Patents Assigned to Johannes Heidenhain GmbH
  • Patent number: 11578962
    Abstract: An inductive position measuring device includes a scanning element and a scale element. The position measuring device is able to determine positions of the scanning element relative to the scale element in a first direction and in a second direction. The scale element includes graduation structures arranged next to one another along the first direction, and the graduation structures have a periodic characteristic with a second period length along the second direction. The scanning element has a first receiver track, a second receiver track, a third receiver track, and an excitation lead. Each of the three receiver tracks has two receiver circuit traces. The receiver circuit traces have a periodic characteristic with a first period length along the first direction, and the receiver tracks are arranged at an offset from one another in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH
    Inventors: Marc Oliver Tiemann, Martin Heumann, Alexander Frank
  • Patent number: 11537294
    Abstract: A position-measuring device includes a graduation carrier having a measuring graduation, position measurement electronics, a data memory and a power supply. The data memory includes a first memory which is a volatile memory for storing additional data, a second memory which is a writable non-volatile memory, and a memory controller for controlling transfer and storage of additional data from the first into the second memory. The power supply includes an input stage, a first output stage for the position measurement electronics, a second output stage for the data memory, and a voltage monitor which will turn off the first output stage of the power supply in response to a drop below a minimum value and signal the drop to the memory controller by a backup signal. In response to the backup signal, the memory controller will transfer additional data from the first memory into the second memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventor: Elmar Mayer
  • Patent number: 11506516
    Abstract: A scanning unit is arranged to scan a scale element that is rotatable about an axis relative to the scanning unit. The scanning unit includes a circuit board, which includes a substrate having a first surface, a second surface arranged opposite the first surface, and a circumferential third surface. A transducer system is arranged on the first surface, and electronic components are mounted on the second surface. The third surface includes a plurality of concave indentations. The scanning unit furthermore includes a metal frame having an uninterrupted first recess, which is radially restricted by an inner side of the metal frame, the inner side having a plurality of inwardly projecting elements. The inwardly projecting elements engage with the concave indentations such that the substrate is fixed in place in the metal frame under mechanical tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Eder, Josef Thaler, Dirk Ahrendt, Alois Brandl, Thomas Jäger
  • Patent number: 11486740
    Abstract: An angle measuring device includes first and second component groups and a bearing. The first component group includes a scale element having a first graduation. The second component group has a first modular unit, including a position sensor, and a second modular unit, including first, second, and third position transducers, and a compensation coupling. The first and second modular units are connected in a torsionally stiff but axially and radially flexible manner. The angle measuring device is operable in first and second modes. In the first mode, the first graduation is scannable by the position sensor to determine a first angular position. In the second mode, the first graduation or a further graduation situated on the scale element is scannable by the position transducers to determine further angular positions. A corrected relative angular position is determinable based on the first angular position and the further angular positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH
    Inventors: Johann Mitterreiter, Sebastian Gruber, Alois Bartlechner
  • Patent number: 11489525
    Abstract: A device for synchronous serial data transmission over a differential data channel and a differential clock channel includes an interface controller having a clock generator, data controller, clock transmitter block and data receiver block. The clock generator generates a transmit clock signal which, during a data transmission cycle, includes a clock pulse train having a period. The clock generator is suitably configured such that, for data transmission cycles in a dynamic operating state in which a maximum occurring differential voltage of a differential clock signal is lower than a maximum differential voltage of the clock transmitter block, the clock generator sets a duration of a first clock phase of a first clock period of the clock pulse train to be longer than a first clock phase of following clock periods and shorter than a time duration required to reach the maximum differential voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventor: Manfred Huber
  • Patent number: 11480717
    Abstract: A grating structure for a diffractive optic includes grating lines, each of which is approximated by successive segments. Longitudinal axes of the segments each have an angle relative to a first coordinate axis of a reference coordinate system. A first section of a first one of the grating lines is approximated by a first group of the segments, and a second section adjacent to the first section of the first grating line is approximated by a second group of segments. The longitudinal axes of a major portion of the segments of the first group have a first predetermined angle relative to the first coordinate axis of the reference coordinate system, and the longitudinal axes of a major portion of the segments of the second group have a second predetermined angle different from the first predetermined angle relative to the first coordinate axis of the reference coordinate system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventors: Josef Weidmann, Peter Speckbacher
  • Patent number: 11435568
    Abstract: A device includes a grating coupler with a grating constant, two light sources, and a planar waveguide, which are configured to couple light with two different wavelengths ?1, ?2 into the waveguide. The waveguide has a waveguiding layer disposed adjacent to a substrate layer and a cover layer. The waveguiding layer has a thickness d and effective refractive indices of N(?k, jk), wherein ?k is one of the wavelengths and jk is an order of a waveguide mode, wherein the coupled light of the wavelength ?k has a coupling angle ?k into the waveguide, and wherein an amount of difference between the coupling angles is a divergence angle ??. Guiding of waveguide modes of the order jk>0 is possible for a wavelength of the coupled light. The waveguiding layer is arranged to couple the light via the grating coupler under a divergence angle of ??<6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Holzapfel, Michael Kugler, Martin Roetzer, Marco Schade
  • Patent number: 11435717
    Abstract: A measuring device for a spindle or for a rotary table includes at least two first and second position sensing elements and a scale element, having a first and second graduations and being rotatable about an axis of rotation relative to the position sensing elements. The first graduation includes regular structures arranged in parallel next to one another along a first direction, having a directional component in the circumferential direction. The second graduation includes regular structures arranged in parallel next to one another along a second direction, having a directional component in the axial direction. The first position sensing elements are offset from one another in the circumferential direction, and are able to scan the first graduation so that the position of the scale element in a plane having an orthogonal orientation to the axis of rotation is determinable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH
    Inventor: Johann Mitterreiter
  • Patent number: 11408756
    Abstract: A magnetic position measuring device includes a magnetic scale and a scanning unit movable relative thereto in at least one measuring direction. The magnetic scale has scale regions positioned at a regular pitch and have an oppositely oriented magnetization, the pitch indicating the extension of a scale region along the measuring direction. The scanning unit has at least one first detector unit cell, which includes three stripe-shaped magnetoresistive detector elements set apart from one another in the measuring direction, the longitudinal directions of the detector elements each having an orientation oriented perpendicular to the measuring direction. Adjacent detector elements along the measuring direction in the first detector unit cell have a distance of, for example, one twelfth of the pitch, relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventor: Johannes Schneider
  • Patent number: 11385050
    Abstract: A position-measuring device includes a graduation carrier which is non-rotatably connectable to a shaft and has a measuring graduation that is disposed radially about an axis of rotation of the shaft in a mounted state of the graduation carrier. A first scanner is configured to generate position signals by scanning the measuring graduation. A position-processor is configured to process the position signals into absolute, digital position values. An interface is configured to communicate with subsequent electronics. A second scanner is configured to generate measurement signals that are dependent on a position of a machine part by scanning a measurement target on the machine part. An analyzer is configured to process the measurement signals into a measurement value indicative of a position and/or a change in the position of the measurement target relative to the second scanner, and to output the measurement value to the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventors: Werner Schwaiger, Gregor Rosenegger, Andreas Mitterer, Ludwig Schmidt, Erich Strasser
  • Patent number: 11353583
    Abstract: An optical position-measurement device includes a reflection measuring standard and a scanning unit, which is movable in relation thereto in at least one measurement direction. The reflection measuring standard has an incremental measuring graduation and a reference marking in at least one reference position. In addition to scanning device(s) for the incremental signal generation, the scanning unit includes for the reference signal generation at least one light source, imaging optics, a diaphragm structure arranged in a diaphragm plane, and a plurality of detector elements. Via the imaging optics, imaging of the reference marking onto the diaphragm structure is implemented. The reference marking is provided on the reflection measuring standard and is integrated into the incremental measuring graduation. In addition, the imaging optics has a variable, object-side focal length along a transversal direction oriented perpendicular to the measurement direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH
    Inventor: Karsten Sändig
  • Patent number: 11313672
    Abstract: An optical position-measuring device for sensing a relative position of two objects, each object being connected to a grating. The optical position-measuring device is configured such that, at one of the gratings, an illumination beam emitted from a light source is split into two sub-beams which, in respective scanning beam paths following the splitting, experience different polarization-optical effects and recombine at one of the gratings. After the differently polarized sub-beams are recombined, a plurality of phase-shifted, displacement-dependent scanning signals are generatable from a resulting signal beam in a detection unit. No separate polarization-optical components are disposed in the scanning beam paths of the sub-beams between splitting and recombination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventor: Thomas Kaelberer
  • Patent number: 11280640
    Abstract: A position measuring device includes a scale carrier with a measuring scale. A scanner is configured to generate position signals by scanning the measuring scale. A processor is configured to process the position signals into a digital position value. An interface is configured to communicate with downstream electronics. At least one collision sensor is assigned to the position measuring device, and is configured to generate analog or digital measured values from a time characteristic of which collision events are determinable. The measured values are fed to an evaluator configured to determine the collision events by evaluating the time characteristic of the measured values in a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventors: Ingo Joachimsthaler, Johannes Soier
  • Patent number: 11187516
    Abstract: An angle measuring device includes first and second component groups and a bearing. The first component group includes a scale element having first and second graduations. The second component group has a first modular unit, having a position sensor, a second modular unit, having first to sixth position transducers, and a compensation coupling. To determine the relative angular position between the component groups, the first graduation is scannable with the aid of the position sensor. Using the first to third position transducers, the first graduation or a further graduation disposed on the scale element is scannable to determine a displacement of the scale element in a plane. Using the fourth to sixth position transducers, the second graduation is scannable to determine tilting of the scale element about a tilting axis, the position sensor being situated in a torsionally stiff but axially and radially flexible manner relative to the position transducers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventor: Johann Mitterreiter
  • Patent number: 11169003
    Abstract: A scanning unit for determining a relative angular position of an angular scale that is rotatable about an axis relative to the scanning unit includes a circuit board having a first surface and a second surface and evaluation electronics. A detector assembly is disposed in a manner that enables scanning of the angular scale located opposite the first surface of the circuit board. A housing body includes: slots extending circumferentially about the axis; lands in each case extending axially between two of the slots such that the housing body is axially flexible but torsionally and radially rigid; and a bottom disposed axially between the slots and the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventors: Gregor Rosenegger, Andreas Mitterer, Christian Funk, Erich Strasser
  • Patent number: 11162776
    Abstract: A measuring device includes a movable probe head and an optical position sensing device for determining the spatial position and orientation of the probe head relative to a reference point. The position sensing device includes at least three position determination modules, arranged as a transmission unit or as a receiving unit, at least one position determination module being situated on the probe head, and at least one position determination module being situated at the reference point. A transmission unit has transmission unit marking element(s). A receiving unit includes optoelectronic detector(s) and receiving unit marking element(s), positioned in a defined spatial relationship relative to the optoelectronic detector. Visual contacts exist between at least some of the position determination modules. The position determination module on the probe head and the position determination module at the reference point are connected by at least one uninterrupted chain of visual contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Holzapfel, Markus Meißner, Michael Stepputat, Robert Kraus, Manuel Scherer
  • Patent number: 11143166
    Abstract: An assembly includes a supporting structure and a measuring device. The measuring device includes a first flexible coupling which is torsionally stiff and non-rotatably connected to the supporting structure, a rod having a longitudinal axis and being non-rotatably connected to the first flexible coupling, and an angle-measuring device including a first component group non-rotatably connected to the rod and a second component group non-rotatably connected to the supporting structure. The first component group is disposed to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the rod relative to the second component group, and the angle-measuring device is configured to allow measurement of a relative angular position between the two component groups. By such an assembly, a torsion of the supporting structure about the longitudinal axis of the rod caused by mechanical loading is determinable by measuring the relative angular position between the two component groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventor: Alper Sevinc
  • Patent number: 11125548
    Abstract: A position-measuring device includes a carrier body and scanning units movable relative thereto. At least three surfaces of the carrier body each carry a first and second measuring graduation, each having a series of graduation lines. Each of the measuring graduations is associated with a scanning unit for scanning the respective measuring graduation at a scanning location such that, for each surface, two scanning units are disposed for scanning the respective measuring graduations. In each case, these two scanning units are disposed in such a way, and the graduation lines of the two measuring graduations are inclined with respect to each other in such a way, that two normal planes extending respectively in the direction of the respective graduation lines through the respective scanning locations of the two scanning units have a common axis of intersection, whereby the three resulting axes of intersection extend through a common point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Becker, Josef Mitterleitner, Wolfgang Pucher
  • Patent number: 11099035
    Abstract: A scanning unit for an angle-measuring device for scanning an angular scale, so that a relative angular position between the scanning unit and the angular scale about an axis of rotation can be determined, includes a substrate having a first surface, a detector configured to generate signals which are dependent on the angular position, evaluation electronics including electronic components surrounded by a potting compound, and an electrical interface configured to create a connection from the evaluation electronics to subsequent electronics. The detector, electronic components and electrical interface are disposed on the first surface of the substrate. The electronic components and the electrical interface are disposed further away from the axis of rotation than the detector. The potting compound is disposed on the first surface of the substrate circumferentially around the axis of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GMBH
    Inventor: Peter Eder
  • Patent number: 11095203
    Abstract: In a high-frequency line filter for a converter, the converter has three phase connections for receiving a three-phase alternating signal from a three-phase voltage network and is adapted to convert the received three-phase alternating signal into an output signal for a load. The high-frequency line filter includes: a first filter path for establishing a conductive connection between a first phase connection of the three phase connections and a ground connection; a second filter path for establishing a conductive connection between a second phase connection of the three phase connections and the ground connection; and a third filter path for establishing a conductive connection between a third phase connection of the three phase connections and the ground connection. The high-frequency line filter includes a series connection of a pulse-proof capacitor and a parallel connection of at least two Y capacitors, the series connection being provided in each filter path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH
    Inventors: Simon Heinrich, Franz Gramsamer