Patents by Inventor WILLIAM TERRY MCDAVID

WILLIAM TERRY MCDAVID 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: 10317250
    Abstract: Embodiments of an apparatus for direct coupling of a capacitive sensor to a delta-sigma converter are described. One apparatus includes a sensor, a charge coupling circuit configured to transfer at least a portion of charge generated by the sensor to an integrating circuit, a first charge feedback circuit configured to feed back charge to the sensor, a second charge feedback circuit configured to feed back charge to the integrating circuit, a comparing circuit configured to detect accumulated charge at the integrating circuit for a current cycle to determine a polarity of charge feedback for a subsequent cycle, and a logic circuit configured to provide a digital output corresponding to the sensed quantity and also configured to provide the polarity of charge feedback determined by the comparing circuit to the first charge feedback circuit and also to the second charge feedback circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: ION Geophysical Corporation
    Inventors: William Terry McDavid, Lawrence Philip Behn
  • Publication number: 20160209243
    Abstract: Embodiments of an apparatus for direct coupling of a capacitive sensor to a delta-sigma converter are described. One apparatus includes a sensor, a charge coupling circuit configured to transfer at least a portion of charge generated by the sensor to an integrating circuit, a first charge feedback circuit configured to feed back charge to the sensor, a second charge feedback circuit configured to feed back charge to the integrating circuit, a comparing circuit configured to detect accumulated charge at the integrating circuit for a current cycle to determine a polarity of charge feedback for a subsequent cycle, and a logic circuit configured to provide a digital output corresponding to the sensed quantity and also configured to provide the polarity of charge feedback determined by the comparing circuit to the first charge feedback circuit and also to the second charge feedback circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: WILLIAM TERRY MCDAVID, LAWRENCE PHILIP BEHN