Patently Speaking highlights the technological achievements of Fort Wayne area residents.
Finite state machine vehicle headlight controller
•U.S. Patent No. 7,719,197
•Invented by: Jessica M. Martin, John F. Rotz, and Deborah M. Fogt, all of Fort Wayne; and H. Edward Kelwaski, Craigville
•Assigned to: International Truck Intellectual Property Co. LLC, Warrenville, Ill.
This patent is directed to tractor-trailer truck headlights. Because trucks travel all over the country, they may pass through states with different laws pertaining to head lamp illumination.
According to this patent, some states require truck headlights to be on while the windshield wipers are operating, and other states require the headlights to be turned off when at a weigh station.
Conventionally, headlights were simply controlled by an on-off switch just like those used on automobiles.
This patent takes a new approach to headlights by automating their operation. The headlights use a “state machine” to make sure they are turned on or off when needed. The state machine is part of a controller that can cycle the light through various levels of illumination. In addition, the state machine can receive automatic and manual inputs. Inputs automatically turn the lights on or off when certain events occur, such as the windshield wipers turning on.
Particularly useful is the state machine’s accommodation for manual input. Despite all the rules and regulations dictating when lights should turn on or off, often a trucker will use his headlights when the truck passes or is passed by other vehicles. For example, truckers show courtesy to other vehicles on the highway by flashing their headlights on and off as an indication to the passing vehicle that they have cleared the truck. The state machine accommodates this common occurrence as well.
Ball grid array filter
•U.S. Patent No. 7,724,109
•Invented by: Damon Niswonger, Fort Wayne; Thomas A. Knecht, Dundee, Ill.; Glen Reeser, Palatine, Ill.; and Reddy Vangala, Albuquerque, N.M.
•Assigned to CTS Corp., Elkhart
The filters discussed in this patent are not for water or air, but rather for high radio frequency signals. These filters help wireless Internet devices work.
According to the patent, prior filters were made from ceramic blocks with holes drilled through them. These holes are called resonator holes. All of the sides but one were metalized and metallic material was deposited on the inside of the holes as well. These filters were placed on circuit boards to process the radio signals.
With the use of higher frequency signals (5.8 gigahertz and higher), however, this patent describes the need for improved ceramic RF filters.
A new ceramic filter is shown having a base substrate that can be mounted directly onto a printed circuit board. The base includes resonator strips that define a resonator pattern. A set of copper spheres sits on the substrate and connects to RF signal input/output contacts on the circuit board. These new filters are apparently better adapted to the higher frequency ranges, making the wireless devices work better.
The preceding are lay descriptions of patents obtained from the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s public records and are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing contained herein is a legal description of any claimed invention, identification of novelty, or offer of legal advice. Because issued patents are based on applications often filed years earlier, the subject matter of some patents may have been available on the market for some time prior to the issuance of the patent. Additional information on these patents is available at www.uspto.gov.
