Patents Examined by Ronald W. Leja
  • Patent number: 10297982
    Abstract: An ESD protective device includes an element assembly with a hollow portion that includes inner surfaces including a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and a third inner surface inclined to a Z direction in a cross section including the Z direction. Accordingly, a surface area of the inner surfaces of the hollow portion is increased, the heat load on an auxiliary discharge electrode is reduced, and the deterioration of the auxiliary discharge electrode is significantly reduced or prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihito Okutomi, Jun Adachi
  • Patent number: 10291018
    Abstract: A surge protection system provides surge protection to a load. The load is connected to a breaker panel through the surge protection system and a surge protection module bridges the hot/neutral/ground such that the surge protection module absorbs surges from the breaker panel and beyond. Being that, after exposure to certain amounts of surges, the surge protection modules lose effectiveness for surge protection, the surge protection module is removable and replaceable by a user without risk of personal injury from shock caused by making personal contact with electrical power. During removal and replacement, the load remains in electrical connection to the breaker panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Diversified Technology Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael David Gattis
  • Patent number: 10283982
    Abstract: A disconnect architecture for use with a system having a battery pack and positive and negative bus rails includes a mid-pack low-power (LP) relay, a fuse, semiconductor switches, and a sequencer circuit. The mid-pack LP relay is positioned between the rails at a mid-stack point of the battery pack, and divides a voltage across the battery pack when commanded open. The fuse is positioned between the mid-pack LP relay and the positive bus rail, and opens in response to a dead short condition of the system. The semiconductor switches are positioned in electrical parallel with the mid-pack LP relay. The sequencer circuit selectively turns on the semiconductor switches and thereby coordinates a flow of electrical current through the semiconductor switches and the mid-pack LP relay in response to a detected partial short condition of the system. A system includes the battery pack, bus rails, and disconnect architecture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Namou, Mohammad N. Anwar, Syed M. Kadry, Ahmad Albanna
  • Patent number: 10262797
    Abstract: A multilayer body includes a multilayer structure including a glass ceramic layer including a glass and a filler and a ferrite layer including a ferrite, in which the glass ceramic layer has a glass content of about 30.0% or more by weight and about 80.0% or less by weight and a filler content of about 20.0% or more by weight and about 70.0% or less by weight, the glass included in the glass ceramic layer includes about 0.5% or more by weight and about 5.0% or less by weight R2O (R represents at least one selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, and K), about 0% or more by weight and about 5.0% or less by weight Al2O3, about 10.0% or more by weight and about 25.0% or less by weight B2O3, and about 70.0% or more by weight and about 85.0% or less by weight SiO2 based on the total weight of the glass, and the filler included in the glass ceramic layer includes at least one of SiO2 and Al2O3 and also includes about 5.0% or more by weight and about 15.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshige Adachi
  • Patent number: 10260565
    Abstract: A wheel support device for a vehicle includes a bearing that rotatably supports a wheel, and is lubricated by a lubricant, a bearing support member, and a self-discharge type charge eliminator provided on a surface of a particular member. The self-discharge type charge eliminator is configured to change air around the self-discharge type charge eliminator into negative air ions, and eliminate charge by causing the air ions to attract positive charges of the particular member for neutralization, so as to reduce the quantity of charge of the particular member, and thereby reduce the quantity of charge of the lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio Tanahashi, Yoji Kanehara, Koshi Yamada
  • Patent number: 10263412
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a method of operating a control circuit includes generating a threshold value based on a drive signal of an external power transistor, and determining an overpower state of the external power transistor based on a voltage at a drain or a collector of the external power transistor and the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AG
    Inventor: Erwin Huber
  • Patent number: 10256625
    Abstract: An input protection circuit changes the voltage of a signal to be input to an input circuit to a predetermined voltage or less and outputs the signal. The input protection circuit includes a first NMOS transistor and a second NMOS transistor. The the first NMOS transistor includes a source to which an input signal is input, a gate to which a voltage based on a first voltage is applied, and a drain that outputs the signal to the input circuit based on the input signal and the gate voltage. The second NMOS transistor includes a source and a gate to each of which the voltage based on the first voltage is applied, and a drain that outputs a second voltage to the input circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidehiko Yajima, Satoru Kodaira
  • Patent number: 10248166
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device to which measures for reducing influence by electro-static discharge are applied. A tablet of the present disclosure includes a display module, a first metal frame that holds the display module, a second metal frame disposed on a surface opposite to a surface of the first metal frame where the display module is held, and a printed circuit board having a ground electrically connected to the first metal frame, mounting an electronic circuit, and disposed on a surface opposite to a surface of the second metal frame where the first metal frame is disposed. An electro-static current diverges to the first metal frame and the second metal frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Fusayasu, Masato Tobinaga
  • Patent number: 10249606
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a first domain including a first high power source line, a first low power source line, and a first power clamp circuit; a second domain including a second high power source line, a second low power source line, and a second power clamp circuit; a third power clamp circuit provided between the second high power source line and the first low power source line; a first relay circuit that receives a signal from the first domain and outputs the signal to the second domain; and a second relay circuit that receives a signal from the second domain and outputs the signal to the first domain, wherein the first relay circuit and the second relay circuit have a circuit portion that is connected to the second high power source line and the first low power source line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: SOCIONEXT INC.
    Inventor: Teruo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10250029
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, overvoltage detection structure is described that includes a current path including a Zener diode connected in series with a fuse. The Zener diode is configured to conduct a current in response to an overvoltage condition at a semiconductor device and the fuse is configured to permanently break the current path of the overvoltage detection structure in response to the Zener diode conducting the current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Andrea Carletti, Gerold Schrittesser, Albino Pidutti
  • Patent number: 10243350
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a protection circuit and a ground fault circuit interrupter. A protection circuit may include a power supply circuit, a ground fault detection circuit, a signal amplifying and shaping circuit, a microcontroller control circuit, a power supply detection and indicator circuit, a tripping mechanism control circuit, and a reverse grounding detection and execution circuit. The microcontroller control includes a microcontroller, a first capacitor, and a reset filter circuit. The reset filter circuit comprises a reset IC, a second capacitor, and another capacitor. A ground fault circuit interrupter may comprise an interrupter body with a protection circuit in the interrupter body. The practice of the present disclosure may address installation safety risks of conventional ground fault circuit interrupters and arc fault circuit interrupter and improve the safety of ground fault circuit interrupters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Inventor: Ze Chen
  • Patent number: 10243353
    Abstract: The DC-DC converter includes a series circuit of switching elements; a series circuit of capacitors; diodes respectively connected between one end of each of the series circuits; a series circuit constituted by a DC power source, a circuit breaker, and reactors; and a control circuit. The control circuit steps up a voltage of the DC power source through a chopper operation and causes the stepped up voltage to be outputted from both ends of the capacitor series circuit. When determining that a short circuit has occurred in one of the switching elements, the control circuit turns the other switching element that is free from the short circuit ON before the circuit breaker opens, thereby overriding and terminating the chopper operation and suppressing overvoltage caused by the short circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTROC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Tsuyuki, Ryohei Makino, Motoyoshi Kubouchi
  • Patent number: 10243351
    Abstract: A method of current differential protection performed in a control device is disclosed, wherein the control device has a first operate-restrain characteristic with a differential characteristic pick-up setting ID. The method includes: determining currents of all terminals of a protected object; determining a differential current based on the determined currents; determining direct current, DC, components in the respective determined currents; detecting a fault; and adjusting, for a detected external fault, the operate-restrain characteristics by setting an adjusted differential characteristic pick-up setting ID_adj to be equal to the sum of the differential characteristic pick-up setting ID and the determined DC components, providing an adapted operate-restrain characteristics. Corresponding control device, computer program and computer program product are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Ivo Brncic, Zhanpeng Shi, Sören Forsman
  • Patent number: 10242827
    Abstract: An electrically controlled switching device includes a support, a first contact coupled to the support, a second contact coupled to the support, an SMA element operably connected with the second contact, a sensor positioned on or adjacent to the SMA element, and a controller in communication with the sensor. The SMA element is configured to transform between a first shape and a different second shape responsive to an electrical pulse heating the SMA element to a transformation temperature. The sensor is configured to detect a detected temperature of the SMA element. The controller is configured to control the electrical pulse heating the SMA element. The controller receives signals from the sensor indicative of the detected temperature of the SMA element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: SAFRAN ELECTRICAL & POWER
    Inventors: David Michael Geier, James Walter Broadwell, James Michael McCormick, Patrick Wellington Mills
  • Patent number: 10243347
    Abstract: An isolated DC power supply device that supplies direct current (DC) power via a positive electrode line, a negative electrode line, and a neutral line to which a signal is applied, the isolated DC power supply device including: an amplifying unit configured to amplify the DC power; a receiving unit configured to detect an occurrence of a ground leakage current flowing to the positive electrode line or the negative electrode line, compare a voltage of the neutral point with a voltage of the signal of the neutral line and connect the neutral line with a ground point via a coil; and an impedance adjusting circuit configured to be installed between the amplifying unit and the receiving unit and adjust an impedance in a voltage range of the signal applied to the neutral line and in a voltage range other than the signal voltage range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tadashi Morita
  • Patent number: 10236202
    Abstract: A mobile electrostatic carrier (MESC) provides a structural platform to temporarily bond a semiconductive wafer and can be used to transport the semiconductive wafer or be used to perform manufacturing processes on the semiconductive wafer. The MESC uses a plurality of electrostatic field generating (EFG) circuits to generate electrostatic fields across the MESC that allow the MESC to bond to compositional impurities within the semiconductive wafer. A layer of patterned material is superimposed across the bonding surface of MESC so that the cavities integrated into the layer of patterned material are able produce micro-vacuums that further adhere the semiconductive wafer to the MESC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: DIABLO CAPITAL, INC.
    Inventor: Eryn Smith
  • Patent number: 10236679
    Abstract: With an IC including a driver that drives a large current, its characteristics may be deteriorated or the IC may be broken by heat generated by the large current. By providing a plurality of sensors and disposing some of the sensors so as to be close to an output driver that flows a large current, which is a source of heat generation, an increase in the temperature of the IC can be rapidly detected, and the deterioration of the characteristics of the IC can be prevented by accurately actuating an overheating protection function based on a result of detection. Alternatively, breakage of the IC can be prevented by suppressing overheating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Yamada, Katsumi Inoue
  • Patent number: 10234496
    Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes evaluating an analog electrical current waveform, determining a Boolean waveform based on the evaluated analog electrical current waveform, determining a collection of one or more first durations based on one or more on times identified from the Boolean waveform, determining a collection of one or more second durations based on one or more off times identified from the Boolean waveform, comparing the first durations and the second durations, determining, based on the comparing, an event based on the comparing, identifying a time at which the event occurred, and providing the time as a completion time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Woodward, Inc.
    Inventors: Suraj Nair, Doyle Kent Stewart
  • Patent number: 10236682
    Abstract: The invention relates to an inrush current free switching apparatus and control method thereof. The inrush current free switching apparatus includes a mechanical switch, a first unidirectional thyristor, a second unidirectional thyristor, a control unit, and a current limiting element. The first unidirectional thyristor is connected with the current limiting element in series to form a series circuit, the series circuit is connected with the second unidirectional thyristor in parallel, two ends of a main circuit of the mechanical switch is connected with the second unidirectional thyristor in parallel, the control unit is connected with the control terminal of the mechanical switch, the control unit is connected with the first unidirectional thyristor and the second unidirectional thyristor. The control unit prestores operating time parameters of the mechanical switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignees: GUANGZHOU KINGSER ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Qiaoshi Guo
  • Patent number: 10230234
    Abstract: This invention describes a method and an electrical circuit for controlling the closing of a three-phase circuit breaker with simultaneous pole operation to mitigate the inrush current resulting from power transformer energization by taking into account the residual magnetic flux in the transformer's magnetic core. It is disclosed a method to perform controlled switching on transformer and therefore mitigate the inrush current. It is disclosed that this method can be applied to any configuration of transformers which can be, but not limited to, Y-?, Y-Y, ?-? and ?-Y with either floating or grounded neutral.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: VIZIMAX INC.
    Inventors: Aziz Ijdir, Pierre Taillefer