Patents by Inventor Peter J. Bills

Peter J. Bills 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: 9672186
    Abstract: A monitoring device has an event monitor, an uplink interface to a chain controller device, and a downlink interface to a further monitoring device, and a daisy controller for coupling the uplink to the chain downlink. The event monitor, in response to detecting an event in sleep mode, generates a wake-up signal. The daisy controller sets the electronic monitoring device to a wake-up request mode and disables the bidirectional data communication via the downlink interface, and subsequently transmits a wake-up request to the chain controller device via the uplink interface. In response to receiving a wake-up command, the daisy controller re-enables the bidirectional data communication via the downlink interface and sets the electronic monitoring device to the operational mode. Thereby a wake-up sequence is performed while the wake-up request mode avoids bus conflicts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Dominico Desposito, Peter J. Bills, Thierry Robin
  • Publication number: 20150370312
    Abstract: A monitoring device has an event monitor, an uplink interface to a chain controller device, and a downlink interface to a further monitoring device, and a daisy controller for coupling the uplink to the chain downlink. The event monitor, in response to detecting an event in sleep mode, generates a wake-up signal. The daisy controller sets the electronic monitoring device to a wake-up request mode and disables the bidirectional data communication via the downlink interface, and subsequently transmits a wake-up request to the chain controller device via the uplink interface. In response to receiving a wake-up command, the daisy controller re-enables the bidirectional data communication via the downlink interface and sets the electronic monitoring device to the operational mode. Thereby a wake-up sequence is performed while the wake-up request mode avoids bus conflicts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: DOMINICO DESPOSITO, PETER J. BILLS, THIERRY ROBIN
  • Patent number: 8922165
    Abstract: Embodiments of an electronic circuit for monitoring a battery stack enable cell balancing while conserving pin-count of the circuit package. The illustrative electronic circuit comprises a battery monitoring integrated circuit configured for monitoring a plurality of cells in the battery stack. The battery monitoring integrated circuit is arranged to share a common node pin between two adjacent battery cells in the battery stack for the purpose of cell balancing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Bills
  • Patent number: 8600688
    Abstract: Geometrically based system and method for receiving capacitive sensory input. User input may be received by a capacitive sensing pad. A signal may be generated by the capacitive sensing pad. The signal may indicate a size of an area in which the user input is received. The signal may be received by an input composed in processing circuitry and coupled to the capacitive sensing pad. A location of the user input may be determined by the processing circuitry based on the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Standard Microsystems Corporation
    Inventors: Peter J. Bills, Lenard L. Milholland, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20130300371
    Abstract: Embodiments of an electronic circuit for monitoring a battery stack enable cell balancing while conserving pin-count of the circuit package. The illustrative electronic circuit comprises a battery monitoring integrated circuit configured for monitoring a plurality of cells in the battery stack. The battery monitoring integrated circuit is arranged to share a common node pin between two adjacent battery cells in the battery stack for the purpose of cell balancing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventor: Peter J. Bills
  • Publication number: 20120239327
    Abstract: Geometrically based system and method for receiving capacitive sensory input. User input may be received by a capacitive sensing pad. A signal may be generated by the capacitive sensing pad. The signal may indicate a size of an area in which the user input is received. The signal may be received by an input composed in processing circuitry and coupled to the capacitive sensing pad. A location of the user input may be determined by the processing circuitry based on the signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Inventors: Peter J. Bills, Lenard L. Milholland, JR.
  • Patent number: 7102359
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an integrated fault detector circuit is used to detect one or more of the open circuit and short circuit of a load connected to an integrated circuit power MOSFET driver by directly detecting the level of current flowing in a floating current source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Gordon H. Allen, Peter J. Bills, Bryan Quinones
  • Patent number: 5510950
    Abstract: A method and circuit is provided which controls and monitors a load through a single I/O pin of a microprocessor. A predriver circuit including a level shifter responds to a driver control signal from the microprocessor to control energization of a power driver connected in a load circuit. The predriver circuit also includes a monitor stage for detecting fault conditions of the load circuit. The output of the monitor stage is connected with the I/O pin which is configured as either an input or an output pin under microprocessor program control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Peter J. Bills, Peter Langer