Patents by Inventor Peter Constantinou
Peter Constantinou 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: 11921251Abstract: Inductive position sensors for sensing relative position (e.g., relative rotary position) between members are provided. In one example implementation, the inductive position sensor includes a transmit aerial having at least one transmit winding. The inductive position sensor can include a receive aerial having one or more receive windings. The inductive position sensor can include a coupling element operable to be disposed on the second member. The inductive position sensor can include processing circuitry configured to provide one or more signals indicative of the position of the first member relative to the second member based on current induced in the one or more receive windings resulting from an oscillating signal provided to the transmit winding. The inductive position sensor includes at least one electrostatic shield. The electrostatic shield can include a plurality of conductive traces arranged so that no current loops are formed in the electrostatic shield.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2023Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: KYOCERA AVX Components (Werne) GmbHInventors: David Witts, Peter Constantinou, Paul Smith
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Publication number: 20240011800Abstract: Rotary position sensors are provided. In one example implementation, a rotary position sensor can include a first member and a second member, one of the first and second members having a transmit aerial and a receive aerial and the other of the first and second members having an intermediate coupling element. The receive aerial has at least one receive conductive winding arranged to form a first set of current loops and a second set of current loops. The intermediate coupling element comprises a conductive material arranged in a pattern. The pattern of the intermediate coupling element and the layout of the first and second set of current loops are mutually arranged such that any electromotive force induced in the first set of current loops by a background magnetic field is substantially balanced by an electromotive force induced in the second set of current loops by the background magnetic field.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2023Publication date: January 11, 2024Inventors: David Witts, Timothy Biggs, Paul Smith, Peter Constantinou
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Patent number: 11698275Abstract: In one example implementation, a rotary position sensor can include a first member and a second member, one of the first and second members having a transmit aerial and a receive aerial and the other of the first and second members having an intermediate coupling element. The receive aerial has at least one receive conductive winding arranged to form a first set of current loops and a second set of current loops. The intermediate coupling element comprises a conductive material arranged in a pattern. The pattern of the intermediate coupling element and the layout of the first and second set of current loops are mutually arranged such that any electromotive force induced in the first set of current loops by a background magnetic field is substantially balanced by an electromotive force induced in the second set of current loops by the background magnetic field.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2018Date of Patent: July 11, 2023Assignee: KYOCERA AVX Components (Werne) GmbHInventors: David Witts, Timothy Biggs, Paul Smith, Peter Constantinou
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Publication number: 20230152481Abstract: Inductive position sensors for sensing relative position (e.g., relative rotary position) between members are provided. In one example implementation, the inductive position sensor includes a transmit aerial having at least one transmit winding. The inductive position sensor can include a receive aerial having one or more receive windings. The inductive position sensor can include a coupling element operable to be disposed on the second member. The inductive position sensor can include processing circuitry configured to provide one or more signals indicative of the position of the first member relative to the second member based on current induced in the one or more receive windings resulting from an oscillating signal provided to the transmit winding. The inductive position sensor includes at least one electrostatic shield. The electrostatic shield can include a plurality of conductive traces arranged so that no current loops are formed in the electrostatic shield.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 13, 2023Publication date: May 18, 2023Inventors: David Witts, Peter Constantinou, Paul Smith
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Patent number: 11555940Abstract: Inductive position sensors for sensing relative position (e.g., relative rotary position) between members are provided. In one example implementation, the inductive position sensor includes a transmit aerial having at least one transmit winding. The inductive position sensor can include a receive aerial having one or more receive windings. The inductive position sensor can include a coupling element operable to be disposed on the second member. The inductive position sensor can include processing circuitry configured to provide one or more signals indicative of the position of the first member relative to the second member based on current induced in the one or more receive windings resulting from an oscillating signal provided to the transmit winding. The inductive position sensor includes at least one electrostatic shield. The electrostatic shield can include a plurality of conductive traces arranged so that no current loops are formed in the electrostatic shield.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2019Date of Patent: January 17, 2023Assignee: KYOCERA AVX COMPONENTS (WERNE), GMBHInventors: David Witts, Peter Constantinou, Paul Smith
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Publication number: 20210391774Abstract: A sensor assembly for an electric machine includes a position sensor mounted to the stator. The sensor assembly further includes a target configured to be inductively coupled to a transmit coil of the position sensor and a plurality of receive coils of the position sensor when the target passes the position sensor during a revolution of the rotor relative to the stator. The sensor assembly includes a circuit mounted to the rotor. The sensor assembly further includes a power generation element on the rotor. The power generation element generates electrical power needed for powering electronic components of the circuit based on an inductive coupling with the transmit coil when the power generation element passes the position sensor during the revolution of the rotor. The electronic components can include a sensor configured to obtain data that can be communicated to the position sensor mounted to the stator.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2020Publication date: December 16, 2021Inventors: David Witts, Peter Constantinou, Jonathan Michael Hayes
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Publication number: 20210381853Abstract: Position sensing apparatus is provided. In one example implementation, the position sensing apparatus comprises a first member having an excitation conductive winding and a detection conductive winding formed thereon, and a second member having a resonant circuit formed thereon. An integrated circuit comprising excitation signal generation and detection signal processing circuitry is arranged to generate an alternating excitation signal at a resonant frequency of the resonant circuit and to process an alternating detection signal induced in the detection conductive winding as a result of a magnetic field generated by the alternating excitation signal flowing through the detection conductive winding, and the excitation conductive winding and the detection conductive winding are arranged so that the detection signal varies in dependence on the relative position of the first and second member.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2018Publication date: December 9, 2021Inventors: David Witts, Peter Constantinou, Paul Smith, Timothy Biggs, Andrew Parker
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Publication number: 20210372823Abstract: Rotary position sensors are provided. In one example implementation, a rotary position sensor can include a first member and a second member, one of the first and second members having a transmit aerial and a receive aerial and the other of the first and second members having an intermediate coupling element. The receive aerial has at least one receive conductive winding arranged to form a first set of current loops and a second set of current loops. The intermediate coupling element comprises a conductive material arranged in a pattern. The pattern of the intermediate coupling element and the layout of the first and second set of current loops are mutually arranged such that any electromotive force induced in the first set of current loops by a background magnetic field is substantially balanced by an electromotive force induced in the second set of current loops by the background magnetic field.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2018Publication date: December 2, 2021Applicant: ABX Elektronik GMBHInventors: David Witts, Timothy Biggs, Paul Smith, Peter Constantinou
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Publication number: 20210348910Abstract: An inductive sensor includes a first circuit board having a sensor element configurable in a plurality of different coil configurations. The sensor element includes a transmit coil and a plurality of receive coils. The first circuit board includes interconnect points positioned at a same location on the first circuit board for each of the plurality of different coil configurations. The inductive sensor includes a second circuit board spaced apart from the first circuit board along the axial direction. The second circuit board includes processing circuitry associated with the sensor element and configurable in a plurality of different configurations. The second circuit board includes interconnect points positioned at a same location on the second circuit board for each of the configurations of the processing circuitry. Furthermore, each interconnect point on the second circuit board is aligned with a corresponding interconnect point on the first circuit board along circumferential and radial directions.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2020Publication date: November 11, 2021Inventors: Robert Wood, Peter Constantinou, David Witts
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Publication number: 20200132874Abstract: Inductive position sensors for sensing relative position (e.g., relative rotary position) between members are provided. In one example implementation, the inductive position sensor includes a transmit aerial having at least one transmit winding. The inductive position sensor can include a receive aerial having one or more receive windings. The inductive position sensor can include a coupling element operable to be disposed on the second member. The inductive position sensor can include processing circuitry configured to provide one or more signals indicative of the position of the first member relative to the second member based on current induced in the one or more receive windings resulting from an oscillating signal provided to the transmit winding. The inductive position sensor includes at least one electrostatic shield. The electrostatic shield can include a plurality of conductive traces arranged so that no current loops are formed in the electrostatic shield.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 30, 2019Publication date: April 30, 2020Inventors: David Witts, Peter Constantinou, Paul Smith