Patents by Inventor Ruud Vullers

Ruud Vullers 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: 9065016
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thermoelectric generator includes the steps of replicating a structure into a flexible substrate for providing a set of cavities; providing an initiator in the cavities for growing respective piles of thermoelectric materials; growing the respective piles of thermoelectric materials from said initiator; and providing electrical connection between the respective piles of thermoelectric materials for forming thermocouples of the thermoelectric generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST-NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO
    Inventors: Maria Peter, Erwin Rinaldo Meinders, Ruud Vullers
  • Patent number: 8832468
    Abstract: An autonomous transducer system is disclosed. In one aspect, the system includes an energy scavenging module, energy storage module, a load circuit having at least one functional block providing a given functionality, and a power management module arranged for providing power supplied by the energy scavenging module to the load circuit or for exchanging power with the energy storage module. The power management module may further include a tuning module configured to tune the at least one functional block of the load circuit according to a given configuration scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Valer Pop, Frank Bouwens, Li Huang, Guido Dolmans, Rene Elfrink, Ruud Vullers
  • Patent number: 8447238
    Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) transmitter device arranged for supplying RF energy is disclosed. In one aspect, the RF transmitter device has a reception unit for receiving information on detected living beings. The RF transmitter device is arranged for adapting its transmit power according to the received information. A method for adapting the transmit power of the RF transmitter device while it is supplying energy to a sensor network is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Ruud Vullers, Hubregt Jannis Visser
  • Publication number: 20120030486
    Abstract: An autonomous transducer system is disclosed. In one aspect, the system includes an energy scavenging module, energy storage module, a load circuit having at least one functional block providing a given functionality, and a power management module arranged for providing power supplied by the energy scavenging module to the load circuit or for exchanging power with the energy storage module. The power management module may further include a tuning module configured to tune the at least one functional block of the load circuit according to a given configuration scheme.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Valer Pop, Frank Bouwens, Li Huang, Guido Dolmans, Rene Elfrink, Ruud Vullers
  • Publication number: 20120007469
    Abstract: A method and device for gasflow, e.g. airflow, energy harvesting is disclosed. In one aspect, the device includes a cavity resonator such as a Helmholtz resonator which has a membrane for converting gasflow in vibration. The device may further include a vibrational energy harvester for converting the converted vibration into electrical energy. The device for gasflow energy harvesting is adapted such that the movement of the vibrational energy harvester is decoupled from the movement of the membrane. This allows to obtain a good output power of e.g. more than about 10 ?W.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Svetla Matova, Rene Elfrink, Ruud Vullers
  • Publication number: 20110154558
    Abstract: The invention relates to method for manufacturing a thermoelectric generator, comprising the steps of replicating a structure into a flexible substrate (4) for providing a set of cavities (4a); providing an initiator (2a) in the cavities for growing respective piles (6, 7) of thermoelectric materials; growing the respective piles of thermoelectric materials from said initiator; providing electrical connection between the respective piles of thermoelectric materials for forming thermocouples of the thermoelectric generator. The invention further relates to a wearable thermoelectric generator and a garment comprising the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2009
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Applicants: Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast- natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek TNO, Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Maria Peter, Erwin Rinaldo Meinders, Ruud Vullers
  • Publication number: 20110021160
    Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) transmitter device arranged for supplying RF energy is disclosed. In one aspect, the RF transmitter device has a reception unit for receiving information on detected living beings. The RF transmitter device is arranged for adapting its transmit power according to the received information. A method for adapting the transmit power of the RF transmitter device while it is supplying energy to a sensor network is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: Stichting IMEC Nederland
    Inventors: Ruud Vullers, Hubregt Jannis Visser
  • Publication number: 20100187835
    Abstract: An electromagnetic energy scavenger (10) for converting kinetic energy into electrical energy comprises at least one permanent magnet (12) and one or more coils (11) lying in a coil plane, the one or more coils being electrically interconnected for delivery of electrical energy. Upon mechanical movement of the energy scavenger (10), the at least one permanent magnet (12) is freely movable relative to the coils (11) in a plane parallel to the coil plane, thus generating an electrical field in at least one coil (11).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: STICHTING IMEC NEDERLAND
    Inventors: Dennis Hohlfeld, Ruud Vullers
  • Patent number: 5778296
    Abstract: A xerographic cassette for a printing or copying machine includes a photoreceptor drum, a cleaning blade, and a waste toner conveyor for conveying waste toner cleaned off the photoreceptor drum by the cleaning blade into the interior of the photoreceptor drum for storage. The conveyor includes a flexible helical wire which acts as an auger. A curved tube portion of the conveyor passes through an auxiliary waste toner container. Once the auxiliary container is substantially full, waste toner is conveyed into the interior of the photoreceptor drum. The auxiliary container is provided with an aperture which enables it to be emptied, thereby prolonging the useful life of the cassette.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Jan J. van der Steen, Ruud Vullers, Marcel Kuipers, Jozef P. M. Logtens, Roderick A. Cooley, Derek J. Milton, Andrew E. Taylor, Stephen J. Abbott