Patents Issued in March 31, 2015
  • Patent number: 8995043
    Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus related to an electromechanical display device. In one aspect, an analog interferometric modulator includes a reflective display pixel having a reflector, and a movable first absorbing layer positionable at a distance d1 from the reflector, the first absorbing layer and the reflector defining a first gap therebetween. The apparatus also includes a second absorbing layer disposed at a distance d2 from the first absorbing layer, the first absorbing layer disposed between the second absorbing layer and the reflector, the second absorbing layer and the first absorbing layer defining a second gap therebetween. In addition, at least two of the reflector, the first absorbing layer and second absorbing layer are movable to synchronously either increase or decrease the thickness dimension of the first gap and the second gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: QUALCOMM MEMS Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jian J. Ma, Tallis Y. Chang, John H. Hong
  • Patent number: 8995044
    Abstract: The invention relates to controllable Fabry-Perot interferometers which are produced with micromechanical (MEMS) technology. Micromechanical interferometers of the prior art have a disadvantage of significantly attenuating infrared radiation. In the inventive solution there is a gap in at least one mirror, serving as a layer of the mirror. The other layers of the mirrors can be made of polycrystalline silicon, which has a negligible attenuation at the infrared range. It is also preferable to provide a hole or a recess in a substrate at the optical area of the interferometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy
    Inventor: Martti Blomberg
  • Patent number: 8995045
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image display apparatus includes a light source, a modulation unit, a first array and a second array. The modulation unit modulates intensity and a color of the light to generate beams corresponding to each of modulated pixels included in a modulated pixel group. The first array is formed by juxtaposing a plurality of first deflection elements each having a generating line parallel to a vertical direction of the modulated pixels. The second array is formed by juxtaposing a plurality of second deflection elements each having a generating line tilted by an angle represented by tan?1(?×m/n) with respect to a generating line of the first deflection element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shinichi Tatsuta, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Hideaki Okano, Takahiro Kamikawa, Taisuke Ogoshi, Toru Kambayashi, Shinichi Uehara, Masako Kashiwagi
  • Patent number: 8995046
    Abstract: A suspended particle device includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a first electrode that can be controlled for a potential; a second electrode that can be controlled for a potential different from that of the first electrode; an electrified body; and a liquid suspension containing charged light control particles and a dispersion medium, in which the first electrode, the second electrode and the electrified body are disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the liquid suspension is sealed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the light control particles are capable of being accumulated to a periphery of the electrified body. Thus, it is possible to ensure uniformity of transmission light as well as to hold a light transmittance state in a state where the power supply is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Mori, Hiroki Kaneko, Haruo Akahoshi
  • Patent number: 8995047
    Abstract: A display device includes a display panel and a converter formed on a front surface of the display panel. The converter performs conversion between a 2-dimensional image and a 3-dimensional image. The converter includes a plurality of protrusion electrodes formed on a first substrate. A plate electrode is positioned on a second substrate facing the first substrate. A transparent medium is positioned between the protrusion electrodes and the plate electrode. A plurality of conductive particles is positioned in the transparent medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chang-Woong Chu
  • Patent number: 8995048
    Abstract: A change in loading conditions of fiber amplifiers in an optical communications network causes rapid variations in the gain profile of the amplifiers due to spectral hole burning and stimulated Raman scattering. An apparatus for reducing such gain profile variations is described which monitors optical signal perturbations and reacts by adjusting pump powers of the amplifiers and, or fast variable optical attenuator according to a pre-determined function stored in the form of constants in controller's memory. The optical signal is monitored as total power, and the power of light after passing through one or more optical filters. The light detection is relatively fast, whereby the gain profile variations are compensated by fast controlled variable optical attenuator and pump power adjustment upon the change in loading conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Maxim Bolshtyansky, Gregory Cowle
  • Patent number: 8995049
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for suppression of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) includes a master oscillator (MO) that generates a beam; a birefringent element that receives and transmits the beam, wherein the beam is transmitted with a transmission delay between two orthogonal axes; a polarization controller that receives the beam and transmits the beam with a desired polarization; a fiber amplifier that receives the beam, amplifies the beam, and transmits a beam; a compensating birefringent element that receives the beam, approximately removes the transmission delay between the two axes of the beam, and transmits an output beam; and a polarization detector that detects the output beam's polarization and provides feedback to the polarization controller to ensure that the polarization of the output beam is approximately equal to a desired output polarization, so as to reduce SBS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Joshua E. Rothenberg
  • Patent number: 8995050
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are generally related to embodiments of the present invention relate to a fiber stretchers module for use in the 1550 nm wavelength range. In one embodiment of the present invention, a fiber stretcher module for use in the 1550 nm wavelength range comprises a first fiber comprising a relative dispersion curve value of greater than about 0.0002 nm?2 and a dispersion value of less than about ?60 ps/(nm·km) at about 1550 nm, and a second fiber comprising a relative dispersion curve value of about zero and a relative dispersion slope value of about 0.003 nm?1 at about 1550 nm, wherein the fiber stretcher module comprises a collective relative dispersion slope of about 0.0413 nm?1 and a relative dispersion curve of about 0.00286 nm?2 at 1550 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: OFS Fitel, LLC
    Inventor: Lars Gruner-Nielsen
  • Patent number: 8995051
    Abstract: Embodiments of optical fiber may include cladding features that include a material (e.g., fluorine-doped silica glass) that may produce a very low relative refractive index difference with respect to cladding material in which the cladding features are disposed. This relative refractive index difference may be characterized by (n1?n2)/n1, where n1 is the index of refraction of the cladding material in which the cladding features are included, and n2 is the index of refraction of the cladding features. In certain embodiments, the relative refractive index difference may be less than about 4.5×10?3. In various embodiments, the configuration of the cladding features including, for example, the size and spacing of the cladding features, can be selected to provide for confinement of the fundamental mode yet leakage for the second mode and higher modes, which may provide mode filtering, single mode propagation, and/or low bend loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: IMRA America, Inc.
    Inventors: Liang Dong, Jun Li, Hugh McKay, Libin Fu, Andrius Marcinkevicius
  • Patent number: 8995052
    Abstract: A solid-state MOPA includes a mode-locked laser delivering a train of pulses. The pulses are input to a fast E-O shutter, including polarization-rotating elements, polarizing beam-splitters, and a Pockels cell that can be driven alternatively by high voltage (HV) pulses of fixed long and short durations. A multi-pass amplifier follows the E-O shutter. The E-O shutter selects every Nth pulse from the input train and delivers the selected pulses to the multi-pass amplifier. The multi-pass amplifier returns amplified seed-pulses to the E-O shutter. The shutter rejects or transmits the amplified pulses depending on whether the HV-pulse duration is respectively short or long. Transmitted amplified pulses are delivered to a transient amplifier configured for separately suppressing first-pulse over-amplification and residual pulse leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Coherent Kaiserslautern GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Knappe, Albert Seifert, Alexander Weis
  • Patent number: 8995053
    Abstract: The present invention includes an optical amplifier and method for reducing the impact of transient events within an optical transmission system. Specifically, a positive transient power or amplifier setting adjustment limit is applied based upon a number of active channels or a current “steady state” operating condition. This adjustment limit is described in terms of a number of channels to be amplified. By controlling the adjustment limit in this manner, automatic control of the amplifier is provided for a loss of channel condition as well as for the addition of a single or few channel condition. If a larger positive transient occurs, the control will not adjust the power limit, and the positive transient power will therefore be suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Daniel Charles Kilper, Christopher Alan White
  • Patent number: 8995054
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating a pulse train with an adjustable time interval is provided. The apparatus, being an annular optical cavity structure, includes a seed source receiving end, a pump source receiving end, an optical coupler, an optical combiner, a gain fiber, an optical path time regulator and a beam splitter. Thus, the apparatus is capable of generating a pulse train with an adjustable time interval to increase material processing quality and speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Yao-Wun Jhang, Hsin-Chia Su, Chien-Ming Huang, Shih-Ting Lin, Chih-Lin Wang, Chieh Hu
  • Patent number: 8995055
    Abstract: An angular and spectral selective absorber in ultrathin metamaterials is an absorber having an absorption wavelength, ?. Embodiments of the invention include at least one primary layer having a thickness, d, and a relative permittivity of epsilon-near-zero, ?. At least one reflective secondary layer is associated with the primary layer. The association is by bonding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Simin Feng
  • Patent number: 8995056
    Abstract: A laminated optical film which exhibit a high front contrast ratio and even brightness, improve viewing angle characteristics of a liquid crystal display of a horizontal alignment mode, and have high durability. A laminated optical film comprising: a B layer; and a C layer, wherein the B layer satisfies the following three formulae (Ib) to (IIIb), the C layer satisfies the following two formulae (Ic) and (IIc), and the absolute value |?SP value| of a difference in SP value between the primary components of the B and C layers is not more than 1.5, the SP value being determined by Hoy's method. 1.0?Nz?3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Takeda, Masato Nakao
  • Patent number: 8995057
    Abstract: A diffractive optical element includes: a first diffractive element in which a plurality of basic units are two-dimensionally arranged; and a second diffractive element in which a plurality of basic units are two-dimensionally arranged, wherein when a direction in which the basic units are arranged in the first diffractive element is a first direction, a direction in which the basic units are arranged in the second diffractive element is a second direction, an angle ? between the first direction and the second direction is such that ?|?1|<?<|?1|, and ??0, sin ?1=??/?x where a closest distance of zero-order light generated when the diffracted light generated by the first diffractive element is further incident on the second diffractive element is ?x and a closest distance of the diffracted light and stray light generated by the second diffractive element is ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Koji Miyasaka, Takuji Nomura
  • Patent number: 8995058
    Abstract: A diffraction grating lens according to the present invention is a diffraction grating lens 11 including: a lens body 12; and a plurality of diffraction steps relative to a base shape and a plurality of diffraction gratings 13 interposed between the diffraction steps, provided on a surface of the lens body 12. The lens body 12 is made of a first material having a refractive index n1(?) at a used wavelength ?; the diffraction grating 13 is in contact with air; and the relationship of an inequality below is satisfied, where d is a design step length of the diffraction steps, and m is an order of diffraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuka Okada, Takamasa Ando, Tsuguhiro Korenaga
  • Patent number: 8995059
    Abstract: Solar light redirecting glazing units include light redirecting and light diffusing constructions. The solar light redirecting glazing units may include a glazing substrate, a visible light diffusing layer, and a light redirecting layer oriented such that incoming solar light contacts the visible light diffusing layer before contacting the light redirecting layer. The solar light redirecting glazing units may include a glazing substrate, a patterned visible light diffusing layer, and a light redirecting layer. The solar light redirecting glazing units may include two glazing substrates separated by an intervening space with a solar light redirecting layer disposed on one glazing substrate, and a visible light diffusing layer disposed on the other glazing substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Raghunath Padiyath, Bing Hao, Charles A. Marttila
  • Patent number: 8995060
    Abstract: A head-up display device includes an image module, a substrate, and an optical film. The image module has an emitting source, wherein the emitting source transmits at least one image. The substrate is disposed corresponding to the image module. The optical film is disposed on the substrate and includes at least one transmission layer, wherein each transmission layer has a plurality of transmitting column structures obliquely arranged side by side, and a longitudinal direction of the transmitting column structure has a tilt angle with respect to a normal of the substrate. The at least one image is transmitted to the optical film, and the obliquely disposed transmitting column structures cause the at least one image to scatter on the optical film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: National Applied Research Laboratories
    Inventors: Wen-Hao Cho, Bo-Huei Liao, Donyau Chiang, Cheng-Chung Lee
  • Patent number: 8995061
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for the reduction speckle of a projection display system using novel lenslet integrators and related methods. In one embodiment, a lenslet integrator system for reducing speckle on a display screen may comprise a first lenslet array configured to receive incoming light for use in displaying an image on a display screen. Specifically, the first lenslet array has motion sufficient to reduce speckle by averaging multiple speckle patterns across its array. Such an exemplary system may also include a second lenslet array configured to receive light that is roughly focused from the moving first lenslet array, due to the motion of the first array. In addition, such systems may also include an output lens configured to receive light focused from the second lenslet array for output from the system for illumination of the display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: RealD Inc.
    Inventor: Kevin Curtis
  • Patent number: 8995062
    Abstract: Projection lens having improved properties such as a high throughput are described. In one embodiment, a projection lens is described comprising in sequential order from a screen side a first lens group, a second lens group of positive refractive power, and a third lens group of positive refractive power. At least one lens group has an aspheric surface. The ratio of the focal length of the projection lens (F) to the focal length of each of the lens groups (F1, F2, and F3) is such that |F1/F|>5, 0.5<|F2/F|<0.9, and 1<F3/F<8. In another embodiment, a projection lens is described comprising in sequential order from a screen side a first lens group, a second lens group of positive refractive power, and a third lens group of positive refractive power. At least one lens group has an aspheric surface. The ratio of the focal length of the projection lens (F) to the focal length of each of the lens groups (F1, F2, and F3) is such that |F1/F|>5, 0.5<|F2/F|<2.0, and 1.4<F3/F<8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Zhisheng Yun, Stephen J. Willett
  • Patent number: 8995063
    Abstract: An adjustable optical device comprising at least a deformable optical surface activated by linear fluidic actuators comprising: a material layer comprising an upper surface on which the optical surface is provided and a bottom surface; an actuator layer comprising a plurality of linear fluidic actuators separated by at least one cavity, where at least one linear fluidic actuator is a pillar extending in the actuation direction (L) which is non parallel to the bottom surface of the material layer, said pillar comprising a wall delimiting an internal cavity and where an upper surface of said pillar is continuously linked to a zone of the bottom surface of the material layer; fluidic inlets suitable for introducing a fluid in at least one internal cavity of a pillar linear fluidic actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Essilor International (Compagnie Generale D'Optique)
    Inventors: Benjamin Rousseau, Thierry Bonnin, Jean Taboury, Raymond Mercier, Sylvain Perrot
  • Patent number: 8995064
    Abstract: Disclosed is a zoom lens having a first lens group G1 having positive refractive power; a second lens group G2 having negative refractive power; a third lens group G3 having positive refractive power; and a fourth lens group G4 having positive refractive power. Upon zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state, a distance between the first lens group G1 and the second lens group G2 is changed, a distance between the second lens group G2 and the third lens group G3 is changed, and the fourth lens group G4 is moved toward the object first, then moved toward an image. The third lens group G3 has a first positive lens L31, a negative lens L32 and a second positive lens L33, and the fourth lens group G4 has two lenses: L41 and L42.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Keiichi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8995065
    Abstract: An imaging lens includes: a first lens group; a second lens group having positive refractive power; and a third lens group having negative refractive power, which are arranged in order from an object side, wherein the first lens group includes a front lens group having a negative lens in a most object side, a diaphragm, and a rear lens group having positive refractive power, wherein the second lens group includes a first lens having negative refractive power, a second lens having positive refractive power, and a third lens having positive refractive power in an order from the object side, and wherein, when focusing is performed, the second lens group is moved in an optical axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Naoki Miyagawa
  • Patent number: 8995066
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for providing passive correction for thermal effects on a mounted mechanical component. Further disclosed is a wafer inspection system employing the passive thermal effect correction apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Doyle, Alexander Belyaev
  • Patent number: 8995067
    Abstract: An lens holding device is disclosed. The lens holding device includes a lens barrel defining a closed sidewall, an engaging hole surrounded by the closed sidewall for receiving a lens group, and a coil holder extending from one end of the lens holder. The lens holding device is configured to be one-piece. The disclosure further provides a lens driving device having the lens holding device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignees: AAC Acoustic Technologies (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., American Audio Components Inc.
    Inventor: Palle Geltzer Dinesen
  • Patent number: 8995068
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image photographing device capable of being auto-focused while moving a lens barrel in an optical axis direction. The image photographing device includes: a lens barrel having at least one lens; a housing receiving the lens barrel therein so that the lens barrel moves in an optical axis direction; and an impact reducing unit elastically supporting the lens barrel in the case in which the lens barrel deviates from a set movement range, thereby primarily damping the lens barrel before the lens barrel deviates from the movement range to collide with other components positioned at an outer side of the lens barrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae Ho Baik, Jae Hyuk Lee, Yong Gyu Yoon, Jung Seok Lee, Myung Jin Lee
  • Patent number: 8995069
    Abstract: An interchangeable lens to be detachably attached to a camera body, that includes a holding unit at which a plurality of contacts is arranged, the interchangeable lens includes: a first communication contact system arranged at the holding unit; and a second communication contact system different from the first communication contact system, arranged at the holding unit at a position different from a position at which the first communication contact system is arranged. The fourth contact is arranged at a position closer to the second communication contact system than the first contact, the second contact, and the third contact are, and the seventh contact and the eighth contact are arranged at positions closer to the first communication contact system than the fifth contact and the sixth contact are.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuharu Imafuji, Masafumi Oikawa
  • Patent number: 8995070
    Abstract: An execution environment for functional code may treat application segments as individual programs for memory management. A larger program of application may be segmented into functional blocks that receive an input and return a value, but operate without changing state of other memory objects. The program segments may have memory pages allocated to the segments by the operating system as other full programs, and may deallocate memory pages when the segments finish operating. Functional programming languages and imperative programming languages may define program segments explicitly or implicitly, and the program segments may be identified at compile time or runtime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Concurix Corporation
    Inventor: Alexander G. Gounares
  • Patent number: 8995071
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a processor, logic in the processor and/or memory configured to determine a physical position on a magnetic medium that corresponds to an end of encrypted data written over residual unencrypted data, and logic configured to store an indicator of the physical position on at least one of the magnetic medium and a memory coupled thereto. In another embodiment, a method includes determining a physical position on a magnetic medium that corresponds to an end of encrypted data written over residual unencrypted data, storing an indicator of the physical position on at least one of the magnetic medium and a memory coupled thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Erika M. Dawson, Scott M. Fry, Paul M. Greco, Gavin S. Johnson, Joel K. Lyman, Jon A. Lynds, Cory G. Smith
  • Patent number: 8995072
    Abstract: A servo system includes a detector circuit operable to apply a data detection algorithm to digital data to yield hard decisions, a convolution circuit operable to yield ideal digital data based on the hard decisions and on target values, a subtraction circuit operable to subtract the ideal digital data from the digital data to yield an error signal, a scaling circuit operable to scale the error signal to yield a scaled noise signal, an adder operable to add the scaled noise signal to the digital data to yield noise-added digital data, and a second detector circuit operable to apply a second data detection algorithm to the noise-added digital data to yield output hard decisions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Dahua Qin, Xun Zhang, Lu Lu, Haitao Xia, Jianzhong Huang
  • Patent number: 8995073
    Abstract: Apparatuses, devices, and systems are presented with servo and data pattern formation using multi-dot arrays. In one example, an apparatus may comprise a data storage medium including a first patterned array of dots of magnetic material, a second patterned array of dots of magnetic material, and a non-magnetic space located between the first patterned array and second patterned array. In another example, a system may comprise a processor configured to store data to a data storage medium, the data storage medium including a first dot composite including a first patterned array of dots of magnetic material, a second dot composite including a second patterned array of dots of magnetic material, and a non-magnetic space located between the first dot composite and second dot composite. An order in which a dot composite and a non-magnetic space occur may define the value of one bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Puskal Pokharel, Barmeshwar Vikramaditya, Rene Johannes Marinus Van De Veerdonk
  • Patent number: 8995074
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to the use of evolutionary algorithms for tuning the performance of read channels. Instructions encoded on a medium are performed by processor cause a storage device to perform operations including obtaining values corresponding to operating parameters of a read channel of the storage device, generating one or more output parameters corresponding to use of the values with the read channel, selecting a proper subset of the values based on the one or more output parameters and a cost function, creating a new generation of the values corresponding to the operating parameters based on the proper subset and repeating the generating and the selecting using the new generation of the values until a target is achieved, and outputting two or more of the values of the proper subset of a last generation, when the target is achieved to configure the read channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventor: Seo-How Low
  • Patent number: 8995075
    Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk comprising a plurality of servo sectors defining a plurality of servo tracks. The servo tracks form a plurality of servo zones, where a servo data rate of servo sectors in a first servo zone is different than a servo data rate of servo sectors in a second servo zone. A servo control system servos a head over the disk. An estimated servo state of a servo control system is generated, and when the head crosses from a first servo zone to a second servo zone, the estimated servo state is adjusted to compensate for a transient in a circumferential distance between a servo sector in the first servo zone and a servo sector in the second servo zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Chang, Guoxiao Guo, Jie Yu
  • Patent number: 8995076
    Abstract: An apparatus of the present disclosure generally includes a recording head, circuitry, a thermal sensor, and a detector. The recording head has an electromagnetic attraction to a recording medium. The circuitry is configured to oscillate the electromagnetic attraction between the recording head and the recording medium. The oscillating electromagnetic attraction produces a corresponding oscillating clearance between the recording head and the recording medium. The thermal sensor, located in or near the recording head, senses an oscillating temperature that is induced by the oscillating clearance and produces a sensor signal that is representative of the sensed temperature. The detector is coupled to the thermal sensor and is configured to detect at least one of head-medium contact and clearance using the sensor signal and the electromagnetic attraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Daniel W. Olson, David J. Ellison, Michael Thomas Johnson
  • Patent number: 8995077
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a housing, a sensor, a disk device, a first determination controller, a first changing controller. The sensor senses a vibration of the housing. The disk device stores operation data, the disk device including a head, wherein the head retracts to a safety position when the sensed vibration exceeds a sensitivity level, and the operation data includes an evaluated value for evaluating an operation state of the head, and a threshold corresponding to the evaluated value. The first determination controller determines whether the evaluated value exceeds the threshold. The first changing controller changes the sensitivity level based on the result of the first determination controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tsukasa Nunami, Yoshihiro Kaneko
  • Patent number: 8995078
    Abstract: A method of testing a head for contamination includes detecting a first touchdown power of the head, the head having a flying height actuator; calculating a back-off power for the head using an estimated relationship between back-off power and touchdown power; determining an operating power that is equal to the detected first touchdown power minus the calculated back-off power; passing the head over a magnetic media one or more times while applying the determined operating power to the flying height actuator; detecting a second touchdown power after passing the head over the magnetic media; and determining whether contamination on the head exceeds a threshold amount based on the detected second touchdown power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: WD Media, LLC
    Inventors: Hengky Setuwanto, Thien Seng Lee, Lingpin Ee
  • Patent number: 8995079
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a magnetic head including a wave guide, a near field transducer, a writing magnetic pole, a magnetic core, a writing coil, and a first temperature control element. The near field transducer is disposed on an ABS surface and to which light is guided from the wave guide. The writing magnetic pole is disposed on the ABS surface. The magnetic core is connected to the writing magnetic pole so as to generate a magnetic field from a portion of the writing magnetic pole close to the ABS surface. The writing coil is disposed so as to go around the magnetic core. The first temperature control element is disposed in contact with a region of a first side surface of the wave guide near the near field transducer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hiroshi Isokawa, Tomoko Taguchi
  • Patent number: 8995080
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for non-destructive detection of contamination on a slider in a data storage device. In some embodiments, the slider supports a read element adjacent a rotating data recording medium. A non-repeatable runout (NRRO) component of a position error signal (PES) obtained from readback signals transduced from the read element is extracted. A power spectral density (PSD) analysis of the NRRO component is performed to identify a peak power level, and slider contamination is detected responsive to the peak power level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: James Mou, Daniel Brown, Robert German
  • Patent number: 8995081
    Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk comprising tracks defined by servo sectors, a head, and control circuitry comprising a servo control system operable to actuate the head over the disk in response to the servo sectors. The head is loaded over the disk during a load operation, and a radial velocity of the head is determined during the load operation. A target track is generated based on the determined radial velocity of the head, and the servo control system seeks the head to the target track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Western Digitial Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Aswartha Narayana, Orhan Beker
  • Patent number: 8995082
    Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of tracks, wherein each track comprises a plurality of servo sectors. When entering an idle mode, the head is floated over the disk, and when exiting the idle mode, a radial velocity of the head is measured, a seek distance is determined in response to the radial velocity, and a seek operation seeks the head the seek distance to a first track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mingji Lou, Orhan Beker, Jenghung Chen
  • Patent number: 8995083
    Abstract: There are provided a spindle motor and a hard disk drive including the same. The spindle motor includes: a sleeve supporting a shaft so that an upper end of the shaft protrudes upwardly in an axial direction and a bearing clearance filled with a lubricating fluid formed between the sleeve and the shaft; a housing provided so as to enclose an outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and forming a circulation hole between the housing and the sleeve in the axial direction; and a rotor hub fixedly installed on an upper end portion of the shaft in the axial direction, wherein a connection part is formed between the housing and the rotor hub so as to allow a sealing part on which a liquid-vapor interface is disposed and the circulation hole to be in communication with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Duck Young Kim
  • Patent number: 8995084
    Abstract: The disk drive device includes a base member with a first upper surface and a second lower surface, a hub, a bearing unit arranged on the base member that rotatably supports the hub, a spindle drive unit that drives the hub to rotate, and a wiring member arranged on the second surface of the base member. The spindle drive unit includes a stator core having a salient pole with coil wound around, and a magnet opposed thereto. The base member includes a wire hole through which a wire is placed, with a first opening on the first surface and a second opening on the second surface. A concaved area on the second surface includes a lower slope, axially between the concaved area and the second opening on which a wiring member is arranged. The wire is connected to the wiring member, radially outside of an outer diameter of the magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Japan Advanced Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Tashiro, Takanori Watanabe, Hiroshi Iwai
  • Patent number: 8995085
    Abstract: An example magnetic recording apparatus includes a magnetic recording medium and a magnetic recording head. The magnetic recording head includes a first magnetic pole to apply a recording magnetic field to a magnetic recording medium, a spin torque oscillator provided parallel to the first magnetic pole, a first coil which surrounds the first magnetic pole, to magnetize the first magnetic pole, and a second coil to pass a current independently of the first coil and magnetize the first magnetic pole. A signal processor writes and reads a signal on the magnetic recording medium by using the magnetic recording head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kenichiro Yamada, Hitoshi Iwasaki, Masayuki Takagishi
  • Patent number: 8995086
    Abstract: A write head has a pole tip, a write yoke connected to the pole tip, a write return yoke, a write shield, and one or more side shields disposed in close proximity to the pole tip. The write return yoke connects to the write yoke on one end and the write shield on a different end. The one or more side shields are separated from the pole tip and write shields by a non-magnetic material and therefore are “floating” and not directly coupled to the write shield or pole tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Mourad Benakli, Michael Mallary
  • Patent number: 8995087
    Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head is disclosed. The PMR head includes a perpendicular magnetic recording pole having at least one side, a bottom and a top wider than the bottom. The PMR head also includes at least one side gap, at least one side shield, a to gap on the PMR pole and a top shield. The side gap(s) encapsulate the side(s) of the PMR pole, has at least one width and is between the PMR pole and the side shield(s). The to gap has a thickness such that the ratio of the width(s) to the thickness is greater than one. A portion of the top gap is between at least part of the top shield and the side shield(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Western Digital (Fremont), LLC
    Inventors: Yingjian Chen, Kyusik Shin
  • Patent number: 8995088
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a main pole configured to emit a recording magnetic field for affecting a magnetic medium, a spin torque oscillator (STO) device in electrical communication with and positioned above the main pole in a track direction, the STO device being configured to generate a high-frequency magnetic field which is superimposed with the recording magnetic field in order to record data to the magnetic medium when current flows to the STO device, and a heat sink positioned near the STO device, the heat sink being configured to reduce a temperature of the STO device when current flows to the STO device. In another embodiment, a method includes forming a heat sink behind a STO device in an element height direction perpendicular to a media facing surface, and/or on both sides of the STO device in a cross-track direction at the media facing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Carl Boone, Jianhua Li, Isao Nunokawa, Erhard Schreck, Mikito Sugiyama, Ikuya Tagawa, Yuta Udo
  • Patent number: 8995089
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a magnetic recording medium which includes a base, a magnetic recording layer having convex-shaped magnetic layers, which is formed on the base, and a protective film formed on the magnetic recording layer. There are gaps in a region surrounded by the protective film, the surface of the base, and each side wall of each magnetic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazutaka Takizawa, Akira Watanabe, Kaori Kimura, Tsuyoshi Onitsuka, Takeshi Iwasaki, Masahiro Takashita, Akihiko Takeo
  • Patent number: 8995090
    Abstract: A wiring circuit substrate, comprising: a metal support layer; an insulating layer formed on the metal support layer; a conductive layer for wiring formed on the insulating layer; and an opening formed so as to open at a same location in the insulating layer and the conductive layer for wiring, wherein the metal support layer includes: a support section that supports the insulating layer and the conductive layer for wiring, and a terminal section that extends from one edge side to the other edge side of the opening, the terminal section being separated from the support section; and the conductive layer for wiring includes a wiring that is connected to the terminal section by a connecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin Nishiyama, Yuji Narita
  • Patent number: 8995091
    Abstract: A slider for magnetic data recording in a thermally assisted recording system. The slider has a slider body and a magnetic recording head formed on a trailing edge of the slider body. A first terminal is formed on a trailing edge surface of the recording head, and a second terminal is formed on a backside surface both the magnetic recording head and the slider body so as to extend across both the magnetic recording head and the slider body. An electrically conductive lead formed within the magnetic recording head connects the first lead with the second lead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Tomomitsu Inoue, Hideo Yamakura, Hidetoshi Anan, Hiroshi Ishizaki
  • Patent number: 8995092
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a base plate, after deburring and heat-treating a half-finished base plate, cuts off a scrap section at the ends of the scrap section from a half-finished actuator attaching area so that cutting surfaces left in a finished actuator attaching area are positioned onto the inner perimeter of the finished actuator attaching area and are oriented to at least partly face an actuator attaching position inside the finished actuator attaching area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Yonekura, Shinji Sugiyama