Patents Examined by Terrence Willoughby
  • Patent number: 8929053
    Abstract: The present invention provides a direct-current current transformer, or DCCT, yielding bandwidth from DC to several MHz. The DCCT according to this invention is a simple, open-loop, device in which flux densities occur at very low levels, avoiding difficulties occasioned by core saturation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Inventor: William Henry Morong
  • Patent number: 8896153
    Abstract: An electric power supplying system includes at least two systems each including a bus line which is formed by at least two conductors and on which an information signal representing information is superimposed on electric power, a power supply server which is connected to the bus line and which supplies the electric power, and a client connected to the bus line to receive the supply of the electric power from the power supply server. The two systems are connected to each other by connecting the bus lines using conductors. The conductors include a connector having at least two electrodes that connect with each of the conductors. The connector has a structure in which, when the connector is connected to the bus line, one of the electrodes is connected to the bus line before the other of the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeru Tajima
  • Patent number: 8896975
    Abstract: Monitoring of a core logic internal voltage regulator output is performed to detect, alarm and put an integrated circuit device into a safe mode when the voltage on the core logic exceeds a safe operating voltage value. This allows putting the integrated circuit devise into a predictable, detectable and safe mode, and to alarm the over-voltage condition to a system monitor to alert on a fault and subsequent fault disposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Microchip Technology Incorporated
    Inventor: Pieter Schieke
  • Patent number: 8885317
    Abstract: A solution for static charge neutralization that includes providing at least one pulse train pair to an emitter of an ionizer is disclosed. The pulse train pair is disposed to include a positive pulse train and a negative pulse train that alternate in sequence. The positive pulse train includes an ionizing positive voltage waveform, while the negative pulse train includes an ionizing negative voltage waveform. These ionizing positive and negative voltage waveforms alternately create voltage gradients across the emitter and a reference electrode of the ionizer, generating by corona discharge an ion cloud that includes positive and negative ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Leslie Wayne Partridge
  • Patent number: 8885312
    Abstract: An ESD protection device includes a ceramic base material, a pair of opposed electrodes provided on a surface of or in the ceramic base material, and a discharge auxiliary electrode film arranged to connect the pair of opposed electrodes, wherein the discharge auxiliary electrode film is composed of a material containing, as its main constituents, metallic particles and glass covering the metallic particles. The discharge auxiliary electrode film is formed by providing an electrode paste containing glass-coated metallic particles that have an approximately 15% rate of increase in weight at about 400° C. for about 2 hours in air, a resin binder, and a solvent so as to connect the pair of opposed electrodes to each other, and then firing at a temperature of about 600° C. or more, higher than a softening point of glass of the glass-coated metallic particles, and not +200° C. higher than the softening point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Sumi, Takahiro Kitadume, Jun Adachi, Takayuki Tsukizawa, Masanori Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8872387
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a non-contact switch which is used for an elevator or general automatic doors, and comprises: buttons B including a push button or an optical sensor button for selecting an elevator movement or opening an automatic door; a pair of long sensor blocks 10, which are installed adjacent to or above the push button and arranged so as to face each other with a gap 12 equivalent to the width of one to two human fingers therebetween; and a plurality of sensors S which are installed in a single file on the surfaces of the sensor blocks that face each other, wherein a sensor detects movement of a human finger moving with the gap 12 at or above a predetermined length or at or above a predetermined speed and selects an upward or downward movement for a destination floor for the elevator or opens the automatic door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Inventor: Il Shik Yoon
  • Patent number: 8866332
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement (1) for power distribution in a motor vehicle is described, which comprises a transformer (T1, T1a . . . T1n) having at least three transformer windings (W1, W1a . . . W1n, W2, W2a . . . W2n, W3, W3a . . . W3n). A first and second on-board supply inside the vehicle and a power supply which is outside the vehicle can be connected to the circuit arrangement (1), which supplies are coupled via the transformer windings (W1, W1a . . . W1n, W2, W2a . . . W2n, W3, W3a . . . W3n) and converters (UR1, UR2, UR2a . . . UR2n, UR3, UR3a . . . UR3n). The third converter (UR3, UR3a . . . UR3n) can be connected via a first change-over switch (US1, US1?) alternatively to the first on-board supply inside the vehicle or to the power supply outside the vehicle. A plurality of first converters (UR 1) and/or a plurality of second converters (UR2, UR2a . . . UR2n) and/or a plurality of third converters (UR3, UR3a . . . UR3n) each being connected to the transformer windings (W1, W1a . . . W1n, W2, W2a . . .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: BRUSA Elektronik AG
    Inventor: Axel Krause
  • Patent number: 8861151
    Abstract: Disclosed is an overvoltage protection circuit which includes a first terminal through which a first voltage is supplied to an internal circuit; a second terminal through which a second voltage is supplied; a rectifier having an input end connected to the first terminal and having an output end; and first-stage to n-th-stage switching elements which are connected in parallel to one another. The first-stage to n-th-stage switching elements have first to n-th controlling ends, respectively. Each of the switching elements has first and second controlled ends connected to the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively. The rectifier is configured to output a control voltage from the output end thereby to cause the first-stage to n-th-stage switching elements to be turned on, in response to receipt of an overvoltage from the first terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Lapis Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akihiro Sushihara
  • Patent number: 8848334
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck for manufacturing a flat panel display is disclosed. In one embodiment, the electrostatic chuck includes i) a base substrate, ii) an insulating layer formed on the base substrate and iii) a conductive layer formed on the insulating layer and electrically connected to a power device. The electrostatic chuck further includes a dielectric layer formed on the conductive layer and including an emboss part and a trench part surrounding the emboss part. The emboss part comprises a plurality of contact parts and at least one protrusion. The trench part includes at least one channel. The contact parts and the protrusion have different shapes. The electrostatic chuck further includes a cooling gas line extending through the base substrate, the insulating layer, the conductive layer, and the dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung-Won Doh
  • Patent number: 8842406
    Abstract: An over-current protection device includes a resistive device, an insulation layer, an electrode layer and at least one electrically conductive connecting member. The resistive device includes a first electrode foil, a second electrode foil and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material layer laminated between the electrode foils. The insulation layer is formed on the surface of the first electrode foil, and the electrode layer is formed on the surface of the insulation layer. The conductive connecting member penetrates the electrode layer, the insulation layer and the first electrode foil for electrically connecting the electrode layer and the first electrode foil. The conductive connecting member is insulated from the second electrode foil. One of the first and second electrode foils is configured to electrically connect to a protective circuit module (PCM), and the other one is configured to electrically connect to an electrode terminal of a battery to be protected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Polytronics Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Chun Teng Tseng, Yi Nuo Chen, David Shau Chew Wang
  • Patent number: 8830646
    Abstract: Provided is a protection coordination system. The system includes a current limiter arranged on a line between a first relay and a second relay to limit a fault current generated to within a predetermined scope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: LSIS Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung Hyun Bang, Kwon Bae Park, Won Joon Choe, Jung Wook Sim, Gyeong Ho Lee, Hae Yong Park, Min Jee Kim
  • Patent number: 8817441
    Abstract: A circuit breaker is provided that includes primary and secondary paths that extend between first and second terminals. The primary path extends between the first and second terminals and through a first switch. The secondary path extends between the first and second terminals and through the second switch and a semiconductor switching element. During normal operation, a control system maintains the first and second switches in closed position and the semiconductor switching element in blocking state. When a fault condition occurs in the load current, the control system detects the fault condition and sets the semiconductor switching element to conducting state. The control system then sets the first switch to open position such that the load current flows between the first and second terminals through the secondary path. The control system then sets the second switch to open position and the semiconductor switching element to blocking state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert J. Callanan
  • Patent number: 8817434
    Abstract: An exemplary ESD protection device is adapted for a high-voltage tolerant I/O circuit and includes a stacked transistor and a gate-grounded transistor e.g., a non-lightly doped drain type gate-grounded transistor. The stacked transistor and the gate-grounded transistor are electrically coupled in parallel between an I/O pad and a grounding voltage of the high-voltage tolerant I/O circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
    Inventors: Chang-Tzu Wang, Tien-Hao Tang, Kuan-Cheng Su
  • Patent number: 8792218
    Abstract: An ESD protection circuit for an RF semiconductor device includes an RF input pad configured to receive an RF input signal having an RF operating frequency for the RF semiconductor device. A first ESD block is coupled between an intermediate node and the first power supply voltage terminal, to direct an ESD pulse of a first polarity toward the first power supply voltage terminal. A second ESD block is coupled between the intermediate node and the second power supply voltage terminal, to direct an ESD pulse of a second, opposite polarity toward the second power supply voltage terminal. A resonance circuit is coupled between the RF input pad and the intermediate node. The resonance circuit is configured to present a greater impedance to the RF input signal having the RF operating frequency than to the ESD pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ming Hsien Tsai
  • Patent number: 8786128
    Abstract: A process field device for use in monitoring or controlling an industrial process includes first and second loop terminals configured to couple to a two-wire industrial process control loop. Field device circuitry is configured to monitor or control a process variable of the industrial process. The field device circuitry is powered by power connections from the two-wire industrial process control loop. A current regulator is connected in series with the two-wire industrial process control loop, the first and second loop terminals and the field device circuitry. The current regulator is configured to control a loop current flowing through the two-wire process control loop. A voltage regulator is connected in parallel with the current regulator and in series with the two-wire industrial process control loop, first and second loop terminals and field device circuitry. The voltage regulator is configured to control a voltage across the field device circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Rosemount Inc.
    Inventor: John P. Schulte
  • Patent number: 8773826
    Abstract: A power-rail ESD clamp circuit with a silicon controlled rectifier and a control module is provided. The silicon controlled rectifier is connected to a high voltage level and a low voltage level for bearing a current flow. The control module is connected to the silicon controlled rectifier in parallel, and includes a PMOS, a NMOS, at least one output diode, a resistor and a conducting string. The silicon controlled rectifier is a P+ or N+ triggered silicon controlled rectifier. By employing the novel power-rail ESD clamp circuit, it is extraordinarily advantageous of reducing both a standby leakage current and layout area while implementation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Amazing Microelectronic Corp.
    Inventors: Federico Agustin Altolaguirre, Ming-Dou Ker, Ryan Hsin-Chin Jiang
  • Patent number: 8767368
    Abstract: The protective element includes an elastic member firmly adhered through a solder to second conductor layers and current-carrying electrode terminals formed on a prescribed substrate in such a manner to divide a current-carrying path in plural to form an electric current interruption portion. The solder has a liquid-phase point higher than a mounting temperature at which the protective element is mounted to a protection target device. The elastic member is soldered onto the second conductor layers and the current-carrying electrode terminals in a state that the elastic member maintains a level of stress allowing at least one of the current-carrying electrode terminals among the second conductor layers and the current-carrying electrode terminals to be separated from the elastic member by deformation of the solder even in a case where the solder is not completely melted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Dexerials Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Yoneda
  • Patent number: 8760826
    Abstract: An electrical power converter for converting power from a bipolar DC source to supply an AC load is disclosed. For one such embodiment the bipolar DC source is a photovoltaic array and the AC power is sourced into an electric power grid. The bipolar photovoltaic array has positive and negative voltage potentials with respect to earth ground. The converter is a utility interactive inverter which does not require an isolation transformer at the electric power grid interface. Embodiments of the invention include methods of detecting and interrupting DC ground faults in the photovoltaic array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Schneider Electric Solar Inverters USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard T. West
  • Patent number: 8749935
    Abstract: A protection circuit for lithium-ion battery is provided. The protection circuit samples the voltage of the lithium-ion battery as a sample voltage and outputs the sample voltage. A switch circuit includes a first switch having two first connection terminals and a first control terminal. The first switch connects the two connection terminals when the control terminal receives a high logic level and disconnects the two connection terminals when the control terminal receives a low logic level. One of the first connection terminals is connected to the lithium-ion battery through a first current-limiting resistor to receive a battery voltage and is connected to an output terminal of the switch circuit, the other first connection terminal is grounded. The output terminal outputs a logic low level as a turn-on signal and a logic high level as a turn-off signal of the lithium-ion battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Huan Xia
  • Patent number: 8743519
    Abstract: The reclosing control device configured to perform a reclosing control in case of a fault in a transmission line. Further, the reclosing control device includes a voltage detection unit configured to detect a faulted phase voltage waveform and extract a harmonic component contained in the faulted phase voltage waveform; a HR calculating unit configured to calculate ratio values between even harmonics and odd harmonics based on the extracted harmonic component; and a reclosing control unit configured to determine whether or not an arc is finally extinguished based on the calculated ratio value and perform a reclosing control depending on a result of the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Sungyunkwan University Foundation for Corporate Collaboration
    Inventors: Chul Hwan Kim, Chul Moon Lee, Hun Chul Seo