Patents Examined by Sean Curtis
  • Patent number: 9678148
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a testing system includes a frame, a DUT (device under test) testing module. The frame has at least one aperture extending from a front side of the frame to a rear side of the frame. The DUT testing module is inserted into the at least one aperture. The DUT testing module is operable to receive and hold a DUT receptacle including an electrical interface, an air flow interface, and a DUT coupled to the electrical interface. The DUT receptacle is configured to enclose and hold inside the DUT. Further, the DUT testing module is operable to couple to and to use the electrical interface and the air flow interface to perform a test at a controlled temperature on the DUT that is inside of the DUT receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: ADVANTEST CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ben Rogel-Favila, James Fishman
  • Patent number: 9671257
    Abstract: An arrangement measures coordinates of a workpiece and/or machines the workpiece. The arrangement has a first part and a second part that can be moved relative to the first part. The relative mobility of the first and second parts is specified in addition to a possible mobility of a probe that is optionally additionally fixed to the arrangement. The mobility of the probe is specified by a deflection of the probe from a neutral position during a mechanical probing of the workpiece for the purpose of measuring the coordinates. A measuring body is arranged on the first or second part, and at least one sensor is arranged on the other part, i.e. on the second or first part. The sensor generates a measurement signal corresponding to a position of the measuring body and thus corresponding to the relative position of the first and second part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Tobias Held, Rainer Sagemueller, Dominik Seitz, Tobias Woletz
  • Patent number: 9662989
    Abstract: A fault diagnostic device of a vehicle includes a starting circuit which causes a charger mounted on the vehicle to output a charging start signal and thereby activate a control unit for controlling charging of a battery mounted on the vehicle when a charging gun is connected to the charger. The control unit causes the charger to output the charging start signal when the charger is activated in response to turning on of an ignition switch, and has a fault determination function whereby, if the control unit is not input with the charging start signal, it is judged that a disconnection or power-supply short circuit has occurred in a charging start signal circuit of the starting circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yu Watanabe, Noriyoshi Aiba, Takashi Nonaka, Kenji Kondo, Yasuhiro Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 9664707
    Abstract: A testing holder for a chip unit, a multi site holding frame for plural chip units and a method for testing a die thereof are provided. The proposed multi site holding frame for testing plural chip units simultaneously includes a first holder frame having a plurality of testing holders. Each of the plurality of testing holders includes a holder body containing a specific one of the plural chip units, and a pressure releasing device formed on the holder body to release an insertion pressure when the specific one of the plural chip units is inserted in the holder body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mill-Jer Wang, Kuo-Chuan Liu, Ching-Nen Peng, Hung-Chih Lin, Hao Chen
  • Patent number: 9660577
    Abstract: Techniques for solar cell electrical characterization are provided. In one aspect, a solar testing device is provided. The device includes a solar simulator; and a continuous neutral density filter in front of the solar simulator having regions of varying light attenuation levels ranging from transparent to opaque, the continuous neutral density filter having an area sufficiently large to filter all light generated by the solar simulator, and wherein a position of the continuous neutral density filter relative to the solar simulator is variable so as to control a light intensity produced by the device. A solar cell electrical characterization system and a method for performing a solar cell electrical characterization are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Oki Gunawan, Bao Lei
  • Patent number: 9653890
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a housing configured to be mounted at a breaker position of a load center and supporting at least one electrical connector configured to be electrically coupled to a bus bar of the load center. A graphical display is disposed at a face of the housing. A control circuit is disposed in the housing, electrically coupled to the at least one electrical connector and configured to control the graphical display. The control circuit may be further configured to be coupled to an external sensor, such as a current sensor. The control circuit may be configured to perform an electrical measurement and to display a result of the measurement on the graphical display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Andrew Jay Foerster
  • Patent number: 9651341
    Abstract: A sensor system for detecting buried metal objects such as unexploded ordnance and the collection of data for the classification of the detected objects based on parameters extracted from the collected data includes a wheeled cart, positioned on which is an array of transmitter coils for transmitting a series of excitation signals onto the area of interest and a sensor array of receiver coils and preamplifiers for receiving back the resultant eddy current decays emitted by the buried objects, a computer, and data acquisition electronics for acquiring and storing the received decays as decay data within the computer. The incoming EMI data are digitized and a data fitting process is performed to extract fit location and shape parameters. These data can be transferred to other data analysis systems for comparison to previously recorded signatures to determine whether the received decay data from the area of interest is attributable to buried metal objects or conversely to an object constituting an anomaly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Herbert H. Nelson
  • Patent number: 9638749
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a test floor apparatus includes at least one conveyor, a vertical stack buffer, and an automated handling station. The vertical stack buffer is operable to hold a plurality of DUT (device under test) receptacles and operable to place a DUT receptacle on the at least one conveyor to enable a corresponding DUT to be inserted into the DUT receptacle. The automated handling station is operable to access the DUT receptacle from the at least one conveyor and is operable to open the DUT receptacle to position the corresponding DUT in a manner that couples the corresponding DUT to an electrical interface of the DUT receptacle and that encloses the corresponding DUT inside the DUT receptacle to facilitate testing of the corresponding DUT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Advantest Corporation
    Inventors: Ben Rogel-Favila, James Fishman
  • Patent number: 9632121
    Abstract: The present invention relates to electronic power converter suitable, in a first mode, for receiving electrical voltage and/or current magnitudes from a first device as input, for processing them using processing means capable of measuring said electrical magnitudes and servocontrolling said electrical magnitudes based on said measurements and constraints specific to a second device, and for providing the adapted voltage and/or current magnitudes to said second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignees: CENTRE NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, UNIVERSITE DE FRANCHE-COMTE
    Inventors: Daniel Depernet, Oumar Ba, Alain Berthon
  • Patent number: 9632003
    Abstract: The present invention is systems and methods for detecting and locating leaks in roofing membranes and roof flashing. The systems include a conductive mesh underneath the roofing membrane and/or a conductive medium behind the roof flashing; attractor cables; and a reversible power supply attached to the conductive mesh/medium and attractor cables. The roofing membrane system also includes sensors, which may be wireless. The systems are controlled by a computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Inventor: Clark Robert Gunness
  • Patent number: 9632112
    Abstract: An intelligent electronic device (100) for metering a characteristic of electricity that has a rear opening (214) and a side opening (216) in a housing of the device for accepting a connector of an expansion module through one or the other opening. The device can be configured with an integrated display module (120) that protrudes through a panel of an enclosure, and in this configuration, the expansion module connects to the device through the rear opening of the housing. The device can also be configured to be mounted on a DIN rail, and in this configuration, the expansion module connects through the side opening of the housing. The same module can be used in either configuration, without requiring that different versions of the module be made for the different configurations and without having to mount the device in an awkward orientation that makes it difficult to access external connections around the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC USA, INC.
    Inventors: Stewart John Harding, Darrin Graham Marr, Colin Murray Slade, Marc Alan Ricci, David Andrew Hanke
  • Patent number: 9624672
    Abstract: The present invention is systems and methods for detecting and locating leaks in roofing membranes and roof flashing. The systems include a conductive mesh underneath the roofing membrane and/or a conductive medium behind the roof flashing; attractor cables; and a reversible power supply attached to the conductive mesh/medium and attractor cables. The roofing membrane system also includes sensors, which may be wireless. The systems are controlled by a computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Inventor: Clark Robert Gunness
  • Patent number: 9625509
    Abstract: A system for determining structural characteristics of an electromagnetic energy shielding material during a manufacturing process includes a transmitting antenna device mounted for a reciprocal linear movement across a width thereof, the transmitting antenna device being connected to a source of the electromagnetic energy and operable to transmit waves of the electromagnetic energy through the thickness of the electromagnetic energy shielding material during the reciprocal linear movement. A receiving antenna device is also mounted for the reciprocal linear movement in an alignment with the transmitting antenna device and operable to receive, during the reciprocal linear movement, the waves of electromagnetic energy being absorbed and attenuated by the electromagnetic energy shielding material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: NOKOMIS, INC.
    Inventors: Patrick Joel Fisher, Walter John Keller, III
  • Patent number: 9624671
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and system for detecting and locating leaks in a roofing membrane. The mean net voltage from an emitting electrode activated by and connected to the positive side of a power supply, when a conductive mesh disposed beneath the membrane is connected to the negative side of the power supply, is compared with the mean reference voltage from the emitting electrode when a reference electrode is connected to the negative side of the power supply in place of the conductive mesh. If the mean net voltage is greater than or equal to the mean reference voltage, then a leak is indicated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Inventor: Clark Robert Gunness
  • Patent number: 9618574
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method includes causing a test floor system to insert a DUT (device under test) into a DUT receptacle. This is performed in a manner that couples the DUT to an electrical interface of the DUT receptacle and that encloses the DUT inside the DUT receptacle to facilitate testing of the DUT. Also, the method includes causing the test floor system to transport the DUT receptacle that encloses the DUT to a tester of the test floor system and to insert the DUT receptacle into a DUT testing module of the tester. Further, the method includes causing the test floor system to determine identification information of the DUT. Furthermore, the method includes, based on the identification information, sending a test routine to the DUT testing module to perform on the DUT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: ADVANTEST CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ben Rogel-Favila, Padmaja Nalluri, Kirsten Allison
  • Patent number: 9618541
    Abstract: A magnetometer that senses low level currents flowing in a conductor or wire includes two cores with excitation windings on each core that are connected in series but which are wound in opposite orientations. A periodic alternating current drives the windings. Since the windings are in series but oppositely wound, the current flowing through the windings will produce equal but opposite flux flows in the two cores. A sensing winding is wound around both cores to provide flux profiles. A digital processor analyzes a quiescent flux profile, which is generated when no sense current is flowing through the dual cores, and distorted flux profiles when sense currents are flowing through the dual cores to measure a sense current flowing through the dual cores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: NEILSEN-KULJIAN, INC.
    Inventors: Huy D. Nguyen, Tom Lik-Chung Lee
  • Patent number: 9618583
    Abstract: A method detects faults during a steady state of an operation of an induction motor. The method measures, in a time domain, a signal of a current powering the induction motor with a fundamental frequency and determines, in a frequency domain, a set of frequencies with non-zero amplitudes, such that a reconstructed signal formed by the set of frequencies with non-zero amplitudes approximates the signal measured in the time domain. The determining includes a compressive sensing via searching within a subband including the fundamental frequency of the signal subject to condition of a sparsity of the signal in the frequency domain. The method detects a fault in the induction motor if the set of frequencies includes a fault frequency different from the fundamental frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc
    Inventor: Dehong Liu
  • Patent number: 9618570
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a testing apparatus includes an air mixing chamber, a docking unit, and a DUT (device under test) test execution unit. The air mixing chamber includes a first air inlet operable to receive a first air flow, a second air inlet operable to receive a second air flow, and an air outlet operable to output a mixed air flow. The docking unit is operable to receive and to securely hold a DUT (device under test) receptacle including an electrical interface, an air flow interface, and a DUT coupled to the electrical interface. The DUT receptacle is configured to enclose and hold inside the DUT. The docking unit is operable to couple to the electrical interface and to the air flow interface. The docking unit is operable to receive and to send the mixed air flow to the DUT receptacle. A DUT test execution unit is coupled to the docking unit. The DUT test execution unit is operable to perform a test on the DUT that is inside of the DUT receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: ADVANTEST CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ben Rogel-Favila, James Fishman
  • Patent number: 9618572
    Abstract: A package includes a semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip includes a test pad, and a plurality of microbump pads, wherein each microbump pad of the plurality of microbump pads is electrically connected to the test pad. The package further includes a substrate; and a plurality of microbumps configured to electrically connect the semiconductor chip to the substrate, wherein each microbump of the plurality of microbumps is electrically connected to a corresponding microbump pad of the plurality of microbump pads. The package further includes a package substrate, wherein the package substrate comprises a bump pad, wherein an area of the bump pad is greater than a combined area of the test pad and the plurality of microbump pads. The package further includes a bump configured to electrically connect the substrate to the package substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wei-Cheng Wu, Hsien-Pin Hu, Shang-Yun Hou, Shin-Puu Jeng, Chen-Hua Yu, Chao-Hsiang Yang
  • Patent number: 9612270
    Abstract: A testing device for a meter socket assembly, including breaker load lugs, includes a base unit having a plurality of test probes, a ground node, and a breaker node having a plurality of breaker probes. To perform the test, the base unit is inserted into a jaw meter socket such that each of the plurality of test probes are in contact with jaws of the jaw meter socket, at least two of the plurality of breaker probes are in contact with each of a plurality of breaker load lugs of a main breaker, and the breaker node is electrically connected to the base unit. The testing device determines the jaw type of the meter socket assembly and can output results of tests relating to phase to phase, phase to ground, crossed cables, and interruption of electrical paths. The testing device can output results of the test audibly and visually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: COOPER TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Duan Earl Packard, III, Daniel Wayne Vosbrink, Joseph Lee Hughes