Patents Assigned to IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
  • Patent number: 12025689
    Abstract: A method of sensing a target in a target detection system having processing circuitry and a multiplexer coupled to the processing circuitry and to a plurality NT of transmit antennas forming a sparse transmit uniform linear array (ULA), the multiplexer being configured to generate multiplexed and phase modulated transmit signals (T1 . . . TNT) based on signals from a local oscillator. The processing circuitry receives signals via a plurality NR of receive antennas forming a dense receive ULA. The method includes transmitting the transmit signals via the transmit antennas as a general radiation pattern corresponding to a block circulant probing signal matrix, and receiving via the receive antennas receive signals resulting from backscattering of the transmit signals transmitted towards K targets. The method further includes processing the received reflection signals to determine the presence, range and/or angular position of a target within a field of view of the transmit antennas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A. and Université du Luxembourg
    Inventors: Christian Hammes, Bhavani Shankar Mysore Rama Rao, Björn Ottersten, Udo Schröder
  • Patent number: 11919464
    Abstract: An occupancy detection system for at least one vehicle seat includes: an antenna arrangement having an antenna; a control device that applies a radio-frequency transmission signal to, and receives a response signal from, the antenna arrangement; and a transmit array having a plurality of structured metallic layers disposed above each other and extending laterally, each two neighbouring metallic layers isolated from each other by an intermediate dielectric layer. The antenna arrangement transmits a radio-frequency transmission field through the transmit array onto the vehicle seat in response to the transmission signal and receives a radio-frequency response field through the transmit array to generate the response signal. The transmit array is adapted to refract at least one of the transmission field and the response field. The transmit array has a receive section that focuses a response field from a position of a vehicle seat to a position of a receive antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A., NewSouth Innovations Pty Limited
    Inventors: Andreas Olk, David Anthony Powell
  • Patent number: 10521682
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for controlling object detection. The object detection control apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a determination device that determines a risk level, based on environmental information of a vehicle detected by first sensors, an object detection device that detects an object in the vehicle, based on information detected by a second sensor for detecting the object in the vehicle, an output device that outputs an alarm signal according to a set alarm condition when the object in the vehicle is detected, and a controller that controls an operation of the second sensor or the output device, based on the determined risk level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Seul Ki Jeon, Eung Hwan Kim, Gyun Ha Kim, Hoon Hur, Oscar Gomez, Peter Koch Larsen
  • Patent number: 10457236
    Abstract: A capacitive vehicle seat occupancy detection and classification system includes an impedance measurement circuit and a control and evaluation unit. The impedance measurement circuit is configured for providing periodic electrical measurement signals to a capacitive sensor of N different fundamental frequencies, wherein N is a natural number of at least 3, and to determine a complex impedance from each of determined sense currents in the capacitive sensor. The control and evaluation unit is configured to determine a seat occupancy class for each one of the complex impedances determined at the at least N different fundamental frequencies, and to determine a final seat occupancy class derived by a majority decision among the determined seat occupancy classes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Laurent Lamesch, Michael Putz
  • Patent number: 10241147
    Abstract: A method and circuit for measuring impedance of a sense-only capacitive sensor operated in loading mode. The method carried out by the circuit includes the steps of: combining a plurality of synchronized output signals; applying low-pass filtering to the summed output signals to generate a sinusoidal test signal; applying the sinusoidal test signal to a sensor signal voltage divider circuit and to a reference voltage divider circuit; determining amplitude and relative phase, with respect to the sinusoidal test signal, of a sensor voltage signal and a reference voltage signal; obtaining a difference voltage signal by subtracting the reference voltage signal from the sensor voltage signal; and feeding the difference voltage signal to a vector demodulator unit for obtaining a real part and an imaginary part of the complex impedance of the capacitive sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Laurent Lamesch
  • Patent number: 10222241
    Abstract: A capacitance measurement circuit for determining a capacitance of a guard-sense capacitive sensor includes a microcontroller that uses a combination of several synchronized PWM outputs for generating a low distortion sine wave. The sine wave is used as a guard voltage for the guard electrode of the capacitive sensor. The capacitance value of an unknown capacitor is measured by impinging the guard voltage on the sense electrode of the capacitive sensor by a modified sigma-delta modulator unit. The digital output of the sigma-delta modulator unit is first multiplied by an XOR gate before being routed into a decimator/low pass filter. The second input of the XOR gate is driven by a square wave from a square wave generator with the same frequency as the guard voltage, but with a substantially 90° phase shift. The output of the decimator/low pass filter is indicative of the capacitance value of the unknown capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Laurent Lamesch
  • Publication number: 20190031130
    Abstract: A capacitive vehicle seat occupancy detection and classification system includes an impedance measurement circuit and a control and evaluation unit. The impedance measurement circuit is configured for providing periodic electrical measurement signals to a capacitive sensor of N different fundamental frequencies, wherein N is a natural number of at least 3, and to determine a complex impedance from each of determined sense currents in the capacitive sensor. The control and evaluation unit is configured to determine a seat occupancy class for each one of the complex impedances determined at the at least N different fundamental frequencies, and to determine a final seat occupancy class derived by a majority decision among the determined seat occupancy classes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Applicant: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Laurent LAMESCH, Michael PÜTZ
  • Patent number: 10173626
    Abstract: A capacitive detection system for detecting occupancy of a vehicle seat includes a signal generating unit and a signal evaluation unit. The vehicle seat has a seat heater member configured for receiving time-varying output signals of the signal generating unit. The signal evaluation unit is configured to generate an output signal that is indicative of the seat heater member to be defective, if the sensed capacitance of the seat heater member is less than a second predetermined threshold value for the sensed capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Michael Pütz, Oliver Lion
  • Patent number: 10132651
    Abstract: A capacitance measurement circuit for determining a sense current of a capacitive sensor which includes at least one electrically conductive sense electrode and at least one electrically conductive guard electrode. The measurement circuit includes at least one switch member that is remotely controllable by a switch remote control unit, wherein the at least one switch member in at least one closed state is configured to provide an additional electrical path between the at least one guard electrode and a reference potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Christian Urig, Christoph Wendt
  • Patent number: 10131249
    Abstract: A vehicle seat occupancy detection system includes at least one capacitive sensor member having at least one sensing electrode, an impedance measurement circuit for determining a complex impedance or a complex admittance of the at least one sensing electrode, an evaluation unit for generating an output signal based on a determined complex admittance of the at least one sensing electrode and comparison of the determined complex admittance to at least one predetermined value, and at least one electrically conductive ground connecting member that is intentionally electrically connected to the reference electrode and that is arranged in close proximity to the at least one sensing electrode. The at least one ground connecting member and the at least one sensing electrode are galvanically separated such that, when the seat gets wet, the sensing electrode is directly electrically connected to the reference electrode by the at least one ground connecting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Guenter Goedert, Oleg Zeiler, Edmund Marx, Ingrid Scheckenbach
  • Patent number: 10131255
    Abstract: A capacitive sensor configured for connection between a heating element and a heating current supply comprises a common mode choke (CMC) for AC-decoupling the heating element from the heating current supply. The CMC comprises first and second inductively coupled windings, the first winding for connection between a first terminal of the heating current supply and a first terminal of the heating element and the second winding for connection between a second terminal of the heating element and a second terminal of the heating current supply. The capacitive sensor further comprises a control and evaluation circuit for injecting an AC signal into the heating element via a measurement node, measuring a voltage on and/or a current across the measurement node, and to derive an impedance between the heating element and a counter electrode from the measurement. The CMC comprises a third winding inductively coupled with the first and second windings, the third winding being operatively coupled with the measurement node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Laurent Lamesch, Michael Virnich, Michael Puetz
  • Patent number: 10065590
    Abstract: A capacitive sensing device includes an antenna electrode for emitting an alternating electric field in response to an alternating voltage caused in the antenna electrode and a control and evaluation circuit configured to maintain the alternating voltage equal to an alternating reference voltage by injecting a current into the antenna electrode and to measure the current. The control and evaluation circuit includes a microcontroller with a digital output for providing a digital signal and a low-pass filter operatively connected to the digital output for generating the alternating reference voltage by low-pass-filtering the digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Laurent Lamesch
  • Patent number: 10048504
    Abstract: An optical system for the generation of a structured light field comprises an array of light sources and a structuring unit separate from said array of light sources, said structuring unit being refractive or reflective and transforming the output of that array of light sources into a structured light illumination by collimating the light beam of each individual light source and directing each beam into the scene under vertical and horizontal angles that can be arbitrarily chosen by refraction or reflection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Norbert Herschbach
  • Patent number: 10005425
    Abstract: The invention relates to a seat-belt warning device comprising a device which detects a seat occupied by a passenger, a device which detects whether the seat-belt associated with a seat is being used, and a device which emits a warning signal. According to the invention, the device which detects seat occupancy by a passenger comprises an optical image-producing system comprising an image evaluation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Guido Becker, Thierry Mousel, Paul Schockmel
  • Patent number: 9927524
    Abstract: A lidar imager for acquiring a range image of a scene comprises a light source for emitting a light beam, a scanning device for scanning the light beam across the scene and a light sensor for receiving light reflected from the scene. The scanning device comprises a spatial light modulator (SLM) configured to display holograms that deflect the light beam into different directions within the scene to be imaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Jean-Luc Kaiser
  • Patent number: 9889361
    Abstract: A sports rebound wall is provided that includes: a rebound surface, at least one target area formed in the rebound surface, and a resistive matrix sensor formed on, or embedded in, the target area. The matrix sensor includes a first array of substantially parallel conductive tracks and a second array of substantially parallel conductive tracks. The first array and the second array are spaced apart from one another. The rebound wall has a matrix sensor that is capable of providing information about the force, location and timing at which the target area of the sports rebound wall is impacted. This is made possible by the specific construction of the matrix sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignees: WALLJAM LIMITED, IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Noll, Alexander Treis, Julian Cox, Tim Worboys
  • Patent number: 9855007
    Abstract: A method of determining the ventilatory threshold of a subject in real time during an exercise session wherein data relating to physiological parameters of said subject are acquired and stored in function of time during the exercise session, said data including at least data indicative of the respiration and of the heart beat rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventors: Cecile Jouanique-Dubuis, Thomas Stifter, Mathieu Lu-Dac, Franck Lemoine, Christian Bour
  • Publication number: 20170336469
    Abstract: A method and circuit for measuring impedance of a sense-only capacitive sensor operated in loading mode. The method carried out by the circuit includes the steps of: combining a plurality of synchronized output signals; applying low-pass filtering to the summed output signals to generate a sinusoidal test signal; applying the sinusoidal test signal to a sensor signal voltage divider circuit and to a reference voltage divider circuit; determining amplitude and relative phase, with respect to the sinusoidal test signal, of a sensor voltage signal and a reference voltage signal; obtaining a difference voltage signal by subtracting the reference voltage signal from the sensor voltage signal; and feeding the difference voltage signal to a vector demodulator unit for obtaining a real part and an imaginary part of the complex impedance of the capacitive sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Applicant: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Laurent LAMESCH
  • Patent number: 9819355
    Abstract: A capacitive sensing system operates according to a method which uses an ADC. The analog signal to be digitized is modulated with a triangular or saw-tooth modulating signal, so that a modulated analog signal is obtained, which is sampled with the ADC. The triangular or saw-tooth signal is chosen to have a peak-to-peak amplitude corresponding at least approximately to an integer multiple L, with L?1, of the quantization step size of the ADC. The saw-tooth or triangular signal has a number M, of periods per each sequence of N samples. M and N are chosen such that M>1 and M?N and such that R=r*N/(k*gcd(N, M)*L), where gcd(M, N) is the greatest common divisor of N and M and where k=2 if the modulating signal is a saw-tooth signal and k=4 if the modulating signal is a triangular signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Laurent Lamesch
  • Patent number: 9815394
    Abstract: A seat heater (10) with a heating element (12) connected between a first (14) and a second (16) nodes comprises a third (18) and a fourth (20) node operatively connectable to a first and a second terminal, respectively, of a power supply. A first electric component (22) providing a controllable first conductance is connected between the first and the third nodes. A second electric component (24) providing a controllable second conductance is connected between the second and the fourth nodes. A control network (26) is connected to the electric components to control the respective conductances and has a mode of operation in which it applies an oscillating signal to the heating element by modulating the first and second conductances in such a way that a voltage drop variation between the third and first nodes is opposite to a voltage drop variation between the second and fourth nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A.
    Inventor: Martin Thinnes