Patents by Inventor Kurt J. Otto

Kurt J. Otto 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: 8159804
    Abstract: Systems and methods for limiting heating to prevent explosions in a gaseous environment containing an industrial control system are described. A method may include controlling heating in an electrical circuit component in response to a circuit failure so as to avoid reaching a temperature at or above a flash point of a gaseous component of the gaseous environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Invensys Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Kurt J. Otto
  • Publication number: 20110125310
    Abstract: Systems and methods for limiting heating to prevent explosions in a gaseous environment containing an industrial control system are described. A method may include controlling heating in an electrical circuit component in response to a circuit failure so as to avoid reaching a temperature at or above a flash point of a gaseous component of the gaseous environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Inventor: KURT J. OTTO
  • Patent number: 7742270
    Abstract: A system and method for limiting energy to an industrial control system is described. The method includes receiving a supply voltage, limiting the supply voltage so as to generate a limited voltage, and providing the limited voltage to a field transducer, the field transducer being disposed to monitor a parameter of the industrial process. A field current, that is generated in response to the limited voltage, is received from the field transducer and the field current is indicative of a magnitude of the parameter under normal operating conditions. During a fault condition, the field current is restricted with a variable resistance that is responsive to an amount of thermal energy generated during the fault condition so as to limit an amount of energy drawn by the control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Invensys Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Kurt J. Otto
  • Patent number: 6091853
    Abstract: A 12 bit to 8 bit dynamic range compression processor for compressing video data. The dynamic range compression processor uses a lookup RAM, or dynamic range compression RAM, to update offset and compression terms of each field of video in real time. During the active video period of each field, a 12 bit histogram of video pixel values is collected using a histogram RAM for a specific software defined local area of interest. During the video scan retrace time, the histogram is evaluated and offset and compression terms are computed based on upper and lower breakpoints of the histogram. An algorithm is employed to generate one of 3840 (15 integer and 3825 non-integer) compression slopes. Each compression slope is written into the dynamic range compression RAM starting at the computed offset value and is applied to the next field of video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Lockhead Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Kurt J. Otto
  • Patent number: 5384860
    Abstract: A connectivity algorithm hardware implementation system wherein a subject pixel in a raster-scanned digitized image is declared a pixel of interest, in real time, by it being part of a potential target where every pixel on a closed pixel path enclosing the subject pixel differs in intensity from the intensity of the subject pixel by a predetermined intensity level, the system including a sequential delay line array producing a plurality of sequentially delayed digitized video signals representative of the spatial relationship of the pixels in the digitized image, these signals being coupled to a magnitude comparator array along with a delayed subject pixel contrast signal produced by a threshold circuit coupled to the subject pixel intensity causing the comparator array to produce a plurality of resultant signals representative of a comparison of the video signals with the subject pixel contrast signal, which resultant signals are coupled to a path checking circuit that simultaneously identifies all predeterm
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: Loral Aerospace Corp.
    Inventors: Robert C. Gardemal, Jr., Kurt J. Otto, Gregory A. Roberts
  • Patent number: 5164968
    Abstract: A nine bit Gray code counter is constructed as a single integrated circuit such as a PLA and comprises D flip-flops, AND gates and Exclusive-OR gates. The array is programmed to provide a nine bit Gray code count at its outputs. The Q output of each flip-flop provides one bit in the Gray code count. The D input to each flip-flop is determined by the significance of the bit and the following equations: D0=A XOR Q0; D1=(A.multidot.Q0) XOR Q1; Dn=(A.multidot. . . . .multidot.Qn-2.multidot.Qn--1) XOR Qn; and Dmsb=(A.multidot.Q0.multidot.Q1.multidot. . . . .multidot.Qmsb-2 XOR Qmsb.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1992
    Assignee: Loral Aerospace Corp.
    Inventor: Kurt J. Otto