Patents Examined by Terrence Willoughby
  • Patent number: 9660459
    Abstract: The voltage regulator includes a resistor circuit that switches between a first state and a second state according to the comparison result signal. In the first state, a resistance between a second end of a first controlling transistor and a fixed potential is set at a first resistance, and a second end of a second controlling transistor and the fixed potential are disconnected from each other. In the second state, the second end of the first controlling transistor and the fixed potential are disconnected from each other, and a resistance between the second end of the second controlling transistor and the fixed potential is set at a second resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masafumi Otsuka, Hirotoshi Aizawa, Takaya Yasuda
  • Patent number: 9649945
    Abstract: A control unit for a vehicle is configured to control a power-generating unit such that electric power generated by the power-generating unit becomes smaller than that generated when a voltage between terminals of a smoothing capacitor is equal to or larger than an output voltage of a battery, when all of conditions i)-iii) are satisfied, where i) an external power supply unit supplies electric power to the outside in a condition where a shift lever is placed in a parking position, ii) after an amount of electric power stored in the battery is reduced to be smaller than a predetermined power storage amount in a condition where a relay is switched OFF, the relay is operated switch ON, and electric power is generated by the power-generating unit, and iii) the voltage between the terminals of the smoothing capacitor is smaller than the output voltage of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasutaka Funabashi
  • Patent number: 9627883
    Abstract: Antenna switching circuitry comprises a plurality of communication ports, an antenna port, a plurality of switches, and an ESD protection device. The plurality of switches are adapted to selectively couple one or more of the communication ports to the antenna port in order to transmit or receive a signal. The ESD protection device is coupled between one of the plurality of communication ports and ground, and is adapted to form a substantially low impedance path to ground during an ESD event. Upon the occurrence of an ESD event, a received electrostatic charge passes through one or more of the plurality of switches to the ESD protection device, where it is safely diverted to ground. By using only one ESD protection device, desensitization of the antenna switching circuitry due to the parasitic loading of the ESD protection device is avoided. Further, the area of the antenna switching circuitry is minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
    Inventors: Swaminathan Muthukrishnan, Cody Hale, Randy Naylor, Nicholas Liu
  • Patent number: 9622384
    Abstract: A combined battery charger and motor driver circuit assembly includes a plurality of power transistors arranged as a planar array, a cold plate configured to couple heat from each of the transistors in the array, a conductive power coupling fitting (also termed a bus bar), at least one capacitor, and a ferrite bead filter surrounding a necked section of the bus bar. The bus bar has a plurality of individually electrically conductive layers, each two of the layers being separated by an insulating layer, each conductive layer providing a plurality of contacts, the contacts in a layer configured to provide electrical contact, in the alternative, for power transistor collectors or power transistor emitters. The laminated bus bar is extended to form a fishtail shape along a specified section distal to the power transistors. The fish tail section terminates in two electrical contacts configured to provide electrical contact via discrete conductors to respective positive and negative battery terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Quantum Fuel Systems LLC
    Inventors: Fred Flet, Joseph Hudak
  • Patent number: 9608450
    Abstract: A static converter with parallel architecture or series architecture comprises a plurality of switching cells, arranged in parallel or in series, and controlled in a decentralized manner by associated control modules, strung together according to a loop by a series of communication links. Each control module comprises a single and different local unit for generating the triangular carrier of the module which controls the positioning of its interleaving phase as a function only of the signals of the triangular carriers of the two adjacent modules. Each control module comprises a local unit for balancing the currents of branches and/or a unit for internal regulation of the output voltage of AVP type, or a local unit for balancing the cell voltages and/or a unit for internal regulation of the input current or output current of the ACP type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique
    Inventor: Marc Cousineau
  • Patent number: 9601942
    Abstract: Disclosed is a wireless power receiver to transfer power wirelessly received from a wireless power transmitter to a load. The wireless power receiver includes a first reception induction coil coupled with a reception resonant coil to receive AC power; a first rectifying diode to rectify the AC power received through the first reception induction coil; a second reception induction coil connected to the first reception induction coil and coupled with the reception resonant coil to receive the AC power; and a second rectifying diode to rectify the AC power received through the second reception induction coil, wherein the wireless power receiver changes a transferring path of the power provided to the load according to a polarity variation of the AC power received through the first and second reception induction coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Su Ho Bae
  • Patent number: 9601947
    Abstract: A utilities control system with a DC powered control system located within a building or room and having in combination an occupant activation device, a seismic sensor and a wireless transmitter; a wireless receiver in combination with a utilities shut-off device, and whereby upon either a change in status of the occupant activation device or the sensing of a seismic event by the seismic sensor, a signal is transmitted from the wireless transmitter to the wireless receiver such that the utilities shut-off device is activated to stop delivery of utilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Inventor: Everett Ogden
  • Patent number: 9601917
    Abstract: Disclosed is a device capable of preventing a short circuit even in the event of flooding. A terminal polarity fixing unit is disposed between an input terminal unit and an output terminal unit such that a first output terminal and a second output terminal are electrically connected to a neutral terminal and to a phase voltage terminal, respectively, all the time, regardless of how first and second input terminals are paired with the phase voltage terminal and the neutral terminal of an alternating-current outlet. First and second connecting terminals are electrically insulated from each other and spaced apart from each other while being exposed to one side of a body unit of a connecting terminal block made from an insulating body, and electrically connect the first and second output terminals to a load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Inventors: Chun Hun An, Dae Hoon Park
  • Patent number: 9590419
    Abstract: A power switching assembly for switching power in a power distribution bus, and a power distribution system including such a power switching assembly, are disclosed. The power switching assembly includes a first terminal, a second terminal, a first semiconductor element and a second semiconductor element electrically coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal to provide controllability of a current flow from the first terminal to the second terminal and from the second terminal to the first terminal A controller for controlling the semiconductor elements may be configured to implement one or more of various control schemes such as a breaker, a current limiter, a load balancer, and a precharging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Ove Boe, Alf Olav Valen
  • Patent number: 9583978
    Abstract: A smart meter includes: a power supply control unit which causes stoppage of a supply of power passing through the smart meter to an television and so on, when an RD command to stop the supply is received; a first communication unit which performs a first communication through which the RD command is received; a second communication unit which performs a second communication; and a communication control unit which: causes the performance of the first communication before the RD command is received; and prohibit the performance of the first communication and cause only the performance of the second communication, after the RD command is received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki Matsushima, Natsume Matsuzaki, Tomoyuki Haga
  • Patent number: 9570935
    Abstract: There are provided a magnetic coupling unit and a magnetic coupling system which are capable of reducing energy loss when operations using magnetic coupling between magnetic devices are performed. The magnetic coupling unit includes: one or more magnetic devices each capable of being magnetically coupled with other magnetic device in other unit; and one or more coupling reinforcing sections each reinforcing the magnetic coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9570942
    Abstract: An interconnect device is disclosed for detecting whether an vehicle on-board diagnostics (OBD) data port includes a blocking diode or equivalent, that prevents back feeding of power through the OBD data port. If a diode is detected, the interconnect device alerts the user that the power cannot be back fed through the OBD II port connector. In such a condition, an alternate means is used to preserve the data mentioned above. Specifically, an alternative power supply can be connected directly to the battery cables that will be disconnected from the battery, for example, by way of battery clamps. In this way the alternative power supply is used to preserve the data until a new battery is reconnected to the vehicle battery cables. If a diode is not detected by the interconnect device, the interconnect device displays this fact to the user. The interconnect device includes circuitry for detecting and displaying whether a diode is connected in series with a power pin of the OBD II port connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Schumacher Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Patrick J. Clarke, John S. Whiting, John B. Borke, Matthew Adam Heins, Samuel I. Weisbard
  • Patent number: 9570971
    Abstract: A controller for determining switching phases among switching elements of a power supply system having voltage converters, each comprising a switching element. The controller receives signals indicative of a contribution from each converter to a ripple voltage component of an input current of the converters, and ranks the converters. The controller calculates a switching phase offset that is to be applied for the switching element by: (i) calculating phase offsets of two highest ranked converters that would minimize an input voltage ripple caused by said two highest ranked converters, (ii) calculating a phase offset of a next-highest ranked converter that would minimize an input voltage ripple caused by said next-highest ranked converter and converters ranked higher than said next-highest converter; and (iii) repeating step (ii) for each converter in the ranking. The controller generates output signals defining the calculated switching phase offsets to be applied to the switching elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET L M ERICSSON (PUBL)
    Inventors: Andreas Larsson, Torbjorn Holmberg, Magnus Mellteg
  • Patent number: 9564263
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are a core assembly for wireless power communication, a power supplying device for wireless power communication having the same, and a method for manufacturing the same. The core assembly for wireless power communication includes: a plate shaped core including concave parts disposed in a main surface thereof and made of a magnetic material; a plurality of winding type coils received in the concave parts and partially overlapping each other; and a circuit board connected to both ends of each of the coils which controls application of a power to the coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: HANRIM POSTECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoon-Sang Kuk, Chun-Kil Jung
  • Patent number: 9543756
    Abstract: A pulse generator circuit arrangement for the search for insulation faults in IT networks includes a rectifier circuit for transforming an IT network voltage into a DC intermediate circuit and switching elements having a trigger signal input for switching on and off a DC intermediate circuit voltage. A circuit device downstream of the switching elements generates a pulsed current to be supplied to the IT network. The circuit arrangement includes a control and evaluating logic for determining the insulation resistance of the IT network and also a circuit device for generating the pulsed current, which is formed as a current regulating device and allows a dynamic adjustment of the pulsed current depending on the determined insulation resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: BENDER GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Carsten Weiss, Tobias Groh
  • Patent number: 9537350
    Abstract: A switch-mode power supply that includes a transformer coupled to an alternating current (AC) power source and a direct current (DC) power source, wherein the AC power source is electrically isolated from the DC power source. The switch-mode power supply further includes a first controller configured to regulate a first voltage output from the AC power source, and a second controller configured to regulate a second voltage output from the DC power source when the transformer is not receiving power from the AC output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc.
    Inventor: David Bruce Hyypio
  • Patent number: 9531297
    Abstract: A power conversion system (10) for converting power from a plurality of solar panels. The system (10) comprises a plurality of panel modules (14) each having an input (16) and an output (17) and being connected in series. Each panel module (14) is connected to at least one solar panel (12) that supplies power to the panel module (14). Voltage control circuitry is provided within each of the panel modules (14) to vary the voltage supplied between the input (16) and the output (17) between a maximum module voltage and a minimum module voltage. A control unit (29) in communication with the voltage control circuitry of each of the panel modules varies the voltage supplied across the input (16) and output (17) of each of the panel modules (14) such that the total voltage across the series connected panel modules (14) forms an AC signal or a rectified version of an AC signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Inventor: Kevin Stephen Davies
  • Patent number: 9523992
    Abstract: To prevent loss of controllability associated with the change in total target power value, and suppress power supply voltage fluctuation. An upper limit value calculation section 20 is provided, which adds a correction value Hn calculated by a correction value calculation section 19 to a sum total ?xn of target power values x1n to xMn calculated by a total target power value calculation section 18, so as to calculate a power upper limit value PLIM for every load, such that an appropriate power upper limit value PLIM may be obtained depending on variation of the sum total ?xn of target power values x1n to xMn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: RKC INSTRUMENT INC.
    Inventors: Shigefumi Gotoh, Keisuke Akiho, Hirohisa Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 9520722
    Abstract: A solar power generation management apparatus which manages a solar power generation system includes: an output sensor that senses respective output current values or output voltage values of a plurality of unit power generation modules; and a calculator that receives sensing information from the output sensor and displays it on a display (50). The calculator acquires the sensing information of the output sensor and simultaneously displays a plurality of display frames (212) corresponding to the plurality of unit power generation modules on the display. Furthermore, it sets a color level of information displayed in the display frame (212) correspondingly to a level of the sensing information. As a result, operating situations of the plurality of unit power generation modules can be visually monitored based on the color levels in the display frames on the display, which enables maintenance timing of solar panels to be visually recognized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignees: EPSEL CO., LTD., EPSEM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masumi Nasuno, Hideichi Azuma, Manabu Fujii
  • Patent number: 9494923
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention extends to an interface for converting rotational motion to electrical signals comprising a mechanical actuator which is rotationally moveable in a first direction and in a second direction, and a first and a second electrical component connected to the actuator and arranged so that rotation of the actuator in the first direction causes changes in electrical properties of the first electrical component and rotation of the actuator in the second direction causes changes in electrical properties of the second electrical component. The first and the second electrical components are connected to one or more electrical circuits so that rotation of the actuator in the first and the second directions causes changes in the one or more electrical circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Inventor: Khalil Abu Al-Rubb