Patents by Inventor Brian Minnis
Brian Minnis has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 9322224Abstract: A coupler for coupling a first and a second section of a transmission line embedded in a first and a second component respectively, includes a first half-coupler including a first electrically conductive housing, a first electrically conductive structure, and a first structure of dielectric material, and a second half-coupler including a second electrically conductive housing, a second electrically conductive structure, and a second structure of dielectric material. When the first and second components are connected end-to-end, the first and second housings come into contact to form together an electromagnetic cavity, inside which the first and second conductive structures are separated from each other by the first and second dielectric structures, so as to allow the first and second conductive structures to be in electromagnetic communication with each other.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2011Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: VALLOUREC DRILLING PRODUCTS FRANCEInventors: Jean-Alain Chabas, Brian Minnis
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Patent number: 8950787Abstract: An ensemble including a pipe for transporting substances which can flow, the pipe having a structure forming a coaxial transmission line including: a first tubular layer of electrically conductive material; a second tubular layer of electrically conductive material; and at least one first layer of dielectric material mounted in-between the first and the second layers of electrically conductive material, such that: the first layer of electrically conductive material forms an outer conductor of a section of the coaxial transmission line; the second layer of electrically conductive material forms an inner conductor of the section of the coaxial transmission line, and further including an electromagnetic coupler coupling the coaxial transmission line with a complementary coaxial transmission line carried by a pipe complementary to the pipe.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2011Date of Patent: February 10, 2015Assignee: Vam Drilling FranceInventors: Jean-Alain Chabas, Brian Minnis
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Publication number: 20130186669Abstract: An ensemble including a pipe for transporting substances which can flow, the pipe having a structure forming a coaxial transmission line including: a first tubular layer of electrically conductive material; a second tubular layer of electrically conductive material; and at least one first layer of dielectric material mounted in-between the first and the second layers of electrically conductive material, such that: the first layer of electrically conductive material forms an outer conductor of a section of the coaxial transmission line; the second layer of electrically conductive material forms an inner conductor of the section of the coaxial transmission line, and further including an electromagnetic coupler coupling the coaxial transmission line with a complementary coaxial transmission line carried by a pipe complementary to the pipe.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2011Publication date: July 25, 2013Applicant: VAM Drilling FrnaceInventors: Jean-Alain Chabas, Brian Minnis
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Publication number: 20130169385Abstract: A coupler for coupling a first and a second section of a transmission line embedded in a first and a second component respectively, includes a first half-coupler including a first electrically conductive housing, a first electrically conductive structure, and a first structure of dielectric material, and a second half-coupler including a second electrically conductive housing, a second electrically conductive structure, and a second structure of dielectric material. When the first and second components are connected end-to-end, the first and second housings come into contact to form together an electromagnetic cavity, inside which the first and second conductive structures are separated from each other by the first and second dielectric structures, so as to allow the first and second conductive structures to be in electromagnetic communication with each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 21, 2011Publication date: July 4, 2013Applicant: Vam Drilling FranceInventors: Jean-Alain Chabas, Brian Minnis
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Patent number: 7970362Abstract: A transmitter has a power amplifier (40) to amplify an input signal having amplitude modulation, a supply voltage controller (10) to control a supply voltage of the power amplifier (40) according to the envelope, a sensor (R1) for sensing a modulation of a current drawn by the power amplifier (40), a delay detector (20) for detecting a delay of the controlled supply voltage relative to the sensed current, and a delay adjuster (30) for compensating the relative delay according to the detected delay. By sensing a current drawn, the delay detected can include any delay contributed by the power amplifier (40) up to that point, and yet avoid the more complex circuitry needed to derive the delay from an output of the power amplifier. Thus the distortion and out of band emissions caused by differential delays can be reduced more effectively.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2006Date of Patent: June 28, 2011Assignee: NXP B.V.Inventors: Brian Minnis, Paul A. Moore
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Publication number: 20100045247Abstract: A power supply system comprises a parallel arrangement of a linear amplifier (LA) and a DC-DC converter (CO). The linear amplifier (LA) has an amplifier output to supply a first current (II) to the load (LO). The DC-DC converter (CO) comprises: a converter output for supplying a second current (12) to the load (LO), a first inductor (L1), and a switch (SC) coupled to the first inductor (L1) for generating a current in the first inductor (L1), and a low-pass filter (FI) arranged between the first inductor (L1) and the load (LO). The low pass filter (FI) comprises a first capacitor (C1; CA) which has a first terminal coupled to the switch (SC) an a second terminal coupled to a reference voltage level (GND), and a second inductor (L2; LC) which has a first terminal coupled to the first inductor (L1) and a second terminal coupled to the load (LO).Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2006Publication date: February 25, 2010Applicant: NXP B.V.Inventors: Pieter G. Blanken, Paul Anthony Moore, Derk Reefman, Brian Minnis
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Publication number: 20080242246Abstract: A transmitter has a power amplifier (40) to amplify an input signal having amplitude modulation, a supply voltage controller (10) to control a supply voltage of the power amplifier (40) according to the envelope, a sensor (R1) for sensing a modulation of a current drawn by the power amplifier (40), a delay detector (20) for detecting a delay of the controlled supply voltage relative to the sensed current, and a delay adjuster (30) for compensating the relative delay according to the detected delay. By sensing a current drawn, the delay detected can include any delay contributed by the power amplifier (40) up to that point, and yet avoid the more complex circuitry needed to derive the delay from an output of the power amplifier. Thus the distortion and out of band emissions caused by differential delays can be reduced more effectively.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2006Publication date: October 2, 2008Applicant: NXP B.V.Inventors: Brian Minnis, Paul A. Moore
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Publication number: 20060058001Abstract: A radio receiver is configurable to operate in both low-IF and zero-IF modes with maximum re-use of of analogue and digital circuitry between modes. The receiver comprises a quadrature down-converter (108,110,112,114) for generating in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals at an intermediate frequency and a complex filter (516) for performing image rejection filtering. In the low-IF mode, one of the outputs (Q) of the filter (516) is terminated, the other (I) is digitised by a non-complex ADC (520), then the digital signal is filtered and decimated. Quadrature-related IF signals are then re-generated before down-conversion and demodulation. In the zero-IF mode, both outputs of the filter (516) are digitised and processed in parallel before demodulation. By enabling analogue-to-digital conversion and channel filtering to be performed at low-IF on non-complex signals, use of just two non-complex ADCs (120,1620) is possible, thereby avoiding duplication of circuitry and providing significant power savings.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2005Publication date: March 16, 2006Inventors: Brian Minnis, Paul Moore