Patents by Inventor Stephen Rober

Stephen Rober 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: 7432721
    Abstract: A method of determining change in actuator position includes determining a slope of the inductor current with time and determining whether the slope exceeds a first predetermined slope for a first predetermined time, determining whether the slope is less than a second predetermined slope for a second predetermined time when the slope exceeds the first predetermined slope for the first predetermined time, and determining whether the slope exceeds a third predetermined slope for a third predetermined time when the slope is less than the second predetermined slope for the second predetermined time. The method further includes determining the change in actuator position when the slope exceeds the third predetermined slope for the third predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen Rober
  • Publication number: 20080143346
    Abstract: A method of determining change in actuator position includes determining a slope of the inductor current with time and determining whether the slope exceeds a first predetermined slope for a first predetermined time, determining whether the slope is less than a second predetermined slope for a second predetermined time when the slope exceeds the first predetermined slope for the first predetermined time, and determining whether the slope exceeds a third predetermined slope for a third predetermined time when the slope is less than the second predetermined slope for the second predetermined time. The method further includes determining the change in actuator position when the slope exceeds the third predetermined slope for the third predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Publication date: June 19, 2008
    Inventor: Stephen Rober
  • Publication number: 20050264366
    Abstract: A system employing a resonating device and a controller implements a method involving an establishment by the controller of open-loop oscillations of the resonating device at a resonating frequency of the resonating device, and an establishment by the controller of closed-loop oscillations of the resonating device based on the open-loop oscillations of the resonating device at the resonating frequency. To this end, the controller controls an application and a tuning of a first open-loop drive signal to the resonating device based on a design-drive standard resonating frequency range whereby the controller can measure and designate a frequency of a resonating output signal from the resonating device as a calibration resonant frequency, and controls an application and a tuning of a second open-loop drive signal to the resonating device based on the calibration resonant frequency whereby the controller can subsequently apply a closed-loop drive signal to the resonating device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2004
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Inventors: Stevan Zivanovic, Stephen Rober
  • Publication number: 20050180084
    Abstract: A frequency-controlled load driver circuit includes a steady-state and a transient operational mode. A switching driver switches a load current to a solenoid at a set switching frequency during a steady-state operational mode. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) oversamples a sense resistor voltage an integer number of times within each period of the switching frequency. A control circuit sets the switching frequency of the driver during the steady-state operational mode by providing predetermined switching times. The control circuit disables switching during the transient mode. Dither can be applied during the steady-state mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2004
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Stephen Rober, Joshua Landau, Bernard Bojarski
  • Publication number: 20050091006
    Abstract: A method for extracting components from signals in an electronic sensor (50) having a sensing element (52). The sensing element (52) generates a first signal (60) and a second signal (62). The method comprises the steps of: receiving the first signal (60) from the sensing element (52), the first signal (60) having a frequency at an event; sampling the second signal (62) from the sensing element (52) based on the frequency of the event, the second signal (62) having a plurality of components, one of the plurality of components being a first component of interest (112, 114); generating a synchronized second signal (100) in a time domain, the second signal (62) having the plurality of components; generating complex data (110) in a frequency domain from the synchronized second signal (100) in the time domain; determining the first component of interest (112, 114) from the complex data (110); and normalizing the first component of interest (112, 114) using amplitude information from the first signal (60).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2003
    Publication date: April 28, 2005
    Inventor: Stephen Rober