Patents by Inventor Colin Steele
Colin Steele 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: 11979714Abstract: An integrated optical transducer for measuring displacement of a diaphragm comprises the diaphragm, a lens element and a substrate body having a waveguide structure and a coupling element. The diaphragm is arranged distant from the substrate body and substantially parallel to a main extension plane of the substrate body. The waveguide structure is configured to guide light from a light source to the coupling element and from the coupling element to a photodetector. The coupling element is configured to couple at least part of the light in the waveguide structure onto a light path between the coupling element and the diaphragm and to couple light reflected by a surface of the diaphragm from the light path into the waveguide structure. The lens element is arranged on the light path such that light on the light path passes through the lens element.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2020Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: AMS INTERNATIONAL AGInventors: Ronald Dekker, Rene Heideman, Arne Leinse, Catalin Lazar, Laurent Nevou, Colin Steele, Anderson Pires Singulani, Goran Stojanovic, Simon Mueller
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Patent number: 11808654Abstract: An integrated optical transducer for detecting dynamic pressure changes comprises a micro-electro-mechanical system, MEMS, die having a MEMS diaphragm with a first side exposed to the dynamic pressure changes and a second side, and an application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC, die having an optical interferometer assembly. The interferometer assembly comprises a beam splitting element for receiving a source beam from a light source and for splitting the source beam into a probe beam in a first beam path and a reference beam in a second beam path, a beam combining element for combining the probe beam with the reference beam to a superposition beam, and a detector configured to generate an electronic interference signal depending on the superposition beam. The MEMS die is arranged with respect to the ASIC die such that a gap is formed between the second side of the diaphragm and the ASIC die, with the gap defining a cavity and having a gap height.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2019Date of Patent: November 7, 2023Assignee: AMS INTERNATIONAL AGInventors: Goran Stojanovic, Colin Steele, Jens Hofrichter, Catalin Lazar, Jochen Kraft
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Patent number: 11743652Abstract: A sensor includes a substrate; and a corrugated diaphragm offset from the substrate. The corrugated diaphragm is configured to deflect responsive to a sound wave impinging on the corrugated diaphragm. A cavity is defined between the corrugated diaphragm and the substrate, the corrugated diaphragm forming a top surface of the cavity and the substrate forming a bottom surface of the cavity. A pressure in the cavity is lower than a pressure outside of the cavity.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2019Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: AMS AGInventors: Goran Stojanovic, Colin Steele, Simon Mueller, Thomas Froehlich
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Publication number: 20230221442Abstract: Circuits, methods, and apparatus that can reduce clock induced current and voltage transients and emissions in lidar pixel arrays. A pixel array can include an array of pixels, where at any given time, different pixels in the pixel array perform different tasks and are clocked by clock signals having different phases or delays relative to each other. This temporal dispersion of tasks and clock signals can spread clock induced current and voltage transients and emissions throughout a clock cycle, thereby reducing their maximum amplitude.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2023Publication date: July 13, 2023Applicant: Ouster, Inc.Inventors: Tarek Al Abbas, Colin Steele, Robert Henderson
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Publication number: 20230221439Abstract: Techniques described herein provide memory redundancy. For example, the memory block for each pixel can be partitioned into multiple memory bins, and the number of memory bins can be larger than the number of time bins. Once a faulty memory cell is identified, an address associated with the memory bin that has the faulty memory cell can be skipped by an address generator. As such, the faulty memory cell is not used to store time-of-fight (ToF) information.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2023Publication date: July 13, 2023Applicant: Ouster, Inc.Inventors: Tarek Al Abbas, David Storrar, Colin Steele, Stephen Kwiatkowski
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Patent number: 11510012Abstract: An integrated optical transducer for detecting dynamic pressure changes comprises a micro-electro-mechanical system, MEMS, die having a MEMS diaphragm with a first side exposed to the dynamic pressure changes and a second side. The transducer further comprises an application specific integrated circuit, ASIC, die having an evaluation circuit configured to detect a deflection of the MEMS diaphragm, in particular of the second side of the MEMS diaphragm. The MEMS die is arranged with respect to the ASIC die such that a gap with a gap height is formed between the second side of the diaphragm and a first surface of the ASIC die and the MEMS diaphragm, the ASIC die and a suspension structure of the MEMS die delineate a back volume of the integrated optical transducer.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2019Date of Patent: November 22, 2022Assignee: AMS AGInventors: Goran Stojanovic, Colin Steele, Erik Jan Lous, Anderson Pires Singulani
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Patent number: 11477581Abstract: A micro-electro-mechanical system, MEMS, microphone assembly comprises an enclosure defining a first cavity, and a MEMS microphone arranged inside the first cavity. The microphone comprises a first die with bonding structures and a MEMS diaphragm, and a second die having an application specific integrated circuit, ASIC. The second die is bonded to the bonding structures such that a gap is formed between a first side of the diaphragm and the second die, with the gap defining a second cavity. The first side of the diaphragm is interfacing with the second cavity and a second side of the diaphragm is interfacing with the environment via an acoustic inlet port of the enclosure. The bonding structures are arranged such that pressure ventilation openings are formed that connect the first cavity and the second cavity.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2019Date of Patent: October 18, 2022Assignee: AMS AGInventors: Goran Stojanovic, Colin Steele, Simon Mueller, Thomas Froehlich, Erik Jan Lous, Anderson Pires Singulani
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Publication number: 20220317391Abstract: A bonded structure comprises a substrate component having a plurality of first pads arranged on or within a surface of the substrate component, and an integrated circuit component having a plurality of second pads arranged on or within a surface of the integrated circuit component. The bonded structure further comprises a plurality of connection elements physically connecting the first pads to the second pads. The surface of the integrated circuit component is tilted obliquely to the surface of the substrate component at a tilt angle that results from nominal variations of surface sizes of the first and second pads.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2020Publication date: October 6, 2022Inventors: Jochen Kraft, Bernhard Stering, Colin Steele, Jean Francois Seurin
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Publication number: 20220240023Abstract: An integrated optical transducer for measuring displacement of a diaphragm comprises the diaphragm, a lens element and a substrate body having a waveguide structure and a coupling element. The diaphragm is arranged distant from the substrate body and substantially parallel to a main extension plane of the substrate body. The waveguide structure is configured to guide light from a light source to the coupling element and from the coupling element to a photodetector . The coupling element is configured to couple at least part of the light in the waveguide structure onto a light path between the coupling element and the diaphragm and to couple light reflected by a surface of the diaphragm from the light path into the waveguide structure. The lens element is arranged on the light path such that light on the light path passes through the lens element.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2020Publication date: July 28, 2022Inventors: Ronald Dekker, Rene Heideman, Arne Leinse, Catalin Lazar, Laurent Nevou, Colin Steele, Anderson Pires Singulani, Goran Stojanovic, Simon Mueller
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Publication number: 20210404897Abstract: An integrated optical transducer for detecting dynamic pressure changes comprises a micro-electro-mechanical system, MEMS, die having a MEMS diaphragm with a first side exposed to the dynamic pressure changes and a second side, and an application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC, die having an optical interferometer assembly. The interferometer assembly comprises a beam splitting element for receiving a source beam from a light source and for splitting the source beam into a probe beam in a first beam path and a reference beam in a second beam path, a beam combining element for combining the probe beam with the reference beam to a superposition beam, and a detector configured to generate an electronic interference signal depending on the superposition beam. The MEMS die is arranged with respect to the ASIC die such that a gap is formed between the second side of the diaphragm and the ASIC die, with the gap defining a cavity and having a gap height.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2019Publication date: December 30, 2021Inventors: Goran Stojanovic, Colin Steele, Jens Hofrichter, Catalin Lazar, Jochen Kraft
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Publication number: 20210392438Abstract: A sensor includes a substrate; and a corrugated diaphragm offset from the substrate. The corrugated diaphragm is configured to deflect responsive to a sound wave impinging on the corrugated diaphragm. A cavity is defined between the corrugated diaphragm and the substrate, the corrugated diaphragm forming a top surface of the cavity and the substrate forming a bottom surface of the cavity. A pressure in the cavity is lower than a pressure outside of the cavity.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2019Publication date: December 16, 2021Inventors: Goran Stojanovic, Colin Steele, Simon Mueller, Thomas Froehlich
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Patent number: 11112276Abstract: An arrangement (2) to calibrate a capacitive sensor interface (1) includes a capacitive sensor (10) having a capacitance (cmem, cmemsp, cmemsm) and a charge storing circuit (20) having a changeable capacitance (cdum, cdump, cdumm). A test circuit (30) applies a test signal (vtst) to the capacitive sensor (10) and the charge storing circuit (20). An amplifier circuit (40) has a first input connection (E40a) coupled to the capacitive sensor (10) and a second input connection (E40b) coupled to the charge storing circuit (20). The amplifier circuit (40) provides an output signal (Vout) in dependence on a first input signal (?Verr1) applied to the first input connection (E40a) and a second input signal (?Verr2) applied to the second input connection (E40b). A control circuit (60) is configured to trim the capacitance (cdum, cdump, cdumm) of the charge storing circuit (20) such that the level of the output signal (Vout) tends to the level of zero.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2018Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: Knowles Electronics, LLCInventors: Colin Steele, Rene Scheuner, Thomas Christen, Mark Niederberger
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Patent number: 10972059Abstract: A MEMS sensor (1) comprises a MEMS transducer (10) being coupled to a MEMS interface circuit (20). The MEMS interface circuit (20) comprises a bias voltage generator (100), a differential amplifier (200), a capacitor (300) and a feedback control circuit (400). The bias voltage generator (100) generates a bias voltage (Vbias) for operating the MEMS transducer. The variable capacitor (300) is connected to one of the input nodes (I200a) of the differential amplifier (200). At least one of the output nodes (A200a, A200b) of the differential amplifier is coupled to a base terminal (T110) of an output filter (110) of the bias voltage generator (100). Any disturbing signal from the bias voltage generator (100) is a common-mode signal that is divided equally on the input nodes (I200a, I200b) of the differential amplifier (200) and is therefore rejected.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2017Date of Patent: April 6, 2021Assignee: AMS INTERNATIONAL AGInventors: Thomas Froehlich, Mark Niederberger, Colin Steele, Rene Scheuner, Thomas Christen, Lukas Perktold, Duy-Dong Pham
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Publication number: 20200249052Abstract: An arrangement (2) to calibrate a capacitive sensor interface (1) comprises a capacitive sensor (10) having a capacitance (cmem, cmemsp, cmemsm) and a charge storing circuit (20) having a changeable capacitance (cdum, cdump, cdumm). A test circuit (30) applies a test signal (vtst) to the capacitive sensor (10) and the charge storing circuit (20). An amplifier circuit (40) has a first input connection (E40a) coupled to the capacitive sensor (10) and a second input connection (E40b) coupled to the charge storing circuit (20). The amplifier circuit (40) provides an output signal (Vout) in dependence on a first input signal (?Verr1) applied to the first input connection (E40a) and a second input signal (?Verr2) applied to the second input connection (E40b). A control circuit (60) is configured to trim the capacitance (cdum, cdump, cdumm) of the charge storing circuit (20) such that the level of the output signal (Vout) tends to the level of zero.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 7, 2018Publication date: August 6, 2020Inventors: Colin Steele, Rene Scheuner, Thomas Christen, Mark Niederberger
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Patent number: 10523234Abstract: A signal processing arrangement has a signal input for connecting a capacitive sensor. An amplifier circuit is coupled between the signal input and a feedback point. A loop filter is coupled downstream to the feedback point. A quantizer is connected downstream to the loop filter and provides a multi-bit output word. The multi-bit output word consists of one or more higher significance bits and one or more lower significance bits. A first feedback path is coupled between a quantizer and the feedback point for providing a first feedback signal to the feedback point being representative of the one or more lower significance bits. A second feedback path is coupled to the quantizer for providing a second feedback signal to the signal input being representative of the one or more higher significance bits.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2017Date of Patent: December 31, 2019Assignee: ams AGInventors: Thomas Christen, Colin Steele, Thomas Froehlich
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Publication number: 20190356282Abstract: A MEMS sensor (1) comprises a MEMS transducer (10) being coupled to a MEMS interface circuit (20). The MEMS interface circuit (20) comprises a bias voltage generator (100), a differential amplifier (200), a capacitor (300) and a feedback control circuit (400). The bias voltage generator (100) generates a bias voltage (Vbias) for operating the MEMS transducer. The variable capacitor (300) is connected to one of the input nodes (I200a) of the differential amplifier (200). At least one of the output nodes (A200a, A200b) of the differential amplifier is coupled to a base terminal (T110) of an output filter (110) of the bias voltage generator (100). Any disturbing signal from the bias voltage generator (100) is a common-mode signal that is divided equally on the input nodes (I200a, I200b) of the differential amplifier (200) and is therefore rejected.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2017Publication date: November 21, 2019Inventors: Thomas Froehlich, Mark Niederberger, Colin Steele, Rene Scheuner, Thomas Christen, Lukas Perktold, Duy-Dong Pham
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Patent number: 9063158Abstract: An HPLC module utilizes a combination of compound-dedicated hardware providing line clearance between differing radiosynthesis and includes multiple compound-dedicated HPLC inject valves, each inject valve directing a fluid to a serially-connected HPLC column and UV flowcell so as to prevent cross-contamination between differing radiopharmaceutical syntheses. The module provides a disposable fluid path from each UV flowcell allowing for radioactive detection, fraction collection, formulation and final product dispensing. In this manner, a level of GMP compliance is achieved that is suitable for meeting the requirements of an MHRA approved site-license.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2010Date of Patent: June 23, 2015Assignee: GE Healthcare LimitedInventors: Colin Steel, Farah Shah, Sajinder Luthra
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Publication number: 20150066524Abstract: Methods and systems to facilitate the collaborative development, discovery and implementation of evidence-based, clinical pathways are disclosed. Clinicians, medical professionals or researchers, may use the Platform 105 in multiple implementation, such as integrated with a third-party system like an EHR 104 to build and find clinical pathways through a graphical interface, creating relational data records between steps in pathways. Further, users of the Platform 105 may be able to associate relevant content such as published evidence, supplemental content items (e.g., videos, images, documents, ICD, CPT, SNOMED codes, and external web pages), and other associated pathways which reside in the system's database. Users of the Platform 105 may be able organize themselves into groups and networks to develop single pathways collaboratively. Users may be able to find specific pathways in the Platform 105 through semantic search, querying for relationships which exist inside of individual pathways.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 5, 2013Publication date: March 5, 2015Applicant: DORSATA, INC.Inventors: David Laughlin Fairbrothers, Philip Andrew McDonnell, Daniel Peter Gibson, Colin Steele
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Patent number: 8664617Abstract: A multi-stream optical interrogation flow cell (60) for a radiopharmaceutical includes a multiple flow cell body (10a-f) defining a first elongate fluid flowpath (A1-6;B1-6) therethrough for individually conducting a radiopharmaceutical therethrough in fluid isolation from other of the flow cell bodies. Each flow cell body further defines a first and second aligned UV transparent optical guides (36,38) and a first interrogation passageway (26a-f) extending between the first and second optical guides such that a portion of the elongate first fluid flowpath intersects the interrogation passageway such that the radiopharmaceutical flows in between the first and second optical guides. The first and second interrogation passageways of all of the flow cell bodies are optically aligned so that a single interrogation beam is able to extend through each of the interrogation passageways.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2010Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignees: GE Healthcare UK Limited, General Electric CompanyInventors: Robin Fortt, Colin Steel, Victor D. Samper, Marko Baller
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Publication number: 20130334443Abstract: Components and systems for a PET radiopharmacy include a transport shield for a radioisotope cartridge, a cassette for dispensing from a transport shield, a cassette synthesis platform for a cassette, and a synthesizer shield.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2011Publication date: December 19, 2013Applicant: GE HEALTHCARE LIMITEDInventors: Colin Steel, Sajinder Kaur Luthra, Robin Fortt, Farah Shah