Patents Assigned to Balluff GmbH
  • Patent number: 10992180
    Abstract: A device for inductively transferring electrical energy and/or data from a primary-sided carrier to at least one positionable secondary-sided recipient includes at least one primary-sided coil arrangement, which inductively interacts with at least one secondary-sided coil arrangement. Meander-shaped windings of a predeterminable winding number of the primary-sided and/or secondary-sided coil arrangement are arranged on at least one flexible carrier by embroidering a high frequency strand, and the meander-shaped windings have straight courses in the region of crossovers of the embroidered high frequency strands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Joerg Heinrich, David Maier, Nejila Parspour
  • Patent number: 10892537
    Abstract: A waveguide-coupling device (14) for a hydraulic cylinder (10) has an outer conductor element (22) to which a microwave signal can be supplied, an inner conductor element (24) for coupling a waveguide mode into a liquid-filled inner chamber (16) of the hydraulic cylinder (10) and a dielectric insulating element (22) arranged between the inner conductor element (24) and the outer conductor element (20), wherein the inner conductor element (24) and the dielectric insulating element (22) as well as the dielectric insulating element (22) and the outer conducting element (20) are each connected to each other in a liquid-tight manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: BALLUFF GMBH
    Inventors: Matthias Hofherr, Stephan Bleil
  • Patent number: 10863413
    Abstract: Equipment for the wireless operation of IO-link devices in an IO-link communication network, including an IO-link master connected to a fieldbus a wire-bonded communication network and at least one wirelessly communicating IO-link device, has a wire-bonded IO-link device serving as a wireless IO-link device interface for the wireless communication with the at least one wirelessly communicating IO-link device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Stephan Franz, Matthias Beyer, Markus Rentschler
  • Patent number: 10839667
    Abstract: A fixing element for electrical devices, wherein at least one electrical device can be fixed to the fixing element, has at least one coupler, which forms at least one coupling to the at least one electrical device fixed to the fixing element, via which coupling electrical energy and/or data can be transmitted to the at least one electrical device, wherein the coupling is a capacitive and/or inductive coupling. In addition, equipment includes such a fixing element and a least one electrical device, which is fixed to the electrical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Gaggero, Ellen Wohlfart, Manuela Schmidt
  • Patent number: 10796222
    Abstract: A contactless position and/or distance sensor for determining the distance, the spatial orientation, the material properties, or the like of a target object, and a method for operating the same, uses at least two sensor elements, which form a sensor module, Signals provided by the at least two sensor elements are jointly evaluated using at least one artificial neural network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Zoltán Kántor, Zoltán Pólik, Attila Szabó
  • Patent number: 10788878
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating an electrical device (14) which has an operating mode and a sleep mode, in which method an oscillator apparatus (20) provides a first analog signal (f(t)) with a first frequency and second analog signal (f?(t)) with a second frequency, wherein the second analog signal (f?(t)) is different from the first analog signal (f(t)), a comparator apparatus (28) compares the first analog signal (f(t)) and/or second analog signal (f?(t)) with at least one reference value (Uref) or a reference value range, and an interrupt signal for transferring from the sleep mode into the operating mode is produced if a certain comparison result is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventor: Simon Mahler
  • Publication number: 20200295604
    Abstract: A circuit for inductively transferring electrical energy from a primary side to a secondary side has a primary-sided autoresonant power oscillator compensated in parallel having a primary inductivity and serially compensated secondary sides each having a secondary inductivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicants: Balluff GmbH, Universitaet Stuttgart
    Inventors: Joerg HEINRICH, David MAIER, Nejila PARSPOUR
  • Publication number: 20200295599
    Abstract: A device for inductively transferring electrical energy and/or data from a primary-sided carrier to at least one positionable secondary-sided recipient includes at least one primary-sided coil arrangement, which inductively interacts with at least one secondary-sided coil arrangement. Meander-shaped windings of a predeterminable winding number of the primary-sided and/or secondary-sided coil arrangement are arranged on at least one flexible carrier by embroidering a high frequency strand, and the meander-shaped windings have straight courses in the region of crossovers of the embroidered high frequency strands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicants: Balluff GmbH, Universitaet Stuttgart
    Inventors: Joerg HEINRICH, David MAIER, Nejila PARSPOUR
  • Publication number: 20200295600
    Abstract: A device for inductively transferring electrical energy and/or data from a primary-sided carrier to at least one secondary-sided recipient which can be positioned on the carrier has a meander-shaped winding on the primary side and at least one meander-shaped winding on the secondary side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicants: Balluff GmbH, Universitaet Stuttgart
    Inventors: Joerg HEINRICH, David MAIER, Nejila PARSPOUR
  • Publication number: 20200292668
    Abstract: An optical sensor device has a transmission unit for emitting light, a receiving unit for light emitted by the transmission unit, and an evaluation unit for evaluating a receive signal, which is based on the received light, wherein the emitted light is designed as a light pulse which is based on a transmission signal, which has a signal shape with a rising and/or falling flank, wherein the receive signal has substantially the same signal shape as the transmission signal, wherein the evaluation unit is suitable for scanning the receive signal at at least one scanning point in its rising and/or falling flank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Tobias REISSING, Manuel BRONNER
  • Patent number: 10756732
    Abstract: An inductive sensor is proposed which comprises at least one resonant circuit, an evaluation device which in a measuring phase evaluates oscillations of the at least one resonant circuit for generating sensor signals, an energy storage device, and a transfer device which in a relaxation phase of the at least one resonant circuit stores oscillation energy of the at least one resonant circuit in the energy storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventor: Simon Mahler
  • Patent number: 10734996
    Abstract: A sensor apparatus for detecting a target object is provided, together with a corresponding method for operating the sensor apparatus. The sensor apparatus comprises a transmitter device which is operated by periodic excitation signals at a basic frequency, a receiver device which couples to the transmitter device, wherein the coupling is dependent on a relative position of the target object with respect to the receiver device, and the receiver device delivers signals at the basic frequency which are dependent on the relative position of the target object with respect to the receiver device. A threshold value checking device checks whether signals lie within or outside a threshold value range. A linking device acts on signals from the receiver device or signals derived therefrom in such a way that signals or signal combinations are shifted into the threshold value range insofar as they previously lay outside this range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Nagel, Michael Friedrich, Michael Grandl, Ümit Koyuncu
  • Patent number: 10707920
    Abstract: Sensor apparatus (14) is provided, comprising a receiving device (20) by way of which the sensor apparatus (14) is wirelessly suppliable with electrical energy, a transmission device (44) by way of which data are wirelessly transmittable, a sensitive device (26), at least one data processing device (30) which is signal-operatively coupled to the sensitive device (26) and the transmission device (44) and which processes data of the sensitive device (26) and provides edited data as transmission data to the transmission device (44), and a device (52) for an interruption-tolerant operation of the sensor apparatus (14) with respect to the electrical energy supply, wherein the device (52) for an interruption-tolerant operation is realized by hardware and/or software of the sensor apparatus (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventors: Albert Dorneich, Roland Schaefer
  • Patent number: 10697808
    Abstract: A method for operating a magnetostrictive displacement measuring device, having a wave guide for guiding at least one mechanical wave, at least one damping zone, a magnetic position encoder which is displaceably arranged along a measuring range of the position measuring device and a detection unit, generates the at least one mechanical wave by an excitation signal (IP) having a clock frequency (f1, f2), at least two mechanical waves having respectively different clock frequencies (f1, f2, f) being generated. The clock frequencies can be predetermined such that interfering reflections (R11, R12) occur at different positions (x11, x21, x2) of the measuring range of the displacement measurement device, and during the method of the position encoder, switching between the different clock frequencies (f1, f2, f) takes place, such that the interfering reflections (R11, R12) on the respective different positions (x11, x21, x22) of the measuring range are masked out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Achim Zern, Tobias Rupp, Sándor Páli
  • Patent number: 10663327
    Abstract: A magnetostrictive displacement measuring apparatus is proposed, comprising at least one measuring probe which is of flexurally flexible configuration and comprises a waveguide, and comprising a magnetic position marker which couples to the at least one measuring probe in a non-contact manner, wherein the waveguide is supported in an elastic, flexible support tube and the flexible support tube is positioned in a carrier tube, wherein the flexible support tube is, on an outer side thereof, provided with indentations facing the carrier tube and wherein material of the carrier tube is arranged in the indentations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventors: Torsten Beutler, Roland Holder
  • Patent number: 10598777
    Abstract: A proximity sensor for measuring the distance from a target contains a microwave oscillator providing a transmission wave output signal emitted toward the target as a free space transmission wave which is reflected by an electrically conductive target surface as a free space reflection wave received by the proximity sensor as a reflection wave. The distance is determined from the transmission wave and the reflection wave. The transmission wave is guided in a waveguide transmission path as a waveguide transmission wave. The transmission wave is coupled into the waveguide with a wave mode leading to the detachment of the waveguide transmission wave at the waveguide front end aperture into the free space transmission wave and to the propagation of the free space transmission wave to the target. At least one reception path is electromagnetically decoupled from the transmission path and guides the reflection wave as a waveguide reflection wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Mark Eberspaecher, Sorin Fericean
  • Patent number: 10534077
    Abstract: A proximity sensor measures the distance of a target and a method operates the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor emits a transmission signal as a free-field transmission wave, which is reflected at the target and as a free-field reflection signal is received by the proximity sensor as a reflection signal, wherein the determining of the distance is provided from the phasing of the reflection signal in relation to the phasing of the transmission signal. The proximity sensor shifts the phasing of the transmission signal chronologically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Sorin Fericean, Mark Eberspaecher
  • Patent number: 10516394
    Abstract: A sensor element of an inductive proximity sensor or distance sensor contains a coil arrangement with at least one excitation coil and at least one receiving coil and includes an electrically conductive shielding which contains a shielding cup that surrounds the coil arrangement laterally and on the rear face. A method operates the sensor element. The shielding of the sensor element further contains a flange which is provided on the front face of the sensor element, is connected to the shielding cup in an electrically conductive manner, and completely surrounds the coil arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Zoltán Kántor, Zoltán Pólik, Zoltán Kanyár, Szabolcs Herczeg, János Viszt, Reider Tamás
  • Patent number: 10482728
    Abstract: A light indicator is comprised of six segments or slices that may each be individually and vividly lit with various colors and at various intensities in order to provide information in a point-of-use context, while also minimizing or entirely eliminating bleeding of colored light from one segment to another during use. The light indicator comprises a case containing a processor, memory, and LED controller, and is capable of lighting one or more segments based partially or wholly upon instructions from a remote controller or based entirely on instructions stored in its own memory. In addition to being able to simultaneously light any combination of segments to a desired color and intensity, the indicator is also capable of performing special modes including directional indication, a run mode indication, and a gauge mode indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Balluff GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Matthew Rosenberg, James Clinton Ramler, Matthew Rommel, Ross T. Terrill, Winfried Erhard Kunzweiler
  • Patent number: 10469284
    Abstract: In an arrangement of an electrically communicative voltage supply for controlled operation of at least one electrically operable IO-Link device using an electrical DC voltage provided by a voltage supply unit as well as an IO-Link communication interface which is provided for the controlled operation of the at least one IO-Link device and formed with at least one channel, the IO-Link communication interface which is formed with at least one channel and the voltage supply unit form a structural unit and the IO-Link communication interface includes an IO-link master providing a gateway function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Albert Feinaeugle, Roland Schaefer