Patents by Inventor Alan M. Kuefler

Alan M. Kuefler has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11429224
    Abstract: A touchscreen device utilizes digital scan to resolve a touch location with high precision. The touchscreen device includes touchells of about 3.175 mm by 3.175 mm (0.125 inches by 0.125 inches). An integrated circuit detects contacts in the touchells that resolve to touches on the touchscreen, and communicates those touches to a micro-controller via a serial bus. Silver epoxy interconnects for the tracks are reduced or eliminated. Multiple touchscreens having distinct touchell networks may be disposed to create a larger touchscreen area. Similarly, a single touchscreen may be divided quadrants, each with a distinct touchell network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald E Mosier, Thomas B. Campbell, Stan Sandoval, Alan M Kuefler, Brian Grunewaldt, Clint L. Gosch
  • Patent number: 11385738
    Abstract: A touchscreen device utilizes digital scan to resolve a touch location with high precision. The touchscreen device includes touchells of about 3.175 mm by 3.175 mm (0.125 inches by 0.125 inches). An integrated circuit detects contacts in the touchells that resolve to touches on the touchscreen, and communicates those touches to a micro-controller via a serial bus. Silver epoxy interconnects for the tracks are reduced or eliminated. Multiple touchscreens having distinct touchell networks may be disposed to create a larger touchscreen area. Similarly, a single touchscreen may be divided quadrants, each with a distinct touchell network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald E Mosier, Thomas B. Campbell, Stan Sandoval, Alan M Kuefler, Brian Grunewaldt, Clint L. Gosch
  • Publication number: 20220214793
    Abstract: A touchscreen device utilizes digital scan to resolve a touch location with high precision. The touchscreen device includes touchells of about 3.175 mm by 3.175 mm (0.125 inches by 0.125 inches). An integrated circuit detects contacts in the touchells that resolve to touches on the touchscreen, and communicates those touches to a micro-controller via a serial bus. Silver epoxy interconnects for the tracks are reduced or eliminated. Multiple touchscreens having distinct touchell networks may be disposed to create a larger touchscreen area. Similarly, a single touchscreen may be divided quadrants, each with a distinct touchell network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Applicant: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald E. Mosier, Thomas B. Campbell, Stan Sandoval, Alan M. Kuefler, Brian Grunewaldt, Clint L. Gosch
  • Patent number: 11263982
    Abstract: A display having a variably controlled backlight and/or driver is disclosed. The backlight includes a first light source that emits light within a first spectral power distribution and has a first radiant power output. A second light source emits light within a second spectral power distribution matched to an optical filter for producing a perceived chromaticity and luminosity matching the perceived display appearance without the optical filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert N. Stuppi, Brian W. Walker, Alan M. Kuefler, Duane A. Grave
  • Patent number: 11094282
    Abstract: A method for reducing touch latency within a user interface of an aircraft display, the method including receiving, by a latency reduction unit, data from the aircraft display, where the data is of one or more data types, entering into one or more queues, by the latency reduction unit, the data based on the one or more data types, and sending, via a bus, the data asynchronously to a display processor of an aircraft display, where sending the data asynchronously includes transmitting the data by packets of data bits at an irregular rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan M. Kuefler, Amir Beganovic, Thomas B. Campbell, Brian T. Grunewaldt, Nicolas F. Parilo
  • Publication number: 20210174751
    Abstract: A display having a variably controlled backlight and/or driver is disclosed. The backlight includes a first light source that emits light within a first spectral power distribution and has a first radiant power output. A second light source emits light within a second spectral power distribution matched to an optical filter for producing a perceived chromaticity and luminosity matching the perceived display appearance without the optical filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert N. Stuppi, Brian W. Walker, Alan M. Kuefler, Duane A. Grave
  • Patent number: 10732774
    Abstract: An aircraft includes a cursor control device having a defined return path for the touch sensor so that the impedance in the return path is known. The defined return path is embodied in a conductive feature in the cursor control device palm contact area to ground the user and improve the system's signal to noise ratio. The defined return path normalizes signal variability due to environmental factors and user specific factors such as finger size, skin moisture, contaminants, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Clint L. Gosch, Alan M. Kuefler, Thomas B. Campbell
  • Patent number: 10345969
    Abstract: An emissive display unit for an avionics display system installable in an aircraft cockpit may incorporate a display substrate housing emissive devices and a sensor substrate bonded to the rear surface of the display substrate. The sensor substrate may include a network of touch sensors configured to receive touch commands applied to the front surface of the display substrate. The touch sensors of the sensor substrate may be connected to drive electronics via a network of interconnect traces routed behind the rear surface of the emissive display unit (i.e., the rear surface of the sensor substrate). The drive electronics may then display images on the front surface of the display substrate via the emissive devices, based on touch commands received through the touch sensors. The front or rear surface of the sensor substrate may include a fully or partially metallized layer to disperse heat from the emissive display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Alan M. Kuefler
  • Patent number: 9989991
    Abstract: Emissive display apparatuses include an emissive display and a display support to moveably support the emissive display relative to an avionics instrument panel. The moveable support includes folding movement, rotating movement, sliding movement, and retractable movement between deployed and stowed positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan M. Kuefler, Tracy J. Barnidge
  • Patent number: 9971444
    Abstract: Touch sensors with multiple electrically isolated touch regions are disclosed. A touch sensor may be electrically partitioned into a first touch region and a second touch region. The first touch region and the second touch region may be physically connected and electrically isolated from each other. The first touch region and the second touch region may each independently define an independently operable portion of the touch sensor such that a failure in one of the first touch region or the second touch region does not impair operations in another one of the first touch region or the second touch region. A touch sensor configured in this manner may be implemented as a standalone touch sensing device, or as a component of other devices such as electronic displays or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan M. Kuefler, Allen C. Hunt
  • Publication number: 20170329447
    Abstract: Touch sensors with multiple electrically isolated touch regions are disclosed. A touch sensor may be electrically partitioned into a first touch region and a second touch region. The first touch region and the second touch region may be physically connected and electrically isolated from each other. The first touch region and the second touch region may each independently define an independently operable portion of the touch sensor such that a failure in one of the first touch region or the second touch region does not impair operations in another one of the first touch region or the second touch region. A touch sensor configured in this manner may be implemented as a standalone touch sensing device, or as a component of other devices such as electronic displays or the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2016
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Inventors: Alan M. Kuefler, Allen C. Hunt