Patents by Inventor Thomas Neilson

Thomas Neilson 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: 11262215
    Abstract: A system and method are presented for collecting and retrieving characterization data of measurement devices, such as flow meters. The system includes a meter, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for storing the meter characterization data, and electronics, such as a totalizer, to read the characterization data from the RFID tag and calibrate the meter measurements using the characterization data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Sensia LLC
    Inventors: Donald R Hammill, Thomas Madden, Thomas Neilson, Daniel B. Baxter
  • Patent number: 11105668
    Abstract: A system and method are presented for collecting and retrieving characterization data of measurement devices, such as flow meters. The system includes a meter, a data tag for storing the meter characterization data, and electronics, such as a totalizer and/or a reader device such as a portable reader to read the characterization data from the tag and calibrate the meter measurements using the characterization data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: SENSIA LLC
    Inventors: Donald R. Hammill, Thomas Madden, Thomas Neilson
  • Publication number: 20200200581
    Abstract: A system and method are presented for collecting and retrieving characterization data of measurement devices, such as flow meters. The system includes a meter, a data tag for storing the meter characterization data, and electronics, such as a totalizer and/or a reader device such as a portable reader to read the characterization data from the tag and calibrate the meter measurements using the characterization data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Donald R. Hammill, Thomas Madden, Thomas Neilson
  • Publication number: 20190312642
    Abstract: A reflective optical data modulator includes a layer of optical material, a front partial optical reflector on a major surface of the layer of optical material, a back optical reflector, and at least two electrodes. The back optical reflector is at or near a portion of a second surface of the layer of optical material and faces the front partial optical reflector. The at least two, electrodes are located to enable application of a voltage across a portion of the layer of optical material. The layer of optical material has an optical absorption dependent on the voltage applied across the electrodes. The front partial optical reflector is an unburied layer structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2019
    Publication date: October 10, 2019
    Inventors: David Thomas Neilson, Mark P. Earnshaw, Ting-Chen Hu
  • Patent number: 10203232
    Abstract: A flow meter for determining a flow rate of a fluid. The flow meter includes a housing comprising a flow bore, a rotor assembly rotatable by the flow of fluid within the flow bore and comprising a thermally diffused metallic material, and a sensor unit configured to generate a signal indicative of a rotational rate of the rotor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Cameron International Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Neilson, Gordon Vincent, Omar M. Kabir, Treyton Drake
  • Publication number: 20180087938
    Abstract: A flow meter for determining a flow rate of a fluid. The flow meter includes a housing comprising a flow bore, a rotor assembly rotatable by the flow of fluid within the flow bore and comprising a thermally diffused metallic material, and a sensor unit configured to generate a signal indicative of a rotational rate of the rotor assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicant: Cameron International Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Neilson, Gordon Vincent, Omar M. Kabir, Treyton Drake
  • Patent number: 9831637
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a plurality of VCSELs, a master laser, one or more electrical drivers, and an optical combiner. The master laser is configured to transmit laser light to the VCSELs to optically lock wavelengths of the VCSELs. The one or more electrical drivers are connected to directly electrically modulate the VCSELs in a manner responsive to one or more digital data stream. The optical combiner is configured to combine light received from, at least, a pair of the VCSELs into an optical carrier with a substantially phase digital data modulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
    Inventors: Nicolas K. Fontaine, Haoshuo Chen, David Thomas Neilson, Roland Ryf
  • Patent number: 9778081
    Abstract: A paddle wheel flow meter designed for measuring the flow rate of a viscous or debris-laden fluid with fewer parts, higher durability and simplicity of servicing. The flow meter includes a housing including a flow bore and an insert body with an integral rotor shaft. The insert body is removably insertable into the housing. A rotor includes rotor blades and is attached to the rotor shaft so as to be at least partially located in the flow bore such that flow of the fluid causes the rotor to rotate. A sensor unit generates a signal indicative of the rotational rate of the rotor, which can be used to determine the flow rate of the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Cameron International Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Neilson, Gordon Vincent, Treyton Drake, Omar M. Kabir
  • Publication number: 20170138772
    Abstract: A paddle wheel flow meter designed for measuring the flow rate of a viscous or debris-laden fluid with fewer parts, higher durability and simplicity of servicing. The flow meter includes a housing including a flow bore and an insert body with an integral rotor shaft. The insert body is removably insertable into the housing. A rotor includes rotor blades and is attached to the rotor shaft so as to be at least partially located in the flow bore such that flow of the fluid causes the rotor to rotate. A sensor unit generates a signal indicative of the rotational rate of the rotor, which can be used to determine the flow rate of the fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Applicant: CAMERON INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas Neilson, Gordon Vincent, Treyton Drake, Omar M. Kabir
  • Patent number: 9008515
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an array of lasers, an array of electrical drivers, and optical filter. Each laser is configured to produce light in a corresponding wavelength-channel, wherein the wavelength-channels of different ones of the lasers are different. The electrical drivers are connected to directly modulate the lasers. Each driver produces a first driving current or voltage to cause a corresponding one of the lasers to be in a first lasing state and produces a different second driving current or voltage to cause the corresponding one of the lasers to be in a different second lasing state. The optical filter is connected to receive light output by the lasers. The optical filter selectively attenuates light from each of the lasers in the first lasing states thereof and to selectively pass light from each of the lasers in second lasing states thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: David Thomas Neilson, Pietro Arturo Bernasconi
  • Publication number: 20150077266
    Abstract: A system and method are presented for collecting and retrieving characterization data of measurement devices, such as flow meters. The system includes a meter, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for storing the meter characterization data, and electronics, such as a totalizer, to read the characterization data from the RFID tag and calibrate the meter measurements using the characterization data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventors: Donald R. Hammill, Thomas Madden, Thomas Neilson, Daniel Brent Baxter
  • Publication number: 20120087655
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an array of lasers, an array of electrical drivers, and optical filter. Each laser is configured to produce light in a corresponding wavelength-channel, wherein the wavelength-channels of different ones of the lasers are different. The electrical drivers are connected to directly modulate the lasers. Each driver produces a first driving current or voltage to cause a corresponding one of the lasers to be in a first lasing state and produces a different second driving current or voltage to cause the corresponding one of the lasers to be in a different second lasing state. The optical filter is connected to receive light output by the lasers. The optical filter selectively attenuates light from each of the lasers in the first lasing states thereof and to selectively pass light from each of the lasers in second lasing states thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Inventors: David Thomas Neilson, Pietro Arturo Bernasconi
  • Patent number: 7689073
    Abstract: A device employing at least one wavelength sieve/combiner that operates on discrete wavelength units and is optically interposed between an array of fibers and an array of micro mirrors which may be configured to act as in a multiplexing mode, a demultiplexing mode, a broadcast mode, and combinations of such modes. Each wavelength sieve/combiner can split a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) beam into various discrete wavelength unit beams, combine various discrete wavelength unit beams into a WDM beam, or cause multiple copies of part or all of the wavelengths to be supplied as outputs. Typically, each fiber is associated with one wavelength sieve/combiner. Preferably, the beams between a wavelength sieve/combiner and the micro mirror array should be converging to the plane of the micro mirror array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Kozhevnikov, David Thomas Neilson, Roland Ryf
  • Publication number: 20100054761
    Abstract: An optical receiver has a monolithically integrated electrical and optical circuit that includes a substrate with a planar surface. Along the planar surface, the monolithically integrated electrical and optical circuit has an optical hybrid, one or more variable optical attenuators, and photodetectors. The optical hybrid is connected to receive light beams, to interfere light of said received light beams with a plurality of relative phases and to output said interfered light via optical outputs thereof. Each of the one or more variable optical attenuators connects between a corresponding one of the optical outputs and a corresponding one of the photodetectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Young-Kai Chen, Christopher Richard Doerr, Vincent Etienne Houtsma, Ting-Chen Hu, Andreas Bertold Leven, David Thomas Neilson, Nils Guenter Weimann, Liming Zhang
  • Publication number: 20090324221
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an interconnect switch has an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) having N input ports and N output ports. The AWG is characterized by two or more diffraction orders and is adapted to route optical signals from the input ports to the output ports. In a fully deployed implementation, the interconnect switch has N input line cards and N output line cards. Each of the input line cards is adapted to generate N respective modulated optical signals using carrier wavelengths corresponding to at least two different diffraction orders of the AWG to provide wavelength redundancy for optically connecting the input line card and any of the output line cards. In a partially deployed implementation, the interconnect switch has fewer than N input line cards and/or fewer than N output line cards. In either the fully deployed implementation or a partially deployed implementation, the interconnect switch is capable of load balancing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: David Thomas Neilson
  • Publication number: 20090324243
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an interconnect switch has an optical switch fabric (OSF) having N input ports and N output ports. The OSF has a bank of optically interconnected wavelength-selective switches and is adapted to route optical signals from the input ports to the output ports. In a fully deployed implementation, the interconnect switch has N input line cards and N output line cards. Each of the input line cards is adapted to generate N respective modulated optical signals using carrier wavelengths that are controllably selected from more than N carrier wavelengths to provide wavelength redundancy for optically connecting the input line card and any of the output line cards. In a partially deployed implementation, the interconnect switch has fewer than N input line cards and/or fewer than N output line cards. In either the fully deployed implementation or a partially deployed implementation, the interconnect switch is capable of load balancing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: David Thomas Neilson
  • Patent number: 7262898
    Abstract: The invention includes an apparatus for modulating an optical signal. The apparatus includes a modulating mechanism comprising a plurality of modulating component arrays, each modulating component array comprising a plurality of modulating components, wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of modulating components in each modulating component array are separated by gaps, and wherein adjacent ones of the plurality of modulating component arrays are offset along a dispersion direction of an incident optical signal such that the gaps associated with the adjacent ones of the plurality of modulating component arrays are offset. In one embodiment, rows of the modulating components in the modulating component arrays are offset along the dispersion direction of the incident optical signal by a fraction of the modulating component pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Dan M. Marom, David Thomas Neilson
  • Patent number: 7016098
    Abstract: An optical device for discretionary treatment of channels of an optical beam, the optical device comprising: (a) a port for at least transmitting or receiving a first beam having a plurality of channels; (b) a wavelength discriminating device optically coupled to the port, the wavelength discriminating device adapted for at least one of receiving the first beam and diffracting the beam into a plurality of channel beams or receiving a plurality of channel beams and combining the channel beams into the first beam; and (c) an array of reflective elements, the reflective elements exceeding the number of channels, at least a portion of the reflective elements being optically coupled to the wavelength discriminating device to reflect the channel beams, at least two reflective elements of the portion corresponding to a particular channel beam, the at least two reflective elements being controllable to effect a desired output of the particular channel beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Randy Clinton Giles, Dan Mark Marom, David Thomas Neilson, Roland Ryf
  • Patent number: 6922502
    Abstract: An optical filter apparatus for processing an optical signal comprising a spectrum broadening device for spectrally dividing one or more channels of the optical signal into a discrete set of spectral components for each channel, a collector for collecting the spectral components on a discrete number of corresponding light channels, one or more processors for individually processing one or more of the spectral components on the light channels, and a combiner for recombining the spectral components on the light channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Juerg Leuthold, Dan Mark Marom, David Thomas Neilson, Roland Ryf
  • Patent number: 6882770
    Abstract: An optical MEMS devices is imaged to a different location at which a second optical MEMS device is located in a manner that effectively combines the tilt angles of at least one micro mirror of each of the first and second optical devices. The imaging system may reproduce the angle of reflection of the light from the first micro mirror. This may be achieved using a telecentric system, also known as a 4 f system, as the imaging system. The physical size of the arrangement may be reduced by compacting the optical path, e.g., using appropriate conventional mirrors, and/or employing folded arrangements, i.e., arrangements in which there is only one MEMS device stage that does double duty for both input and output through the use of at least one conventional mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignees: Lucent Technologies Inc., Agere Systems Inc.
    Inventors: David Thomas Neilson, Roland Ryf