With Transducer Patents (Class 327/4)
  • Patent number: 12015263
    Abstract: A method for operating a tailgate of a motor vehicle, in particular a pickup, which is driven by means of an electric motor and delimits a cargo area. A disassembled state is detected, and energization of the electric motor is inhibited. Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Heino Schalyo
  • Patent number: 11768086
    Abstract: A method for forming a sensor circuit. The method includes forming a plurality of magnetoresistive structures having a first predefined reference magnetization direction in a first common area of a common semiconductor substrate; forming a plurality of magnetoresistive structures having a second predefined reference magnetization direction in a second common area of the common semiconductor substrate; and forming electrically conductive structures electrically coupling the magnetoresistive structures having the first predefined reference magnetization direction to the magnetoresistive structures having the second predefined reference magnetization direction to form a plurality of half-bridge sensor circuits, wherein each half-bridge sensor circuit comprises a magnetoresistive structure having the first predefined reference magnetization direction electrically coupled to a second magnetoresistive structure having the second predefined reference magnetization direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Franz Jost, Harald Witschnig, Juergen Zimmer
  • Patent number: 11011126
    Abstract: A display device includes a display panel, a gate driver that supplies scan signals to a first to nth scan lines, a data driver that supplies gradation voltage signals corresponding to a video data signal to a plurality of data lines, and a display controller that supplies the video data signal to the data driver. The display controller supplies a first to nth pieces of display data to the data driver in units of display data pairs each including a kth piece of display data and an (n+1?k)th piece of display data. The gate driver supplies the scan signals to the plurality of scan lines. Each of the scan signals has different pulse widths depending on distance from the data driver to the respective first to nth scan lines. The data driver supplies the gradation voltage signals to the plurality of data lines on the basis of supply of the display data pairs from the display controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: LAPIS SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Higuchi, Kunihiro Harayama
  • Patent number: 10527457
    Abstract: Inductance values are measured though the use of a charge transfer based measurement system. During a first phase, a target inductor is connected to an energy source to allow current through an inductor to increase. In a second phase, the inductor is disconnected from the energy source, to allow the current to decrease, and to facilitate transfer of charge to a capacitor. The phases may be repeated, and a count is kept of the number of repetitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: AZOTEQ (PTY) LTD
    Inventors: Frederick Johannes Bruwer, Douw Gerbrandt Van Der Merwe
  • Patent number: 10367521
    Abstract: The present invention provides a signal processor that improves a resolution of a phase detection without increasing a clock frequency of a controller or decreasing a frequency of an excitation signal. A signal processor 10 includes a comparator 11 that compares a signal obtained by phase modulating a carrier frequency at a rotor rotation angle of a resolver with a dither signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akane Hiroshima, Yuji Shimizu, Yutaka Ono
  • Patent number: 9110520
    Abstract: A method of sensing the rotation of a wheel in a portable terminal is provided. The method includes producing at least one interrupt through any one of a plurality of sensors provided in the wheel according to the rotation of the wheel, confirming an interrupt value of the produced interrupt, and a status value of a sensor which did not produce the interrupt among the plurality of sensors, and determining that the wheel is rotated in a direction corresponding to the interrupt value and the status value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hak Hyeon Kim
  • Patent number: 8836322
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention described herein provide a magnetic sensor interface capable of adjusting signal conditioning dynamically using a speed signal of a target such that the true positive and negative peaks of the input signal are maintained for the given target across its entire speed range (0-Max rpm), therefore increasing the signal to noise ratio at low speeds and avoiding clipping or distortion at high speeds. In one aspect, a method comprises receiving an alternating differential voltage signal from a sensor. The differential voltage signal has an amplitude that changes relative to a change in speed of a target. The alternating differential voltage signal is converted to an attenuated single-ended voltage signal that can be dynamically scaled. The attenuated single-ended voltage signal can be scaled by multiplying the attenuated single-ended voltage signal by a scaling factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James Merrill Roylance, Daniel Zahi Abawi, Biplab Deb
  • Patent number: 8565275
    Abstract: A laser source assembly (210) for generating an assembly output beam (212) includes a first laser source (218A), a second laser source (218B), and a dispersive beam combiner (222). The first laser source (218A) emits a first beam (220A) having a first center wavelength, and the second laser source (218B) emits a second beam (220B) having a second center wavelength that is different than the first center wavelength. The dispersive beam combiner (222) includes a common area 224 that combines the first beam (220A) and the second beam (220B) to provide the assembly output beam (212). The first beam (220A) impinges on the common area (224) at a first beam angle (226A), and the second beam (220B) impinges on the common area (224) at a second beam angle (226B) that is different than the first beam angle (226A). Further, the beams (220A) (220B) that exit from the dispersive beam combiner (222) are substantially coaxial, are fully overlapping, and are co-propagating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Daylight Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Pushkarsky, David F. Arnone
  • Patent number: 8368351
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for coupling a charging station to a power line segment that is terminated at a first end by a charging terminal are disclosed. The apparatus includes multiple taps coupled to the power line segment and circuitry coupled to the charging station and coupled to the multiple taps. The circuitry is configured to differentiate between communication signals propagating on the power line segment in the direction from the first end to a second end of the power line segment and communication signals propagating on the power line segment in the direction from the second end to the first end based at least in part on multiple measurements of respective phase shifts associated with different portions of a communication signal, each portion received over at least a first tap and a second tap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: James Zyren
  • Patent number: 8305829
    Abstract: A power gating circuit configured to couple with a memory array having an internal voltage, wherein the power gating circuit includes circuitry having an output signal that raises the internal voltage of the memory array if the internal voltage is lower than a first threshold voltage, and lowers the internal voltage if the internal voltage is higher than a second threshold voltage, thereby retaining the internal voltage between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Wei Min Chan, Jack Liu, Shao-Yu Chou
  • Patent number: 7716000
    Abstract: A sensor apparatus is disclosed. A sense circuit is provided to convert inputted physical quantity to electrical signal. An amplifier amplifies an analog signal outputted from the sense circuit. An A/D converter converts the output signal of the amplifier to digital data. A sensing interval setup unit sets a sensing interval for the sense circuit. A power supply unit supplies electric power to the sense circuit, the amplifier and the A/D converter. The amplifier and the A/D converter constitute an analog signal processing unit. A power supply control unit is provided to control the power supply unit. A storage unit stores the digital data outputted from the A/D converter every sensing interval of the sensing interval. A data value change judgment unit changes the setup of the sensing interval by the sensing interval setup unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Nagao, Shuji Hayashi, Ichiro Kato
  • Publication number: 20040207434
    Abstract: In a driver, a voltage-follower-type operational amplifier receives current input data to generate an output signal. A transient state detecting circuit detects a transient state in the current input data to generate a first pulse signal when the current input data is increased and generate a second pulse signal when the current input data is decreased. A switch circuit substantially increases corresponding load currents flowing through the voltage-follower-type operational amplifier in accordance with the first and second pulse signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2004
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Applicant: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Miura
  • Publication number: 20020043280
    Abstract: A robot arm with a coating gun mounted on a distal end thereof houses therein a first color changing valve mechanism for supplying a base compound, an electropneumatic transducer, and a second color changing valve mechanism for supplying a hardener, which are successively arranged in the order named toward the coating gun. The base compound and the hardener supplied from these mechanisms controlled by the electropneumatic transducer can be mixed highly accurately at a desired mixing ratio, and applied to coat a workpiece with a high-quality coating layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2001
    Publication date: April 18, 2002
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ochiai, Hiroyoshi Nozaki, Hidenori Taguchi, Shinobu Tokin
  • Patent number: 6137287
    Abstract: A sensor for detecting a physical parameter is capable of detecting an error state in which normal physical parameter detection is not possible even though the output voltage is within a normal output voltage range is disclosed. Errors such as a normal reference frequency signal not being output from an oscillation circuit for some reason, or the frequency of the reference frequency signal output from the oscillation circuit not being within a particular frequency range, can occur. The physical parameter sensor of the invention comprises a self-testing circuit for detecting such error states, and outputting a signal indicating such error detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Motomi Ichihashi
  • Patent number: 5770965
    Abstract: A compensation circuit (106) corrects for nonlinearities in a sensor signal representing the physical state of a sensor (100). A transducer (102) produces a non-linear component in a transducer voltage signal. A voltage-current converter (104) converts the tranducer voltage signal to a transducer current which contains the non-linear component. A compensation circuit (106) squares the transducer current (I.sub.216) and uses a scaling current (I.sub.412) to generate a compensation current (I.sub.408) equal to the non-linear component. The current (I.sub.216) and scaled compensation current (I.sub.408) are summed at a summing junction (418) to produce an output current (I.sub.OUT) which is a substantially linear representation of the physical state of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: George B. Gritt, Jr., Ira E. Baskett
  • Patent number: 5686835
    Abstract: A magnetic detection device including at least one oscillator circuit having a magnetoresistance element which converts a change of magnetism detected into a digital signal and a comparator for comparing the digitalized oscillating frequency of the oscillator circuit with another digitalized oscillating frequency generated from another oscillating circuit by taking a ratio thereof or by detecting a phase difference between the pulse signals. Utilizing the magnetic detection device, the amount of change of magnetism can be stably detected with a high accuracy within a wide range of ambient usage temperatures. The physical quantity detection device includes a magnetic detection device which can detect any physical quantity with a high accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignees: Nippondenso Co., Ltd, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Takamoto Watanabe, Yoshinori Ohtsuka, Tadashi Hattori, Kouichi Hoshino
  • Patent number: 5559454
    Abstract: A switching arrangement for a signal processing comprises a sensor for sensing a movable part and having an inductivity, and a control reflecting circuit connected with the inductivity of the sensor, the current reflecting circuit having a transistor with a base which is directly connected with the inductivity of the sensor, the current reflecting circuit having one side connected with a voltage supply and another side connected with a resistance at which a measuring signal is pickable, and the current reflecting circuit actuates a current amplification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Thomas Schneider
  • Patent number: 5525899
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an A/D conversion device capable of compensating for quantizing errors occurring as a result of variations in operating conditions and a physical quantity detection device using this A/D conversion device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1996
    Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takamoto Watanabe, Haruo Kawakita, Seiki Aoyama
  • Patent number: 5477142
    Abstract: In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an adaptive threshold circuit is provided which develops a series of square-wave voltage pulses from an alternating differential voltage that is produced in response to the rotation of a wheel. The adaptive threshold circuit includes an input circuit for providing an input voltage in response to the alternating differential voltage. A first voltage comparator compares the input voltage with an adaptive analog threshold voltage and produces an output in response thereto which causes a rising edge of the square-wave voltage pulse. A second voltage comparator compares a selected portion of the input voltage with the adaptive analog threshold voltage and produces an output in response thereto. The adaptive threshold circuit further includes a binary counter having a reset input for receiving the first voltage comparator output and an enable input for receiving the second voltage comparator output and provides a plurality of binary outputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: Delco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Brian K. Good, Mark R. Keyse