Patents by Inventor Bernhard Fiegl
Bernhard Fiegl 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).
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Patent number: 9817122Abstract: An electro-optical distance measuring device includes a laser driver for a laser diode for emitting laser light pulses. The laser driver has a laser diode voltage supply for providing a voltage below a laser threshold voltage of the laser diode, an inductive component in a supply path of the laser diode, and an electronic switching element. The electronic switching element is arranged in an interacting manner such that a current flow through the inductive component can be generated in a first switching position of the switching element and the current flow can be conducted through the laser diode in a second switching position of the switching element. One of the laser light pulses can be emitted as the result of a switch from the first switching position to the second switching position, and laser light cannot be emitted in the static first switching position or the static second switching position.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2012Date of Patent: November 14, 2017Assignee: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AGInventors: Reto Metzler, Bernhard Fiegl, Kurt Giger
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Patent number: 9753139Abstract: An electro-optical distance measuring device includes a laser driver for a laser diode for emitting laser light pulses. The measuring device further includes a laser diode voltage supply having a cascade of at least two voltage regulators, each of which provides an output voltage at a level below a laser threshold voltage of the laser diode. By changing from a first to a second switching position of an electronic switching element of the measuring device, one of the laser light pulses can be emitted and, in the steady-state first and the steady-state second switching positions, no laser light is emitted.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2013Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AGInventors: Kurt Giger, Reto Metzler, Bernhard Fiegl
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Patent number: 9677883Abstract: The invention relates to an optoelectronic distance measuring device, comprising a transmitting unit and comprising a receiving unit of an electronic evaluating unit. The transmitting unit has a circuit board, a semiconductor laser, and a laser diode driver for transmitting high-frequency intensity-modulated optical radiation. In order to receive a component of the optical radiation reflected by a target object by means of a photosensitive electrical component, the receiving unit is equipped with an electrical output signal as a received signal, a conditioning unit for conditioning the received signal, and an analog/digital converter for digitizing the conditioned received signal. The electronic evaluating unit determines a distance from the distance measuring device to the target object on the basis of a signal propagation time using the digitized received signal. The semiconductor laser is attached to the circuit board as a laser substrate that does not have a housing.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2012Date of Patent: June 13, 2017Assignee: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AGInventors: Kurt Giger, Reto Metzler, Bernhard Fiegl
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Patent number: 9599713Abstract: The invention relates to an electro-optical distance-measuring device, more particularly a laser rangefinder, with a transmitting unit for transmitting intensity-modulated optical radiation, a receiving unit for receiving a portion of the optical radiation reflected back from a target in a photosensitive electrical component and converting it into an electrical received signal, an input filter for filtering the received signal, an analog-to-digital converter for digitizing the filtered received signal and an electronic analysis unit that calculates the distance from the rangefinder to the target object on the basis of a signal propagation time using the digitized received signal. The input filter is implemented as a time-discrete and continuous-value filter structure, more particularly a digital filter structure.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2012Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AGInventors: Kurt Giger, Reto Metzler, Bernhard Fiegl
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Publication number: 20140327902Abstract: The invention relates to an optoelectronic distance measuring device, comprising a transmitting unit and comprising a receiving unit of an electronic evaluating unit. The transmitting unit has a circuit board, a semiconductor laser, and a laser diode driver for transmitting high-frequency intensity-modulated optical radiation. In order to receive a component of the optical radiation reflected by a target object by means of a photosensitive electrical component, the receiving unit is equipped with an electrical output signal as a received signal, a conditioning unit for conditioning the received signal, and an analog/digital converter for digitizing the conditioned received signal. The electronic evaluating unit determines a distance from the distance measuring device to the target object on the basis of a signal propagation time using the digitized received signal. The semiconductor laser is attached to the circuit board as a laser substrate that does not have a housing.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2012Publication date: November 6, 2014Inventors: Kurt Giger, Reto Metzler, Bernhard Fiegl
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Publication number: 20140307248Abstract: The invention relates to an electro-optical distance-measuring device, more particularly a laser rangefinder, with a transmitting unit for transmitting intensity-modulated optical radiation, a receiving unit for receiving a portion of the optical radiation reflected back from a target in a photosensitive electrical component and converting it into an electrical received signal, an input filter for filtering the received signal, an analogue-to-digital converter for digitising the filtered received signal and an electronic analysis unit that calculates the distance from the rangefinder to the target object on the basis of a signal propagation time using the digitised received signal. The input filter is implemented as a time-discrete and continuous-value filter structure, more particularly a digital filter structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2012Publication date: October 16, 2014Inventors: Kurt Giger, Reto Metzler, Bernhard Fiegl
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Publication number: 20140226147Abstract: An electro-optical distance measuring device includes a laser driver for a laser diode for emitting laser light pulses. The laser driver has a laser diode voltage supply for providing a voltage below a laser threshold voltage of the laser diode, an inductive component in a supply path of the laser diode, and an electronic switching element. The electronic switching element is arranged in an interacting manner such that a current flow through the inductive component can be generated in a first switching position of the switching element and the current flow can be conducted through the laser diode in a second switching position of the switching element. One of the laser light pulses can be emitted as the result of a switch from the first switching position to the second switching position, and laser light cannot be emitted in the static first switching position or the static second switching position.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 4, 2012Publication date: August 14, 2014Applicant: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AGInventors: Reto Metzler, Bernhard Fiegl, Kurt Giger
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Publication number: 20140204396Abstract: An electro-optical distance measuring device includes a laser driver for a laser diode for emitting laser light pulses. The measuring device further includes a laser diode voltage supply having a cascade of at least two voltage regulators, each of which provides an output voltage at a level below a laser threshold voltage of the laser diode. By changing from a first to a second switching position of an electronic switching element of the measuring device, one of the laser light pulses can be emitted and, in the steady-state first and the steady-state second switching positions, no laser light is emitted.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2013Publication date: July 24, 2014Applicant: LEICA GEOSYSTEMS AGInventors: Kurt GIGER, Reto METZLER, Bernhard FIEGL
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Patent number: 6103592Abstract: FET devices are manufactured using STI on a semiconductor substrate coated with a pad from which are formed raised active silicon device areas and dummy active silicon mesas capped with pad structures on the doped silicon substrate and pad structure. A conformal blanket silicon oxide layer is deposited on the device with conformal projections above the mesas. Then a polysilicon film on the blanket silicon oxide layer is deposited with conformal projections above the mesas. The polysilicon film projections are removed in a CMP polishing step which continues until the silicon oxide layer is exposed over the pad structures. Selective RIE partial etching of the conformal silicon oxide layer over the mesas is next, followed in turn by CMP planarization of the conformal blanket silicon oxide layer which converts the silicon oxide layer into a planar silicon oxide layer, using the pad silicon nitride as an etch stop.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 1997Date of Patent: August 15, 2000Assignees: International Business Machines Corp., Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Max Gerald Levy, Bernhard Fiegl, Walter Glashauser, Frank Prein
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Patent number: 5976982Abstract: A method for preventing CMP-induced (chemical-mechanical polish) damage to a substrate disposed below a pad nitride layer of a mesa. The pad nitride layer is disposed below a conformally deposited dielectric layer. The dielectric layer is disposed below a conformally deposited polysilicon layer. The method includes planarizing the polysilicon layer down to at least a surface of the dielectric layer using the CMP to expose a first region of the dielectric layer. The method further includes etching partially through the first region of the dielectric layer using first etch parameters. The first etch parameters include an etchant source gas that is substantially selective to the pad nitride layer to prevent the pad nitride layer from being etched through even in the presence of a CMP defect. Additionally, there is also included removing the polysilicon layer after the etching partially through the first region of the dielectric layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 1997Date of Patent: November 2, 1999Assignees: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Max G. Levy, Wolfgang Bergner, Bernhard Fiegl, George R. Goth, Paul Parries, Matthew J. Sendelbach, Tinghao T. Wang, William C. Wille, Juergen Wittmann
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Patent number: 5804490Abstract: A method of isolation in silicon integrated circuit processing overfills the trench by a fill margin, deposits a temporary layer of poly having a thickness less than the trench depth by the thickness of an oxide polish stop, so that the top of the polish stop is coplanar with the top of the fill layer outside the trench; the temporary layer is polished outside the trench, using the fill layer and the polish stop layer as polish stops; the polish stop layer is removed together with the same thickness of the fill layer and temporary layer, preserving planarity that is destroyed by selectively etching the fill layer; the remaining temporary layer is stripped and a final touch up polish of the fill layer stops on the pad nitride.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 1997Date of Patent: September 8, 1998Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation, Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Bernhard Fiegl, Walter Glashauser, Max G. Levy, Victor R. Nastasi