Patents Assigned to LITEF GmbH
  • Patent number: 11841226
    Abstract: The invention relates to an inertial measuring device, having an inertial measuring unit for determining a north direction and for determining position angles, having a battery, and having a wireless interface, which inertial measuring device has a housing, in which the inertial measuring unit, the battery and the interface are housed. A carrying handle is provided on the housing, which carrying handle is designed as a one-hand carrying handle such that the inertial measuring device can be carried with only one hand during normal use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GMBH
    Inventors: Andrea Dahlhoff, Claus Kühne, Christian Spannagel
  • Patent number: 10359286
    Abstract: The control system for a fiber-optic gyroscope comprises a phase modulator for modulating a phase of a light signal and a control unit for producing a control signal, by the magnitude of which the phase is modulated and which is fed to the phase modulator. Moreover, the control system comprises an integration unit for determining an integral value of an integral over an input signal. Here, the control signal assumes a first value or a second value depending on the integral value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Guenter Spahlinger, Olaf Deppe-Reibold
  • Patent number: 10260901
    Abstract: A method for optimizing the switch-on time of a Coriolis gyroscope (1) having a mass system (100) which can be excited to an excitation oscillation of the Coriolis gyroscope (1) parallel to a first axis (x), wherein a deflection of the mass system on account of a Coriolis force along a second axis (y) which is provided perpendicular to the first axis (x) can be verified using an output signal from the Coriolis gyroscope, comprises determining the amplitude (A) of the excitation oscillation of the Coriolis gyroscope at a defined time, determining the output signal (S) from the Coriolis gyroscope at the defined time, and generating a normalized output signal (S0) from the Coriolis gyroscope by multiplying the determined output signal (S) by the quotient of the amplitude (A0) of the excitation oscillation of the Coriolis gyroscope in the steady state and the determined amplitude (A).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfram Geiger
  • Patent number: 10254117
    Abstract: The invention relates to a navigation device comprising a turntable which can be rotated about an axis in at least two different rotary positions, in accordance with a rotary control signal. An inertial measuring unit is arranged on the rotary table which can be rotated with the rotary table. The quality of the measurement data can be determined by the initial measuring unit with the help of an evaluation device. When the determined quality does not reach a predetermined minimum quality, the rotary table rotates in the respective other rotary position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Uwe Herberth, Uwe Probst, Matthias Deck
  • Patent number: 10254116
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (300) for controlling a sensor (310), comprising a converter unit (320) for converting an input signal (365) into a control signal (360) for controlling said sensor (310), and a comparison unit (330) for determining a differential signal (370) that indicates the difference between said input signal (365) and control signal (360). The device also comprises a feedback unit (340) for regulating the input signal (365) using said differential signal (370). A differential signal (370) transfer function has a zero point at a sensor (310) operating frequency which does not equal zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Guenter Spahlinger, Steffen Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 10211973
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for transmitting data between a first unit which accumulates data that has been generated with a first frequency and a second unit which requests the accumulated data with a second frequency. The method has the steps of requesting a first total increment and a first value, which represents a time increment belonging to the first total increment, from the first unit, said first total increment being the data content of the accumulated data block provided at the request time in the first unit; generating a second total increment from the first total increment using the first value, the second total increment being the data content of a data block adapted to a nominal time increment of the second frequency; and transmitting the second total increment to the second unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Markus Ruf
  • Publication number: 20190011264
    Abstract: The invention relates to a navigation device comprising a turntable which can be rotated about an axis in at least two different rotary positions, in accordance with a rotary control signal. An inertial measuring unit is arranged on the rotary table which can be rotated with the rotary table. The quality of the measurement data can be determined by the initial measuring unit with the help of an evaluation device. When the determined quality does not reach a predetermined minimum quality, the rotary table rotates in the respective other rotary position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GMBH
    Inventors: Uwe HERBERTH, Uwe PROBST, Matthias DECK
  • Patent number: 10168351
    Abstract: The invention relates to an acceleration sensor (100) having a sensor material (120) which is mounted by means of spring elements (130) so as to be movable along a movement axis (x) over a substrate (110), first trim electrodes (140) which are connected to the sensor material (120), and second trim electrodes (150) which are connected to the substrate (110) and are associated with the first trim electrodes (140). When the sensor material is deflected along the movement axis, a spring force acting on the sensor material (120) is generated by the spring elements (130), and when the sensor material (120) is deflected, an electrostatic force acting on the sensor material (120), which counteracts the spring force, is generated by application of an electrical trim voltage between the first trim electrodes (140) and the second trim elements (150).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Koenig, Peter Leinfelder
  • Patent number: 10151587
    Abstract: In a method for determining navigation data, positional angle measurement values are determined using a first navigation device (310). A second navigation device (320) is then initialized using the positional angle measurement values determined by the first navigation device (310). Both navigation devices are supplied with rotational rate and acceleration measurement values from a common sensor unit in order to determine the positional angle measurement values. In the process, the first navigation device (310) produces erroneous measurements of the positional angle measurement values with a probability which is lower than as specified positional angle error rate, and the second navigation device (320) produces erroneous measurements of the positional angle measurement values with a probability which is higher than the specified positional angle error rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Huellenkremer, Manfred Krings
  • Patent number: 10139231
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control system (100) for a fiber optic gryoscope, comprising a phase modulator (110) for modulating a phase of a light signal (115) and a control unit (120) for producing a control signal (125), by the value of which the phase is modulated and which is fed to the phase modulator (110). The control signal changes statistically and does not have an average value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GMBH
    Inventors: Guenter Spahlinger, Olaf Deppe-Reibold
  • Patent number: 10088319
    Abstract: Method for determining states of a system by means of an estimation filter, in which first state values are determined by calculating a mean value of a probability distribution for the states, in which a probability for deviation for the case that the first state values deviate from the actual states of the system is calculated, and in which the states of the system are measured as state data. In the method the first state values are corrected by means of the state data then, if the probability for deviation is larger than a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Uwe Herberth, Tim Martin
  • Patent number: 10000376
    Abstract: A component is produced by creating a first layer composite that includes a first electrically conductive substrate and having a trench filled with an insulating material by creating a second layer composite that includes the first layer composite and a structure layer. The structure layer includes an active structure and is electrically conductive at least in a first region that adjoins a first surface of the first substrate and includes in the first region of the first substrate a first electrically conductive contact face on a second surface of the first substrate, which is located opposite the first surface. The first region of the first substrate is electrically insulated laterally from other regions of the first substrate by the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfram Geiger
  • Patent number: 9983006
    Abstract: The bias error in a fiber optic system comprising a fiber optic gyroscope can be determined by determining of at least two different values for rotation rate by an evaluation unit of the fiber optic gyroscope for almost constant rotation rate applied to the fiber optic gyroscope and/or can be reduced by a linear combination of the at least two different values for the rotation rate. A fiber optic system that is suitable for carrying out this method comprises besides the fiber optic gyroscope a control device that is configured to control at least one element of the fiber optic gyroscope such that at least two different values for the rotation rate are determined by the evaluation unit of the fiber optic gyroscope for almost constant rotation rate applied to the fiber optic gyroscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Litef GmbH
    Inventors: Olaf Deppe-Reibold, Günter Spahlinger
  • Patent number: 9983226
    Abstract: The invention relates to an acceleration sensor (400) comprising an excitation mass (420) having excitation electrodes (430), which excitation mass is movably mounted over a substrate (410) along a movement axis (x) and comprising detection electrodes (440) which are permanently connected to the substrate (410) and allocated to the excitation electrodes (430). A first group of pairings (450) of excitation electrode (430) and allocated detection electrodes (440) is suitable for deflecting the excitation mass (420) along the movement axis (x) in a first direction (460). A second group of pairings (450) of excitation electrodes (430) and allocated detection electrodes (440) is suitable for deflecting the excitation mass (420) along the movement axis (x) in a second direction (465), which is opposite the first direction (460). The number of pairings (450) in the first group is equal to the number of pairings (450) in the second group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Litef GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Leinfelder
  • Publication number: 20180094930
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control system (100) for a fiber optic gryoscope, comprising a phase modulator (110) for modulating a phase of a light signal (115) and a control unit (120) for producing a control signal (125), by the value of which the phase is modulated and which is fed to the phase modulator (110). The control signal changes statistically and does not have an average value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GMBH
    Inventors: GUENTER SPAHLINGER, OLAF DEPPE-REIBOLD
  • Publication number: 20180024160
    Abstract: The invention relates to an acceleration sensor (100) having a sensor material (120) which is mounted by means of spring elements (130) so as to be movable along a movement axis (x) over a substrate (110), first trim electrodes (140) which are connected to the sensor material (120), and second trim electrodes (150) which are connected to the substrate (110) and are associated with the first trim electrodes (140). When the sensor material is deflected along the movement axis, a spring force acting on the sensor material (120) is generated by the spring elements (130), and when the sensor material (120) is deflected, au electrostatic three acting on the sensor material (120), which counteracts the spring force, is generated by application of an electrical trim voltage between the first trim electrodes (140) and the second trim elements (150).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GMBH
    Inventors: STEFAN KOENIG, PETER LEINFELDER
  • Patent number: 9874445
    Abstract: The invention relates to a controller (200) for controlling a rotation rate sensor, having a first control circuit (202) and a second control circuit (204). The first control circuit has a first control unit (210) for controlling an oscillation of the rotation rate sensor along a first direction, a first digital-to-analog converter (240) for converting a first digital control signal (215) output by the first control unit (210) into a first analog signal (245) with which the oscillation of the rotation rate sensor along the first direction is controlled, and a first analog-to-digital converter (250) for converting a first analog measurement signal (235) which describes the oscillation of the rotation rate sensor along the first direction into a first digital read-out signal (255) which is supplied to the first control unit (210).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Litef GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Richard Ohmberger, Steffen Zimmerman
  • Publication number: 20170343579
    Abstract: The invention relates to an acceleration sensor (400) comprising an excitation mass (420) having excitation electrodes (430), which excitation mass is movably mounted over a substrate (410) along a movement axis (x) and comprising detection electrodes (440) which are permanently connected to the substrate (410) and allocated to the excitation electrodes (430). A first group of pairings (450) of excitation electrode (430) and allocated detection electrodes (440) is suitable for deflecting the excitation mass (420) along the movement axis (x) in a first direction (460). A second group of pairings (450) of excitation electrodes (430) and allocated detection electrodes (440) is suitable for deflecting the excitation mass (420) along the movement axis (x) in a second direction (465), which is opposite the first direction (460). The number of pairings (450) in the first group is equal to the number of pairings (450) in the second group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GMBH
    Inventor: PETER LEINFELDER
  • Patent number: 9783410
    Abstract: In a method for producing a component, a first layer composite is first produced, comprising a structured layer and a trench filled with an insulating material. The structured layer is electrically conductive at least in a first region. The trench filled with an insulating material extends outwards from a first surface of the structured layer and is arranged in the first region of the structured layer. The first surface of the structured layer faces a first surface of the first layer composite. The method additionally has the step of producing a second layer composite, which has a first depression in a first surface of the second layer composite, and the step of connecting the first layer composite to the second layer composite. The first surface of the first layer composite adjoins the first surface of the second layer composite at least in some regions, said filled trench being arranged within the lateral position of the first depression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN LITEF GMBH
    Inventors: Wolfram Geiger, Uwe Breng, Martin Hafen, Guenter Spahlinger
  • Patent number: 9709596
    Abstract: The invention relates to an acceleration sensor, comprising a substrate having a substrate surface and a sample mass that is movable relative to the substrate in a first direction (x) parallel to the substrate surface. The sample mass has a comb-like electrode that is movable together with the sample mass and has a plurality of teeth, which extend in the first direction (x). The acceleration sensor further comprises a counter-electrode fixedly connected to the substrate, which counter-electrode has a fixed comb-like electrode and wherein said fixed comb-like electrode has a plurality of teeth which extend in a direction opposite to the first direction (x). The teeth of the movable comb-like electrode engage with the teeth of the fixed comb-like electrode. The acceleration sensor further comprises a shielding electrode fixedly connected to the substrate and which is suitable for increasing a pneumatic damping of the sample mass during a deflection movement of the sample mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfram Geiger, Julian Bartholomeyczik, Peter Leinfelder