Patents by Inventor Peter Steiner

Peter Steiner 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).

  • Patent number: 6701276
    Abstract: An activating algorithm is generated for rollover detection for safety-related devices in automotive vehicles. First, a theoretical characteristic rollover curve, adapted to the respective vehicle, is assumed. This theoretical rollover curve is approximated with the aid of low pass filter functions to specific cutoff frequencies and trigger thresholds respectively. These cutoff frequencies and trigger thresholds are adapted to the rollover scenarios to be detected. The sensor signals generated by an angular rate sensor for sensing the rotational velocity of the rolling motion, are processed and evaluated by these low pass filter functions for activating a safety device, if necessary. The low pass filter functions provide a rollover curve which is an approximation of the theoretical rollover curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Conti Temic microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Hermann Kueblbeck, Ernst Rottenkolber, Peter Steiner, Helmut Steurer, Peter Weidel
  • Patent number: 6618656
    Abstract: A method for rollover detection for automotive vehicles with safety-related devices, such as roll bars, (side) airbags and seat-belt tensioners involves the following steps and features. An angular rate of rotation (&ohgr;x) around the vehicle longitudinal axis is provided by the signal of a gyrosensor, and an initial position angle (&agr;0) identifying the initial position of the vehicle transverse axis is determined from at least one sensor signal. An integral of the angular rate is added to the initial position angle. The absolute value of the resulting sum, which is proportional to the momentary inclination angle relative to the horizontal plane, is then compared to a trigger threshold that is a function of the angular rate and vehicle-specific parameters. A safety-related device is triggered if the absolute value of the resulting sum exceeds the trigger threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Temic Telefunken microelectronic GmbH
    Inventors: Hermann Kueblbeck, Ernst Rottenkolber, Peter Steiner, Helmut Steurer, Peter Weidel
  • Publication number: 20030078337
    Abstract: Use of a copolymer (A) preparable by free-radical polymerization of
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2002
    Publication date: April 24, 2003
    Inventors: Wolfgang Bremser, Peter Steiner, Beate Podlaski-Pyzik, Frank Strickmann, Ute Stockbrink
  • Patent number: 6540151
    Abstract: An engine-independent vehicle heating system has a connection piece that communicates with a combustion chamber and is linked with a fuel supply. The heater system has a glowing body that is fastened in the connection piece and evaporates and ignites the fuel at least during a starting phase of the heater system. A sieve element that is disposed in the connection piece encloses the glowing body and transports the fuel supplied to the connection piece in the direction of the combustion chamber. The sieve element in the interior of the connection piece is at least partially spaced from an inner wall of the connection piece facing the sieve element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Eberspacher GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Peter Steiner, Tobias Knies, Dirk Brenner
  • Publication number: 20030023359
    Abstract: Method for rollover detection for automotive vehicles with safety-related devices, such as roll bars, (side) airbags and seat-belt tensioners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Hermann Kueblbeck, Ernst Rottenkolber, Peter Steiner, Helmut Steurer, Peter Weidel
  • Patent number: 6422596
    Abstract: In occupant protection systems having a large number of sensors and control modules for triggering occupant protection devices, the amount of wiring is significantly increased if they are to be communicatively connected to a central unit. For this reason, bus systems have already been suggested for the control modules for triggering occupant protection devices. In order to further reduce in the wiring, sensors are at least partially integrated into a bus system with additional control modules that are allocated to these sensors. Within the context of a diagnosis process of interrogation and response, which triggers a function test of the control modules for triggering the occupant protection devices, an actual sensor value is sent to the bus system from the control modules of the sensors as a diagnosis response. This response is processed by the central unit and/or the other control modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignees: Temic Telefunken microelectronic GmbH, Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Guenter Fendt, Michael Bischoff, Johannes Rinkens, Stefan Schaeffer, Peter Steiner, Werner Nitschke, Otto Karl, Joachim Bauer
  • Patent number: 6419262
    Abstract: Conventional airbag apparatuses have a very large volume for offering the greatest possible protection for the passenger, and therefore block the driver's view of the traffic situation and preclude further steering actions. Additionally, the passenger is endangered if he is in an atypical sitting position. Multi-stage airbag systems permit an adaptation of the degree of deployment to the size and/or position of the passenger, but are very complicated and slow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Günter Fendt, Hermann Küblbeck, Peter Steiner, Helmut Steurer, Armin Vogl
  • Publication number: 20020019719
    Abstract: Method for generating an activating algorithm for rollover detection for safety-related devices in automotive vehicles Here, the safety devices in question are mainly roll bars, side airbags, and seat belt tensioners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Publication date: February 14, 2002
    Inventors: Hermann Kueblbeck, Ernst Rottenkolber, Peter Steiner, Helmut Steurer, Peter Weidel
  • Patent number: 6271747
    Abstract: The safety of occupants in a vehicle is increased by avoiding an unnecessary deployment of a safety device, such as an air bag in the vehicle. For this purpose the trigger signal for deploying the safety device is generated either in response to a vehicle motion signal exceeding a high threshold level or in response to the vehicle motion signal exceeding a low threshold level as determined by a precrash signal (S1) followed by a crash signal (S2) preferably within a limited time duration (TMAX). For this purpose the signals (S1) and (S2) are logically linked and the resulting signal at the output of an AND-gate or at the output of a timing circuit determines whether the vehicle motion signal is compared with the high threshold level or with the low threshold level for generating the trigger or deployment signal (DS). Only when this double condition occurs, is the trigger threshold lowered for deploying the safety device. An optical sensor is preferably used as the crash signal generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Guenter Fendt, Richard Baur, Michael Bischoff, Stephan Schwehr, Peter Steiner, Helmut Steurer
  • Patent number: 6157295
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus determine the frequency or the period of the natural characteristic oscillation of a vehicle, and therefrom determine the mass of the vehicle and provide a warning if a dangerous oscillation condition exists which could lead to a tipping or rollover of the vehicle. The evaluation is carried out while the vehicle is driving. The apparatus includes a sensor such as a rotation rate sensor, a timer, an evaluating unit, and a warning unit. The method involves measuring the time interval between two characteristic features of the oscillation measured by the sensor, such as zero crossings, minimum points or maximum points of the angular velocity of the oscillation, and then calculating the period and/or the frequency of the oscillation from the measured time interval. Then the moment of inertia and/or the mass of the vehicle can be determined from the period or frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Peter Steiner, Guido Wetzel, Michael Bischoff
  • Patent number: 6064202
    Abstract: The method serves for dynamically compensating the offset voltage of a Hall device. The Hall device can have either a platelike structure with at least two contact pairs, or any other arrangement deriveable by conformal mapping. The contact pairs are angled by e.g. 90.degree.. Each pair is supplied with a periodically alternating current whereby the phase shift of the supply currents corresponds to the spatial phase shift of the contact pairs and is e.g. 90.degree.. Superposition of the supplied currents results in a continuously spinning current vector in the Hall device. By measuring simultaneously the voltages between corresponding terminals, a signal consisting of the Hall voltage and a periodic offset voltage can be isolated. The offset voltage is eliminated by averaging the signal over at least one period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Physical Electronics Laboratory
    Inventors: Ralph Steiner, Andreas Haeberli, Franz-Peter Steiner, Christoph Maier
  • Patent number: 5993197
    Abstract: A combustion chamber of a burner for a vehicle heater or for thermal regeneration of an exhaust gas particle filter having a frontal boundary wall, a circumferential boundary wall, a connector for fitting a glow plug and a connector for conveying combustion air which projects from the frontal boundary wall into the combustion chamber and has at least combustion air outlets through the connector wall, in which the combustion chamber with the frontal boundary wall, the circumferential boundary wall, the glow plug connector and with or without the air supply connector takes the form of a one-piece precision-cast component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: J. Eberspacher GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Andreas Alber, Walter Blaschke, Dirk Brenner, Michael Humburg, Wolfgang Pfister, Peter Steiner
  • Patent number: 5947717
    Abstract: A vaporizing combustion chamber for a heater running on liquid fuel, in particular a vehicle heater, in which inter alia two pipes disposed concentrically one inside the other form therebetween an annular chamber which is closed at a first end. At the second end, the annular chamber is open and leads into a flame diaphragm which projects radially inwards from the outer pipe and is located at a spacing in front of the inner pipe. At both its ends the inner pipe is substantially open and the opening at the second end is contracted by a concentric baffle edge of a baffle plate. In order to improve the emission values of the combustion chamber exhaust gas and reduce combustion noises both when the combustion chamber is disposed horizontally and when it is disposed vertically, the opening in the flame diaphragm is eccentric to the opening, in the inner pipe, formed by the baffle edge of the baffle plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: J. Eberspacher GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Peter Steiner, Michael Humburg
  • Patent number: 5894988
    Abstract: A burner for a vehicle heater of a particle filter regenerator including a combustion air blower, a combustion chamber with a fuel evaporator, a fuel supply with a fuel metering pump by which the fuel is proportionately fed to the evaporator, a glow-plug to ignite a mixture of combustion air and vaporized fuel and a control device, in which the control device switches the flow-plug on to ignite the mixture, starts the fuel metering pump after a first period following the switch-on of the glow-plug and substantially simultaneously with the starting of the fuel metering pump or a second period thereafter initiates a gradual increase in the speed of the combustion gas blower from a standstill or low speed rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: J. Eberspacher GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Dirk Brenner, Erwin Burner, Jurgen Epple, Stefan Ottenbacher, Jurgen Peschke, Wolfgang Pfister, Monika Sigle, Peter Steiner
  • Patent number: 5707008
    Abstract: A vehicle heater with a pot-shaped, double-jacketed heat exchanger and a burner for the fuel to be burned extending into the heat exchanger coaxially to an axis of the heat exchanger. The burner has a combustion chamber with a flame sensor disposed within it. A side channel fan is provided for feeding combustion air into the combustion chamber. The burner has a glow plug positioned to be swept by a small partial flow of the combustion air for igniting the fuel. The axis of the heat exchanger and an axis of the fan intersect each other approximately at right angles. The heat exchanger has a central opening closed by a one-part angle flange with a angle flange first leg and with a angle flange second leg extending approximately at right angles to the angle flange first leg. The angle flange first leg is located in a plane extending approximately in parallel to the axis of the heat exchanger and the angle flange second leg is located in a plane directed at right angles thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1998
    Assignee: J. Eberspacher GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hermann Eppler, Monika Sigle, Dirk Brenner, Peter Steiner
  • Patent number: 5602529
    Abstract: The detector contains a structure-borne sound microphone connected to an electronic evaluation unit with a piezoelectric sensor (18) for structure-borne sound vibrations. This sensor has a vibrating bar (28), which is attached by means of hybrid technology to a carrier (27). The vibrating bar (28) is formed by a bimorph element and the carrier by an electrically conductive ceramic wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Cerberus AG
    Inventors: George Wegmann, Cornel Studach, Peter Marki, Peter Steiner, Peter Ryser
  • Patent number: 5511413
    Abstract: A method and a device for determining the load condition of a particle filter (10) used in the exhaust gas system (11) of a diesel engine (12) employed in particular in a motor vehicle, whereina pressure value (.DELTA.P.sub.filter, P.sub.abs.pre-filter or P.sub.rel.pre-filter) and a temperature value (t.sub.m,filter of the exhaust gas volume flow in the particle filter (12) are measured;the engine speed (n) proportional to the volume flow is measured;an actual characterizing value is calculated considering these measurement values; anda comparison between actual characteristic value (IK) and limit characteristic value (GK) is performed for initiating a regeneration process when the difference (DI) is sufficiently small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignee: J. Eberspacher
    Inventors: Wolfgang Pfister, Walter Blaschke, Erwin Burner, Heinrich Wacker, Peter Steiner
  • Patent number: 5458735
    Abstract: A process for the production of electroluminescent silicon structures, including: placing a silicon wafer in an acid bath; anodizing the silicon wafer in the acid bath using the apparatus of FIG. 2; illuminating the anode side of the silicon wafer during at least part of the time the silicon wafer is being placed in the acid bath and is being anodized; causing at least some areas of the monocrystalline silicon of the silicon wafer to be converted into a microporous silicon layer; and forming two contacts by means of which a voltage can be applied to the microporous silicon layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1995
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Axel Richter, Peter Steiner, Walter Lang
  • Patent number: 5316188
    Abstract: An apparatus for stretching tubular material with at least one closed end on a stretcher, in particular for stretching stockings, pantyhose, and the like on an elongated stretcher, is described, in which the tubular material is pulled onto the stretcher by means of belt drives. Each stretcher has at its lower end an end member at which there is provided a sensing device by means of which the belt drives are shut off as soon as the closed end of the tubular material arrives in the region of the end member. With the sensing device, the belt drives are reliably shut off regardless of the length of the tubular material being pulled on, which not only prevents slippage of the drive rollers of the belt drives, but also ensures complete pulling onto the stretcher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 31, 1994
    Assignee: August Krempel Sohne GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Eckhard Froehlich, Peter Steiner, Karl Hildebrandt
  • Patent number: 5251882
    Abstract: A cooling element for shaft furnace walls including a metallic plate body with interior coolant-carrying tubes. The lower edge of the plate body includes a holding nose for refractory brickwork. The nose has at least one additional cooling tube. The cooling element according to the present invention may be assembled completely outside the furnace in a shop. The refractory brickwork consists of small bricks which are adhered or cemented to the plate body in concentric ring sections. The refractory bricks are advantageously provided with predetermined breaking notches and the layers of brick of the brickwork are provided with expansion joints. It is possible to use bricks with different thermal conductivities for the refractory brickwork.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: Man Gutehoffnungshutte AG
    Inventors: Bruno Kammerling, Karl Spickermann, Urs-Peter Steiner