Patents Examined by Tien Mai
  • Patent number: 8908344
    Abstract: There is provided an overheating protection circuit, including a temperature-variable voltage generating unit generating a temperature-variable voltage by adding a temperature-proportional voltage increasing with an increase in temperature and a first turn-on voltage decreasing with an increase in temperature; and an overheating prevention signal generating unit comparing the temperature-variable voltage and a second turn-on voltage decreasing with an increase in temperature to generate an overheating prevention signal, wherein the first turn-on voltage and the second turn-on voltage have the same distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chang Jae Heo
  • Patent number: 8891209
    Abstract: A high voltage direct current (HVDC) hybrid circuit breaker is provided. The circuit breaker includes a solid-state main breaker, a mechanical fast disconnector and a solid-state auxiliary breaker connected in series, the series-connection of the disconnector and the auxiliary breaker being connected in parallel to the main breaker, a snubber circuit including a capacitor, and a switching device being arranged for disconnecting the snubber capacitor in response to the auxiliary breaker being opened. By disconnecting the snubber capacitor, an uncontrolled discharging of the capacitor through the disconnector and the main breaker, and the resulting non-zero current flowing through the disconnector during the breaking action, may be avoided. Further, a method of an HVDC hybrid circuit breaker is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: ABB Technology AG
    Inventors: Jürgen Häfner, Arman Hassanpoor
  • Patent number: 8861152
    Abstract: To prevent an electrostatic damage on a display device formed with a driving circuit. Protective circuits are provided not only at input terminal parts, but also at intermediate parts of a circuit or at the ends of wiring lines. Otherwise, the protective circuits are provided at the ends of the wiring lines and at the places immediately before and after the input terminals, respectively, and then the circuit is interposed therebetween. Further, the protective circuits are provided around a circuit with a large current consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yutaka Kobashi
  • Patent number: 8854789
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a self-defense system is disclosed. The self-defense system may include or comprise a material sized to conform to an appendage, and a defense unit coupled with the material and positioned to initiate a defense event in response to an input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Inventor: Jerry Alan Crandall
  • Patent number: 8848326
    Abstract: A cross-domain ESD protection scheme is disclosed. Embodiments include coupling a first power clamp to a first power rail and a first ground rail; providing a first NMOS transistor having a first source, a first drain, and a first gate; coupling the first source to a second ground rail; providing a first PMOS transistor having a second source, a second drain, and a second gate; coupling the second source to the first power rail; and providing, via the first power clamp, a signal to turn on the first NMOS transistor during an ESD event that occurs at the first power rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Da-Wei Lai, Ying-Chang Lin
  • Patent number: 8837099
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments are directed to an electrical overstress protection circuit. The electrical overstress protection circuit may include an intermediate node receiving a reference voltage, a first pair of clamp devices, having opposite polarity, clamping an input signal line to the intermediate node, and a second pair of clamp devices, each clamping the intermediate node to one of two reference potentials. The electrical overstress protection circuit may also include a filter connected to the intermediate node to reduce noise at the intermediate node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Coln, Gary Carreau, Yoshinori Kusuda
  • Patent number: 8830650
    Abstract: An ionizer includes two needle electrodes, and a high voltage generating unit for applying a first AC voltage to one of the needle electrodes, and for applying a second AC voltage, having a frequency higher than a frequency of the first AC voltage, to another of the needle electrodes. Static charge of a charged body is eliminated by releasing generated positive ions or negative ions, which are generated in the vicinity of the needle electrodes, toward the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: SMC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Nobuhiro Fujiwara, Masayuki Orihara
  • Patent number: 8824110
    Abstract: A power plug, including: a shell, the shell having two sides, a reset button and a test button protruding from the first side, and a live wire pin and a neutral wire pin protruding from the second side; a circuit board; a stationary contact; a movable contact; a tripping device; a cross arm; and a push block. The stationary contact is connected with the live wire pin and the neutral wire pin; the movable contact can be connected to or disconnected from the stationary contact. The tripping device includes a sliding pedestal and a sliding part and controls the connection between the movable contact and the stationary contact. An elastic member is disposed on the push block. An ejector spring is disposed on one end of the movable armature. A reset spring is disposed between the sliding part and the sliding pedestal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Zhongshan Kaper Electrical Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Bill Zou
  • Patent number: 8817444
    Abstract: A control arrangement for a circuit breaker station includes a central control system and, for each of the circuit breakers, a circuit breaker operating unit connected to the central control system to obtain switching instructions and to the respective circuit breaker to control the operation thereof. The central control system and the circuit breaker operating units each have a local clock that are synchronized with one another. The central control system is, during use, arranged to calculate a point of time for switching each of the circuit breakers based on measured voltages, currents, and circuit breaker positions, and to send the point of time in a switching instruction to the circuit breaker operating unit. Each of the circuit breaker operating units is arranged to switch the circuit breaker, to which it is connected, at the point of time which is received in the switching instruction from the central control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: ABB Technology AG
    Inventor: Hans Björklund
  • Patent number: 8810985
    Abstract: A hybrid circuit breaker for interrupting a fault current in an electrical circuit line having a line impedance, the hybrid circuit breaker including a mechanical circuit breaker adapted to interrupt the line upon detecting the fault current, a semiconductor device arranged in parallel with the mechanical circuit breaker to conduct the fault current when the mechanical circuit breaker is disconnected, a branch connected between the electrical circuit line and ground, the branch including an impedance unit and a control unit configured, upon detecting the fault current, to connect the impedance unit in parallel with the line impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Georgios Demetriades, Anshuman Shukla
  • Patent number: 8797698
    Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit includes a clamp transistor, and inverter, a resistance-capacitance (RC) circuit, and a current mirror. The clamp transistor is coupled between a first supply node and a second supply node. The inverter has an input end and an output end, and the output end of the inverter is coupled with a gate of the clamp transistor. The RC circuit is coupled to the first supply node. The current mirror includes a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor is coupled between the input end of the inverter and the second supply node, and the second transistor is coupled between the RC circuit and the second supply node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Da-Wei Lai, Wade Ma
  • Patent number: 8797697
    Abstract: A high frequency integrated circuit equipped with an electrostatic protection device provided with a field effect transistor as an electrostatic protection device at the input and output of a high frequency integrated circuit, having excellent high frequency characteristics, and making an ESD withstand voltage large, having a high frequency circuit 11 having input/output terminals and an enhancement type field effect transistor 13 formed on a compound semiconductor substrate and provided in said high frequency circuit, having one terminal of the input/output terminals connected to the input/output terminals of the high frequency circuit, having the other terminal connected to a first reference potential, and having a gate connected via a resistor 14 to a second reference potential, and making an impedance of the field effect transistor 13 low for ESD protection when noise or a high voltage pulse is applied from the input/output terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kazumasa Kohama
  • Patent number: 8786996
    Abstract: In a grounded electrically conductive housing for an electrical device, common electrically conductive connection points for one or more components connected thereto to be protected from harmful voltage surges, are provided with a spark gap formed between the connection points and ground, via either electrically conductive surge rods, electrode chips, or eyelets for conducting the voltage surges across the spark gap to ground thereby protecting the associated components from damage due to a voltage surge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Extreme Broadband Engineering, LLC
    Inventors: Brian J. Shapson, Jay F. Shapson, Robert L. Romerein
  • Patent number: 8755155
    Abstract: A device and method of protecting a link in a medium, high, or very high voltage power network, with current and voltage transformers and trip circuits being disposed on the link. The protection device includes a mechanism to directly connect to a power supply, to the current and voltage transformers, and to the trip circuits, via analog links, and a mechanism to convert from analog to digital that is connected to a central processor unit via a digital link, the analog-digital conversion mechanism including an integrated test plug socket function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignees: Schneider Electric Protection & Contrôle SA, ALSTOM Grid Protection & Contrôle SAS
    Inventor: Jean Marmonier
  • Patent number: 8749944
    Abstract: A device for electrical distribution in an ignition system of an engine of an aircraft provided with a primary electrical supply and a secondary electrical supply, a primary igniter, and a secondary igniter, is provided with an electrical supply system adapted to supply at least one of the igniters alternately via one or the other of the electrical supplies. The electrical supply system is provided with a switch adapted to supply one of the igniters to which it is connected via one or the other of the electrical supplies. A detecting means detects if the igniter that is connected to the switch is also connected to the other electrical supply. The switch may have a relay supplied via one of the electrical supplies so that, in the event of defect of this supply, the igniter to which the switch is connected will be connected to the other electrical supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: AIRBUS Operations S.A.S.
    Inventors: Julien Feau, Jean Luc Rivot, Thierry Clavel
  • Patent number: 8749936
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate on which an electronic circuit is provided. One or more pads may be present which can connect the electronic circuit to an external device outside the substrate. A current meter is electrically in contact with at least a part of the substrate and/or the pad. The meter can measure a parameter forming a measure for an amount of a current flowing between the substrate and at least one of the at least one pad. A control unit is connected to the current meter and the electronic circuit, for controlling the electronic circuit based on the measured parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Roth, Hubert Bode, Andreas Laudenbach, Engelbert Wittich, Stephan Lehmann
  • Patent number: 8743512
    Abstract: A circuit for interfacing to a limit switch configured to be closed when a wire connected to the limit switch is relatively hot and configured to be opened when the wire is relatively cold includes an input, an output, and a control portion. The input is configured to receive a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal having a duty cycle with a high pulse and a low pulse. The output is configured to apply the PWM signal to an external transistor associated with the wire, and a control portion. The high pulse actuates heating of the wire when the high pulse is applied to the external transistor. The control portion is configured to cause voltage across the limit switch to be substantially zero, whereby arcing of the limit switch is relatively minimal, when the limit switch closes while the high pulse is being applied to the external transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventor: Charles Francis Weber
  • Patent number: 8737026
    Abstract: An electric vehicle charging cord set includes a housing containing an interrupting device therein and a first cord provided at one end with a plug connectable to an outlet installed on a wall surface of a building and at the other end connected to one of the terminal units of the interrupting device. An electric vehicle charging cord set further includes a second cord provided at one end with a connector connectable to an inlet of an electric vehicle and at the other end connected to the other of the terminal units of the interrupting device. The housing includes a storage unit for extendibly storing the second cord, a stand for placing the housing on a ground surface and a transportation handle. The storage unit includes a drum rotatably attached to the housing. The second cord is wound on the outer circumferential surface of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Ueno, Youji Minami, Tatsuya Mukai, Kiyoshi Goto, Shiro Mori, Hirotoshi Watanabe, Tomoyoshi Hayashi, Yutaka Takada, Hiroshi Ooya, Kouji Kakiuchi
  • Patent number: 8730632
    Abstract: Embodiments include systems and methods for detecting and/or responding to deficiencies in power interconnect integrity. For example, a first module distributes power to a second module via a high-current mechanical power interconnect. Insufficient integrity in the interconnect can manifest as an impedance, causing potential thermal hazards. A separate (e.g., low-current) interconnect is used to monitor the power being received by the second module from the first module. Embodiments detect when a difference between the power supplied to and received by the second module exceeds a threshold difference, which can indicate deficient interconnect integrity (i.e., a fault). The supply of high-current power to the second module can be substantially immediately interrupted upon detecting the fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Moffett, Scott Cooke
  • Patent number: 8730643
    Abstract: A dispenser can include a charge collector, an arc gap and a ground, where the arc gap is between the charge collector and the ground. The arc gap provides high impedance and can be set to a distance of from about 0.1 to about 0.01 inches. The technology operates by collecting charge from at one charge generating site with at least one charge collector and sending the charge to ground through the arc gap, the arc gap being between the at least one charge collector and the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB
    Inventors: John S. Formon, Russell G. Wieser, Joseph Wieser