Patents by Inventor Cal Swanson
Cal Swanson 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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Publication number: 20240328342Abstract: A control system for use in a fluid flow application includes a heater and a control device. The heater includes at least one resistive heating element having a relationship between resistance and temperature defining a non-monotonic curve. The heater is to heat fluid flow. The control device is to determine a flow characteristic of the fluid flow and a temperature of the at least one resistive heating element along the non-monotonic curve between resistance and temperature based on a change in resistance of the at least one resistive heating element.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2024Publication date: October 3, 2024Applicant: WATLOW ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANYInventors: Cal SWANSON, Mark D. EVERLY, David P. CULBERTSON, James N. PRADUN, Jeremy J. QUANDT, Mark L.G. HOVEN, Jeremy OHSE, Sanhong ZHANG
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Patent number: 12037933Abstract: A control system for use in a fluid flow application includes a heater and a control device. The heater has at least one resistive heating element and the heater is operable to heat fluid. The control device determines at least one flow characteristic of a fluid flow based on a heat loss of the at least one resistive heating element and determines a mass flow rate of the fluid based on the at least one flow characteristic and a property of the at least one resistive heating element. And the property of the at least one resistive heating element includes a change in resistance of the at least one resistive heating element under a given heat flux density.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2020Date of Patent: July 16, 2024Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Cal Swanson, Mark D. Everly, David P. Culbertson, James N. Pradun, Jeremy J. Quandt, Mark L. G. Hoven, Jeremy Ohse, Sanhong Zhang
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Publication number: 20200284179Abstract: A control system for use in a fluid flow application includes a heater and a control device. The heater has at least one resistive heating element and the heater is operable to heat fluid. The control device determines at least one flow characteristic of a fluid flow based on a heat loss of the at least one resistive heating element and determines a mass flow rate of the fluid based on the at least one flow characteristic and a property of the at least one resistive heating element. And the property of the at least one resistive heating element includes a change in resistance of the at least one resistive heating element under a given heat flux density.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 27, 2020Publication date: September 10, 2020Applicant: WATLOW ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANYInventors: Cal SWANSON, Mark D. EVERLY, David P. CULBERTSON, Jemes N. PRADUN, Jeremy J. QUANDT, Mark L. G. HOVEN, Jeremy OHSE, Sanhong ZHANG
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Patent number: 10724417Abstract: A control system for use in a fluid flow application is provided. The control system includes a heater having at least one resistive heating element. The heater is adapted to heat the fluid flow. The control system further includes a control device that uses heat loss from at least one resistive heating element to determine flow characteristics of the fluid flow.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2017Date of Patent: July 28, 2020Assignee: WATLOW ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANYInventors: Cal Swanson, Mark D. Everly, David P. Culbertson, James N. Pradun, Jeremy J. Quandt, Mark L. G. Hoven, Jeremy Ohse, Sanhong Zhang
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Patent number: 10362637Abstract: The present disclosure provides a thermal system that includes an array of heating resistor circuits having first termination ends and second termination ends, and a plurality of nodes connected to the heating resistor circuits at the first and second termination ends. The thermal system further includes power wires to provide power to the heating resistor circuits and signal wires to sense a temperature of each of the heating resistor circuits. Each node is connected to a power wire and to a signal wire, and a number of heating resistor circuits is greater than or equal to a number of power wires and to a number of the signal wires.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2017Date of Patent: July 23, 2019Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Jacob Lindley, Cal Swanson
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Publication number: 20190069350Abstract: A layered heater system is provided, which includes an engineered substrate, a heater substrate disposed on the engineered substrate, a resistive element layer formed proximate the heater plate, and a protective layer formed on the resistive element layer. Terminal pads are formed over at least a portion of the resistive element layer and are exposed through the protective layer. The engineered substrate includes a plurality of walls which extend in a thickness direction of the engineered substrate and which have a thickness engineered for specific heat transfer requirement.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2018Publication date: February 28, 2019Applicant: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Mark Everly, Cal Swanson, Tom Kupiszewski, Kevin Ptasienski, Chris Lanham, Mike Stewart
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Patent number: 10159114Abstract: A layered heater system is provided that includes an engineered substrate having an upper face sheet, a lower face sheet, and a core disposed between the upper face sheet and the lower face sheet. A dielectric layer is formed on at least one of the upper face sheet and the lower face sheet, a resistive element layer is formed on the dielectric layer, a protective layer is formed on the resistive element layer, and terminal pads are formed over at least a portion of the resistive element layer, wherein the terminal pads are exposed through the protective layer. In one form, the core defines a honeycomb structure, and in another, the core defines a frame structure having a plurality of support ribs.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2009Date of Patent: December 18, 2018Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Mark Everly, Cal Swanson, Tom Kupiszewski, Kevin Ptasienski, Chris Lanham, Mike Stewart
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Publication number: 20180077752Abstract: The present disclosure provides a thermal system that includes an array of heating resistor circuits having first termination ends and second termination ends, and a plurality of nodes connected to the heating resistor circuits at the first and second termination ends. The thermal system further includes power wires to provide power to the heating resistor circuits and signal wires to sense a temperature of each of the heating resistor circuits. Each node is connected to a power wire and to a signal wire, and a number of heating resistor circuits is greater than or equal to a number of power wires and to a number of the signal wires.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 20, 2017Publication date: March 15, 2018Applicant: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Jacob LINDLEY, Cal SWANSON
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Patent number: 9826574Abstract: A thermal system includes a plurality of resistor circuits that define a number of resistor circuits Rn. The thermal system also has a plurality of nodes that connect the plurality of resistor circuits and define a number of nodes Nn. A plurality of power wires are connected to each of the plurality of nodes, and the plurality of power wires define a number of power wires Pn. A plurality of signal wires connect to each of the plurality of nodes to sense the temperature of each of the resistor circuits, and the plurality of signal wires define a number of signal wires Sn. The number of power wires Pn and the number of signal wires Sn is equal to the number of nodes Nn, and the number of resistor circuits Rn is greater than or equal to the number of nodes Nn.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2015Date of Patent: November 21, 2017Assignee: WATLOW ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANYInventors: Jacob Lindley, Cal Swanson
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Publication number: 20170254242Abstract: A control system for use in a fluid flow application is provided. The control system includes a heater having at least one resistive heating element. The heater is adapted to heat the fluid flow. The control system further includes a control device that uses heat loss from at least one resistive heating element to determine flow characteristics of the fluid flow.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2017Publication date: September 7, 2017Applicant: WATLOW ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANYInventors: Cal Swanson, Mark D. Everly, David P. Culbertson, James N. Pradun, Jeremy J. Quandt, Mark L. G. Hoven, Jeremy Ohse, Sanhong Zhang
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Publication number: 20170127474Abstract: A thermal system includes a plurality of resistor circuits that define a number of resistor circuits Rn. The thermal system also has a plurality of nodes that connect the plurality of resistor circuits and define a number of nodes Nn. A plurality of power wires are connected to each of the plurality of nodes, and the plurality of power wires define a number of power wires Pn. A plurality of signal wires connect to each of the plurality of nodes to sense the temperature of each of the resistor circuits, and the plurality of signal wires define a number of signal wires Sn. The number of power wires Pn and the number of signal wires Sn is equal to the number of nodes Nn, and the number of resistor circuits Rn is greater than or equal to the number of nodes Nn.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2015Publication date: May 4, 2017Applicant: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Jacob Lindley, Cal Swanson
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Patent number: 9518946Abstract: A thermographic inspection system includes a heat source configured to be removably attached to an exterior surface of an object. A thermal imaging device obtains a thermal image of the object, and an analyzing device determines a location of a defect in the object based on the thermal image.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2013Date of Patent: December 13, 2016Assignee: WATLOW ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANYInventors: Mohammad Nosrati, Cal Swanson, Kevin Ptasienski, Kevin R. Smith, Louis P. Steinhauser
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Publication number: 20150153293Abstract: A thermographic inspection system includes a heat source configured to be removably attached to an exterior surface of an object. A thermal imaging device obtains a thermal image of the object, and an analyzing device determines a location of a defect in the object based on the thermal image.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 4, 2013Publication date: June 4, 2015Applicant: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Mohammad Nosrati, Cal Swanson, Kevin Ptasienski, Kevin R. Smith, Louis P. Steinhauser
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Patent number: 8476562Abstract: An inductive heater humidifier for heating fluids is provided by the present disclosure. The humidifier includes a reservoir having a ferromagnetic bottom plate. The reservoir is disposed on top of a non-metallic cover plate, which rests on a topless ferrite base. The ferrite base includes induction coil for generating heat. The induction coil is energized to produce eddy currents that generate heat, which is convectively transferred to the reservoir via the bottom plate to heat fluid in the reservoir.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2010Date of Patent: July 2, 2013Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventor: Cal Swanson
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Publication number: 20110297668Abstract: An inductive heater humidifier for heating fluids is provided by the present disclosure. The humidifier includes a reservoir having a ferromagnetic bottom plate. The reservoir is disposed on top of a non-metallic cover plate, which rests on a topless ferrite base. The ferrite base includes induction coil for generating heat. The induction coil is energized to produce eddy currents that generate heat, which is convectively transferred to the reservoir via the bottom plate to heat fluid in the reservoir.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2010Publication date: December 8, 2011Applicant: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventor: Cal Swanson
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Publication number: 20090236327Abstract: A layered heater system is provided that includes an engineered substrate having an upper face sheet, a lower face sheet, and a core disposed between the upper face sheet and the lower face sheet. A dielectric layer is formed on at least one of the upper face sheet and the lower face sheet, a resistive element layer is formed on the dielectric layer, a protective layer is formed on the resistive element layer, and terminal pads are formed over at least a portion of the resistive element layer, wherein the terminal pads are exposed through the protective layer. In one form, the core defines a honeycomb structure, and in another, the core defines a frame structure having a plurality of support ribs.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2009Publication date: September 24, 2009Applicant: Watlow Electric Manufacturing CompanyInventors: Mark Everly, Cal Swanson, Tom Kupiszewski, Kevin Ptasienski, Chris Lanham, Mike Stewart
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Patent number: 7355303Abstract: Circuits and methods for supplying a temporary power supply at a predetermined voltage. A circuit includes a first DC/DC voltage converter that receives an input from a power supply at a first voltage level and generates an output at a second voltage level, higher than the first voltage level. The output is provided to charge a capacitor. A second DC/DC voltage converter has an input connected to the capacitor for drawing power from the capacitor at the second voltage level and generating an output voltage less than the second voltage level. The second DC/DC voltage converter further includes a feedback input that monitors the circuit's output voltage and activates the second DC/DC voltage converter when the output voltage falls below a predetermined threshold.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2006Date of Patent: April 8, 2008Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Cal Swanson, Vincent Himpe
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Publication number: 20060290207Abstract: Circuits and methods for supplying a temporary power supply at a predetermined voltage. A circuit includes a first DC/DC voltage converter that receives an input from a power supply at a first voltage level and generates an output at a second voltage level, higher than the first voltage level. The output is provided to charge a capacitor. A second DC/DC voltage converter has an input connected to the capacitor for drawing power from the capacitor at the second voltage level and generating an output voltage less than the second voltage level. The second DC/DC voltage converter further includes a feedback input that monitors the circuit's output voltage and activates the second DC/DC voltage converter when the output voltage falls below a predetermined threshold.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2006Publication date: December 28, 2006Applicant: STMicroelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Cal Swanson, Vincent Himpe
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Patent number: 7098557Abstract: Circuits and methods for supplying a temporary power supply at a predetermined voltage are disclosed. A circuit includes first DC/DC voltage that receives an input from a power supply at a first voltage level and generates an output at a second voltage level, higher than the first voltage level. The output is provided to charge a capacitor. A second DC/DC voltage converter has an input connected to the capacitor for drawing power from the capacitor at the second voltage level and an generates an output voltage less than the second voltage level. The second DC/DC voltage converter further includes a feedback input that monitors the circuit's output voltage and activates the second DC/DC voltage converter when the output voltage falls below a predetermined threshold.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2003Date of Patent: August 29, 2006Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Cal Swanson, Vincent Himpe
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Publication number: 20050251047Abstract: Methods for fabricating strip sensor arrays with contact pads and frame segments include PVDF layers. Methods for detecting acoustic signals, arranging flexible sensor arrays and reducing electrical/mechanical interference are also described.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 7, 2005Publication date: November 10, 2005Inventors: Michael Sleva, Allen Eberhardt, Cal Swanson, Richard Triolo, Simon Lewandowski