Patents by Inventor Tim Dirks

Tim Dirks 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).

  • Open-loop photodiode gain regulation
    Patent number: 11609116
    Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods relate to an open-loop control circuit (OLCC) configured to determine a photodiode element (PDE) drive voltage as a function of a commanded photodiode gain level and a measured temperature signal. In an illustrative example the OLCC may receive a current temperature of an APD element. The OLCC may, for example, receive a commanded gain for the APD relative to a predetermined reference gain. The OLCC may, for example, retrieve a predetermined efficiency characteristic (PEC) of the APD based on the current temperature. If the temperature corresponds to a substantially non-linear portion of the PEC, the OLCC may, for example, determine the drive voltage as a function of the temperature and the commanded gain based on the PEC. Various embodiments may advantageously provide direct control of output gain of photodiodes over a wide dynamic range of temperature associated with the photodiode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: BANNER ENGINEERING CORP
    Inventors: Ashley Wise, Tim Dirks
  • Open-Loop Photodiode Gain Regulation
    Publication number: 20220065693
    Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods relate to an open-loop control circuit (OLCC) configured to determine a photodiode element (PDE) drive voltage as a function of a commanded photodiode gain level and a measured temperature signal. In an illustrative example the OLCC may receive a current temperature of an APD element. The OLCC may, for example, receive a commanded gain for the APD relative to a predetermined reference gain. The OLCC may, for example, retrieve a predetermined efficiency characteristic (PEC) of the APD based on the current temperature. If the temperature corresponds to a substantially non-linear portion of the PEC, the OLCC may, for example, determine the drive voltage as a function of the temperature and the commanded gain based on the PEC. Various embodiments may advantageously provide direct control of output gain of photodiodes over a wide dynamic range of temperature associated with the photodiode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: Banner Engineering Corp.
    Inventors: Ashley Wise, Tim Dirks