Patents by Inventor Douglas G. Knutzen

Douglas G. Knutzen 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).

  • Method for automatically determining range of movement of an electromechanical actuator
    Patent number: 6198243
    Abstract: An actuator is operated to move a mechanical device between two extreme positions of travel. While that motion is occurring, the system quantifies the amount of movement that occurs between those positions. The quantification may involve counting the number of steps of a stepper motor. The number of steps may be used directly as a quantification. Alternatively, the number of steps can be multiplied by the time period of each step to derive the time of the movement between the extreme positions. In addition to being used to setup the actuator upon installation, this automatic ranging method can be performed periodically to compensate for effects of wear on the mechanical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Co.
    Inventors: David C. Ritmanich, Douglas G. Knutzen, William R. Kuckuk