Patents by Inventor Charles E. Vink

Charles E. Vink 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).

  • Adaptive lamp monitor using capacitors and switches
    Patent number: 5254971
    Abstract: A lamp monitor provides a sense resistor for each lamp circuit as a special sense terminal member with a series resistance and sense terminals connected to a circuit board in a lamp monitor module. A multiplexing arrangement allows selection of the circuit to be monitored. The monitor samples the voltage across the series resistance by first connecting a capacitor across the sense terminals to be charged to the voltage and then disconnecting the capacitor from the sense terminals and connecting it across the input of an amplifier. The voltage across the lamps is sensed to provide a ratiometric reference for the digitizing of the amplifier output in an analog to digital converter; and a digital computer corrects the input digital signal with a stored non-linear normalization factor relating current to voltage in the lamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory E. Sutterlin, Samuel Lorincz, Charles E. Vink
  • Adaptive lamp monitor with non-linear normalization factor
    Patent number: 5235317
    Abstract: A lamp monitor provides a sense resistor for each lamp circuit as a special sense terminal member with a series resistance and sense terminals connected to a circuit board in a lamp monitor module. A multiplexing arrangement allows selection of the circuit to be monitored. The monitor samples the voltage across the series resistance by first connecting a capacitor across the sense terminals to be charged to the voltage and then disconnecting the capacitor from the sense terminals and connecting it across the input of an amplifier. The voltage across the lamps is sensed to provide a ratiometric reference for the digitizing of the amplifier output in an analog to digital converter; and a digital computer corrects the input digital signal with a stored non-linear normalization factor relating current to voltage in the lamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1993
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory E. Sutterlin, Samuel Lorincz, Charles E. Vink
  • Adaptive lamp monitor with single piece sensor
    Patent number: 5223820
    Abstract: A lamp monitor provides a sense resistor for each lamp circuit as a special sense terminal member with a series resistance and sense terminals connected to a circuit board in a lamp monitor module. A multiplexing arrangement allows selection of the circuit to be monitored. The monitor samples the voltage across the series resistance by first connecting a capacitor across the sense terminals to be charged to the voltage and then disconnecting the capacitor from the sense terminals and connecting it across the input of an amplifier. The voltage across the lamps is sensed to provide a ratiometric reference for the digitizing of the amplifier output in an analog to digital converter; and a digital computer corrects the input digital signal with a stored non-linear normalization factor relating current to voltage in the lamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1993
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory E. Sutterlin, Samuel Lorincz, Charles E. Vink
  • Adaptive lamp monitor with first and second comparison rates
    Patent number: 5144282
    Abstract: A lamp monitor provides a sense resistor for each lamp circuit as a special sense terminal member with a series resistance and sense terminals connected to a circuit board in a lamp monitor module. A multiplexing arrangement allows selection of the circuit to be monitored. The monitor samples the voltage across the series resistance by first connecting a capacitor across the sense terminals to be charged to the voltage and then disconnecting the capacitor from the sense terminals and connecting it across the input of an amplifier. The voltage across the lamps is sensed to provide a ratiometric reference for the digitizing of the amplifier output in an analog to digital converter; and a digital computer corrects the input digital signal with a stored non-linear normalization factor relating current to voltage in the lamps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory E. Sutterlin, Samuel Lorincz, Charles E. Vink