normalized resistance and temperature of the resistive bridge circuit and from which a temperature dependent sensitivity of the resistive bridge circuit is determined. A voltage output at first and second output nodes of the resistive bridge circuit is processed to determine a value of the physical property. This processing further involves applying a temperature correction in response to the determined temperature dependent sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Marco Zamprogno, Andrea Barbieri, Pasquale Flora, Raffaele Enrico Furceri
  • Patent number: 11422045
    Abstract: A strain sensor comprising a conductive member having a plurality of elements arranged adjacent to one another, and a non-conductive and elastically deformable material encapsulating the conductive member, wherein, in an equilibrium state, compressive forces cause at least one of the plurality of elements to contact at least a portion of an adjacent element, and wherein, when a strain is applied, a resulting elastic deformation causes at least one of the plurality of elements to space apart from an adjacent element such that the contacted portion decreases or is eliminated. A multi-axis force sensor comprising a sensing array comprising at least two planar sensors arranged radially on a planar substrate in antagonistic pairs, and a compressible member positioned between the substrate and a central portion of the sensing array, the compressible member acting to displace the central portion of the sensing array away from the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: Oluwaseun A. Araromi, Conor J. Walsh, Robert J. Wood
  • Patent number: 11421974
    Abstract: A sensor device has improved stability and includes: a sensor member having a core using a core material having a residual strain at 2% elongation of 0.4% or less, a conductor which has an electrical resistance of 1 k?/m or less and which is wound round an outer surface portion of the core in a coil form, an electromagnetic wave shielding layer for shielding the conductor from an extraneous electromagnetic wave, and an insulating layer having an electrical insulation function between the conductor and the electromagnetic wave shielding layer; and a measuring means for detecting an electric signal from the sensor member to measure an elongation of the sensor member based on a change of the electric signal; wherein the core material has various properties including a tensile modulus of 1 to 250 GPa and the core has a diameter of 0.08 to 0.6 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: TEIJIN LIMITED
    Inventor: Tatsuichiro Kon
  • Patent number: 11421973
    Abstract: A measurement device is disclosed for measuring a change in one or more of a circumference or a perimeter of at least a portion of an object having a surface. The measurement device includes a first part for attachment to the object, a second part having a first portion moveable relative to a first portion of the first part, a determining device for determining a displacement of the first portion of the second part relative to the first portion of the first part caused by the object changing, and a biasing device for biasing the first part and the second part towards engagement. The measured displacement is for use in determining the change in one or more of a circumference or a perimeter of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: ERGO FIGURE LIMITED
    Inventor: Paul Hodge
  • Patent number: 11415475
    Abstract: An apparatus for indicating the presence of a threshold directional differential pressure between separated adjacent spaces includes a first conduit and an inclined second conduit containing at least one movable element that indicates a threshold pressure difference between the two spaces. The apparatus may provide a compact arrangement while allowing the movable element to have a suitable travel path length within the second conduit. The travel path may include a first stop and a second stop. An imaginary axis or plane passing through a center of a first conduit may intersect the travel path between the first stop and the second stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: AirFlow Direction, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian M. Wiseman