Patents by Inventor Thomas Wittkowski
Thomas Wittkowski 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).
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Patent number: 11136056Abstract: A planar carrier for mounting on a rim of a steering wheel without wrinkles, the planar carrier including a portion of planar flexible foil of roughly rectangular shape having two longitudinal sides and two lateral sides, wherein the length B of the lateral sides is 0.96 to 1.00 times the perimeter of the rim, and wherein N cut-outs per unit length are provided on each of the longitudinal sides. The cut-outs of one side are located in a staggered fashion relative to opposing cut-out portions on the opposite side. The optimum shape and size of the cut-outs may be determined as described. The planar carrier may be implemented as a heat carrier, a heating device and/or a sensing device.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2015Date of Patent: October 5, 2021Assignee: IEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS & ENGINEERING S.A.Inventors: Thomas Wittkowski, Matthias Massing, Michael Olk, Baptiste Fagart
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Patent number: 10442273Abstract: An interior lining element, for example for a passenger compartment of a vehicle, including a single-layer or multilayer decorative covering, the front side of which faces the passenger compartment and delimits the latter physically and, via the back side thereof, is in thermally conductive contact with a printed heater, where the heater has a plurality of flat resistance elements and at least two feed lines which are electrically highly conductive as compared with the resistance elements and via which the resistance elements can be looped into an electric circuit, and where in contact-making regions of the resistance elements and of the feed lines, one feed line and one resistance element are each printed overlapping each other.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2014Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: IEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS & ENGINEERING S.A.Inventors: Thomas Wittkowski, Michael Olk
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Patent number: 10383178Abstract: A composite heating device for homogeneous heating of surfaces, especially curved surfaces, such as in particular for homogeneous heating of steering wheels, the composite heating device having a heating element and a multipart thermally conductive layer that includes at least two thermally conductive portions with different thermal conductivities, a first portion of the thermally conductive portions being in contact with the heating element. Steering wheel integrating such a composite heating device.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2016Date of Patent: August 13, 2019Inventors: Alexei Boulbitch, Thomas Wittkowski
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Publication number: 20180124875Abstract: A composite heating device for homogeneous heating of surfaces, especially curved surfaces, such as in particular for homogeneous heating of steering wheels, the composite heating device having a heating element and a multipart thermally conductive layer that includes at least two thermally conductive portions with different thermal conductivities, a first portion of the thermally conductive portions being in contact with the heating element. Steering wheel integrating such a composite heating device.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2016Publication date: May 3, 2018Inventors: Alexei BOULBITCH, Thomas WITTKOWSKI
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Publication number: 20170355391Abstract: A planar carrier for mounting on a rim of a steering wheel without wrinkles, the planar carrier including a portion of planar flexible foil of roughly rectangular shape having two longitudinal sides and two lateral sides, wherein the length B of the lateral sides is 0.96 to 1.00 times the perimeter of the rim, and wherein N cut-outs per unit length are provided on each of the longitudinal sides. The cut-outs of one side are located in a staggered fashion relative to opposing cut-out portions on the opposite side. The optimum shape and size of the cut-outs may be determined as described. The planar carrier may be implemented as a heat carrier, a heating device and/or a sensing device.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2015Publication date: December 14, 2017Inventors: Thomas WITTKOWSKI, Matthias MASSING, Michael OLK, Baptiste FAGART
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Publication number: 20160205726Abstract: A foil heater comprises a first (16) and a second (14) spiral resistive heating trace formed in a first and a second layer, respectively, that conforms to a flat or curved surface. Each of the first and second resistive heating traces has a center and at least one outer extremity. An electrically insulating layer (12) is arranged between the first and second layers. The electrically insulating layer comprises an opening that accommodates an electrical via, through which the first and second resistive heating traces are electrically contacted with each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2014Publication date: July 14, 2016Applicant: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.Inventors: Thiemo SPIELMANN, Thomas WITTKOWSKI
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Publication number: 20160144690Abstract: An interior lining element, for example for a passenger compartment of a vehicle, including a single-layer or multilayer decorative covering, the front side of which faces the passenger compartment and delimits the latter physically and, via the back side thereof, is in thermally conductive contact with a printed heater, where the heater has a plurality of flat resistance elements and at least two feed lines which are electrically highly conductive as compared with the resistance elements and via which the resistance elements can be looped into an electric circuit and where in contact-making regions of the resistance elements and of the feed lines, one feed line and one resistance element are each printed overlapping each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2014Publication date: May 26, 2016Inventors: Thomas WITTKOWSKI, Michael OLK
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Publication number: 20140246415Abstract: A flexible heater and/or electrode comprises a woven textile material having a warp direction and a weft direction, said textile material comprising at least one region having a low electrical conductance and at least two regions having a high electrical conductance. The at least two regions of high electrical conductance are adjacent to said at least one region of low electrical conductance. At least one of said at least two regions of high electrical conductance is operatively connected to a connection terminal of said heater and/or electrode, said connection terminal for connecting said heater and/or electrode to an electronic control circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 8, 2012Publication date: September 4, 2014Applicant: IEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS & ENGINEERING S.A.Inventor: Thomas Wittkowski
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Publication number: 20130075381Abstract: A textile electrode material comprises an electrically conductive textile sheet material having a first sheet resistance. According to the invention the electrical properties of at least one specific region of said textile sheet material are modified with respect to the other regions so that in said specific region the textile electrode has a second sheet resistance, which is substantially lower than said first sheet resistance.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2011Publication date: March 28, 2013Applicant: IEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS & ENGINEERING S.A.Inventor: Thomas Wittkowski
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Patent number: 8022696Abstract: A magnetic field sensing element includes a pair of electrodes; a dielectric polymer layer separating the electrodes; and a network of magnetic nanoparticles in the insulating layer forming a current flow path between the electrodes; where the network of magnetic nanoparticles includes_at least one magnetic tunnel junction involving two neighbouring nanoparticles of different coercivity.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2007Date of Patent: September 20, 2011Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.Inventor: Thomas Wittkowski
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Publication number: 20090001983Abstract: A magnetic field sensing element includes a pair of electrodes; a dielectric polymer layer separating the electrodes; and a network of magnetic nanoparticles in the insulating layer forming a current flow path between the electrodes; where the network of magnetic nanoparticles includes at least one magnetic tunnel junction involving two neighbouring nanoparticles of different coercivity.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2007Publication date: January 1, 2009Applicant: IEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS & ENGINEERING S.A.Inventor: Thomas Wittkowski
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Publication number: 20080128258Abstract: A foil-type switching element comprises a first elastic carrier foil (A) having a first thickness (a) and a second elastic carrier foil (C) having a second thickness (c), which are arranged at a certain distance (b) from each other by means of a spacer (B). The switching element is configured such that a maximum deflection of at least one of said first or second carrier foils is equal to or greater than ? of said distance (b) between said first and second carrier foils and/or a maximum deflection of at least one of said first or second carrier foil is equal to or greater than ? of said thickness of said carrier foil.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2006Publication date: June 5, 2008Applicant: IEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS & ENGINEERING S.A.Inventor: Thomas Wittkowski