Patents by Inventor Michel Germe

Michel Germe 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).

  • Publication number: 20240113780
    Abstract: In an optical wireless communication, OWC, system, an apparatus (200) is configured to operate in a first mode to enable a first functionality where the apparatus acts as a bridge device between an OWC access point (400) and a first end device out of one or more end devices (300a, 300b, 300c, 300d), or in a second mode to enable a second functionality where the apparatus relays data between the first end device and a second end device out of the one or more end devices (300a, 300b, 300c, 300d). The apparatus (200) communicates with the OWC access point (400) by means of a first type of optical wireless link (450) using a first modulation scheme; and communicates with the first end device by means of a second type of optical wireless link (350) using a second modulation scheme. The first type of optical wireless link (450) has a wider beam angle than the second type of optical wireless link (350).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventor: MICHEL GERME
  • Patent number: 11949452
    Abstract: The invention provides a computing device for determining and conveying a bandwidth coverage of an optical communication modality within a space, wherein the space comprises at least one optical transmitter arranged for communicating over said optical communication modality; wherein the computing device comprises a controller configured to: obtain configuration data characterizing a configuration of said space; obtain lighting data characterizing the at least one optical transmitter; determine the bandwidth coverage of the optical communication modality within the space based on the configuration data and the lighting data; wherein the computing device comprises an output interface configured to: convey a signal indicative of the bandwidth coverage of the optical communication modality within the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Michel Germe, Muhammad Hassan
  • Publication number: 20240072893
    Abstract: According to one aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a client device for use in an optical wireless communications network, the client device comprising a transceiver configured to receive data via an optical wireless connection. The transceiver comprises an upward facing optical transducer configured to detect or transmit an optical wireless transmission, the sensor arranged to have a coverage area with at least two 5 concentric segments. A portion of the sensor is configured to provide an outermost segment of the at least two concentric segments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Andries VAN WAGENINGEN, Michel GERME, Johan-Paul Marie Gerard LINNARTZ, Paul Henricus Johannes Maria VOORTHUISEN, Matthias WENDT
  • Publication number: 20230179300
    Abstract: In a multi-cell wireless communication system (100) with at least one optical access point (120) and at least one radio frequency access point (120), more flexibility is provided to an end device (110) in selecting an access point (120) for establishing a data link. Because of the line-of-sight characteristic of an optical link and the limited field of view of an optical receiver, optical cells are typically deployed with a relatively high density and adjacent optical cells may have an overlapping area. This invention discloses a method of an end device (110) for selecting a favorable access point (120) with reduced overhead, even when the end device is located in the overlapping area of two adjacent optical cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2021
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Inventors: Michel GERME, Haimin TAO, Andreas Felix Alfred BLUSCHKE, Christian JORDAN
  • Patent number: 11632173
    Abstract: A system comprising: a plurality of first devices, each configured to transmit a low-frequency, LF, light signal comprising an identifier of the respective first device, and to transmit and/or receive a high-frequency, HF, light signal comprising data content; and a second device configured to receive a LF light signal from each of the first devices, and to transmit and/or receive a HF light signal from at least one first device, wherein the second device has an adaptable receiving and/or transmitting direction for respectively receiving and/or transmitting the HF light signal, and wherein the second device comprises a controller configured to: based on the identifiers encoded in the LF light signals, determine a position of the second device relative to the first devices and select a first device; and based on the determination, adapt the receiving and/or transmitting direction toward the selected first device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Kumar Arulandu, Johan-Paul Marie Gerard Linnartz, Michel Germe, Andries Van Wageningen, Stephanus Joseph Johannes Nijssen
  • Publication number: 20230014183
    Abstract: The invention provides a computing device for determining and conveying a bandwidth coverage of an optical communication modality within a space, wherein the space comprises at least one optical transmitter arranged for communicating over said optical communication modality; wherein the computing device comprises a controller configured to: obtain configuration data characterizing a configuration of said space; obtain lighting data characterizing the at least one optical transmitter; determine the bandwidth coverage of the optical communication modality within the space based on the configuration data and the lighting data; wherein the computing device comprises an output interface configured to: convey a signal indicative of the bandwidth coverage of the optical communication modality within the space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventors: Michel GERME, Muhammad HASSAN
  • Publication number: 20220191703
    Abstract: A communication system, method and apparatus that enable combined illumination and communication of data (e.g. LiFi) by achieving extended coverage using just three or more channels. The combined illumination and communication system comprises an arrangement of luminaires as a regular Bravais pattern based on a convex quadrilateral unit cell on the ceiling. Using a spatial reuse pattern of at least three optical color channels, full coverage for the users in that space can be achieved. The predetermined reuse pattern is configured so that a first channel and a second channel are distributed over the Bravais pattern and a third channel is used to cover dead spot areas where the coverage areas of the first and second channels contact each other. Interference can be avoided to achieve full contiguous coverage without requiring the luminaires to synchronize or to communicate with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Ruslan Akhmedovich SEPKHANOV, Johan-Paul Marie Gerard LINNARTZ, Michel GERME
  • Publication number: 20220140901
    Abstract: A system comprising: a plurality of first devices, each configured to transmit a low-frequency, LF, light signal comprising an identifier of the respective first device, and to transmit and/or receive a high-frequency, HF, light signal comprising data content; and a second device configured to receive a LF light signal from each of the first devices, and to transmit and/or receive a HF light signal from at least one first device, wherein the second device has an adaptable receiving and/or transmitting direction for respectively receiving and/or transmitting the HF light signal, and wherein the second device comprises a controller configured to: based on the identifiers encoded in the LF light signals, determine a position of the second device relative to the first devices and select a first device; and based on the determination, adapt the receiving and/or transmitting direction toward the selected first device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Kumar ARULANDU, Johan-Paul Marie Gerard LINNARTZ, Michel GERME, Andries VAN WAGENINGEN, Stephanus Joseph Johannes NIJSSEN
  • Patent number: 11025341
    Abstract: An LED module (200) comprising: a first set of LEDs (D1) for emitting illumination to illuminate an environment, arranged within a first circuit path; a second set of one or more LEDs (D2) for emitting light, arranged within a second circuit path; both the first and second sets being powered by a portion of the power received via a same pair of input terminals, and the first circuit path being longer than the second circuit path; and filter circuitry (206, 208) arranged to filter a modulation in the power received via the terminals, the filtering comprising allowing a component of the modulation at a predetermined modulation frequency to be passed only to the second set of LEDs (D2) and not the first set (D1), thereby causing a corresponding signal to be embedded in the light emitted by the second set but not in the illumination emitted by the first set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: Kumar Arulandu, Johan-Paul Marie Gerard Linnartz, Michel Germe, Amir Khalid, Olivia Qiu, David Derrien
  • Publication number: 20200204256
    Abstract: An LED module (200) comprising: a first set of LEDs (D1) for emitting illumination to illuminate an environment, arranged within a first circuit path; a second set of one or more LEDs (D2) for emitting light, arranged within a second circuit path; both the first and second sets being powered by a portion of the power received via a same pair of input terminals, and the first circuit path being longer than the second circuit path; and filter circuitry (206, 208) arranged to filter a modulation in the power received via the terminals, the filtering comprising allowing a component of the modulation at a predetermined modulation frequency to be passed only to the second set of LEDs (D2) and not the first set (D1), thereby causing a corresponding signal to be embedded in the light emitted by the second set but not in the illumination emitted by the first set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Kumar ARULANDU, Johan-Paul Marie Gerard LINNARTZ, Michel GERME, Amir KHALID, Olivia QIU, David DERRIEN
  • Patent number: 9065344
    Abstract: A circuit for a switched mode power supply having a winding. The circuit comprising: an input configured to receive a winding voltage derived from the winding; a differentiation element configured to differentiate the winding voltage with respect to time in order to determine a derivative signal and compare the derivative signal with a threshold value; a steady state detector configured to set a zero derivative signal when the derivative signal has not exceeded the threshold value for a predetermined period of time, and a logic arrangement configured to identify an end of a demagnetization stroke of the switched mode power supply when the derivative signal crosses a final threshold value after the zero derivative signal has been set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Michel Germe, Emeric Uguen
  • Publication number: 20130208513
    Abstract: A circuit for a switched mode power supply having a winding. The circuit comprising: an input configured to receive a winding voltage derived from the winding; a differentiation element configured to differentiate the winding voltage with respect to time in order to determine a derivative signal and compare the derivative signal with a threshold value; a steady state detector configured to set a zero derivative signal when the derivative signal has not exceeded the threshold value for a predetermined period of time, and a logic arrangement configured to identify an end of a demagnetization stroke of the switched mode power supply when the derivative signal crosses a final threshold value after the zero derivative signal has been set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Michel Germe, Emeric Uguen
  • Patent number: 8183941
    Abstract: An electronic device (ED) is intended for generating a local oscillator signal having a chosen frequency FLO from a main signal outputted by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and having a fundamental frequency FVCO and harmonics thereof. This electronic device (ED) comprises a frequency division means (D1, D2) arranged to divide the frequency of a signal by a chosen factor N and a filter means (F1, F2) arranged to select a chosen Mth order harmonic of a signal, these frequency division means (D1, D2; D) and filter means (F1, F2) being arranged to process the main signal in common to output the local oscillator signal with a chosen frequency FLO equal to MxFVCO/N.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Dominique Delbecq, Michel Germe
  • Publication number: 20100039184
    Abstract: An electronic device (ED) is intended for generating a local oscillator signal having a chosen frequency FLO from a main signal outputted by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and having a fundamental frequency FVCO and harmonics thereof. This electronic device (ED) comprises a frequency division means (D1, D2) arranged to divide the frequency of a signal by a chosen factor N and a filter means (F1, F2) arranged to select a chosen Mth order harmonic of a signal, these frequency division means (D1,D2;D) and filter means (F1, F2) being arranged to process the main signal in common to output the local oscillator signal with a chosen frequency FLO equal to M×FVCO/N.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicants: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Dominique Delbecq, Michel Germe