Patents by Inventor Keith Hanf

Keith Hanf 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: 11629818
    Abstract: A safety system for a machine having a danger zone includes an induction coil having one or more turns extending along the periphery of a part of a worker's body as, for example, extending alone the fingers of a glove worn by the worker. A drive circuit applies a time-varying current having an identifiable characteristic such as the frequency of an alternating current. A magnetic field having the characteristic of the time-varying current is induced in an omnidirectional magnetic field sensor mounted adjacent the danger zone. The magnitude of this field is monitored. When the magnitude exceeds a threshold, a warning signal is issued and protective action may be taken, such as stopping or reversing the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: ALKEN Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Hanf, Allan Rodgers, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20210048145
    Abstract: A safety system for a machine having a danger zone includes an induction coil having one or more turns extending along the periphery of a part of a worker's body as, for example, extending alone the fingers of a glove worn by the worker. A drive circuit applies a time-varying current having an identifiable characteristic such as the frequency of an alternating current. A magnetic field having the characteristic of the time-varying current is induced in an omnidirectional magnetic field sensor mounted adjacent the danger zone. The magnitude of this field is monitored. When the magnitude exceeds a threshold, a warning signal is issued and protective action may be taken, such as stopping or reversing the machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2020
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Applicant: ALKEN Inc., dba Polhemus
    Inventors: Keith Hanf, Allan Rodgers, JR.
  • Patent number: 10837599
    Abstract: A safety system for a machine having a danger zone includes an induction coil having one or more turns extending along the periphery of a part of a worker's body as, for example, extending alone the fingers of a glove worn by the worker. A drive circuit applies a time-varying current having an identifiable characteristic such as the frequency of an alternating current. A magnetic field having the characteristic of the time-varying current is induced in an omnidirectional magnetic field sensor mounted adjacent the danger zone. The magnitude of this field is monitored. When the magnitude exceeds a threshold, a warning signal is issued and protective action may be taken, such as stopping or reversing the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: ALKEN Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Hanf, Allan Rodgers, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20190242523
    Abstract: A safety system for a machine having a danger zone includes an induction coil having one or more turns extending along the periphery of a part of a worker's body as, for example, extending alone the fingers of a glove worn by the worker. A drive circuit applies a time-varying current having an identifiable characteristic such as the frequency of an alternating current. A magnetic field having the characteristic of the time-varying current is induced in an omnidirectional magnetic field sensor mounted adjacent the danger zone. The magnitude of this field is monitored. When the magnitude exceeds a threshold, a warning signal is issued and protective action may be taken, such as stopping or reversing the machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Applicant: ALKEN Inc., dba Polhemus
    Inventors: Keith Hanf, Allan Rodgers, JR.
  • Publication number: 20060170417
    Abstract: Magnetic tracking systems and methods confine source(s)/sensor(s) to a compact region, thereby facilitating enhanced precision without the need for distortion compensation or mapping. Several sensors placed in accurately known (or determined through algorithms within the tracker processor) locations allow a single small magnetic field source to be tracked by all of them simultaneously. Such a configuration allows an operator's head to be tracked accurately, as in a flight simulator, where coupling between field source and sensors is kept short, thereby eliminating the need for distortion mapping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Publication date: August 3, 2006
    Inventors: Allan Rodgers, Robert Higgins, Keith Hanf, James Farr