Patents by Inventor Elke Schmidt

Elke Schmidt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120174681
    Abstract: A capacitive pressure measuring cell, including a ceramic platform and a ceramic measuring membrane, which are connected pressure tightly along a joint to form a reference pressure chamber between them. The measuring membrane has a first electrode facing the platform, and the platform has at least a second electrode facing the measuring membrane. The capacitance between the first and second electrodes depends on the difference between a pressure externally acting on the measuring membrane and a pressure reigning in the reference pressure chamber, wherein the joint has a thickness d, which defines an equilibrium distance between the measuring membrane and the front side of the platform. On the front side of the platform, a support layer is arranged, which comprises an inorganic insulator, wherein the support layer has a thickness of at least 0.2, and wherein the second electrode is arranged on the support layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Inventors: Ulfert Drewes, Thomas Uehlin, Elke Schmidt, Andreas Rossberg
  • Patent number: 8104353
    Abstract: A pressure sensor includes a platform and an elastic measuring membrane, which is joined with a surface of the platform to form a measuring chamber sealed closed at the edge, wherein the platform and/or the measuring membrane comprise ceramic, glass or a single crystal material, the measuring membrane has at least a first electrode, which faces the surface of the platform, the surface of the platform has at least a second electrode, which faces that of the measuring membrane. The capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode is a measure for the pressure to be measured; wherein additionally at least one of the first and second electrodes comprises a conductive layer, which contains metal and glass, and wherein the metal comprises at least two noble metal elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Ulfert Drewes, Frank Hegner, Andreas Rossberg, Elke Schmidt, Sabine Stolle, Christel Kretschmar, Melanie Hentsche
  • Publication number: 20100199778
    Abstract: A pressure sensor includes a platform 1 and an elastic measuring membrane 2, which is joined with a surface of the platform 1 to form a measuring chamber 3 sealed closed at the edge, wherein the platform 1 and/or the measuring membrane 2 comprise ceramic, glass or a single crystal material, the measuring membrane has at least a first electrode 6, which faces the surface of the platform 2, the surface of the platform 1 has at least a second electrode 5, which faces that of the measuring membrane 2, wherein the capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode is a measure for the pressure to be measured; wherein additionally at least one of the first and second electrodes comprises a conductive layer, which contains metal and glass, and wherein the metal comprises at least two noble metal elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: ENDRESS + HAUSER GMBH + CO. KG
    Inventors: Frank Hegner, Andreas Rossberg, Ulfert Drewes, Elke Schmidt, Sabine Stolle, Christel Kretschmar, Melanie Hentsche
  • Patent number: 7140256
    Abstract: A pressure sensor for measuring a pressure difference between a pressure being measured and the ambient atmospheric pressure surrounding the pressure sensor, including a platform and a membrane loadable with a pressure being measured. The membrane is secured at its edge to the platform, with a pressure chamber thus being formed between the platform and the measuring membrane. The pressure chamber communicates over a reference air path with the atmosphere, with the reference air path being a winding path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Karl Flögel, Sergej Lopatiin, Elke Schmidt, Thomas Uehlin, Olaf Textor, Michael Hügel
  • Patent number: 7016120
    Abstract: An objective has a front group, a focus group displaceable along the optical axis and a follow-on lens group having a diaphragm. The front group is arranged at the objective end. The lens group having the diaphragm includes at least two composite lenses and/or two positive lenses and/or the back focus can be adjusted. An objective series is presented wherein all objectives of the series have a uniform appearance and/or the diaphragm is arranged in all objectives proceeding from the image plane at the same location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
    Inventors: Bertram Achtner, Jürgen Noffke, Dietmar Gängler, Elke Schmidt, Bo Möller
  • Patent number: 6941814
    Abstract: A pressure sensor for measuring a pressure includes a pressure chamber; and a deformation body, which can be exposed to a medium under pressure, and which, additionally, at least partially bounds the pressure chamber and seals such pressure-tightly from the medium; wherein the walls of the sensor chamber have a hydrophobic coating, which was applied by gas and/or vapor phase deposition. The hydrophobic coating preferably includes a silane. Especially suited are silanes having one or more hydrophobic groups R and one or more anchoring groups X. Especially preferred are: R—Si—X3, R1R2—Si—X2, R1R2R3—Si—X. The hydrophobic group R is preferably an alkyl, perfluoroalkyl, phenyl or perflurorophenyl group. The anchoring group X is preferably an —OH (silanol), —X (halide, e.g. —Cl), —OR (ester, e.g. —OCH3), —NH2 (amine), or —SH (Mercaptosilane). Additionally, aliphatic or cyclic silazanes —Si—NH—Si—, e.g. hexamethyldisilazane, can be used. Likewise suitable are compounds of the type Ry—Me—Xz, with Me=e.g. Zr, Ti.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Frank Hegner, Ulfert Drewes, Andreas Rossberg, Elke Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6925884
    Abstract: In a differential pressure sensor, the measurement value is corrected with the help of the nominal pressure NP. In this way, influences on the measurement value because of deformations of the body of the differential pressure sensor and change in the material stiffness of the membrane are decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Frank Hegner, Ulfert Drewes, Andreas Rossberg, Elke Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20050139009
    Abstract: A pressure sensor for measuring a pressure difference between a pressure being measured and the ambient atmospheric pressure surrounding the pressure sensor, including a platform and a membrane loadable with a pressure being measured. The membrane is secured at its edge to the platform, with a pressure chamber thus being formed between the platform and the measuring membrane. The pressure chamber communicates over a reference air path with the atmosphere, with the reference air path being a winding path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2002
    Publication date: June 30, 2005
    Inventors: Karl Flogel, Sergej Lopatiin, Elke Schmidt, Thomas Uehlin, Olaf Textor, Michael Hugel
  • Publication number: 20050103109
    Abstract: A pressure sensor for measuring a pressure includes a pressure chamber; and a deformation body, which can be exposed to a medium under pressure, and which, additionally, at least partially bounds the pressure chamber and seals such pressure-tightly from the medium; wherein the walls of the sensor chamber have a hydrophobic coating, which was applied by gas and/or vapor phase deposition. The hydrophobic coating preferably includes a silane. Especially suited are silanes having one or more hydrophobic groups R and one or more anchoring groups X. Especially preferred are: R—Si—X3, R1R2—Si—X2, R1R2R3—Si—X. The hydrophobic group R is preferably an alkyl, perfluoroalkyl, phenyl or perflurorophenyl group. The anchoring group X is preferably an —OH (silanol), —X (halide, e.g. —Cl), —OR (ester, e.g. —OCH3), —NH2 (amine), or —SH (Mercaptosilane). Additionally, aliphatic or cyclic silazanes —Si—NH—Si—, e.g. hexamethyldisilazane, can be used. Likewise suitable are compounds of the type Ry—Me—Xz, with Me=e.g. Zr, Ti.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Publication date: May 19, 2005
    Inventors: Frank Hegner, Ulfert Drewes, Andreas Rossberg, Elke Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6848318
    Abstract: A pressure sensor that is particularly suitable inter alia for the food industry and the measuring accuracy of which is stable over a long time, having a diaphragm seal (3, 45) with a separating diaphragm (7, 53) on which a pressure (P) to be measured acts and having a ceramic measuring cell (9, 57) which is connected to the diaphragm seal (3, 45) exclusively by inorganic materials, is provided, in which sensor the separating diaphragm (7, 53) and all further sensor components coming into contact during measurement with a medium of which the pressure (P) is to be measured are metallic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Peter Gerst, Karlheinz Banholzer, Karl Flögel, Thomas Uehlin, Frank Hegner, Elke Schmidt, Ulfert Drewes, Rainer Martin
  • Publication number: 20040149042
    Abstract: A pressure sensor that is particularly suitable inter alia for the food industry and the measuring accuracy of which is stable over a long time, having a diaphragm seal (3, 45) with a separating diaphragm (7, 53) on which a pressure (P) to be measured acts and having a ceramic measuring cell (9, 57) which is connected to the diaphragm seal (3, 45) exclusively by inorganic materials, is provided, in which sensor the separating diaphragm (7, 53) and all further sensor components coming into contact during measurement with a medium of which the pressure (P) is to be measured are metallic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2004
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Applicant: ENDRESS + HAUSER GMBH + CO.
    Inventors: Peter Gerst, Karlheinz Banholzer, Karl Flogel, Thomas Uehlin, Frank Hegner, Elke Schmidt, Ulfert Drewes, Rainer Martin
  • Publication number: 20040105215
    Abstract: In a differential pressure sensor, the measurement value is corrected with the help of the nominal pressure NP. In this way, influences on the measurement value because of deformations of the body of the differential pressure sensor and change in the material stiffness of the membrane are decreased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2003
    Publication date: June 3, 2004
    Inventors: Frank Hegner, Ulfert Drewes, Andreas Rossberg, Elke Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6715356
    Abstract: A pressure sensor that is particularly suitable for the food industry and the measuring accuracy of which is stable over a long time, having a diaphragm seal with a separating diaphragm on which a pressure to be measured acts and having a ceramic measuring cell which is connected to the diaphragm seal exclusively by inorganic materials, is provided, in which sensor the separating diaphragm and all further sensor components coming into contact during measurement with a medium of which the pressure is to be measured are metallic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Inventors: Peter Gerst, Karlheinz Banholzer, Karl Flögel, Thomas Uehlin, Frank Hegner, Elke Schmidt, Ulfert Drewes, Rainer Martin
  • Patent number: 6675654
    Abstract: A chamber in the interior of a housing communicates with the environment of the housing by means of a gas esxchange path, wherein a filter element with a hydrophobic and/or hydrophobicized, nanoporous material is placed in the gas exchange path. The chamber serves, e.g. to accomodate electronic circuitry, or it is chamed as a reference pressure chamber of a relative pressure sensor. The relative pressure sensor according to the present invention for capturing a measured pressure with respect to a reference pressure comprises a reference pressure path 23 which extends between a surface which can be exposed to the reference pressure and an opening in a reference pressure chamber 22, a filter element 30 which is arranged in the reference pressure path comprising a hydrophobic or hydrophobicized, nanoporous material. The filter element allows pressure compensation on account of its permeability to N2 and O2, while water molecules are selectively blocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Frank Hegner, Andreas Rossberg, Elke Schmidt, Ulfert Drewes, Michael Kirst, Bernhard Walter
  • Publication number: 20030189767
    Abstract: An objective has a front group, a focus group displaceable along the optical axis and a follow-on lens group having a diaphragm. The front group is arranged at the objective end. The lens group having the diaphragm includes at least two composite lenses and/or two positive lenses and/or the back focus can be adjusted. An objective series is presented wherein all objectives of the series have a uniform appearance and/or the diaphragm is arranged in all objectives proceeding from the image plane at the same location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Inventors: Bertram Achtner, Jurgen Noffke, Dietmar Gangler, Elke Schmidt, Bo Moller
  • Publication number: 20030005772
    Abstract: A chamber in the interior of a housing communicates with the environment of the housing by means of a gas esxchange path, wherein a filter element with a hydrophobic and/or hydrophobicized, nanoporous material is placed in the gas exchange path. The chamber serves, e.g. to accomodate electronic circuitry, or it is chamed as a reference pressure chamber of a relative pressure sensor. The relative pressure sensor according to the present invention for capturing a measured pressure with respect to a reference pressure comprises a reference pressure path 23 which extends between a surface which can be exposed to the reference pressure and an opening in a reference pressure chamber 22, a filter element 30 which is arranged in the reference pressure path comprising a hydrophobic or hydrophobicized, nanoporous material. The filter element allows pressure compensation on account of its permeability to N2 and O2, while water molecules are selectively blocked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Inventors: Frank Hegner, Andreas Rossberg, Elke Schmidt, Ulfert Drewes, Michael Kirst, Bernhard Walter
  • Patent number: 6422085
    Abstract: In this flush-diaphragm relative pressure sensor (1), the reference air reaches its current dew point before getting into the interior of the housing. The sensor has a capacitive, resistive, or piezoelectric sensing element (2) with a diaphragm (21) an external surface of which comes into direct contact with a medium under pressure. A housing (7) has an interior space (71) and a front portion (72) open across the interior space in the vicinity of which the diaphragm closes the interior space such that the front portion projects beyond the diaphragm. Further, the housing has a bore (721) extending through the front portion from an outer side thereof to the interior space for guiding the reference air. The bore is closed from the outer side with an open-pore, highly heat-conducting and hydrophobic filter (8), so that the filter and the diaphragm are at the same or nearly the same temperature. The filter can be made of a sintered metal, e.g. high-grade steel or bronze, or of a metallic sponge, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Frank Hegner, Andreas Rossberg, Ulfert Drewes, Elke Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6374680
    Abstract: The electrodes of these pressure or differential pressure sensors are formed using a technique other than silk-screen printing or sputtering: The pressure sensor (10) has a substrate (1) and a first major surface (11), a second major surface (12) and a circumferential surface (13. A plate-shaped electrode (14) of electrically conductive material is secured in a recess (15) in the major surface (11) in a high-pressure-resistant and high-vacuum-tight manner by a joining material (16). A through connection (17) is provided from the electrode (14) through the substrate (1) to the major surface (12) or the circumferential surface (13). A diaphragm (2) of ceramic, glass, or single-crystal material is attached to the substrate (1) outside the recess (15) along a joint (18) by a joining material (26), and forms itself a further electrode or is covered, on a surface facing the electrode (14), with a further electrode (24) which is contacted through the joint (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Ulfert Drewes, Andreas Rossberg, Elke Schmidt, Frank Hegner, Thomas Velten
  • Patent number: 6320651
    Abstract: A velocity such as wind velocity is measured based on a Doppler shift of a backscattered or returned laser signal. The Doppler shift of the backscattered beam is determined from a change in the polarization state or intensity shift of the received or backscattered signal after it has passed through a polarization-dispersive element (PD) and through a polarization analyzer (PA). The electrical signals (I1 and I2) generated from two partial beams provided by the polarization analyzer (PA) represent an the intensity shift. The signals are processed in a computer and the resulting information is displayed, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Sigmund Manhart, Elke Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20010015105
    Abstract: A pressure sensor that is particularly suitable inter alia for the food industry and the measuring accuracy of which is stable over a long time, having a diaphragm seal (3, 45) with a separating diaphragm (7, 53) on which a pressure (P) to be measured acts and having a ceramic measuring cell (9, 57) which is connected to the diaphragm seal (3, 45) exclusively by inorganic materials, is provided, in which sensor the separating diaphragm (7, 53) and all further sensor components coming into contact during measurement with a medium of which the pressure (P) is to be measured are metallic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Publication date: August 23, 2001
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Peter Gerst, Karlheinz Banholzer, Karl Flogel, Thomas Uehlin, Frank Hegner, Elke Schmidt, Ulfert Drewes, Rainer Martin