Patents by Inventor Bernd Stich

Bernd Stich 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: 9614522
    Abstract: The operating device, such as a human-machine interface, in particular for a vehicle component, is provided with a front wall having a front side that has several fixed symbol fields and having a rear side, a capacitive sensor system that has individual electrodes associated with the symbol fields, which electrodes are arranged on the rear side of the front wall, and a carrier plate that faces the rear side of the front wall and is arranged at a distance from the front wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Kleine-Hollenhorst, Bernd Stich, Rainer Siebert
  • Patent number: 9257243
    Abstract: The operating device (10), in particular for a vehicle component or generally for a human/machine interface, is provided with at least one pushbutton (28), which has a depressible pushbutton element (26). In addition, the operating device (10) has a guide element (18), which defines an accommodating area (24) in which the pushbutton element (26) is at least partially accommodated and in which the pushbutton element (26) is guided, and a capacitive proximity sensor (36) with an electrode (34) for detecting an object approaching the pushbutton element (26), in particular a hand or a finger of a hand. The electrode (34) is arranged outside the accommodating area (24) of the guide element (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GMBH
    Inventors: Rainer Siebert, Bernd Stich, Holger Kleine-Hollenhorst
  • Publication number: 20140347301
    Abstract: The operating device, such as a human-machine interface, in particular for a vehicle component, is provided with a front wall having a front side that has several fixed symbol fields and having a rear side, a capacitive sensor system that has individual electrodes associated with the symbol fields, which electrodes are arranged on the rear side of the front wall, and a carrier plate that faces the rear side of the front wall and is arranged at a distance from the front wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2012
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Inventors: Holger Kleine-Hollenhorst, Bernd Stich, Rainer Siebert
  • Patent number: 8785858
    Abstract: A solar sensor for the detection of the direction of incidence and the intensity of solar radiation comprises a housing (12) made of a plastic material that is permeable to at least some of the solar radiation, the housing (12) having a curved side (14) facing the incident solar radiation and the housing (12) optically acting as a lens and having an internal focal plane (26) defined by the lens characteristics thereof. At least two photosensors (16) are embedded in the plastic material of the housing (12), each photosensor (16) having a sensor area (18) sensitive to at least the part of the radiation to which the plastic material is permeable, and the sensor areas (18) of the photosensors (16) being arranged in a substantially common plane (19) located in front of or behind the focal plane (26), seen from side (14) facing the incident solar radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Otto Knittel, Bernd Stich, Ralph Trapp, Dirk Nagel
  • Publication number: 20140124350
    Abstract: The operating device (10), in particular for a vehicle component or generally for a human/machine interface, is provided with at least one pushbutton (28), which has a depressible pushbutton element (26). In addition, the operating device (10) has a guide element (18), which defines an accommodating area (24) in which the pushbutton element (26) is at least partially accommodated and in which the pushbutton element (26) is guided, and a capacitive proximity sensor (36) with an electrode (34) for detecting an object approaching the pushbutton element (26), in particular a hand or a finger of a hand. The electrode (34) is arranged outside the accommodating area (24) of the guide element (18).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Inventors: Rainer Siebert, Bernd Stich, Holger Kleine-Hollenhorst
  • Publication number: 20110240862
    Abstract: A solar sensor for the detection of the direction of incidence and the intensity of solar radiation comprises a housing (12) made of a plastic material that is permeable to at least some of the solar radiation, the housing (12) having a curved side (14) facing the incident solar radiation and the housing (12) optically acting as a lens and having an internal focal plane (26) defined by the lens characteristics thereof. At least two photosensors (16) are embedded in the plastic material of the housing (12), each photosensor (16) having a sensor area (18) sensitive to at least the part of the radiation to which the plastic material is permeable, and the sensor areas (18) of the photosensors (16) being arranged in a substantially common plane (19) located in front of or behind the focal plane (26), seen from side (14) facing the incident solar radiation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Otto Knittel, Bernd Stich, Ralph Trapp, Dirk Nagel
  • Patent number: 6997605
    Abstract: The device for detection of the temperature in the interior of a vehicle, particularly for an air-conditioning system of a vehicle, is provided with an interior temperature sensor (28) arranged in a housing (18) arranged in or at a wall (12) adjacent to the interior (14) of the vehicle and being at least partially adjacent to the interior (14) of the vehicle, and a radiation sensor (30) detecting solar radiation leading to the heating of the housing (18) of the interior temperature sensor (28). Further, the device is provided with a compensation temperature sensor (36) arranged behind the wall (12) and such that it is thermally decoupled from the interior temperature sensor (28) and detecting the heat of air and/or assemblies behind the wall (12), which leads to a falsification of the measured value of the interior temperature sensor (28). The two temperature sensors (28,36) and the radiation sensor (30) are combined in a common assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Ralph Trapp, Bernd Stich, Otto Knittel, Marwin Hamann
  • Publication number: 20040223534
    Abstract: The device for detection of the temperature in the interior of a vehicle, particularly for an air-conditioning system of a vehicle, is provided with an interior temperature sensor (28) arranged in a housing (18) arranged in or at a wall (12) adjacent to the interior (14) of the vehicle and being at least partially adjacent to the interior (14) of the vehicle, and a radiation sensor (30) detecting solar radiation leading to the heating of the housing (18) of the interior temperature sensor (28). Further, the device is provided with a compensation temperature sensor (36) arranged behind the wall (12) and such that it is thermally decoupled from the interior temperature sensor (28) and detecting the heat of air and/or assemblies behind the wall (12), which leads to a falsification of the measured value of the interior temperature sensor (28). The two temperature sensors (28,36) and the radiation sensor (30) are combined in a common assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Publication date: November 11, 2004
    Applicant: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Ralph Trapp, Bernd Stich, Otto Knittel, Marwin Hamann
  • Patent number: 6709155
    Abstract: A device for determining the temperature in the interior of a vehicle includes a temperature sensor for arrangement behind a wall adjacent the interior, and a processing unit receiving the measuring signal from the temperature sensor and outputting an output signal representing the temperature in the interior of the vehicle, and a thermal conductor for sensing the temperature of the air in the interior in the region close to the wall, the thermal conductor being in thermally conductive contact with the temperature sensor and being provided to extend up to or close to the wall or through an opening in the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Otto Knittel, Hans-Dieter Roehling, Bernd Stich
  • Publication number: 20020048308
    Abstract: A device for determining the temperature in the interior of a vehicle (12) comprises a temperature sensor (30) for arrangement behind a wall (18) adjacent the interior, and a processing unit (82) receiving the measuring signal from the temperature sensor (30) and outputting an output signal representing the temperature in the interior (10) of the vehicle (12). Further, it is provided with a thermal conductor element (36, 36′) for sensing the temperature of the air in the interior (10) in the region close to the wall, the thermal conductor element (36, 36′) being in thermally conductive contact with the temperature sensor (30) and being provided to extend up to or close to the wall (18) or through an opening (38) in the wall (18).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Inventors: Otto Knittel, Hans-Dieter Roehling, Bernd Stich