Patents Issued in August 12, 2008
  • Patent number: 7411350
    Abstract: A mandrel has a main body having a substantially-cone-shape. The main body has, on its circumferential surface, a spiral-shaped groove at which the glass tube to be wound is held. The groove, in cross section, has a contact range in which the glass tube's circumferential surface is in contact. One end of the contact range corresponds to a circumference part of the glass tube in wound state which is closest to the axis of the main body of the mandrel, a part of the groove that extends from the circumference part towards the apex of the main body is parallel to the axis of the mandrel, and the pitch of the groove in the axial direction of the mandrel is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the glass tube. The glass tube wound on the mandrel is easily removed from the main body by lowering the mandrel. In the arc tube formed in such a way, any two glass tube portions, which are adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the arc tube, overlap with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shiro Iida, Noriyuki Uchida, Tatsuhiro Yabuki
  • Patent number: 7411351
    Abstract: An arc tube is composed of an arc tube body that is formed by winding a straight glass tube. Two portions of the straight glass tube are spirally wound around an imaginary conical surface. The spiraled portions of the glass tube are sandwiched between a pair of movable fixed plates. The spiraled portions of the glass tube are heated to a temperature equal to or higher than a point at which the glass tube is deformable and yet lower than the softening point of the glass tube. The spiraled portions are flattened by the movable plate moving downwardly under its own weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shiro Iida, Noriyuki Uchida, Hidezoh Akutsu
  • Patent number: 7411352
    Abstract: A pair of plasma beam sources are connected across an AC power supply to alternatively produce an ion beam for depositing material on a substrate transported past the ion beams. Each plasma beam source includes a discharge cavity having a first width and a nozzle extending outwardly therefrom to emit the ion beam. The aperture or outlet of the nozzle has a second width, which second width is less than the first width. An ionizable gas is introduced to the discharge cavity. At least one electrode connected to the AC power supply, alternatively serving as an anode or a cathode, is capable of supporting at least one magnetron discharge region within the discharge cavity when serving as a cathode electrode. A plurality of magnets generally facing one another, are disposed adjacent each discharge cavity to create a magnetic field null region within the discharge cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Applied Process Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: John E. Madocks
  • Patent number: 7411353
    Abstract: A plasma generator for three phase mains alternating current operation has three plasma generation tubes interconnected with a nozzle, each plasma generation tube having a plasma initiator for forming a plasma into an electrode ring, the electrode ring including substantially tangential gas introduction orifices which cause gas entering the electrode ring to helically rotate. Each of the electrode rings is coupled to a unique one of the three phases of AC voltage supply, such that when the initiator plasma is introduced into one of the electrode rings, a plasma discharge occurs with a path from the electrode ring, through the plasma generation tube, and to a different electrode ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Inventors: Alexander P. Rutberg, Philip G. Rutberg, Alexei A. Safronov, Vasily N. Shiryaev
  • Patent number: 7411354
    Abstract: A feedback and protection circuit is provided for detecting voltage and current of a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) of a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel backlight apparatus and integrating all voltage and current input signals to output single current and voltage feedback signals to a PWM controller, so as to stabilize and control the voltage and current of the CCFL and determine whether any detected input signal is abnormal. If any CCFL is short circuited (CCFL is touched by people) or open circuited (CCFL is not lit), an abnormal status protection signal will be produced and sent to the PWM controller to stop all outputs of the backlight apparatus to prevent damages to circuit components or injuries to people. The circuit is designed in an integrated circuit to achieve the effects of reducing the area occupied by the circuit component layout and lowering the overall cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Niko Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Da-Jing Hsu, Hui-Qiang Yang
  • Patent number: 7411355
    Abstract: A driving device of a light source includes an arc sensing unit and an inverter. The light source includes a lamp having a first terminal and a second terminal. The arc sensing unit extracts a high frequency component from a voltage applied to the light source and generates an arc sensing signal in response to the high frequency component. The inverter controls the light source in response to the sensing signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyeon-Yong Jang, Sang-Gil Lee, Min-Gyu Kim, Nam-Ok Kwon
  • Patent number: 7411356
    Abstract: A power supply for discharge lamp includes a transformer and a current balance device, wherein the transformer includes a primary winding and a secondary winding and the current balance device is coupled between the secondary winding and a plurality of discharge lamps. The current balance device may include a single inductor wherein at least two windings are connected in series with each other and each serially-connected winding is coupled with a discharge lamp, and the other windings are respectively coupled with a discharge lamp. The current balance device may include two inductors wherein at least one winding of a first inductor is connected in series with at least one winding of a second inductor and each serially-connected winding is coupled with a discharge lamp, and the other windings of the first inductor and the other windings of the second inductor are respectively coupled with a discharge lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Zengyi Lu, Wei Chen, Dengyan Zhou
  • Patent number: 7411357
    Abstract: A device of driving a plurality of lamps is provided, which includes: a transforming unit supplying driving voltages having inverted phases to adjacent lamps; and an inverter controlling the transforming unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sang-Yong Lee
  • Patent number: 7411358
    Abstract: In an inverter circuit for a backlight assembly, a first sinusoidal voltage and a second sinusoidal voltage having an opposite polarity to that of the first sinusoidal voltage are applied across terminals of 2n CCFLs. Each of respective primary coils of n first balance transformers are connected in series with corresponding first terminals of a first set of n CCFLs from the 2n CCFLs. Each of respective primary coils of n second balance transformers are connected in series with corresponding first terminals of a second set of n CCFLs from the 2n CCFLs. The secondary coils of the first balance transformers and the secondary coils of the second balance transformers are connected in series with each other to form a loop. Accordingly, the backlight assembly makes it easy to troubleshoot a failure in the CCFLs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuhisa Shimura, Takashi Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 7411359
    Abstract: Dimming of an electrical lamp of the type driven by a ballast is provided by a reactive power device in series between the AC supply and the ballast. The reactive power device provides a variable auxiliary voltage out of phase by 90 or 270 degrees with the current such that a smaller magnitude voltage is applied to the lamp. The dimming device has a switch to enable/disable dimming. When the switch is enabled, the voltage applied to the lamp is controlled by a half-bridge inverter with a pair of totem pole power electronic switches, along with a pair of DC series capacitors and a low-pass filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: e.Energy Double Tree Limited
    Inventors: Shu-hung Henry Chung, Ngai Man Ho, Shu-Yuen Ron Hui
  • Patent number: 7411360
    Abstract: A lamp inverter with continuous strike voltage facilitates faster striking of a fluorescent lamp, especially at cold temperatures. A frequency sweep generator sweeps the frequency of the lamp inverter to a striking frequency corresponding to a striking lamp voltage and then maintains the striking frequency until the lamp strikes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Microsemi Corporation
    Inventor: George C. Henry
  • Patent number: 7411361
    Abstract: In an electron accelerator, a conductive housing defines a cavity. Photoelectrons are emitted from a photocathode into the cavity when light is applied to the photocathode. Via an opening formed in a wall of the conductive housing, the photoelectrons are output to the outside of the cavity. Coolant is flowed through a flow path formed in the wall of the conductive housing, to suppress a temperature rise of the conductive housing. The wall of the conductive housing is made by a metal additive manufacturing technique in such a way as to produce a flow path that has a gentle trajectory without discontinuities in gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Radiabeam Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Ronald B. Agustsson, Salime M. Boucher, Pedro E. Frigola, Alex Y. Murokh, James B. Rosenzweig, Gil Travish
  • Patent number: 7411362
    Abstract: A control device of a motor-driven 4WD vehicle includes: a 42V alternator 2 driven by an engine 1 to generate 3-phase AC electricity of 42 volts; a rectifying circuit 14 which rectifies the 3-phase AC electricity generated by the 42V alternator 2 and which supplies DC electricity after rectification to a motor M1 which drives rear wheels; an inverter 3 which lowers the electricity generated by the 42V alternator 2 into 14 volts and which converts the lowered AC electricity into DC electricity; and a 14V battery E1 which is supplied with the electricity obtained by the inverter 3 and which is charged. With this configuration, a generator can function as both a motor generator for charging the 14V battery E1 and a motor generator for generating driving electricity of the motor M1, and the configuration of the device can be simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7411363
    Abstract: A capacitor, inductor, and power line are arranged in a series parallel combination tank circuit that operates over four quarters of a complete cycle. During the first quarter cycle: power is applied to the tank circuit, current flows through the inductor to the capacitor, current is stored in the inductor, and the capacitor is charged. During the second quarter cycle; current is released from the inductor as the capacitor discharges current to another parallel inductor or resistive load. During a third quarter cycle: current flows in the capacitor from the opposite direction, the capacitor is charged, current pushes out from the capacitor to the incoming power line, and current is stored in the inductor. During the fourth quarter cycle: the capacitor discharges in the opposite direction, current parallel to another inductor or resistive load flows in the opposite direction, and the inductor releases current to incoming power line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Inventor: Dat D. Lam
  • Patent number: 7411364
    Abstract: A window opening and closing controller for stably detecting jamming without having any influence on jamming load even when power voltage is changed is to be provided. In a window opening and closing controller for detecting jamming of a foreign substance on the basis of a comparing result of a changing amount of the rotational speed of a motor for opening and closing a window and a predetermined threshold value, and controlling the operation of the motor so as to open the window when there is jamming, the threshold value is constructed by a first threshold value at a normal time and a second threshold value as a reference gentler than this first threshold value. The threshold value is changed from the first threshold value to the second threshold value on the basis of the detection of closing of a door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Omron Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohiro Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7411365
    Abstract: A drive control device of motor capable of starting up even a motor of such a type that the polarity of induced voltage does not switch every 180° of electrical angle or the polarity, positive or negative, does not occur with accuracy without causing a reverse rotation is provided. In a start-up control of motor, the following operation is performed: a current is passed through any coils in two phases, and the polarity of voltage induced in the non-conducting phase is detected. A conducting phase at start-up is determined based on the detected polarity of induced voltage. The average value of induced voltages in non-conducting phase detected with respect to the coils in respective phases is determined. The average value and the detected induced voltages are compared with each other, and relative polarities are determined from the magnitude relation with the average value to determine a conducting phase at start-up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Minoru Kurosawa, Yasuhiko Kokami
  • Patent number: 7411366
    Abstract: An electric power-assist system for a manually operated vehicle, such as a bicycle, has a pedal with Hall sensors for producing a signal representing a rotational speed of the pedal, and an electric motor for power assisting the driving force of the bicycle. A speed counter, speed decision block, up/down counter, and comparator are provided so that the power assist by the electric motor increases or degreases, as the speed of the manual controlling device increases or decreases, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Panasonic Semiconductor Asia Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Tien Yew Kang, Kian Teck Teo, Yubin Liu
  • Patent number: 7411367
    Abstract: A full bridge circuit includes a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, a fourth switch, a first controller, a second controller, a first operational amplifier, a first multiplexer, a second operational amplifier, and a second multiplexer. The first controller includes a first output coupled to the first switch. The second controller includes a first output coupled to the third switch. The first operational amplifier includes a first input coupled to the first switch and the second switch, and a second input for receiving a first reference voltage. The second operational amplifier includes a first input coupled to the third switch and the fourth switch, and a second input for receiving a second reference voltage. The first multiplexer is coupled to the first operational amplifier, the first controller, and the second switch. The second multiplexer is coupled to the second operational amplifier, the second controller, and the fourth switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Anpec Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Ming-Jung Tsai, Ching-Sheng Li, Shen-Min Lo, Kun-Min Chen
  • Patent number: 7411368
    Abstract: An electric motor speed controller for use in a bicycle includes a motor to provide a propulsion force to move the bicycle. The actual motor speed and a target motor speed are compared, and if the actual motor speed is lower, more current is supplied to the motor, and if the actual motor speed is higher, less current is supplied to the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignees: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Panasonic Semiconductor Asia Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Tien Yew Kang, Kian Teck Teo, Yubin Liu
  • Patent number: 7411369
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for phase current detection used for driving a motor by supplying outputs from a pulse width modulation (PWM) converter to the motor. One method presented provides detecting a DC link current and a vector pattern, determining whether a voltage vector lengths exceeds a predetermined value, and adjusting the voltage vector by adding a positive or reversed voltage based upon the above determination and an integrated error value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Maeda, Tomoisa Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 7411370
    Abstract: Provided is a vector control apparatus for an induction motor which is capable of obtaining stable rotation in a short period of time for adjustment even at the time of low-speed operation by increasing the SN ratio of an output voltage to suppress the arithmetic error in the primary angular frequency arithmetic value based on a magnetic flux command value calculated from a circuit constant and an actual measurement of the induction motor even in the case where the rotation velocity of the induction motor is lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Masaki Kono
  • Patent number: 7411371
    Abstract: Stationary and on-board battery chargers, methods of charging batteries, electric-vehicle chargers, and vehicles with chargers, including electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. Chargers may automatically charge at the correct battery voltage for various types of batteries. Chargers have variable AC power supplies controlled by digital controllers, isolation transformers, and rectifiers. Transformers may be foil-type, and may have copper foil. Power supplies may be variable-frequency generators and the controllers may control the frequency. Use of the variable frequency generator supply facilitates reduced component size and weight and better battery charging performance. Electric vehicle chargers may have card readers, and vehicles may have batteries and a charger. Methods of charging include identifying the battery type and gradually increasing the charging at different rates of increase while monitoring charging voltage, charging current, or both, until a current lid is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Arizona Public Service Company
    Inventor: Raymond Hobbs
  • Patent number: 7411372
    Abstract: A digital device capable of recharging a rechargeable battery, comprising a consuming current detect unit for detecting a consuming current input to the digital device through an adapter, a control unit, a recharging current detect control unit for detecting the battery recharging current as the battery is recharged, and a recharging control unit for regulating the consuming current to the rechargeable battery in proportion to a pulse width modulation control signal output from the control unit and the battery recharging current detected by the recharging current detect control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung-Mun Cho
  • Patent number: 7411373
    Abstract: In the present invention, a battery pack type discriminating or deciding concave portion (131) is formed at a position corresponding to a battery pack type deciding switch (214) of an SQ battery pack (1) and when the SQ battery pack (1) is set, the battery pack type deciding switch (214) is avoided to be pressed by a bottom (115) of the SQ battery pack (1) owing to the concave portion (131). In this way, as the switch (214) is avoided to be pressed, it is recognized that the set battery pack is an SQ battery pack (1) under charging. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to identify battery packs among different charging modes and charging can be performed in a proper charging mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kei Tashiro, Hideyuki Sato, Kiyotaka Murata, Toshio Takeshita
  • Patent number: 7411374
    Abstract: A capacitor charging circuit comprises, power transfer circuitry, power switching control circuitry and voltage measurement circuitry. The power transfer circuitry transfers power from a power source to a capacitor. The power switching control circuitry controls the switching that causes power to be delivered to the power transfer circuitry. The voltage measurement circuitry indirectly measures the output voltage to determine when to stop charging the capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: 02Micro Intermnational Limited
    Inventors: Seeteck Tan, Vlad Mihall Popescu-Stanesti
  • Patent number: 7411375
    Abstract: An apparatus for issuance of at least one electrical output signal (Iout), wherein the desired electrical current level of the output signal (Iout) is predeterminable, including: at least one measuring resistor, at which the electrical current level of the output signal (Iout) is measurable; at least one adjuster, via which the electrical current level of the output signal (Iout) is settable; and at least one controller, which compares the electrical current level of the output signal (Iout) measured at the measuring resistor with the electrical current level desired for the output signal (Iout), and which controls the electrical current level of the output signal (Iout) via the adjuster; wherein the controller and the measuring resistor are connected with an electric base-potential (VGND); and wherein the base-potential (VGND) is a reference potential for the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Wetzer GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Stephan Konrad, Thomas Haerle, Christian Schneid
  • Patent number: 7411376
    Abstract: A voltage regulator has a sense transistor through which a sense current flows in accordance with a magnitude of a load current, and a sense resistor through which the sense current flows. A control transistor controls the load current in accordance with a voltage across the sense resistor. A current measurement transistor measures the sense current flowing through the sense transistor and is disposed adjacent to the sense transistor. A measuring characteristics transistor measures characteristics of the control transistor and is disposed adjacent to the control transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Wei Zhang
  • Patent number: 7411377
    Abstract: A duty cycle estimator determines a duty cycle for controlling a regulated output of an output regulator. The output regulator is responsive to the duty cycle for controlling a transfer of energy between an input source and the regulated output. An error generator compares the regulated output to an output reference to generate an output error. An accumulator determines an accumulated error of the output error over a time period of at least N times a switching period of the output regulator, where N is an integer. A reference generator generates reference levels. A comparator compares the accumulated error to the reference levels such that a single zero is generated, and generates the duty cycle based on the comparing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Marvell World Trade Ltd.
    Inventors: Sehat Sutardja, Runsheng He, Jiancheng Zhang
  • Patent number: 7411378
    Abstract: A power factor controller for a switching power supply, that in one embodiment couples a power factor control circuit between an AC input and an output wherein a digital controller computes circuit currents for regulating the power supply without direct current measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Embed, Inc.
    Inventors: Olin Lathrop, David Tweed
  • Patent number: 7411379
    Abstract: In an apparatus for over-voltage and over-current protection for a step-up current-mode converter including an inductor connected via a phase node to a switch that is switched by a control signal to convert an input voltage to an output voltage, a controller has a multiplexed pin, and a resistor and a capacitor are connected in parallel between the multiplexed pin and the phase node. In an over-voltage protection mode, the controller senses the voltage on the multiplexed pin, and in an over-current protection mode, the controller supplies a current to flow through the resistor and senses the voltage on the multiplexed pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Richtek Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Kwan-Jen Chu, Chung-Lung Pai, Chun-Chin Tung, Jing-Meng Liu
  • Patent number: 7411380
    Abstract: A non-linearity compensation circuit and a bandgap reference circuit using the same for compensating non-linear effects of a reference voltage are provided. In the non-linearity compensation circuit, the reference voltage is transformed into a temperature independent current. A current mirror mirrors the temperature independent current for biasing a bipolar junction transistor (BJT). Further, two resistors are used for estimating a non-linear voltage, so as to compensate the reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Faraday Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Kuen-Shan Chang, Uei-Shan Uang
  • Patent number: 7411381
    Abstract: According to one general aspect, an apparatus includes a first resistor in a first current path of a resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit, the resistor connected to a power source. A variable capacitor is included in a second current path of the RC circuit and operably connected to the power source and a virtual ground generator. A comparison circuit is configured to make a determination regarding a voltage VR across the resistor to a ground relative to a voltage VC across the capacitor to a virtual ground from the virtual ground generator. A control circuit is configured to make an adjustment of a value of the variable capacitor, based on the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Yuyu Chang, Hooman Darabi
  • Patent number: 7411382
    Abstract: A current detection apparatus includes a magnetic core having a ring shape with a gap and a center opening portion through which a current path is disposed, and a magnetic sensor including a magnetic sensing element such as a Hall effect element arranged in the gap. When a current flows through the current path, the magnetic core generates magnetic flux therein so that magnetic field is generated in the gap. The magnetic sensor outputs different electrical signals, each of which is measured in a different measurement range and corresponds to intensity of the magnetic field in the gap. The current detection apparatus measures the current based on the electrical signals outputted from the magnetic sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, Jeco Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Tanizawa, Seiichirou Ootake, Takashige Saitou, Masahiro Aratani, Takeshi Tukamoto, Masato Ishihara, Norio Miyahara
  • Patent number: 7411383
    Abstract: In one embodiment, voltages are discharged from a circuit under test by, after pins of a circuit tester have been coupled to nodes of the circuit under test, making a first one of the pins an active pin and executing a current discharge process for the active pin. The current discharge process couples a current discharge circuit to the active pin, and then enables the current discharge circuit. A voltage of the active pin is then measured and, if the measured voltage is within a defined window, the active pin is coupled to ground. However, if the measured voltage is outside of the defined window after the current discharge circuit has been enabled for a predetermined period of time, the active pin is marked as not discharged. The current discharged circuit is then disabled and decoupled from the active pin. Thereafter, a next one of the pins is made the active pin, and the current discharged process is caused to be repeated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Dayton Norrgard, Ronald J. Peiffer, Kevin L. Wible
  • Patent number: 7411384
    Abstract: A wafer chuck is provided with a plurality of pins which protrude and retreat in a plurality of through holes formed in a vertical direction on a mounting table, and an ascending/descending mechanism for ascending and descending the pins. The wafer chuck receives a wafer by protruding the pins from the mounting plane of the mounting table. On each upper end surface of the pin, a receiving surface part is provided for substantially not making a gap between the pin and each of the corresponding through holes and a mechanism for aligning the receiving surface part with the mounting surface is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Ikuo Ogasawara, Yoshiyasu Kato
  • Patent number: 7411385
    Abstract: An inductive presence, proximity or position sensor comprising an inductive coil defining a working or active face of the sensor corresponding to the external face of a covering plate or a substantially plane part of the housing or casing containing said coil, the plate or plane part being made of a metal with high mechanical resistance and being disposed substantially perpendicularly to the coil axis. The plate or plane part (4) has at least one linear discontinuity (6), extending at least partly across the plate or plane part (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Senstronic (Societe Anonyme)
    Inventors: Remy Kirchdoerffer, Vladimir Frolov
  • Patent number: 7411386
    Abstract: A method for measuring a length variation of a spring, comprising the steps of associating a measurement device with a spring, determining a measurement of the intensity of a magnetic field of the measurement device, and, on the basis of the measurement of the intensity of the magnetic field, determining the length variation of the spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: M.D. Micro Detectors S.p.A.
    Inventor: Mauro Del Monte
  • Patent number: 7411387
    Abstract: To provide a position detection apparatus with an expanded range of good linearity in a magnetic sensor's output characteristic with respect to position of a movable body as well as to provide a vehicle mirror angle detection apparatus using the position detection apparatus. Two permanent magnets 42 and 44 and one Hall-effect sensor 46 are used. The permanent magnets 42 and 44 are arranged with their relative position fixed. The Hall-effect sensor 46 is placed laterally to the arrangement of the two permanent magnets 42 and 44. The permanent magnets 42 and 44 and Hall-effect sensor 46 move relative to each other in a direction parallel to the arranging direction of the permanent magnets 42 and 44. Those surfaces 42a and 44a of the permanent magnets 42 and 44 which face the Hall-effect sensor 46 constitute magnetic pole faces of opposite polarity and the magnetic pole faces 42a and 44a are placed with an inward tilt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Murakami Corporation
    Inventor: Ayako Yamada
  • Patent number: 7411388
    Abstract: A variable reluctance position sensor and a method for determining a position of a rotating body are provided. The variable reluctance position sensor includes a rotatable member configured to be operably coupled to the rotating body. The rotatable member has a first non-magnetic body portion and a plurality of magnets disposed equidistant from one another around an exterior region of the first non-magnetic body portion. The variable reluctance position sensor further includes a stator assembly having a second non-magnetic body portion with an aperture extending therethrough for receiving the rotatable member therein. The stator assembly further includes a plurality of coils and a plurality of coil brackets. Each coil of the plurality of coils is attached to a respective coil bracket of the plurality of coil brackets. The plurality of coil brackets are fixedly attached equidistant from one another to the second non-magnetic body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventors: Bahadur Sagoo, Borislav Tchakarov, Quan Phan
  • Patent number: 7411389
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the operability of a slider of a disk drive includes the steps of providing a slider that includes a read/write head that magnetically interacts with a storage disk, and a slider mover that adjusts a head-to-disk spacing, controlling an electrical stimulus to the slider mover with a drive circuitry, measuring an actual electrical response from the slider mover with the drive circuitry, and comparing the actual electrical response to an expected electrical response to determine an operability status of the slider mover. Further, changes in the actual electrical response can be monitored and used to predict future failure of the slider mover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony R. Hurtado, Erhard Schreck, Duc Banh, Tim Glassburn, Kazuhiro Saito, Scott Hughes, Brian Strom, Richard K. Oswald
  • Patent number: 7411390
    Abstract: For the inspection of materials and the detection and characterization of hidden objects, features, or flaws sensors and sensor arrays are used to image form two-dimensional images suitable for characterizing the hidden features. Magnetic field or eddy current based inductive and giant magnetoresistive sensors may be used on magnetizable and conducting materials, while capacitive sensors can be used for dielectric materials. Enhanced drive windings and electrode structures permit nulling or cancellation of local fields in the vicinity of the sense elements to increase sensor sensitivity. The addition of calibration windings, which are not energized during measurements, allows absolute impedance and material property measurements with nulled sensors. Sensors, sensor arrays, and support fixtures are described which permit relative motion between the drive and sense elements. This facilitates the volumetric reconstruction of hidden features and objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: JENTEK Sensors, Inc.
    Inventors: Neil J. Goldfine, Darrell E. Schlicker, Ian C. Shay, Andrew P. Washabaugh
  • Patent number: 7411391
    Abstract: A magnetic-field-measuring probe includes at least one magnetoresistive or magnetoinductive sensor which is sensitive to the magnetic field along a privileged measurement axis. The probe includes: at least two magnetoresistive or magnetoinductive sensors (14, 16) which are rigidly connected to one another in a position such that the privileged measurement axes thereof are parallel and offset in relation to one another in a direction that is transverse to the privileged measurement axes; and output terminals specific to each magnetoresistive or magnetoinductive sensor, in order to supply a signal that is representative of the magnetic field measured by each sensor along the privileged measurement axis thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
    Inventors: Romain Desplats, Olivier Crepel, Félix Beaudoin, Philippe Perdu
  • Patent number: 7411392
    Abstract: A system and method for probing a specimen to determine one or more components by utilizing a first signal to excite the specimen at a nuclear quadrupole resonant frequency and observing changes in a specimen property. One exemplary property may be dielectric constant. Another exemplary property may be magnetic permeability. In one embodiment, the first signal is unmodulated and a second signal is observed for the presence of modulation at the frequency of the first signal. Alternatively, the first signal may be modulated and the second signal may be observed for the presence of the modulation. A system is disclosed wherein the specimen is excited using the first frequency and a radar at the second frequency is used to observe changes in radar reflectivity of the specimen due to the excitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Inventor: Larry W. Fullerton
  • Patent number: 7411393
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a system comprising to determine a direction of tracking a fiber based on a vector corresponding to a largest value of a set of values for a tensor, if an anisotropy value of the tensor is greater than or equal to a first threshold; and to apply a weighted function to the vector of the tensor to select the direction of tracking the fiber, if the anisotropy value of the tensor is less than or equal to the first threshold and larger than or equal to a second threshold. In one embodiment, the system is to generate the weighted function comprises a linear interpolation to be performed on the vector. In one embodiment, a weight of the linear interpolation is in part dependent on the anisotropy value of the tensor, wherein the weight corresponds to the anisotropy value relative to the first threshold. One embodiment of the invention is also executable as a method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Bracco Imaging S.p.A.
    Inventor: Wei Zhang
  • Patent number: 7411394
    Abstract: Inhomogeneous tissue structures cause spatial-varying water molecule diffusion that is characterized by the spatial derivative of diffusivity, i.e., diffusion gradient. In a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the effects of diffusion and diffusion gradient are simultaneously encoded in an echo signal using diffusion-encoding magnetic field gradient pulses. A method for imaging the diffusion gradient of water molecules in tissues and for delineating the interface between two tissues having different diffusion properties is disclosed. The method also describes imaging diffusion anisotropy and diffusion gradient simultaneously without any additional scans in comparison with diffusion tensor MRI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Board of Trustees of Michigan State University
    Inventor: Jie Huang
  • Patent number: 7411395
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance tomography apparatus, includes a gradient system that can generate at least one spatially varying and optionally time-varying magnetic field for at least one-dimensional local encoding of measuring signals in an area of a test sample to be imaged. The gradient system contains at least one subsystem which can generate a non-bijective spatially varying magnetic (NBSEM) field for local encoding, such that the function of the field strength of such an NBSEM within the area to be imaged has at least one local extreme value (maximum or minimum), such that the area to be imaged is divided along the hyper surface formed by the entirety of all local extreme values of the at least one NBSEM. The apparatus can produce images of the same quality with smaller magnetic field differences and permits easy realization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
    Inventor: Jürgen Hennig
  • Patent number: 7411396
    Abstract: An MRI apparatus is presented that includes a computer programmed to sample a single volume element (voxel) for MR spectroscopy and automatically determine respective metabolite concentrations for multiple compartment contained in the single voxel. The invention is effective in assigning metabolite concentrations to specific tissue types on a per-voxel basis for a VOI. Moreover, the invention is effective in providing metabolite concentrations for a voxel independent of that voxel's vicinity relative to the coils of the phased array. The present invention provides an effective tool in assigning metabolite concentrations from mixed pathological and normal tissues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignees: General Electric Company, Max-Planck-Institut fur Psychiatrie
    Inventors: Timo Schirmer, Michael Czisch
  • Patent number: 7411397
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to slice selective magnetization preparation for moving table MRI. The present invention includes a method of magnetization preparation that takes into account patient movement or translation during the imaging process. The present invention adjusts or modifies the frequency at which magnetization preparation pulses are applied to offset the preparation pulse in space. This allows preparation pulses to be interleaved with imaging and enables magnetization preparation without sacrificing other imaging variables or parameters defined for the particular MR study. As such, contrast within a reconstructed image is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ajit Shankaranarayanan, Jean Helen Brittain
  • Patent number: 7411398
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance apparatus has a transmission and reception coil system and a gradient coil system that is designed to generate a gradient field that is periodic in one spatial direction. The gradient field and/or the examination subject can be displaced in the spatial direction of the periodicity to generate a relative position change between the periodic gradient field and an examination subject, and the transmission and reception coil system comprises individually-activatable coil arrays to allow data to be acquired to fill in gaps or resolve ambiguous data entries that occur due to the gradient field being periodic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rainer Kuth, Arnulf Oppelt
  • Patent number: 7411399
    Abstract: Multiple sources are provided for a transmitter cable for use in electromagnetic surveying. The transmitter cable includes a dipole antenna comprising a pair of spaced apart electrodes mounted on their respective cables. Two antennas may be powered from each source. Alternatively, the outputs of each source are connected to a common antenna pair. A single large power supply may be mounted on a vessel to supply power through the tow cable. Alternatively, a number of power supplies may be provided aboard the vessel, with each power supply having dedicated conductors through the tow cable to power the plurality of current sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Ransom Reddig, Philip Heelan