Famous Patents
3M employee and church chorister Art Fry needed something to temporarily mark pages in his hymnal. He was in luck because his colleague, Spencer Silver, accidentally developed a glue that was too weak for other purposes. After initially discouraging consumer response, Post-it Notes became a hit in 1979.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7934423 | Vertically integrated 3-axis MEMS angular accelerometer with integrated electronics Sensors for measuring angular acceleration about three mutually orthogonal axes, X, Y, Z or about the combination of these axes are disclosed. The sensor comprises a sensor subassembly. The sensor subassembly further comprises a base which is substantially parallel ... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7424347 | Motion sensors integrated within an electro-hydraulic control unit An electronic control unit for a vehicle system that includes at least one acceleration sensor and at least one angular rate sensor for generating data concerning motion of the vehicle relative to vehicle reference axes. ... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7370531 | Detection circuits, detection method and systems of measuring physical quantities A detection circuit 30 has a unit 30a for inputting a signal to be detected by synchronized wave detection, a unit 30b for inputting a standard signal for the signal to be detected and a unit 30c for inputting an offs... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7357025 | Micromachined apparatus with co-linear drive arrays A mass includes a first set of drive fingers interdigitated with a first array of fixed drive fingers and a second set of drive fingers interdigitated with a second array of fixed drive fingers. Each array of fixed drive fingers is affixed to a substrate using a plu... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7347094 | Coupling apparatus for inertial sensors A coupling apparatus allows anti-phase movements of inertial sensor element frames along parallel axes but substantially prevents in-phase movements of the frames. The coupling apparatus includes a bar coupled between first and second sensor element frames and at le... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7337670 | Physical quantity sensor having multiple through holes A semiconductor physical quantity sensor includes: a substrate; a semiconductor layer supported on the substrate; a trench disposed in the semiconductor layer; and a movable portion disposed in the semiconductor layer and separated from the substrate by the trench. ... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7305880 | Resonant micro-electro-mechanical system with analog driving A resonant micro-electro-mechanical system includes a microstructure having a mass which is free to oscillate in accordance with a predetermined degree of freedom, and a driving device coupled to the mass for maintaining the mass in oscillation at a resonance freque... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7299695 | Acceleration sensor An acceleration sensor includes a weight and a vibrator that supports the weight at its center of gravity. When acceleration is applied to the weight, stress equivalent to the applied acceleration is generated in the vibrator. As the vibrator is arranged to support ... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7289898 | Apparatus and method for measuring speed of a moving object An apparatus and method for measuring the speed of a moving object is provided. A first acceleration along the moving direction of the moving object and a second acceleration along the lateral direction of the moving object are measured. A first angular speed along ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7287428 | Inertial sensor with a linear array of sensor elements An inertial sensor includes at least one pair of sensor elements arranged in a linear array. Each sensor element has a frame and a movable mass suspended within the frame. The frames of each pair of sensor elements may be coupled so that the frames are allowed to mo... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7281522 | Acceleration sensor status detecting apparatus An acceleration sensor state detecting apparatus for detecting a state of an acceleration sensor provided at a vibrating body includes a calculating method for calculating a difference between measured results of the acceleration sensor obtained per first predetermi... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7275433 | Micro-electro-mechanical sensor with force feedback loop A micro-electro-mechanical sensor includes a microstructure having a mass which is movable with respect to a rest position, according to a predetermined degree of freedom, and a displacement-detecting device for detecting a displacement of the mass according to the ... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7243542 | Closed loop analog gyro rate sensor The present invention provides an apparatus and method for measuring the angular rotation of a moving body. The apparatus comprises an upper sensor layer, a lower handle layer substantially parallel to the sensor layer, at least one dither frame formed of the upper ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7237316 | Method for fabricating a three-dimensional acceleration sensor According to the present invention, a method for fabricating a three-dimensional acceleration sensor, comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate having first and second surfaces; forming an insulating layer on the first surface of the semiconductor substrate; f... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7238999 | High performance MEMS packaging architecture An apparatus and method for sensor architecture based on bulk machining of Silicon-On-Oxide wafers and fusion bonding that provides a symmetric, nearly all-silicon, hermetically sealed MEMS device having a sensor mechanism formed in an active semiconductor layer, an... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7228739 | Precision flexure plate A precision flexure plate includes a flat disk positioned between two capacitor plates and supported by S-shaped beams. Deflection of the disk due to gravitational loads and resulting capacitance change is used to measure the accelerations in the direction perpendic... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7216539 | Micromachined apparatus with split vibratory masses Each of a number of resonator masses is split into two separate lobes or masses joined together by a short flexure. The short flexure allows the separate lobes or masses to rotate slightly as they resonate so as to substantially relieve longitudinal stresses in cert... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7218193 | MEMS-based inertial switch In one embodiment, an inertial switch of the invention includes a MEMS device manufactured using a layered wafer. The MEMS device has a movable electrode supported on a substrate layer of the wafer and a stationary electrode attached to that substrate layer. The mov... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7210352 | MEMS teeter-totter apparatus with curved beam and method of manufacture A teeter-totter apparatus uses a curved beam to generate a differential output which may be indicative of an acceleration applied to the apparatus. The curved-beam teeter-totter apparatus can be combined with an x-axis and y-axis accelerometer, to produce a tri-axis... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7204144 | Micromachined apparatus with drive/sensing fingers in coupling levers Resonator structures include a plurality of resonator masses interconnected by a plurality of levers so as to resonate in anti-phase with one another. The levers include a plurality of lever fingers interdigitated with corresponding fixed fingers affixed to an under... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7159442 | MEMS multi-directional shock sensor A multi-directional shock sensor having a central post surrounded by an omnidirectionally moveable toroidal mass. A plurality of anchor members surrounds the mass and carries one arm of a latching arm assembly. The other arm of each latching arm assembly is carried ... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7134338 | Sensor with symmetrical limiting of a signal A sensor having a seismic mass and having an arrangement for detecting the deflection of the mass and converting it into an electrical signal; in at least one operating mode of the sensor, a mechanical stop asymmetrically limiting the deflection of the seismic mass ... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7132936 | Angular rate sensor A sensor for measuring yaw rate or roll rate of an automotive vehicle comprises a freely rotating inertial disk and an angular rate sensor responsive to the rotation of the inertial disk relative to a housing. In one embodiment the inertial disk presents an alternat... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7124634 | Single plate capacitive acceleration derivative detector A capacitance accelerometer includes a housing, and a plate fixed within the housing. A moveable plate is disposed in substantially parallel relation to the fixed plate and is coupled to the housing along at least an edge. The moveable plate and the fixed plate defi... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7119550 | Capacitance difference detecting circuit and MEMS sensor Oscillators have capacitors, respectively, whose capacitances change according to an external force and generate first oscillating signals according to the capacitances. Each of the capacitors is disposed, for example, between a substrate and a mass body that is mov... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7100444 | Isolated resonator gyroscope The present invention discloses a resonator gyroscope comprising a resonator including two bodies, each with a center of mass and transverse inertia symmetry about an axis that are substantially coincident and each supported by one or more elastic elements and where... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7093489 | Acceleration sensor A piezoelectric vibrator 2 that generates an electric charge according to a stress and a weight 1 provided on the piezoelectric vibrator 2 are included. The piezoelectric vibrator 2 has multiple pairs of sensing electrodes 3a | 08/22/2006 |
| 7089792 | Micromachined apparatus utilizing box suspensions A micromachined gyroscope makes use of Coriolis acceleration to detect and measure rotation rate about a plane normal to the surface of a substrate. Specifically, various resonating structures are suspended within a frame. The resonating structures include phase and... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7077007 | Deep reactive ion etching process and microelectromechanical devices formed thereby A process for forming a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device by a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process during which a substrate overlying a cavity is etched to form trenches that breach the cavity to delineate suspended structures. A first general feature... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7061469 | Method of data input into a computer A computer input device and method used to input coordinates and three-dimensional graphical information into a computer. The device includes an acceleration sensor that has a fixed volume vessel containing a magnetic fluid. A non-magnetic inertial body is located i... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7047808 | Accelerometer An accelerometer having a plate-like proof mass (1), flexible mounting legs (2) each co-planar with the proof mass (1), a ring-like support (3), in which the proof mass (1) is moveably mounted, with each mounting leg (2) bei... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7032451 | Micromachined sensor with quadrature suppression Quadrature suppression is provided by placing a resonator mass adjacent to a quadrature suppression electrode. The resonator mass is capable of moving substantially parallel to the quadrature suppression electrode and includes a notch formed adjacent to a portion of... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7032450 | Method and apparatus for measuring speed of land vehicle using accelerometer Disclosed is an apparatus and a method for measuring the speed of a land vehicle using an accelerometer. The method includes the steps of storing measurement data provided from an accelerometer; analyzing the measurement data to determine whether the vehicle is stop... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6928876 | Dual flexure plate angular accelerometer A dual capacitance accelerometer system includes two flexure plates coupled to the housing and defining a respective parallel flex axes. A fixed plate is adjacent to and in substantially parallel relation to the two flexure plates and is also coupled to the housing.... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6928382 | Method and apparatus for measuring speed of moving body using accelerometer Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for measuring the speed of a moving body using an accelerometer. A value of earth's gravitational acceleration component is detected from the measurements from the accelerometer and is removed from the acceleration value. Then... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6918282 | Self-test circuit and method for testing a microsensor A test circuit and method provide testing of a capacitive type microsensor. The method includes applying a first signal having a first voltage potential to an input of a microsensor during a non-test operating mode. The method also includes applying a second voltage... | 07/19/2005 |
| 6910379 | Out-of-plane compensation suspension for an accelerometer A high aspect ratio microelectromechanical system device for measuring an applied force and having a suspension structure for compensating out-of-plane displacements of the device proof mass, wherein the device includes a frame; a proof mass coupled to the frame for... | 06/28/2005 |
| 6909374 | Level/position sensor and related electronic circuitry for interactive toy A sensor for use in an interactive electronic device. The sensor comprises a base member having at least one recess formed therein which is partially defined by a peripheral wall thereof. Disposed within the peripheral wall of the base member is at least one switch.... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6895818 | Differential in-plane tunneling current sensor A sensor arrangement for measuring a displacement of a proof mass using a tunneling current includes a proof mass body suspended by micro-mechanical beams to permit a mass body movement, at least one integrated electrode tip arranged to be integrated with the proof ... | 05/24/2005 |
| 6895817 | Dual bridge angular accelerometer An accelerometer includes an inertial platform maintaining an attitude in response to a platform stabilizing controller signal and defining a spin axis and a reference plane. An accelerometer, coupled to the inertial platform a distance from the spin axis, defines a... | 05/24/2005 |
