Patents Examined by Sreeya Sreevatsa
  • Patent number: 11970273
    Abstract: Examples provide a seat assembly, a system including the seat assembly and a method for reducing electromagnetic interference in an aircraft. A seat assembly for an aircraft includes a frame having a base and a support member operatively coupled to the base. A seat is coupled to the base and a first side of the support member. The seat includes a conductive substrate layer configured to absorb electrical charges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Murat Saylik, Joseph A. Bolton
  • Patent number: 11942780
    Abstract: A clamping circuit for protection against ESD events is described. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the circuit comprises the following: a first transistor having a control terminal and a load current path connected between a first contact and a second contact; an amplifier circuit having an amplifier input and an amplifier output connected to the control terminal of the transistor; and a trigger circuit, which is connected between the first contact and the second contact, and comprises a second transistor. The trigger circuit is configured to generate a voltage swing at the amplifier input as a reaction to a discharge current at the first contact by virtue of the fact that at least part of the discharge current drives a control terminal of the second transistor via an intrinsic capacitance of the second transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Andreas Rupp, Michael Ammer, Gabriel-Dumitru Cretu
  • Patent number: 11942858
    Abstract: A switching arrangement for reducing contactor wear of an energy storage system having a plurality of battery packs arranged in parallel for powering a load. The switching arrangement includes a contactor for each battery pack. The contactors connect and disconnect the battery packs relative to the load by closing and opening, respectively, an electric arc reducing circuitry associated to one of the contactors. The switching arrangement is configured to electrically disconnect the battery packs from the load by means of the contactors such that the contactor being associated with the electric arc reducing circuitry is opened last.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Anton Klintberg, Faisal Altaf, Tobias Smidebrant
  • Patent number: 11935718
    Abstract: A method for detecting faults in a switch assembly includes at least one switch for monitoring the position of a component that can be moved by means of a drive which has an electric motor includes shifting the movable component from a first position to a second position spatially separated from the first position, wherein the power consumption of the electric motor changes in a previously specified manner, and wherein the switch state of the switch during a proper functioning of the switch changes in a previously specified manner, analyzing the power consumption of the electric motor and the switch state of the switch in an analysis unit, and triggering a fault action if the power consumption of the electric motor has changed in the previously specified manner and the switch state of the switch has not changed in the previously specified manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Hella GmbH & CO. KGAA
    Inventor: Alexander Sander
  • Patent number: 11929608
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein to accommodate different settings associated with an inverter-based electric power generator and an inverter-based electric power generator for electric power generation within an electric power delivery system. The electric power delivery system may provide electric power generated by a bulk electric system to the loads via distributed substations using a first operating frequency. Moreover, the distributed substations may include inverter-based electric power generators to supply the electric power demand of downstream loads in an islanded configuration. That said, the inverter-based electric power generators may supply the electric power using a second frequency that is higher than the first frequency. Protective systems, positioned downstream from the distributed substations, may use different settings associated with the bulk electric system or the inverter-based electric power generators based on detecting the frequency of the supplied electric power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott M. Manson, Jorge Fernando Calero, Angelos Kokkinis
  • Patent number: 11920903
    Abstract: A conducted electrical weapon may include an interposer. The interposer may be disposed in a bay of the conducted electrical weapon or may be coupled to a magazine insertable within the bay of the conducted electrical weapon. The interposer may include a cartridge separator. The cartridge separator may logically or physically define a plurality of cartridge compartments. Each cartridge compartment may be configured to receive and align with a cartridge loaded into a magazine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
    Inventors: John Groff, Trevor Ryan, Arturo Meuniot, Michael Roberts
  • Patent number: 11916414
    Abstract: A protection system for a battery system includes a battery control module configured to selectively open at least one contactor to isolate the battery system from a load in response to a sensed current being greater than a first threshold and within a first current range, at least one fuse connected between first and second terminals of the battery system and configured to open to isolate the battery system from the load in response to the sensed current being greater than a second threshold and within a second current range that is greater than and offset from the first current range, and an auxiliary protection module configured to selectively form a short circuit between first and second terminals in response to the sensed current being greater than the first threshold, less than the second threshold, and within a coverage gap region between the first and second current ranges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Prasad Atluri, Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Mark Daniel Gottlieb, Madhusudan Raghavan, Chandra S. Namuduri
  • Patent number: 11901883
    Abstract: Overload detection and protection for power switch circuits. For circuits with faster switching speed, fast fault detection and response to a detected overload condition may be desirable. Detection circuitry may monitor a voltage on the control terminal of one or more power switches. Based on empirical measurements, in an overload condition of a power switch circuit, e.g., a half-bridge circuit, the voltage at the control terminal may increase, and in some examples, increase to a magnitude that is greater than a supply voltage. A comparator may detect a voltage increase that exceeds a voltage magnitude threshold, output an indication to control circuitry for the power switch circuit, and the control circuitry may take action to protect the rest of the circuitry, such as reduce voltage or shut off the power switch circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Michael Krug, Marco Bachhuber, Marcus Nuebling, Tomas Manuel Reiter
  • Patent number: 11901722
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to methods and apparatus that may collect information relating to a group of electrical power distribution wires, commonly referred to as an electrical branch circuit. Such methods can controllably cause a circuit breaker to open (clear) while keeping the branch circuit loaded within a predetermined set of parameters or specifications. Apparatus consistent with the present disclosure may use multiple high power resistive elements of different resistance values that are selectively connected to the branch circuit in a manner that provides a configurable limit to an available fault current when data relating to the branch circuit are collected and evaluated. Such methods can provide a positive indication to an electrician that allows the electrician to know that a particular electrical circuit has been de-energized before the electrician works on that particular electrical circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: TASCO, INC.
    Inventors: Steven Thomas McCasland, Ryan Charles Minnig
  • Patent number: 11902056
    Abstract: Dual mode T-switches driven by at least one low-impedance switch driver, to connect at least four wires of a multiwire bus to a multi-input comparator (MIC) of a plurality of MICs in a first mode of Orthogonal Vector Signaling operation, and in a full-duplex mode of operation, using the low-impedance switch driver to disable a corresponding subset of T-switches to selectively disconnect a pair of wires of the multiwire bus from the MIC while using low-impedance enable signal paths in the low-impedance switch drivers to shunt capacitively-coupled interfering outbound signals received at the MIC from the selectively disconnected pair of wires in the full-duplex mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: KANDOU LABS SA
    Inventors: Suhas Rattan, Kiarash Gharibdoust
  • Patent number: 11894670
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a photodetector configured to generate an electrical current based on received illumination. The apparatus also includes an integration capacitor configured to integrate the electrical current and generate an integrator voltage. The apparatus further includes an amplifier configured to control a transistor switch coupled in series between the photodetector and the integration capacitor. The apparatus also includes an event detector configured to sense a high-energy event affecting the photodetector. In addition, the apparatus includes a switchable clamp coupled across inputs of the amplifier, where the event detector is configured to close the switchable clamp in response to sensing the high-energy event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Christian M. Boemler
  • Patent number: 11894166
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method of producing a surge arrestor module, comprising the acts of (i) providing a plurality of MOV blocks arranged in a stack, (ii) applying an epoxy-reinforced structural layer to an outer surface of the stack, (iii) after the applying, inserting the stack into a flexible bladder, and (iv) curing the epoxy-reinforced structural layer with elevated temperatures while the flexible bladder applies radially aligned pressure to the stack and a tool applies axially aligned pressure to the stack. The present disclosure also includes an apparatus for performing the methods described herein. The apparatus includes an outer case structure and a flexible bladder that fits within the outer case structure. A hollow inner region of the outer case structure is pressurized to force the flexible bladder against the surge arrestor module as the surge arrestor module is curing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Richards Mfg. Co., A New Jersey Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Christopher A Juillet, Bruce Bier, Jeffrey J. Madden
  • Patent number: 11888304
    Abstract: An integrated circuit with a hot-plug protection circuit includes input pins and an output pin. The input pins are electrically coupled to a common node in the hot-plug protection circuit via respective electrical connections. The integrated circuit includes clamping circuitry coupled between the common node and the output pin, the clamping circuitry activatable as a result of a voltage spike applied across the clamping circuitry. The plurality of electrical connections and the clamping circuitry provide respective current discharge paths between the input pins in the input pins and the output pin, the respective current discharge paths configured to become conductive as a result of a voltage spike applied to any of the input pins in the plurality of input pins being transferred to the common node via the respective electrical connection in the plurality of electrical connections electrically coupling said any of said input pins to the common node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Vittorio D'Angelo, Salvatore Cannavacciuolo, Sergio Lecce, Valerio Bendotti, Orazio Pennisi
  • Patent number: 11881741
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an emergency lighting circuit, an emergency start control method thereof and an emergency lighting system. When an emergency start condition is met, matching can be performed in a preset dimming database according to type information of load lighting equipment connected to a current emergency lighting circuit to obtain a dimming parameter value matching a power value required by the load lighting equipment, and finally, the load lighting equipment is directly controlled to start with the dimming parameter value. Through the above solution, when emergency lighting is started, there is no need to spend time in regulating power of the load lighting equipment, and a corresponding power value can be ensured when the load lighting equipment is started, which is highly reliable in emergency lighting start.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Shenzhen Yihui Lighting Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Jianwei Wang, Lin Yang
  • Patent number: 11875939
    Abstract: A method for controlling a part movable with a coil. In this case, a current flowing through the coil and/or a voltage applied to the coil is/are scanned in order to generate a coil signal. In a further step, at least one movement parameter representing an oscillatory movement of the part is ascertained by using the coil signal. Finally, at least one signal parameter of a dither signal is optionally changed to generate the oscillatory movement by comparing the movement parameter to the at least one setpoint value to adapt the oscillatory movement to the setpoint value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Christof Ott, Daniel Seiler-Thull, Michael Hilsch, Tobias Mauk, Torsten Berger
  • Patent number: 11869737
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for a push-button switch assembly with the ability to diagnose faults. The push-button switch assembly comprises a first circuit comprising a first resistor arranged in series with a first switch, and a second resistor arranged in parallel with the first resistor and the first switch, and a second circuit comprising a third resistor arranged in series with a second switch, and a fourth resistor arranged in parallel with the third resistor and the second switch, wherein the first switch and the second switch are each closable by displacement of a push-button of the push-button switch assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Braithwaite, Martin Scheck, James Michael Weinfurther, Gabriel Dascalu, Eric L Reed
  • Patent number: 11855441
    Abstract: An electrical receptacle including an outlet for electrically connecting to an external load, a load terminal electrically connected to the outlet, a line terminal electrically connected to a line and configured to receive line power, an interrupting device, and a testing circuit. The interrupting device electrically connects the load terminal to the line terminal when in a first condition and electrically disconnects the load terminal and the line terminal when in a second condition. The testing circuit is configured to determine when the external load is electrically connected to the outlet, and place the interrupting device in the first condition when the external load is electrically connected to the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Hubbell Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert Simon, Matthew Samojeden
  • Patent number: 11845697
    Abstract: The composite sintered body includes Al2O3, and MgAl2O4. The content of Al2O3 in the composite sintered body is not less than 95.5% by weight. The average sintered grain size of Al2O3 in the composite sintered body is not less than 2 ?m and not greater than 4 ?m. The standard deviation of sintered grain size distribution of Al2O3 in the composite sintered body is not greater than 0.35. The bulk density of the composite sintered body is not less than 3.94 g/cm3 and not greater than 3.98 g/cm3. In the composite sintered body, the ratio of amount of crystal phase of MgAl2O4 to that of Al2O3 is not less than 0.003 and not greater than 0.01.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kyohei Atsuji, Noboru Nishimura, Asumi Nagai, Yuji Katsuda
  • Patent number: 11843244
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a current detection circuit having a high detection precision. The current detection circuit includes: a current output type differential amplifier; a first input resistor, configured to be connected between a first input end of the differential amplifier and a first current sense terminal; a second input resistor, configured to be connected between a second input end of the differential amplifier and a second current sense terminal; an output resistor, configured to be connected to an output end of the differential amplifier; a first feedback current path, configured to allow a first feedback current to flow between the first input end and the output end of the differential amplifier; and a second feedback current path, configured to allow a second feedback current to flow between the second current sense terminal and the output end of the differential amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Aoki
  • Patent number: 11843236
    Abstract: An arc detection system for an aircraft high voltage and direct current electrical circuit which includes a sensor sensing high-frequency magnetic fields created by current pulses, a signal conditioning block, a database including a time threshold, status signals of events occurring in aircraft normal operation procedures, a processing unit configured to calculate a statistical dispersion of the high-frequency magnetic fields of the current pulses of the signals measured by the sensor, calculate a threshold under no-arc conditions as a function of the previous measured signals, check if the signals measured by the sensor are above the threshold under no arc-conditions during the time threshold, if positive, check if any status signal of events due to normal operation procedures has been activated, and if negative, activate the operation of an electrical protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAU
    Inventors: Guillermo Robles, Juan Manuel Martínez Tarifa, Daniel Izquierdo Gil, Gabriel Barroso De María, Manuel Gómez De La Calle