Patents Assigned to Balluff GmbH
  • Patent number: 9389310
    Abstract: A method for operation of a distance sensor emits a transmission signal as transmission radiation, reflected by an object, the distance of which is to be measured, as reflection radiation, and received as a reflection signal. The reflection signal and a reference signal that occur at a receiver input are regulated to a predetermined ratio. The distance is determined during the regulation process. An auxiliary transmission antenna emits an auxiliary transmission signal as auxiliary measurement radiation, directly toward a reception antenna. Microwaves are used as the transmission and auxiliary transmission signals. The reception antenna receives the reflection radiation reflected by the object and passes it on to the receiver input as a reflection signal. The reception antenna receives the auxiliary measurement radiation directly and passes it on to the receiver input as an auxiliary reception signal which is evaluated as a reference signal when measurement radiation emission is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Osterfeld, Sorin Fericean
  • Publication number: 20160178394
    Abstract: A method for linearizing sensor signals in a magnetic strip length measuring system moves a sensor head between two magnetic poles of a measurement body. In particular, linearization takes place dynamically during operation of the magnetic strip length measuring system, and linearization deviations are compensated by extrapolation as the sensor head moves between the two poles of the measurement body from pole to pole or from pole pair to pole pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH.
    Inventors: Thomas BURKHARDT, Achim ZERN, Timm EVERSMEYER
  • Publication number: 20160162433
    Abstract: An IO-Link adapter (200) for connecting a field device to a master unit having an IO-Link interface (210), a field device interface (220) and a circuit arrangement (230) for converting the field device interface data into IO-Link interface data is characterised in that the IO-Link adapter (200) has fastening elements (240) for detachably fastening to the field device, wherein by fastening the IO-Link adapter (200) to the field device, coupling of the field device interface (220) of the IO-Link adapter (200) to an interface of the field device (120) simultaneously takes place.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas KAMMERER, Marco ZORCIC
  • Publication number: 20160124083
    Abstract: A proximity sensor for measuring the distance from an object contains a microwave oscillator which provides, as an output signal, a transmission wave which is emitted by the proximity sensor in the direction of the object as a free space transmission wave which is reflected by the object, which is electrically conductive or has at least one electrically conductive surface, as a free space reflection wave and is received by the proximity sensor as a reflection wave. The reflection coefficient is determined from the transmission wave and the reflection wave and is provided by the proximity sensor as a measure of the distance. The transmission wave is guided in a waveguide as a waveguide transmission wave, the transmission wave is injected into the waveguide with a wave mode which results in the waveguide transmission wave being separated at the aperture at the front end of the waveguide into the free space transmission wave and in the free space transmission wave propagating to the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2013
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Sorin FERICEAN, Mark EBERSPAECHER
  • Patent number: 9323605
    Abstract: A measured value transmitting device for serially transmitting data in accordance with the SSI method, includes a slave providing the data bits of a measured value detected by a sensor for serial bit-by-bit transmission to a master. The master requests a measured value from the slave with a clock burst having multiple clock cycles matching the number of data bits to be transmitted. In a first device, the clock cycles have a specified duty cycle corresponding to the ratio of the pulse duration to the period duration of one clock cycle, and the master contains a comparator. The master reads the clock bursts outputted on the clock line and checks the duty cycle in the comparator to determine whether an upper and/or lower threshold has been exceeded. In a second device a corresponding check of the duty cycle is carried out in the slave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventor: Uwe Hahn
  • Publication number: 20160076912
    Abstract: In an inductive displacement measuring sensor for measuring the distance, the spatial orientation, the thickness, the material properties or the like of a target object, which sensor has a transmitter element which emits a pulsed signal and a receiver element for detecting a pulse response caused by the emitted pulsed signal in the target object, provision is made, in particular, for the detected pulse response to be immediately evaluated using an artificial neural network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Applicant: BALLUFF GMBH
    Inventors: Zoltán PÓLIK, Zoltán KÁNTOR
  • Publication number: 20160047683
    Abstract: A capacitive fill level sensor for measuring the fill level of a medium in a container has an electrode unit, which contains a strip-shaped measurement electrode, a strip-shaped counter electrode and a strip-shaped shielding electrode, the shielding electrode at least partially surrounding the measurement electrode. A first AC voltage source having a predefined frequency and amplitude is provided, to which the shielding electrode is connected such that a shielding capacitor formed between the shielding electrode and the measurement electrode has a shielding capacitance that is proportional to the length of the shielding electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: February 18, 2016
    Applicant: BALLUFF GMBH
    Inventors: Frank WINKENS, Juergen GLOCK
  • Publication number: 20150331827
    Abstract: In a method and a control device for the operation of a transmission system for an IO link, wherein at least one cable-free transition between an IO link master and at least one IO link device is provided, and wherein the IO link device provides a minimal cycle time for a communication cycle, it is particularly provided that the minimal cycle time provided by the IO link device is increased in such a manner that a temporal delay caused by the cable-free transition is added to the minimal cycle time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2015
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias BEYER, Stephan FRANZ
  • Patent number: 9182213
    Abstract: The invention relates to a path measuring apparatus comprising at least a first measuring path and a second measuring path, these measuring paths each having an extension in a longitudinal direction and being oriented parallel to one another in at least a measuring range, at least one position indicator which couples to the measuring paths in a non-contact manner, and a measuring path holder which extends in the measuring range and has recesses, each recess having a measuring path arranged therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventors: Achim Zern, Gerd Eckel
  • Patent number: 9175700
    Abstract: A method for detecting the position of a piston of a piston cylinder is provided. A microwave transmit signal is emitted in the direction of the piston and microwaves reflected from the piston are detected. The transmit signal is a modulated signal with a base frequency sinusoidally modulated at a modulation frequency. An evaluation of the phase between transmit signals and receive signals is performed. A phase determination at the baseband and a simultaneous phase determination at at least one sideband are also performed. The phase determination at the baseband is used for fine determination of the piston position and the phase determination at the at least one sideband is used for coarse determination of the piston position. Bandpass filtering on receive signals and evaluation transmit signals is performed with respect to the base frequency or an intermediate frequency. Bandpass filtering is performed with respect to the modulation frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventors: Josef Buechler, Sorin Fericean, Albert Dorneich, Markus Fritton
  • Publication number: 20150300606
    Abstract: A signal column includes a rod-shaped, transparent housing, inside of which a rod-shaped signal generator is arranged. At least one light distribution element is arranged in the housing between the signal generator and the transparent housing, wherein the light distribution element directs light evenly from light sources of the signal generator to the housing wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: BALLUFF GMBH
    Inventors: Juergen GUTEKUNST, Viktor VIRÁG, Kristof SIMON, Henrik RUF
  • Publication number: 20150280397
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement for operating a laser diode in clocked mode includes a monitor photodiode, from the signal of which a measure of the radiation emitted by the laser diode is obtained as voltage to be measured, and a comparator, which compares the voltage to be measured with a reference voltage and provides the difference signal to a controller, wherein both the voltage to be measured and the reference voltage are applied continuously to the comparator. In order to carry out operation of the laser diode in clocked mode, a clocked-mode operation of the energy supply of the comparator is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: BALLUFF GMBH
    Inventor: Bernd Fingerle
  • Patent number: 9091567
    Abstract: A measuring body device is provided for a position/path measurement system, having at least one fixing band, with a first and a second end, to fix the measuring body device to an application. A measuring body in the form of a band is provided with at least one coding layer associated with the fixing band. At least one connecting mechanism fixes the first and second ends of the fixing band relative to one another. The connecting mechanism is a bridge element, fixed or fixable relative to the ends of the fixing band. At least one path storage device is arranged on the bridge element with a first transverse element, a second transverse element, spaced apart from the first transverse element, and a web element which connects the first and second transverse elements and which is integrally connected thereto. A spacing between the first and second transverse elements is determinably adjustable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventors: Torsten Beutler, Roland Holder
  • Publication number: 20150204740
    Abstract: A device for detecting a twist angle (dw) and/or a torque (Md) of a shaft (10) occurring on the shaft (10) and methods for operating the device are proposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Sorin FERICEAN, Andrea HILLER-BROD, Reinhard DROXLER, Markus FRITTON, Daniel KRAETER
  • Patent number: 9046392
    Abstract: A displacement measuring apparatus is provided, which comprises a measuring sensor, a housing, a first board, a second board and a third board, which boards are arranged in the housing and are circuit carriers, wherein the second board and the third board are in each case oriented transversely to the first board, the second board and the third board are connected by means of a first plug-in connection device and the combination of the second board and third board is connected to the first board by means of a second plug-in connection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventors: Jochen Wangler, Gerd Eckel
  • Publication number: 20150143009
    Abstract: The invention relates to the use of an IO link for linking a field device to a master assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Albert Feinaeugle, Juergen Gutekunst
  • Publication number: 20150143008
    Abstract: A field bus system includes at least one bus module designed as a master module with at least one connecting device for connection to a network and with at least one port for connecting a parameterizable IO link device. The field bus system uses a data storage device which is designed as an IO link device and which can be connected to the at least one port for connecting an IO link device and in which all parameters of the IO link devices connected to the master module are stored and can be read by the master module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Albert Feinaeugle, Stephan Langer, Stephan Franz
  • Publication number: 20150134856
    Abstract: A control device for controlling a safety device which can be connected to a master assembly by means of an IO link is characterized in that a safety protocol can be transmitted via an IO link connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Applicant: Balluff GmbH
    Inventor: Albert Feinaeugle
  • Patent number: 9026378
    Abstract: A device for detecting a twist angle and/or a torque of a shaft occurring on the shaft and methods for operating the device uses at least one first encoder and at least one second encoder at a predefined spacing therefrom. Each encoder influences at least one coil parameter, is associated with at least a part of the circumference of the shaft, and has at least one track having at least one period per revolution of the shaft. At least first and second inductive sensors scan the first and second encoders, respectively. Each inductive sensor provides a respective sensor signal reflecting at least one measure for the rotational angle of the shaft within the period, and a difference ascertainment unit ascertains and provides the twist angle of the shaft as an angle difference of the two rotational angles detected by the inductive sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Balluff GmbH
    Inventors: Sorin Fericean, Andrea Hiller-Brod, Reinhard Droxler, Markus Fritton, Daniel Kraeter
  • Patent number: 8981766
    Abstract: The invention relates to a position/displacement measuring system comprising at least one encoded scale body having at least one encoding track extending in a measuring direction and a sensor device having at least one sensor head sensitive to the encoding, wherein the at least one sensor head comprises at least a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit which provide respective sensor signals and are spaced apart from one another in the measuring direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: BALLUFF GmbH
    Inventor: Thomas Burkhardt