Patents by Inventor Stefan Sauer

Stefan Sauer 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: 11930257
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a camera housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion that joins the front housing portion. A first printed circuit board (PCB) is disposed at the front housing portion, with an imager disposed at a front side of the first PCB and a first electrical connector disposed at a rear side of the first PCB. A second PCB has a second electrical connector disposed at a front side of the second PCB. Board-to-board electrical connection of circuitry of the second printed circuit board to circuitry of the first printed circuit board is made via electrical connection of the first and second electrical connectors. The connector portion of the rear housing portion includes a multi-pin connector comprising a plurality of solid terminal pins. A connector portion of the rear housing portion is configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Patent number: 11801795
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing, a lens assembly having a lens, an imager printed circuit board (imager PCB), and a heating device. The imager PCB is disposed at the camera housing and the lens is aligned with an imager disposed at the imager PCB. The heating device is disposed at at least a portion of the lens assembly and includes an electrically connecting portion having electrical contacts at an end thereof, with the electrical contacts disposed at an inner surface of the camera housing. The heating device is electrically connected to circuitry of the vehicular camera via electrical connectors that electrically connect with the electrical contacts of the electrically connecting portion of the heating device at the camera housing as the vehicular camera is assembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Rene Dreiocker, Steven V. Byrne, Jonathan D. Conger
  • Patent number: 11781462
    Abstract: A mixer for mixing an exhaust gas flow with a fluid injected into an exhaust gas line comprises means for generating a swirl effecting a rotating flow and means for a radial displacement in the exhaust gas flow admixed with the fluid and flowing axially through the mixer. In this respect, the swirl generation means and the radial displacement means are arranged and designed such that, viewed over the cross-section of the mixer perpendicular to the axial exhaust gas flow, at least two separate swirl regions result which are built up via tangentially acting vane-like swirl elements and at least one respective radial displacement region results which is arranged between two separate swirl regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Friedrich Boysen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Bernd Burkhardt, Andreas Haas
  • Publication number: 20230265774
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for mixing an additive with a gas flow, in particular for an exhaust gas system of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, that comprises a mixing chamber which can be flowed through by at least a portion of the gas flow, said mixing chamber having at least one inlet opening through which a main inlet flow of the gas flow flows into the mixing chamber on operation of the apparatus, having at least one metering opening and having at least one outlet opening. The apparatus further comprises a metering device by means of which an additive flow of the additive can be introduced into the mixing chamber through the metering opening, wherein the inlet opening and the metering opening are arranged and formed such that the main inlet flow and the additive flow in substantially opposite directions into the mixing chamber so that the main inlet flow and the additive flow impact one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: Stefan SAUER, Igor ROGOWSKI, Robert ANSELM, Marco FRIESE
  • Publication number: 20230239554
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a camera housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion that joins the front housing portion. A first printed circuit board (PCB) is disposed at the front housing portion, with an imager disposed at a front side of the first PCB and a first electrical connector disposed at a rear side of the first PCB. A second PCB has a second electrical connector disposed at a front side of the second PCB. Board-to-board electrical connection of circuitry of the second printed circuit board to circuitry of the first printed circuit board is made via electrical connection of the first and second electrical connectors. The connector portion of the rear housing portion includes a multi-pin connector comprising a plurality of solid terminal pins. A connector portion of the rear housing portion is configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Patent number: 11700444
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a camera housing and first and second PCBs disposed in the camera housing. Circuitry of the first PCB is in board-to-board electrically-conductive connection with circuitry of the second PCB. The circuitry of the first PCB includes an imager and the second PCB includes a circuit board connector. An electrical connector is disposed at a second portion of the camera housing. A first end of the electrical connector electrically-conductively connects with the circuit board connector when the second portion of the camera housing is being joined with a first portion of the camera housing. Individual pin-receiving sockets of the circuit board connector are configured to accommodate tolerances when respective individual pins of the first end of the electrical connector are being inserted into the respective individual pin-receiving sockets when the second portion is being joined with the first portion of the camera housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger
  • Patent number: 11661324
    Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprises an operator compartment, a compartment tower, a multi-field scanning tool, and mechanisms that facilitate movement along a travel plane in a warehouse. The tool establishes a scan field, and, within scan field bounds, an occupancy detection field and an obstacle detection field. Tool scanning hardware is configured to generate the scan field from a point of origin that is elevated relative to the operator compartment and to expand the scan field such that it intersects the operator compartment and extends laterally beyond lateral edges of the operator compartment such that the occupancy detection field falls within the operator compartment, the obstacle detection field falls outside of the operator compartment, and the multi-field scanning tool is configured to indicate the presence of an occupant in the occupancy detection field and obstacles in the obstacle detection field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Franz Pöschl, Timothy A. Wellman, Stefan Hanneman, Martin Okroy, Stefan Sauer, Jess Donnely
  • Patent number: 11622165
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a camera housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion. The front housing portion accommodates a lens. A first printed circuit board (PCB) is disposed at the front housing portion, with an imager disposed at a front side of the first PCB and a first electrical connector disposed at a rear side of the first PCB. A second PCB has a second electrical connector disposed at a front side. Circuitry of the second PCB is electrically connected to circuitry of the first PCB via electrical connection of the first and second electrical connectors. A plurality of terminal pins has a first end interior the camera housing and a second end at a connector portion of the rear housing portion. The connector portion is configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring connector when the vehicular camera assembly is installed at a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Patent number: 11606485
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing having front and rear camera housing portions. An imager is disposed at a printed circuit board. A lens assembly is disposed at the front camera housing portion and accommodates at least one lens. The front camera housing portion is formed of a material having a first Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE). At least two attachment elements are disposed at the front camera housing portion and are formed of a material having a second CTE that is less than the first CTE of the front camera housing portion and that is less than 10 ppm/° C. The printed circuit board is mounted at the attachment elements via fasteners threadedly engaging respective ones of the at least two attachment elements. The front camera housing portion and the attachment elements cooperate to decrease temperature-induced movement of the printed circuit board relative to the at least one lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Rene Dreiocker, Stefan Sauer, Yuesheng Lu
  • Patent number: 11593825
    Abstract: The invention describes a distributed merchandise management system, in which the client, retailer and the manufacturer are linked by a network. This is implemented by a cloud storage (105), the cloud storage (105) comprising a means (105a) for storing data, a means for receiving first data from a first network node (110), the first data being associated with a physical object, a means for receiving request data from a second network node (120), a means for receiving second data from a third network node (130), the second data being associated with the first data and comprising at least one data piece adapted to change the first data depending on the received request data, a means for changing the first data based at least in part on the second data and the request data, and a means for sending a changed portion of the first data from the cloud storage (105) to the first network node (110).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: RATOJA GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Gollner, Jan-Hendrik Schwarz, Sebastian Gottschalk, Stefan Sauer
  • Patent number: 11447377
    Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprises an operator compartment, a compartment tower, a multi-field scanning tool, and mechanisms that facilitate movement along a travel plane in a warehouse. The tool establishes a scan field, and, within scan field bounds, an occupancy detection field and an obstacle detection field. Tool scanning hardware is configured to generate the scan field from a point of origin that is elevated relative to the operator compartment and to expand the scan field such that it intersects the operator compartment and extends laterally beyond lateral edges of the operator compartment such that the occupancy detection field falls within the operator compartment, the obstacle detection field falls outside of the operator compartment, and the multi-field scanning tool is configured to indicate the presence of an occupant in the occupancy detection field and obstacles in the obstacle detection field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Franz Pöschl, Timothy A. Wellman, Stefan Hanneman, Martin Okroy, Stefan Sauer, Jess Donnely
  • Publication number: 20220289539
    Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprises an operator compartment, a compartment tower, a multi-field scanning tool, and mechanisms that facilitate movement along a travel plane in a warehouse. The tool establishes a scan field, and, within scan field bounds, an occupancy detection field and an obstacle detection field. Tool scanning hardware is configured to generate the scan field from a point of origin that is elevated relative to the operator compartment and to expand the scan field such that it intersects the operator compartment and extends laterally beyond lateral edges of the operator compartment such that the occupancy detection field falls within the operator compartment, the obstacle detection field falls outside of the operator compartment, and the multi-field scanning tool is configured to indicate the presence of an occupant in the occupancy detection field and obstacles in the obstacle detection field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Franz Pöschl, Timothy A. Wellman, Stefan Hanneman, Martin Okroy, Stefan Sauer, Jess Donnely
  • Publication number: 20220239815
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a camera housing and first and second PCBs disposed in the camera housing. Circuitry of the first PCB is in board-to-board electrically-conductive connection with circuitry of the second PCB. The circuitry of the first PCB includes an imager and the second PCB includes a circuit board connector. An electrical connector is disposed at a second portion of the camera housing. A first end of the electrical connector electrically-conductively connects with the circuit board connector when the second portion of the camera housing is being joined with a first portion of the camera housing. Individual pin-receiving sockets of the circuit board connector are configured to accommodate tolerances when respective individual pins of the first end of the electrical connector are being inserted into the respective individual pin-receiving sockets when the second portion is being joined with the first portion of the camera housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2022
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger
  • Publication number: 20220159161
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing having front and rear camera housing portions. An imager is disposed at a printed circuit board. A lens assembly is disposed at the front camera housing portion and accommodates at least one lens. The front camera housing portion is formed of a material having a first Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE). At least two attachment elements are disposed at the front camera housing portion and are formed of a material having a second CTE that is less than the first CTE of the front camera housing portion and that is less than 10 ppm/° C. The printed circuit board is mounted at the attachment elements via fasteners threadedly engaging respective ones of the at least two attachment elements. The front camera housing portion and the attachment elements cooperate to decrease temperature-induced movement of the printed circuit board relative to the at least one lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Rene Dreiocker, Stefan Sauer, Yuesheng Lu
  • Patent number: 11310407
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a housing, a PCB disposed in the housing, a circuit board connector at the PCB, and a coaxial connector having a core connector element and a shield connector element that at least partially circumscribes the core connector element. The PCB includes circuitry associated with an imager of the vehicular camera assembly. The circuit board connector includes a first connector element and a second connector element. The housing includes a vehicle connector portion configured for connecting to a connector end of a vehicle cable. When a first end of the coaxial connector is electrically connected to the circuit board connector, the core connector element of the coaxial connector electrically connects to the first connector element of the circuit board connector and the shield connector element of the coaxial connector electrically connects to the second connector element of the circuit board connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger
  • Publication number: 20220089102
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing, a lens assembly having a lens, an imager printed circuit board (imager PCB), and a heating device. The imager PCB is disposed at the camera housing and the lens is aligned with an imager disposed at the imager PCB. The heating device is disposed at at least a portion of the lens assembly and includes an electrically connecting portion having electrical contacts at an end thereof, with the electrical contacts disposed at an inner surface of the camera housing. The heating device is electrically connected to circuitry of the vehicular camera via electrical connectors that electrically connect with the electrical contacts of the electrically connecting portion of the heating device at the camera housing as the vehicular camera is assembled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Rene Dreiocker, Steven V. Byme, Jonathan D. Conger
  • Patent number: 11240411
    Abstract: A camera for a vehicular vision system includes a camera housing having a front camera housing portion and a rear camera housing portion. An imager is disposed at a first side of a printed circuit board. A lens assembly is supported at the front camera housing portion and optically aligned with the imager. At least one attachment element is disposed at the front or rear camera housing portion and has a material having a low CTE that is less than a CTE of the front camera housing portion. The low CTE of the material of the attachment element is less than 10 ppm/° C. The printed circuit board is mounted at the attachment element. The attachment element functions to accommodate temperature-induced movement of the printed circuit board relative to the at least one lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Rene Dreiocker, Stefan Sauer, Yuesheng Lu
  • Publication number: 20220014651
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a camera housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion. The front housing portion accommodates a lens. A first printed circuit board (PCB) is disposed at the front housing portion, with an imager disposed at a front side of the first PCB and a first electrical connector disposed at a rear side of the first PCB. A second PCB has a second electrical connector disposed at a front side. Circuitry of the second PCB is electrically connected to circuitry of the first PCB via electrical connection of the first and second electrical connectors. A plurality of terminal pins has a first end interior the camera housing and a second end at a connector portion of the rear housing portion. The connector portion is configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring connector when the vehicular camera assembly is installed at a vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Patent number: 11134183
    Abstract: A method of assembling a camera assembly for a vehicle vision system includes providing a housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion that includes a connector portion configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring connector. An imager circuit board includes an imager is disposed at the front housing portion such that the imager is aligned with the lens of the front housing portion. A connector circuit board is disposed at the rear housing portion and electrically connected to a coaxial connector structure at the connector portion. The rear housing portion is mated with the front housing portion and circuitry of the connector circuit board is electrically connected to circuitry of the imager circuit board via at least one spring-loaded connector that electrically connects at the imager circuit board and at the connector circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Publication number: 20210185202
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a housing, a PCB disposed in the housing, a circuit board connector at the PCB, and a coaxial connector having a core connector element and a shield connector element that at least partially circumscribes the core connector element. The PCB includes circuitry associated with an imager of the vehicular camera assembly. The circuit board connector includes a first connector element and a second connector element. The housing includes a vehicle connector portion configured for connecting to a connector end of a vehicle cable. When a first end of the coaxial connector is electrically connected to the circuit board connector, the core connector element of the coaxial connector electrically connects to the first connector element of the circuit board connector and the shield connector element of the coaxial connector electrically connects to the second connector element of the circuit board connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger