Patents by Inventor Richard Stuart

Richard Stuart 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: 20230409186
    Abstract: A touch sensor system includes touch sensors, drive-sense circuits (DSCs), memory, and a processing module. A DSC drives a first signal via a single line coupling to a touch sensor and simultaneously senses, when present, a second signal that is uniquely associated with a user. The DSC processes the first signal and/or the second signal to generate a digital signal that is representative of an electrical characteristic of the touch sensor. The processing module executes operational instructions (stored in the memory) to process the digital signal to detect interaction of the user with the touch sensor and to determine whether the interaction of the user with the touch sensor compares favorably with authorization. When not authorized, the processing module aborts execution of operation(s) associated with the interaction of the user with the touch sensor. Alternatively, when authorized, the processing module facilitates execution of the operation(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Applicant: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, JR.
  • Publication number: 20230400822
    Abstract: A rotating equipment system with in-line drive-sense circuit (DSC) electric power signal processing includes rotating equipment, in-line drive-sense circuits (DSCs), and one or more processing modules. The in-line DSCs receive input electrical power signals and generate motor drive signals for the rotating equipment. An in-line DSC receives an input electrical power signal, processes it to generate and output a motor drive signal to the rotating equipment via a single line and simultaneously senses the motor drive signal via the single line. Based on the sensing of the motor drive signal via the single line, the in-line DSC provides a digital signal to the one or more processing modules that receive and process the digital signal to determine information regarding one or more operational conditions of the rotating equipment, and based thereon, selectively facilitate one or more adaptation operations on the motor drive signal via the in-line DSC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2023
    Publication date: December 14, 2023
    Applicant: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, JR.
  • Publication number: 20230394002
    Abstract: A communication system comprises three low voltage drive circuits operable for coupling to a wired bus, wherein a low voltage drive circuit of the three low voltage drive circuits includes a transmit section operably coupled to convert transmit digital data into an analog transmit signal that includes one or more transmit frequency components. The communication system further comprises a receive section operably coupled to convert an analog receive signal that includes one or more receive frequency components into received digital data. The communication system further comprises a drive sense circuit for coupling to the wired bus and after the three low voltage drive circuits are operably coupled to the wired bus, each of the three voltage drive circuits is configured for communication among the three low voltage drive circuits, for one-to-one communication, for one-to-many communication, and for many-to-one communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Applicant: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Gerald Dale Morrison, Timothy W. Markison
  • Publication number: 20230393686
    Abstract: A touch sensor device (TSD) includes a panel and drive-sense circuits (DSCs). The panel includes electrodes, and the DSCs are operably coupled to the electrodes. A DSC is operably coupled via a single line to an electrode and is configured to provide a signal via the single line to the electrode and simultaneously to sense the signal via the single line. The sensing of the signal includes detection of an electrical characteristic of the electrode and/or a change of the signal. The DSC is also configured to generate a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the electrode and/or the change of the signal. The TSD also includes one or more processing modules operably coupled to the DSCs and configured to execute operational instructions to process first digital signals generated by a first subset of the DSCs that includes fewer than all of the DSCs in a prioritized manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Applicant: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, JR., Kevin Joseph Derichs
  • Patent number: 11837279
    Abstract: A method for execution by a Dynamic Random Access (DRAM) cell processing circuit, includes charging a bit-line operably coupled to a plurality of DRAM cells of a DRAM memory device, including a current DRAM cell, at a first voltage to pre-charge the parasitic capacitance between ground and the bit-line to a second voltage, where the second voltage is between a logic 1 voltage and a logic 0 voltage. The method continues by sensing a voltage change on the bit-line based on a difference between a voltage stored on a DRAM cell capacitor of the current DRAM cell and the second voltage and outputting a read output voltage that is generated based on the sensed voltage change. The method then continues by supplying, while outputting the read output voltage, the read output voltage to the bit-line to refresh the voltage stored in the DRAM cell capacitor of the current DRAM cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Gerald Dale Morrison, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Timothy W. Markison
  • Publication number: 20230384899
    Abstract: A capacitive touch screen display operates by: providing a display configured to render frames of data into visible images; providing a plurality of electrodes integrated into the display to facilitate touch sense functionality based on electrode signals having a drive signal component and a receive signal component; generating, via a plurality of drive-sense circuits coupled to at least some of the plurality of electrodes, a plurality of sensed signals; receiving the plurality of sensed signals; generating capacitance image data associated with the plurality of cross points that includes capacitance variation data corresponding to variations of the capacitance image data from a nominal value; and processing the capacitance image data to determine a touchless indication proximal to the touch screen display based on a touchless indication threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Michael Shawn Gray, Patrick Troy Gray, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Timothy W. Markison
  • Patent number: 11827381
    Abstract: A method of controlling a spacecraft is provided. The method includes one or more of calculating, by a control device, spacecraft position, attitude, and velocity, the spacecraft including a plurality of blade actuators controlling pitch for a plurality of blades, the plurality of blades extending radially away from a spacecraft core and including material configured to be deflected by solar pressure, receiving mission plan updates for the spacecraft, calculating an updated trajectory based on the position, attitude, velocity, mission plan updates, and past spacecraft behavior, generating maneuver parameters for the spacecraft from the updated trajectory, creating new blade pitch profiles for a plurality of blade actuators, from the maneuver parameters, sending controls corresponding to the new blade pitch profiles to the plurality of blade actuators, and transitioning from current blade pitch profiles to the new blade pitch profiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Inventor: Richard Stuart Blomquist
  • Patent number: 11829677
    Abstract: A method includes transmitting, by a plurality of drive sense circuits of an interactive display device, a plurality of signals on a plurality of electrodes of the interactive display device. A writing passive device is identified based on a first plurality of changes detected in the electrical characteristics of the set of electrodes. Written user notion data is determined based on detecting movement of the writing passive device in relation to the interactive display device, and the written user notation data is displayed. An erasing passive device is identified based on a second plurality of changes detected in the electrical characteristics of the set of electrodes. Erased portions of the written user notation data is determined based on detecting movement of the erasing passive device in relation to the interactive display device, and the updated written user notation data is displayed based on no longer displaying the erased portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Michael Shawn Gray, Patrick Troy Gray, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Kevin Joseph Derichs
  • Patent number: 11829566
    Abstract: A touch sensor device (TSD) includes TSD electrodes associated with a surface of the TSD. Also, an overlay that includes marker electrode(s) is also associated with a region of the surface of the TSD. The TSD also includes drive-sense circuits (DSCs) operably coupled to the plurality of TSD electrodes. A DSC is configured to provide a TSD electrode signal to a TSD electrode and simultaneously to sense a change of the TSD electrode signal based on a change of impedance of the TSD electrode caused by capacitive coupling between the TSD electrode and the marker electrode(s) of the overlay. Processing module(s) is configured to process a digital signal generated by the DSC and other digital signals generated by other DSCs determine the region of the surface of the TSD that is associated with the overlay and to adapt sensitivity of the TSD within that region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Kevin Joseph Derichs, Shayne X. Short, Timothy W. Markison
  • Patent number: 11822358
    Abstract: A drive-sense circuit module (DSC) includes at least one regulated source circuit coupled to a load, and to a loop correction circuit. The regulated source circuit generates a power signal, which has a regulated characteristic and a controlled characteristic. At least one reference circuit applies a reference signal to the loop correction circuit that establishes a reference value of the controlled characteristic. The loop correction circuit senses an effect of one or more load characteristics on a sensed value of the controlled characteristic of the power signal, and generates a comparison signal based on the sensed value and the reference value of the controlled characteristic. A regulation signal is generated based on the comparison signal, and used to regulate the regulated characteristic of the power signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Michael Shawn Gray, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Timothy W. Markison
  • Publication number: 20230367416
    Abstract: A computing device includes signal generation circuitry and also includes a location on the computing device that is operative to couple a signal generated by the signal generation circuitry into a user. For example, the computing device includes signal generation circuitry that generates a signal that includes information corresponding to a user and/or an application that is operative within the computing device. The signal generation circuitry couples the signal into the user from a location on the computing device based on a bodily portion of the user being in contact with or within sufficient proximity to the location on the computing device that facilitates coupling of the signal into the user. Also, the signal may be coupled via the user to another computing device that includes a touchscreen display that is operative to detect and receive the signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Applicant: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Shayne X. Short, Ph.D., Timothy W. Markison
  • Publication number: 20230359301
    Abstract: A touch screen display is operable to operate in a first mode during a first temporal period based on activating exactly one set of drive-sense circuits of a plurality of sets of drive-sense circuits to generate a corresponding one set of sensed signals during the first temporal period, and processing the corresponding one set of sensed signals to generate first proximal interaction data for the first temporal period. The touch screen display is operable to operate in a second mode during a second temporal period after the first temporal period based on activating more than one set of drive-sense circuits of the plurality of sets of drive-sense circuits to generate a corresponding more than one set of sensed signals during the second temporal period, and processing the set of sensed signals to generate second proximal interaction data for the second temporal period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Applicant: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Michael Shawn Gray, Patrick Troy Gray, Richard Stuart Seger, JR.
  • Publication number: 20230359344
    Abstract: A touch sensor system includes touch sensors, drive-sense circuits (DSCs), memory, and a processing module. A DSC drives a first signal via a single line coupling to a touch sensor and simultaneously senses, when present, a second signal that is uniquely associated with a user. The DSC processes the first signal and/or the second signal to generate a digital signal that is representative of an electrical characteristic of the touch sensor. The processing module executes operational instructions (stored in the memory) to process the digital signal to detect interaction of the user with the touch sensor and to determine whether the interaction of the user with the touch sensor compares favorably with authorization. When not authorized, the processing module aborts execution of operation(s) associated with the interaction of the user with the touch sensor. Alternatively, when authorized, the processing module facilitates execution of the operation(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Applicant: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, JR.
  • Publication number: 20230358525
    Abstract: A capacitive imaging glove includes electrodes implemented throughout the capacitive imaging glove and drive-sense circuits (DSCs) such that a DSC receives a reference signal generates a signal based thereon. The DSC provides the signal to a first electrode via a single line and simultaneously senses it. Note the signal is coupled from the first electrode to the second electrode via a gap therebetween. The DSC generates a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the first electrode. Processing module(s), when enabled, is/are configured to execute operational instructions (e.g., stored in and/or retrieved from memory) to generate the reference signal, process the digital signal to determine the electrical characteristic of the first electrode, and process the electrical characteristic of the first electrode to determine a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode, and generate capacitive image data representative of a shape of the capacitive imaging glove.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Applicant: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, JR., Shayne X. Short, Timothy W. Markison
  • Patent number: 11809278
    Abstract: A method for execution by an input/output (IO) control module of an integrated circuit (IC) includes determining whether a programmable IO interface module is for dynamic or static use. The programmable IO interface module includes a configurable front-end module and a configurable back-end module. When the programmable IO interface module is for the dynamic use, determining to configure the programmable IO interface module as the dynamic use of a configuration of a plurality of configurations. The plurality of configurations includes a bidirectional interface, an input, an output, a concurrent drive and sense interface, and a concurrent transmit-receive interface. The method further includes configuring the front-end module in accordance with the configuration, configuring the back-end module in accordance with the configuration, and determining whether to change the configuration to another configuration of the plurality of configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Patrick Troy Gray, Timothy W. Markison
  • Publication number: 20230350527
    Abstract: A method for use in a touch-sensitive panel includes generating electric fields by applying drive signals to a plurality of row electrodes and a plurality of column electrodes included in the touch-sensitive panel, and sensing at least one information signal capacitively coupled to the touch-sensitive panel by detecting impedance changes associated with the plurality of row electrodes and the plurality of column electrodes. The impedance changes are converted to received data. Based on the received data a transmission pattern associated with the at least one information signal is determined. It is further determined that the transmission pattern corresponds to an identification code.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Michael Shawn Gray, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Patrick Troy Gray, Timothy W. Markison
  • Publication number: 20230350522
    Abstract: A method for determining for determining response for a touch display panel begins by receiving an analog input signal from a data drive input circuit that is operable to generate an analog input signal based on a digital input. The method continues by generating a reference signal voltage from the analog input signal, generating a data signal voltage from the analog input signal and using a difference detection circuit, outputting an analog output voltage. The method then continues by generating an error correction current based on the analog output voltage, where the error correction current adjusts the data signal voltage in order to keep inputs to the difference detection circuit substantially equal. Finally, the method finishes by generating a current representative of a light intensity for light received by a sensor cell associated with the touch display panel, converting the analog output signal into a digital representation of the current and producing information representative of light intensity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Gerald Dale Morrison, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Timothy W. Markison
  • Publication number: 20230341960
    Abstract: A variable touch screen includes a first touch screen display and a second touch screen display, where the first touch screen display includes a first plurality of electrodes and first touch screen circuitry operably coupled to the first plurality of electrodes, where the first touch screen circuity includes a plurality of drive-sense circuits that, when enabled, are configured to drive a plurality of sensor signals onto the plurality of electrodes, sense first effects that the plurality of electrodes have on the plurality of sensor signals and produce a first plurality of sensed signals based on the first effects. The second touch screen display has a first edge of the first touch screen display that, when oriented such that the first edge is aligned adjacent to a first edge of the second touch screen display, increases a size of the variable touch screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Applicant: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, JR.
  • Publication number: 20230341959
    Abstract: A capacitive touch screen display operates by: providing a display configured to render frames of data into visible images; providing a plurality of electrodes integrated into the display to facilitate touch sense functionality based on electrode signals having a drive signal component and a receive signal component; generating, via a plurality of drive-sense circuits coupled to at least some of the plurality of electrodes, a plurality of sensed signals; receiving the plurality of sensed signals; generating a stream of capacitance image data associated with the plurality of cross points that includes capacitance variation data corresponding to variations of the capacitance image data from a nominal value within a temporal period; and processing the capacitance image data to determine a touchless gesture occurring within the temporal period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Applicant: SigmaSense, LLC.
    Inventors: Michael Shawn Gray, Patrick Troy Gray, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, JR., Timothy W. Markison
  • Patent number: 11797139
    Abstract: A fingerprint scanning device having a sensing area that includes a plurality of row electrodes and a plurality of column electrodes. The row electrodes and column electrodes are separated by a dielectric material and arranged in a crossing pattern in the sensing area. A plurality of drive-sense circuits drive sensor signals on the electrodes. In an embodiment, each of the drive-sense circuits is configured, when enabled, to drive a sensor signal on at least one electrode of the plurality of column electrodes or the plurality of row electrodes, the sensor signal including a drive signal component and a receive signal component. Each of the drive-sense circuits is further configured to generate, based on the receive signal component, a sensed signal representative of an impedance of the at least one electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Michael Shawn Gray, Patrick Troy Gray, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.