Patents by Inventor Michael Terence Durston

Michael Terence Durston 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: 11143669
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an inertial measurement unit (IMU) comprises fabricating a plurality of individual MEMS inertial sensor packages at a package level as sealed packages containing a MEMS inertial sensor chip and an integrated circuit electrically connected together. Fabricating the individual MEMS inertial sensor packages comprises forming mechanical interconnect features in each package and assembling the IMU by mechanically interconnecting each individual MEMS inertial sensor package with another individual MEMS inertial sensor package in a mutually orthogonal orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: ATLANTIC INERTIAL SYSTEMS, LIMITED
    Inventors: Kevin Townsend, Michael Terence Durston
  • Publication number: 20190265268
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an inertial measurement unit (IMU) comprises fabricating a plurality of individual MEMS inertial sensor packages at a package level as sealed packages containing a MEMS inertial sensor chip and an integrated circuit electrically connected together. Fabricating the individual MEMS inertial sensor packages comprises forming mechanical interconnect features in each package and assembling the IMU by mechanically interconnecting each individual MEMS inertial sensor package with another individual MEMS inertial sensor package in a mutually orthogonal orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventors: Kevin Townsend, Michael Terence Durston
  • Patent number: 10330719
    Abstract: A sensor device includes at least two transducers, a sensor signal processing circuit, and a transducer to sensor signal processing circuit electrical connections, each connecting a respective one of the transducers to the sensor signal processing circuit. The device also includes a differential amplifier connected with two bond wires, the bond wires connected to the differential inputs of the differential amplifier and the amplifier output connected to the sensor signal processing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: SILICON SENSING SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael Terence Durston, Douglas Robert Sitch
  • Patent number: 10161957
    Abstract: A method for closed loop operation of a capacitive accelerometer comprising: a proof mass; first and second sets of both fixed and moveable capacitive electrode fingers, interdigitated with each other; the method comprising: applying PWM drive signals to the fixed fingers; sensing displacement of the proof mass and changing the mark:space ratio of the PWM drive signals, to provide a restoring force on the proof mass that balances the inertial force of the applied acceleration and maintains the proof mass at a null position; detecting when the mark:space ratio for the null position is beyond a predetermined upper or lower threshold; and further modulating the PWM drive signals by extending or reducing x pulses in every y cycles, where x>1 and y>1, to provide an average mark:space ratio beyond the upper or lower threshold without further increasing or decreasing the mark length of the other pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: ATLANTIC INERTIAL SYSTEMS, LIMITED
    Inventors: Kevin Townsend, Michael Terence Durston
  • Patent number: 10135454
    Abstract: A successive approximation Analog to Digital Converter (ADC), comprising: a sample and hold device arranged to sample and hold an input signal at the beginning of a conversion cycle; a successive approximation register that sequentially builds up a digital output from its most significant bit to its least significant bit; a digital to analog converter that outputs a signal based on the output of the successive approximation register; a comparator that compares the output of the digital to analog converter with an output of the sample and hold device and supplies its output to the successive approximation register; and a residual signal storage device arranged to store the residual signal at the end of a conversion cycle; and wherein the successive approximation ADC is arranged to add the stored residual signal from the residual signal storage device to the input signal stored on the sample and hold device at the start of each conversion cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: ATLANTIC INERTIAL SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael Terence Durston, Kevin Townsend, Douglas Robert Sitch
  • Publication number: 20170346497
    Abstract: A successive approximation Analogue to Digital Converter (ADC), comprising: a sample and hold device arranged to sample and hold an input signal at the beginning of a conversion cycle; a successive approximation register that sequentially builds up a digital output from its most significant bit to its least significant bit; a digital to analogue converter that outputs a signal based on the output of the successive approximation register; a comparator that compares the output of the digital to analogue converter with an output of the sample and hold device and supplies its output to the successive approximation register; and a residual signal storage device arranged to store the residual signal at the end of a conversion cycle; and wherein the successive approximation ADC is arranged to add the stored residual signal from the residual signal storage device to the input signal stored on the sample and hold device at the start of each conversion cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2015
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: Atlantic Inertial Systems Limited
    Inventors: Michael Terence Durston, Kevin Townsend, Douglas Robert Sitch
  • Publication number: 20170089947
    Abstract: A method for closed loop operation of a capacitive accelerometer comprising: a proof mass; first and second sets of both fixed and moveable capacitive electrode fingers, interdigitated with each other; the method comprising: applying PWM drive signals to the fixed fingers; sensing displacement of the proof mass and changing the mark:space ratio of the PWM drive signals, to provide a restoring force on the proof mass that balances the inertial force of the applied acceleration and maintains the proof mass at a null position; detecting when the mark:space ratio for the null position is beyond a predetermined upper or lower threshold; and further modulating the PWM drive signals by extending or reducing x pulses in every y cycles, where x>1 and y>1, to provide an average mark:space ratio beyond the upper or lower threshold without further increasing or decreasing the mark length of the other pulses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Applicant: Atlantic Inertial Systems Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Townsend, Michael Terence Durston
  • Publication number: 20160370417
    Abstract: A sensor device comprising at least two transducers; a sensor signal processing circuit; transducer to sensor signal processing circuit electrical connections, each connecting a respective one of the transducers to the sensor signal processing circuit; a differential amplifier connected with two bond wires, the bond wires connected to the differential inputs of the differential amplifier and the amplifier output connected to the sensor signal processing circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Applicant: SILICON SENSING SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael Terence Durston, Douglas Robert Sitch