Patents by Inventor Laurence Alan Strong

Laurence Alan Strong 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: 11888324
    Abstract: A power management apparatus 20 comprises: a plurality of energy harvesting input channels 21-24; a first energy storage element connection for connecting to an energy storage element 32; an inductor connection 27; and a switching circuit 28. A controller 30 operates the switching circuit to transfer energy between the energy harvesting input channels 21-24 and the first energy storage element connection 25 by a sequence of energy transfer cycles. Each energy harvesting input channel 21-24 is allocated a plurality of the energy transfer cycles. The controller 30 determines operating parameters for operating the switching circuit 28 which transfer a maximum power from the electrical energy harvesting source connected to the energy harvesting input channel and a maximum power inductor utilisation factor. The controller 30 determines a set of adjusted operating parameters for sharing use of the inductor between the plurality of energy harvesting input channels 21-24.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Trameto Limited
    Inventors: Mark Ross, Laurence Alan Strong, Robert Robertson
  • Publication number: 20230327482
    Abstract: A power management apparatus 20 comprises: a plurality of energy harvesting input channels 21-24; a first energy storage element connection for connecting to an energy storage element 32; an inductor connection 27; and a switching circuit 28. A controller 30 operates the switching circuit to transfer energy between the energy harvesting input channels 21-24 and the first energy storage element connection 25 by a sequence of energy transfer cycles. Each energy harvesting input channel 21-24 is allocated a plurality of the energy transfer cycles. The controller 30 determines operating parameters for operating the switching circuit 28 which transfer a maximum power from the electrical energy harvesting source connected to the energy harvesting input channel and a maximum power inductor utilisation factor. The controller 30 determines a set of adjusted operating parameters for sharing use of the inductor between the plurality of energy harvesting input channels 21-24.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Mark Ross, Laurence Alan Strong, Robert Robertson
  • Publication number: 20230327435
    Abstract: A power management apparatus 20 comprises a first energy harvesting input channel 21; a first energy storage element connection 25; an inductor connection 27; and a switching circuit 28. A controller 30 is configured to operate the switching circuit 28 to transfer energy between the first energy harvesting input channel 21 and the first energy storage element connection 25 by a sequence of energy transfer cycles. Each of the energy transfer cycles comprises an energise phase in which energy is transferred from the first energy harvesting input channel 21 to the inductor connection 25 for an energise time (tE) and a de-energise phase. The first energy harvesting input channel 21 is capable of receiving an AC electrical signal and a DC electrical signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Mark Ross, Laurence Alan Strong, Robert Robertson
  • Patent number: 10270352
    Abstract: A switching circuit, electrical energy converter, power management unit and energy harvesting system are described. Such apparatus is applicable to energy harvesting applications which involve a variety of transducers, either singly or simultaneously. The transducers may, for example, be photovoltaic, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, or electrodynamic. The described converters operate to convert impedances, voltages and currents. They incorporate inductive energy transfer elements, which are magnetically coupled. Different combinations of these energy transfer elements are used to obtain different conversion ratios, which can be referred to as “gears”. On the input side, having multiple gears enables easier and better matching to a wider variety of energy transducers. On the output side, it enables easier and better accommodation of a wider spread of energy storage voltages and of a wider variety of loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Trameto Limited
    Inventors: Laurence Alan Strong, David Huw Davies, Christopher Julian Travis
  • Publication number: 20180069481
    Abstract: A switching circuit, electrical energy converter, power management unit and energy harvesting system are described. Such apparatus is applicable to energy harvesting applications which involve a variety of transducers, either singly or simultaneously. The transducers may, for example, be photovoltaic, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, or electrodynamic. The described converters operate to convert impedances, voltages and currents. They incorporate inductive energy transfer elements, which are magnetically coupled. Different combinations of these energy transfer elements are used to obtain different conversion ratios, which can be referred to as “gears”. On the input side, having multiple gears enables easier and better matching to a wider variety of energy transducers. On the output side, it enables easier and better accommodation of a wider spread of energy storage voltages and of a wider variety of loads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Laurence Alan Strong, David Huw Davies, Christopher Julian Travis
  • Patent number: 8699502
    Abstract: A media receiver hub receives wireless signals from multiple sources (e.g., satellite signals from multiple satellites) and provides the signals to end devices over a local network. According to an example embodiment, a satellite hub is responsive to channel input selections received from end devices by selecting channels from within received satellite signals, and by converting each channel into a format amenable for delivery to and use at an end device requesting the channel. The converted channels are communicated to the end devices over a network that also facilitates communications between the devices, by restricting the communications to using a portion of the available bandwidth of the network, reserving bandwidth for communications with and/or between the end devices (or other network devices).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Entropic Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Abraham Krieger, Laurence Alan Strong, Mats Lindstrom, Sadashiv Vinayak Phadnis, Yoav P. Goldenberg
  • Publication number: 20090232077
    Abstract: A media receiver hub receives wireless signals from multiple sources (e.g., satellite signals from multiple satellites) and provides the signals to end devices over a local network. According to an example embodiment, a satellite hub is responsive to channel input selections received from end devices by selecting channels from within received satellite signals, and by converting each channel into a format amenable for delivery to and use at an end device requesting the channel. The converted channels are communicated to the end devices over a network that also facilitates communications between the devices, by restricting the communications to using a portion of the available bandwidth of the network, reserving bandwidth for communications with and/or between the end devices (or other network devices).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Inventors: Abraham Krieger, Laurence Alan Strong, Mats Lindstrom, Sadashiv Vinayak Phadnis, Yoav P. Goldenberg