Patents by Inventor David L. Freeman

David L. Freeman 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).

  • Patent number: 8575845
    Abstract: A method for controlling a light emitting diode (LED) is provided. Initially, the LED, which had been active, is deactivated, and a voltage for a current that corresponds to the persistence of the LED is generated. The voltage is then integrated so as to generate an integrated voltage, and the integrated voltage is compared to a threshold. When the integrated voltage is less than the threshold, the LED is then activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tobin D. Hagan, David L. Freeman, Marco Corsi
  • Patent number: 8570012
    Abstract: A tunable depletion diode is provided. Within this depletion diode, there is a depletion mode transistor that is coupled to the anode terminal at its gate and the cathode terminal at its drain. A diode is coupled between the source of the depletion mode transistor and the anode terminal, and a variable capacitor is coupled between the source of the depletion mode transistor and the anode terminal, where the capacitance of the variable capacitor is controls the reverse recovery time of the tunable depletion diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tobin D. Hagan, Marco Corsi, David L. Freeman
  • Publication number: 20130154483
    Abstract: A method for controlling a light emitting diode (LED) is provided. Initially, the LED, which had been active, is deactivated, and a voltage for a current that corresponds to the persistence of the LED is generated. The voltage is then integrated so as to generate an integrated voltage, and the integrated voltage is compared to a threshold. When the integrated voltage is less than the threshold, the LED is then activated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tobin D. Hagan, David L. Freeman, Marco Corsi
  • Publication number: 20130146887
    Abstract: A tunable depletion diode is provided. Within this depletion diode, there is a depletion mode transistor that is coupled to the anode terminal at its gate and the cathode terminal at its drain. A diode is coupled between the source of the depletion mode transistor and the anode terminal, and a variable capacitor is coupled between the source of the depletion mode transistor and the anode terminal, where the capacitance of the variable capacitor is controls the reverse recovery time of the tunable depletion diode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Publication date: June 13, 2013
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Tobin D. Hagan, Marco Corsi, David L. Freeman
  • Publication number: 20100190024
    Abstract: Disclosed are sintered copper-based materials and methods for forming the same having a larger grain size than materials formed through conventional methods. A metal powder having copper is compressed, pre-heated, and then sintered. Then, the density of the once sintered copper-based material is sized to increase density and subjected to a second sintering act. The sintered copper-based materials have a grain size of at least 50 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: NetShape Technologies, Inc
    Inventors: William L. Edwards, JR., David L. Freeman, JR.
  • Patent number: 7330583
    Abstract: Integrated inspection and test systems for liquid crystal display (LCD) active plates. The integrated inspection and test systems may combine visual imaging inspection and an electronic sensing such as voltage imaging, electron beam sensing or charge sensing, in which the potential defect information obtained by the visual inspection system is combined with the potential defect information obtained by the electronic sensing system to produce a defect report. One or more high-resolution visual cameras are scanned over a stationary plate, and the image data from the camera(s) is processed to detect potential defects. A high-resolution electronic sensing system examines the stationary plate, and the image data from the sensor(s) is processed to detect potential defects. The potential defects from the visual image data and electronic sensing image data are processed to produce the final defect information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Photon Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: Bernard T. Clark, David L. Freeman, Jeffrey A. Hawthorne, Alexander J. Nagy, William K. Pratt
  • Patent number: 6892148
    Abstract: The remaining run-time (t_rem) of a battery is determined independently of the condition of the battery and the amount of load on the battery by obtaining the value of a present total zero-current capacity (Qmax) of the battery based on relaxed-battery OCV values measured just before and just after a charging or discharging cycle. A current through the battery is integrated to determine a transfer of charge (Q) from the battery, and a value of total run-time (t_total) that would be required to reduce the open circuit voltage of the battery to a predetermined lower limit (Vmin) is determined. The remaining run-time (t_rem) is determined by subtracting the duration of the integrating from the total run-time (t_total).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Evgenij Barsoukov, Dan R. Poole, David L. Freeman
  • Patent number: 6832171
    Abstract: An internal impedance of a battery (30) is automatically determined by operating a processor (13) to analyze current flowing through the battery to determine if a transient condition due to change of current is occurring and determining when the transient condition has ended. A voltage of the battery is measured while a steady current is being supplied by the battery. The present depth of discharge (DOD) of the battery is determined and a database is accessed to determine a corresponding value of open circuit voltage. The internal impedance is computed by dividing the difference between the measured voltage of the battery and the open circuit voltage at the present DOD by an average value of the steady current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Evgenij Barsoukov, Dan R. Poole, David L. Freeman
  • Publication number: 20040220758
    Abstract: The remaining run-time (t_rem) of a battery is determined independently of the condition of the battery and the amount of load on the battery by obtaining the value of a present total zero-current capacity (Qmax) of the battery based on relaxed-battery OCV values measured just before and just after a charging or discharging cycle. A current through the battery is integrated to determine a transfer of charge (Q) from the battery, and a value of total run-time (t_total) that would be required to reduce the open circuit voltage of the battery to a predetermined lower limit (Vmin) is determined. The remaining run-time (t_rem) is determined by subtracting the duration of the integrating from the total run-time (t_total).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Publication date: November 4, 2004
    Inventors: Evgenij Barsoukov, Dan R. Poole, David L. Freeman
  • Patent number: 6789026
    Abstract: A processor (13) operates to determine amount of charge presently stored in a battery by determining that the battery is in a zero-current relaxed condition. Circuitry (16,23) including a first ADC (16) measures an open circuit voltage (OCV) of the battery prior to a period of time during which flow of current through the battery is not negligible. A program executed by the processor correlates the measured open circuit voltage (OCV0) with a corresponding value of the variable and selects the corresponding value as a value of the variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Evgenij Barsoukov, Dan R. Poole, David L. Freeman
  • Publication number: 20040128086
    Abstract: A processor (13) operates to determine amount of charge presently stored in a battery by determining that the battery is in a zero-current relaxed condition. Circuitry (16,23) including a first ADC (16) measures an open circuit voltage (OCV) of the battery prior to a period of time during which flow of current through the battery is not negligible. A program executed by the processor correlates the measured open circuit voltage (OCV0) with a corresponding value of the variable and selects the corresponding value as a value of the variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventors: Evgenij Barsoukov, Dan R. Poole, David L. Freeman
  • Publication number: 20040128089
    Abstract: An internal impedance of a battery (30) is automatically determined by operating a processor (13) to analyze current flowing through the battery to determine if a transient condition due to change of current is occurring and determining when the transient condition has ended. A voltage of the battery is measured while a steady current is being supplied by the battery. The present depth of discharge (DOD) of the battery is determined and a database is accessed to determine a corresponding value of open circuit voltage. The internal impedance is computed by dividing the difference between the measured voltage of the battery and the open circuit voltage at the present DOD by an average value of the steady current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventors: Evgenij Barsoukov, Dan R. Poole, David L. Freeman
  • Publication number: 20040032280
    Abstract: Integrated inspection and test systems for liquid crystal display (LCD) active plates. The integrated inspection and test systems may combine visual imaging inspection and an electronic sensing such as voltage imaging, electron beam sensing or charge sensing, in which the potential defect information obtained by the visual inspection system is combined with the potential defect information obtained by the electronic sensing system to produce a defect report. One or more high-resolution visual cameras are scanned over a stationary plate, and the image data from the camera(s) is processed to detect potential defects. A high-resolution electronic sensing system examines the stationary plate, and the image data from the sensor(s) is processed to detect potential defects. The potential defects from the visual image data and electronic sensing image data are processed to produce the final defect information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2002
    Publication date: February 19, 2004
    Inventors: Bernard T. Clark, David L. Freeman, Jeffrey A. Hawthorne, Alexander J. Nagy, William K. Pratt
  • Patent number: 5548204
    Abstract: A reconfigurable integrated circuit chip includes an output terminal (42) which is connected to the output of an inverting amplifier (44). The integrated circuit chip (10) includes an output terminal (46) which is connected to one input of a comparator (22). The other end of comparator (22) is connected to an internal voltage reference device (48). The output of comparator (22) is connected to the input of the inverting amplifier (44). The integrated circuit chip (10) may be configured as a linear regulator when a transconductance device (14) is connected between a DC power supply (12) and a load and an integrator (24) is connected between terminal (42) and the control input of the transconductance device (14). The integrated circuit chip (10) is configured as a switching regulator when a gated switch (14) is connected between a DC power supply (12) and a switching node (65) wherein the gated switch (14) is gated by the signal output by the output terminal (42).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Benchmarq Microelectronics
    Inventors: Gene L. Armstrong, II, David L. Freeman
  • Patent number: 5454710
    Abstract: A battery detect circuit (32) is connected to a battery, with the current A battery V:the battery and the current extracted from the battery measured with a sense resistor (50) and convened to charge and discharge voltages with a V/F converter (52). A microcontroller (64) is operable to increment a nominal available charge (NAC) register (180) during a charge operation and to increment a discharge rate counter (DCR) (184) during a discharge operation. The NAC register (180) indicates the available charge, i.e. the charge state of the battery, which value is output to a display (34). The display (34) is controlled to operate in either an absolute full mode or a relative full mode. This is determined by an external programming pin which has first and second programming states associated with the two modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1995
    Assignee: Benchmarg Microelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Landau, Wallace E. Matthews, David L. Freeman
  • Patent number: 5440221
    Abstract: A battery detect circuit (32) is connected to the battery with the current input to the battery and extracted from the battery measured with a sense resistor (50) and then converted to charge and discharge pulses with a V/F converter (52). A microcontroller (64) is operable to increment a Nominal Available Charge (NAC) register (180) during a charge operation, and to increment a Discharge Count Register (DCR) (184) during a discharge operation. The NAC register (180) indicates the available charge, which value is output to a display (34). The maximum value to which the NAC value can rise is limited by a value stored in the last measured discharge register (182). This value represents the value stored in the DCR (184) whenever the battery is discharged from an apparent full state to a fully discharged state. This results in a qualified transfer to the LMD register (182) such that no knowledge of the actual battery charge is necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Benchmarg Microelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Landau, Wallace E. Matthews, David L. Freeman
  • Patent number: 5432429
    Abstract: A battery monitoring/control device includes a monitor/control device (35) that is operable to be integrated with a microprocessor system. The system includes a CPU (12) that interfaces with a data bus (14) and an address bus (16). The CPU (12) interfaces through a data line (40) with the control/monitor device (35) and control lines (28) and (34). Commands and data can be input to the control/monitor circuit (35) and data received therefrom. The control/monitor device (35) includes a controller/data register block (36) and a battery charge control/monitor block (44). The device (35) is operable to monitor the battery voltage of a secondary battery (46) during charging thereof and to control the rate of charge through a transistor (66). The battery monitor (90) determines when the voltage on the battery (46) reaches a predetermined level indicating full-charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignee: Benchmarq Microelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Gene L. Armstrong, II, William F. Davies, Jr., David L. Freeman
  • Patent number: 5357203
    Abstract: A battery detect circuit (32) is connected to the battery with the current input to the battery and extracted from the battery measured with a sense resistor (50) and then converted to charge and discharge pulses with a V/F converter (52). A microcontroller (64) is operable to increment a Nominal Available Charge (NAC) register (180) during a charge operation, and to increment a Discharge Count Register (DCR) (184) during a discharge operation. The NAC register (180) indicates the available charge, which value is output to a display (34). The maximum value to which the NAC value can rise is limited by a value stored in the last measured discharge register (182). This value represents the value stored in the DCR (184) whenever the battery is discharged from an apparent full state to a fully discharged state. This results in a qualified transfer to the LMD register (182) such that no knowledge of the actual battery charge is necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1994
    Assignee: Benchmarq Microelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Landau, Wallace E. Matthews, David L. Freeman
  • Patent number: 5284719
    Abstract: A battery detect circuit (32) is connected to the battery with the current input to the battery and extracted from the battery measured with a sense resistor (50) and then converted to charge and discharge pulses with a V/F converter (52). A microcontroller (64) is operable to increment a Nominal Available Charge (NAC) register (180) during a charge operation, and to increment a Discharge Count Register (DCR) (184) during a discharge operation. The NAC register (180) indicates the available charge, which value is output to a display (34). The maximum value to which the NAC value can rise is limited by a value stored in the last measured discharge register (182). This value represents the value stored in the DCR (184) whenever the battery is discharged from an apparent full state to a fully discharged state. This results in a qualified transfer to the LMD register (182) such that no knowledge of the actual battery charge is necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 8, 1994
    Assignee: Benchmarq Microelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Landau, Wallace E. Matthews, David L. Freeman
  • Patent number: 4856388
    Abstract: An adjustable length extension tool is disclosed for interconnection between a driving tool, such as a socket wrench, and an object to be driven, such as a screw or bolt. An extension housing body includes a shaft that can move reciprocally within a bore therein; one end of the sleeve member includes a box opening for interconnection with the driving tool and one end of the shaft includes a box pin for interconnection with a socket. An adjustable compression sleeve is received around the shaft to limit the movement and drag of the shaft within the bore thereby providing infinite length adjustability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1989
    Inventor: David L. Freeman