Patents by Inventor Ken Gudan
Ken Gudan 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: 10862200Abstract: An individual antenna element is described. In one embodiment, the individual antenna element is a patch antenna which has an electrically small radiating element with a U-shaped slot on an antenna substrate, with a gain greater than 2 dBi with +/?45 degree coverage.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2014Date of Patent: December 8, 2020Assignee: RICOH CO., LTD.Inventors: Shuai Shao, Ken Gudan, Jonathan J. Hull
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Patent number: 10411505Abstract: A reconfigurable array antenna and system for including the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna apparatus comprises a feeding network and an array coupled to the feeding network, wherein the array has a plurality of locations, with each location capable of having an antenna element attached thereto, and wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array, and the energy is combined by the feeding network in RF.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2014Date of Patent: September 10, 2019Assignee: RICOH CO., LTD.Inventors: Shuai Shao, Ken Gudan, Jonathan J. Hull
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Patent number: 10158401Abstract: A network sensor system and method for using the same are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the network sensor system comprises: a radio-frequency (RF) emitter; a first sensor tag including a transmitter, an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC) including RF energy from the RF emitter and RF energy from one or more ambient sources, a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power, one or more sensors for sensing and logging data, a controller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors and the transmitter, to communicate data in the form of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising packet using energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit; and a first device to receive the BLE advertising packet.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2015Date of Patent: December 18, 2018Assignee: RICOH CO., LTD.Inventors: Jonathan J. Hull, Ken Gudan, Harsha Binnamangalam
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Patent number: 10147032Abstract: A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC); a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power; one or more sensors for sensing; a backscatter communicator to backscatter energy to communicate; and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors, and the backscatter communicator, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state and cause the radio to communicate sensed data from at least one of the one or more sensors while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2013Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignees: RICOH CO., LTD., DUKE UNIVERSITYInventors: Ken Gudan, Sergey Chemishkian, Jonathan J. Hull, Matthew S. Reynolds
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Patent number: 9866069Abstract: A beam steered phased array antenna and system for including the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna apparatus comprises an array of a plurality of antenna elements, the array having a single moveable feeding point coupled to the antenna elements, where the moveable feeding point is movable with respect to the antenna elements in the array.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2014Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: RICOH CO., LTD.Inventors: Shuai Shao, Ken Gudan, Jonathan J. Hull
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Patent number: 9754202Abstract: A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an access point coupled to provide access to a network; an RF tag comprising an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC); a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power; a passive wakeup pattern detector operable to generate an interrupt in response to detecting a set of one or more subcarriers; one or more sensors for sensing; a communication mechanism; and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors, and the backscatter communicator, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state in response to the interrupt and cause the communication mechanism to exchange data wirelessly with another while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2013Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignees: RICOH CO., LTD., DUKE UNIVERSITYInventors: Ken Gudan, Sergey Chemishkian, Jonathan J. Hull, Matthew S. Reynolds
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Patent number: 9747538Abstract: A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC); a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power; a passive wakeup pattern detector operable to generate an interrupt in response to detecting a set of one or more subcarriers; one or more sensors for sensing; a communication mechanism; and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors, and the backscatter communicator, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state in response to the interrupt and cause the communication mechanism to exchange data wirelessly with another while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2013Date of Patent: August 29, 2017Assignees: RICOH CO., LTD., DUKE UNIVERSITYInventors: Ken Gudan, Sergey Chemishkian, Jonathan J. Hull, Matthew S. Reynolds
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Patent number: 9618552Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for measuring radio-frequency energy. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises one or more antennas, a wideband radio frequency detector (e.g., a logarithmic amplifier (LogAmp)) coupled to the one or more antennas to measure ambient RF energy, wherein the wideband radio frequency detector has an analog output indicative of RF input power received by the one or more antennas, and an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the wideband radio frequency detector to convert the analog output to a digital value, the digital value being applied to a calibration function, to provide a number representing RF energy.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2012Date of Patent: April 11, 2017Assignees: RICOH CO., LTD., DUKE UNIVERSITYInventors: Ken Gudan, Sergey Chemishkian, Matthew S. Reynolds
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Publication number: 20170076193Abstract: Techniques that enable a device to advertise its mode of operation using an RFID tag attached to the device. Techniques are provided for programmatically controlling an RFID tag. An RFID tag attached to a device is programmatically enabled or disabled depending upon the mode(s) of operation of the device. The RFID tag is able to transmit a signal when enabled and not able to transmit a signal when disabled. Using such a controllable RFID tag, a device can efficiently indicate or advertise its mode of operation to an RFID reader or sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2016Publication date: March 16, 2017Inventors: Kurt Piersol, Ken Gudan
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Patent number: 9559605Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for harvesting ambient energy. In one embodiment, an energy harvester comprises: a first RF rectifier to output a first voltage determined by rectified RF energy in response to received RF energy; a first energy reservoir coupled to the first RF rectifier to store energy at the first voltage; a DC/DC converter coupled to the first energy reservoir to convert the first voltage to a second voltage; a second reservoir coupled to the DC/DC converter to store energy at the second voltage, the second voltage being greater than the first voltage; and a third reservoir coupled to the second reservoir to receive energy transferred from the second reservoir periodically.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2014Date of Patent: January 31, 2017Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ken Gudan, Sergey Chemishkian, Matthew S. Reynolds, Stewart Thomas, Joshua Ensworth
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Patent number: 9473875Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for sensor node and access point communication. In one embodiment, the method comprises embedding, by a sensor node, data from one or more sensor readings in a field of a first message, the field being designated as part of a standardized protocol to send information other than the data sensor readings; determining without the use of a receiver, by the sensor node, whether a wireless communication channel is at a predetermined quality level to send the first message; and broadcasting the first message wirelessly to a component according to the standardized protocol.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2014Date of Patent: October 18, 2016Assignee: RICOH CO., LTD.Inventors: Sergey Chemishkian, Ken Gudan, Jonathan J. Hull
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Publication number: 20160254844Abstract: A network sensor system and method for using the same are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the network sensor system comprises: a radio-frequency (RF) emitter; a first sensor tag including a transmitter, an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC) including RF energy from the RF emitter and RF energy from one or more ambient sources, a storage unit operable to store recovered DC power, one or more sensors for sensing and logging data, a controller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors and the transmitter, to communicate data in the form of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising packet using energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit; and a first device to receive the BLE advertising packet.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2015Publication date: September 1, 2016Inventors: Jonathan J. Hull, Ken Gudan, Harsha Binnamangalam
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Patent number: 9396426Abstract: Techniques that enable a device to advertise its mode of operation using an RFID tag attached to the device. Techniques are provided for programmatically controlling an RFID tag. An RFID tag attached to a device is programmatically enabled or disabled depending upon the mode(s) of operation of the device. The RFID tag is able to transmit a signal when enabled and not able to transmit a signal when disabled. Using such a controllable RFID tag, a device can efficiently indicate or advertise its mode of operation to an RFID reader or sensor.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2013Date of Patent: July 19, 2016Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Kurt Piersol, Ken Gudan
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Patent number: 9397522Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for controlling radio-frequency (RF) energy for wireless devices. In one embodiment, the method comprises determining to increase radio-frequency (RF) energy available to power a wireless tag and controlling the RF energy delivered to the wireless tag to provide tag energy, using one or more of: a) increasing transmission RF power of one or more wireless communication devices, b) increasing a duty cycle associated with wireless transmissions of one or more wireless communication devices, and c) decreasing path loss of the power to the wireless tag.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2012Date of Patent: July 19, 2016Assignees: RICOH CO., LTD., DUKE UNIVERSITYInventors: Sergey Chemishkian, Ken Gudan, Jonathan J. Hull, Matthew S. Reynolds
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Publication number: 20160190869Abstract: A reconfigurable array antenna and system for including the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna apparatus comprises a feeding network and an array coupled to the feeding network, wherein the array has a plurality of locations, with each location capable of having an antenna element attached thereto, and wherein the feeding network is operable to combine energy received by antenna elements in the array, and the energy is combined by the feeding network in RF.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2014Publication date: June 30, 2016Inventors: Shuai Shao, Ken Gudan, Jonathan J. Hull
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Publication number: 20160190868Abstract: An individual antenna element is described. In one embodiment, the individual antenna element is a patch antenna which has an electrically small radiating element with a U-shaped slot on an antenna substrate, with a gain greater than 2 dBi with +/?45 degree coverage.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2014Publication date: June 30, 2016Inventors: Shuai Shao, Ken Gudan, Jonathan J. Hull
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Publication number: 20160190687Abstract: A beam steered phased array antenna and system for including the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna apparatus comprises an array of a plurality of antenna elements, the array having a single moveable feeding point coupled to the antenna elements, where the moveable feeding point is movable with respect to the antenna elements in the array.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2014Publication date: June 30, 2016Inventors: Shuai Shao, Ken Gudan, Jonathan J. Hull
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Patent number: 9342777Abstract: Techniques that enable a device to advertise its mode of operation using an RFID tag attached to the device. Techniques are provided for programmatically controlling an RFID tag. An RFID tag attached to a device is programmatically enabled or disabled depending upon the mode(s) of operation of the device. The RFID tag is able to transmit a signal when enabled and not able to transmit a signal when disabled. Using such a controllable RFID tag, a device can efficiently indicate or advertise its mode of operation to an RFID reader or sensor.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2006Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Kurt Piersol, Ken Gudan
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Patent number: 9245159Abstract: A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication is described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: an access point comprising: a first antenna; a first radio coupled to the first antenna; a central processing unit coupled to the first radio; a backscatter adapter coupled to the access point via a wired communication interface, the backscatter adapter comprising a backscatter radio and a second antenna coupled to the backscatter radio for use in communicating with an RF tag in the network via backscatter.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2013Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignees: RICOH CO., LTD., DUKE UNIVERSITYInventors: Ken Gudan, Sergey Chemishkian, Jonathan J. Hull, Matthew S. Reynolds
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Patent number: 9245158Abstract: A method, system and tag for low power radio frequency communication are described. In one embodiment, the RF tag comprises: a radio, an energy harvesting unit operable to convert incident RF energy to direct current (DC), a storage unit to store recovered DC power, one or more sensors for sensing and logging data, and a microcontroller coupled to the energy harvesting and storage units, the one or more sensors and the radio, the microcontroller operable to wake up from a sleep state and cause the radio to communicate, sensed data from at least one of the one or more sensors while powered by energy previously harvested and stored by the energy harvesting and storage unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2012Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignees: RICOH CO., LTD., DUKE UNIVERSITYInventors: Ken Gudan, Sergey Chemishkian, Jonathan J. Hull, Matthew S. Reynolds