Patents by Inventor Christian Schmaler

Christian Schmaler 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).

  • Publication number: 20240362811
    Abstract: Disclosed is an incision foil made of a sterile, thin adhesive plastic film with a defined pattern printed on it (e.g. a fine grid pattern) which can be stuck e.g. on a patient's skin surface and which marks the anatomical region of interest. Using a camera, images are acquired of the attached film and the deformation of the pattern is digitized. With a computer vision algorithm the surface of the patient, which corresponds to the surface of the film, is reconstructed from the detected pattern features in the images in comparison to the known original undeformed pattern. Disclosed is also a method for determining a geometry of the surface of the patient using the incision foil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2024
    Publication date: October 31, 2024
    Inventor: Christian Schmaler
  • Patent number: 12112437
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a computer-implemented medical method, a computer program and a system for determining a reconstructed image augmentation of a field of view provided by an augmented reality device (3), wherein an image location and/or at least one image orientation of at least one two-dimensional reconstructed image (9, 10 10) within the field view depends on the spatial position of at least one object (8, 11, 12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Brainlab AG
    Inventors: Christian Schmaler, Juliane Weinzierl, Oliver Fleig
  • Publication number: 20240122650
    Abstract: Provided is a method that encompasses the determination of a virtual trajectory within a virtual representation of a patient's anatomy, wherein the trajectory is defined by a user's visual axis relative to the three-dimensional virtual representation of the patient's anatomy. The method includes acquiring image data which describes the three-dimensional virtual representation of the patient's body part, acquiring position data which describes a spatial position of a user's visual axis within a virtual-world co-ordinate system, determining visualization data based on the image data and the position data, and determining virtual-world trajectory data based on the position data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Sven FLOSSMANN, Sebastian STOPP, Susanne HAGER, Christian SCHMALER, Christoffer HAMILTON
  • Patent number: 11918294
    Abstract: Provided is a method that encompasses the determination of a virtual trajectory within a virtual representation of a patient's anatomy, wherein the trajectory is defined by a user's visual axis relative to the three-dimensional virtual representation of the patient's anatomy. The method includes acquiring image data which describes the three-dimensional virtual representation of the patient's body part, acquiring position data which describes a spatial position of a user's visual axis within a virtual-world co-ordinate system, determining visualization data based on the image data and the position data, and determining virtual-world trajectory data based on the position data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Brainlab AG
    Inventors: Sven Flossmann, Sebastian Stopp, Susanne Hager, Christian Schmaler, Christoffer Hamilton
  • Publication number: 20230360334
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a computer-implemented medical method, a computer program and a system for determining a reconstructed image augmentation of a field of view provided by an augmented reality device (3), wherein an image location and/or at least one image orientation of at least one two-dimensional reconstructed image (9, 10 10) within the field view depends on the spatial position of at least one object (8, 11, 12).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Christian Schmaler, Juliane Weinzierl, Oliver Fleig
  • Publication number: 20230326059
    Abstract: An incision foil made of a sterile, thin adhesive plastic film with a defined pattern printed on it (e.g. a fine grid pattern) can be stuck e.g. on a patient's skin surface and which marks the anatomical region of interest. Using a camera, images are acquired of the attached film and the deformation of the pattern is digitized. With a computer vision algorithm the surface of the patient, which corresponds to the surface of the film, is reconstructed from the detected pattern features in the images in comparison to the known original undeformed pattern. A method determines a geometry of the surface of the patient using the incision foil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventor: Christian SCHMALER
  • Patent number: 11685345
    Abstract: A braking system for a motor vehicle includes a hydraulic service brake for braking the motor vehicle in driving operation, an electric parking brake for holding the motor vehicle at a standstill, and an electronic control system for automatically controlling the parking brake and the service brake. The electronic control system may be adapted to activate the parking brake, with the service brake activated, after the motor vehicle has been braked to the standstill via the activated service brake, and to at least partly deactivate the activated service brake after the parking brake has been activated. The electronic control system may also be adapted to deactivate the activated parking brake following operation of an accelerator pedal of the motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Karl-Peter Hesseler, Olga Bergen, Christian Schmaler
  • Publication number: 20220096158
    Abstract: Provided is a method that encompasses the determination of a virtual trajectory within a virtual representation of a patient's anatomy, wherein the trajectory is defined by a user's visual axis relative to the three-dimensional virtual representation of the patient's anatomy. The method includes acquiring image data which describes the three-dimensional virtual representation of the patient's body part, acquiring position data which describes a spatial position of a user's visual axis within a virtual-world co-ordinate system, determining visualization data based on the image data and the position data, and determining virtual-world trajectory data based on the position data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Sven FLOSSMANN, Sebastian STOPP, Susanne HAGER, Christian SCHMALER, Christoffer HAMILTON
  • Patent number: 11066057
    Abstract: A method for operating a hydraulic brake system of a motor vehicle having a brake booster and a hydraulic brake boost wherein a brake pressure is detected and an underpressure, prevailing in an underpressure chamber of the brake booster is estimated on the basis of the detected brake pressure. The hydraulic brake boost controlled based on the estimated underpressure, with the estimated underpressure taking into account an actuation of the hydraulic brake boost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Moore, Christian Schmaler, Matthias Baumann, Thomas Svensson
  • Publication number: 20210171000
    Abstract: A braking system for a motor vehicle includes a hydraulic service brake for braking the motor vehicle in driving operation, an electric parking brake for holding the motor vehicle at a standstill, and an electronic control system for automatically controlling the parking brake and the service brake. The electronic control system may be adapted to activate the parking brake, with the service brake activated, after the motor vehicle has been braked to the standstill via the activated service brake, and to at least partly deactivate the activated service brake after the parking brake has been activated. The electronic control system may also be adapted to deactivate the activated parking brake following operation of an accelerator pedal of the motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Karl-Peter Hesseler, Olga Bergen, Christian Schmaler
  • Patent number: 10618518
    Abstract: A method and system for determining the pressure in a brake booster used to actuate a brake system having at least one main brake cylinder. The brake booster connected in a fluid-conducting manner by a non-return valve to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. A reduced pressure loss in the brake booster resulting from actuation of the main brake cylinder is balanced with the reduced pressure gain in the brake booster as a result of a pressure difference between the brake booster pressure and the intake manifold pressure. The reduced pressure gain in the brake booster is determined based on time, the air mass flow between the brake booster, and the intake manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Moore, Matthias Baumann, Christian Schmaler, Martin Knuettel
  • Patent number: 10493974
    Abstract: A method for fault diagnosis of a vacuum system having a vacuum source and a vacuum consumer connected to the vacuum source via a connecting line with a non-return valve disposed in the connecting line upstream of the vacuum source. The method including indirectly determining a vacuum in the vacuum consumer based on an estimated vacuum value. Providing a flow sensor, using the flow sensor to measure a flow in the connecting line and drawing a conclusion regarding a defect based on the estimated vacuum value and the flow. An exemplary embodiment may also include a combined check valve and flow sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Christian Schmaler, Ian Moore
  • Patent number: 10444252
    Abstract: A method for operating a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine, a service brake, a brake booster, a parking brake, a wheel-speed sensor and an inclination sensor is disclosed. The method including measuring the speed of motor vehicle using the wheel-speed sensor to create a speed signal. An inclination of the motor vehicle with respect to the direction the motor vehicle is sensed and an angle signal is created. The internal combustion engine is started when the speed measured is greater than zero and the inclination of the motor vehicle is greater than a predetermined value, such that the internal combustion engine creates a partial vacuum to power the brake booster to assist with the operation of the service brake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Moore, Matthias Baumann, Christian Schmaler
  • Patent number: 10160432
    Abstract: A method for actuating an electric vacuum pump of a brake booster including indirectly ascertaining a negative pressure in the brake booster. Depending on the indirectly ascertained negative pressure, and on a pumping capacity of the vacuum pump, ascertaining at least one activation parameter for the vacuum pump. Activating the vacuum pump in accordance with the activation parameter, when the indirectly ascertained negative pressure drops below a predefined minimum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Moore, Christian Schmaler, Matthias Baumann
  • Publication number: 20180086323
    Abstract: A method for operating a hydraulic brake system of a motor vehicle having a brake booster and a hydraulic brake boost wherein a brake pressure is detected and an underpressure, prevailing in an underpressure chamber of the brake booster is estimated on the basis of the detected brake pressure. The hydraulic brake boost controlled based on the estimated underpressure, with the estimated underpressure taking into account an actuation of the hydraulic brake boost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Moore, Christian Schmaler, Matthias Baumann, Thomas Svensson
  • Publication number: 20180086326
    Abstract: A method for fault diagnosis of a vacuum system having a vacuum source and a vacuum consumer connected to the vacuum source via a connecting line with a non-return valve disposed in the connecting line upstream of the vacuum source. The method including indirectly determining a vacuum in the vacuum consumer based on an estimated vacuum value. Providing a flow sensor, using the flow sensor to measure a flow in the connecting line and drawing a conclusion regarding a defect based on the estimated vacuum value and the flow. An exemplary embodiment may also include a combined check valve and flow sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Christian Schmaler, Ian Moore
  • Publication number: 20170106847
    Abstract: A method for actuating an electric vacuum pump of a brake booster including indirectly ascertaining a negative pressure in the brake booster. Depending on the indirectly ascertained negative pressure, and on a pumping capacity of the vacuum pump, ascertaining at least one activation parameter for the vacuum pump. Activating the vacuum pump in accordance with the activation parameter, when the indirectly ascertained negative pressure drops below a predefined minimum value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Moore, Christian Schmaler, Matthias Baumann
  • Publication number: 20170106870
    Abstract: A method and system for determining the pressure in a brake booster used to actuate a brake system having at least one main brake cylinder. The brake booster connected in a fluid-conducting manner by a non-return valve to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. A reduced pressure loss in the brake booster resulting from actuation of the main brake cylinder is balanced with the reduced pressure gain in the brake booster as a result of a pressure difference between the brake booster pressure and the intake manifold pressure. The reduced pressure gain in the brake booster is determined based on time the air mass flow between the brake booster and the intake manifold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Moore, Matthias Baumann, Christian Schmaler, Martin Knuettel
  • Publication number: 20160369726
    Abstract: A method for operating a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine, a service brake, a brake booster, a parking brake, a wheel-speed sensor and an inclination sensor is disclosed. The method including measuring the speed of motor vehicle using the wheel-speed sensor to create a speed signal. An inclination of the motor vehicle with respect to the direction the motor vehicle is sensed and an angle signal is created. The internal combustion engine is started when the speed measured is greater than zero and the inclination of the motor vehicle is greater than a predetermined value, such that the internal combustion engine creates a partial vacuum to power the brake booster to assist with the operation of the service brake.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Moore, Matthias Baumann, Christian Schmaler