Patents by Inventor Claus Kaltner

Claus Kaltner 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: 20140267155
    Abstract: An electrode arrangement has a transmitting electrode configured to generate a quasi-static alternating electric field which extends into an observation area, a first electrode extending in a first direction and configured to be connected to an evaluation device as a receiving electrode, and a second electrode extending in a second direction different from the first direction wherein for evaluating disturbances of the quasi-static alternating electric field an enhanced sensitivity profile is obtained by combining the first and second electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Roland Aubauer, Claus Kaltner, Lucian Rosca
  • Publication number: 20140118012
    Abstract: A sensor device has a first electrode structure and a second electrode structure, the first electrode structure has a transmitting electrode, a compensation electrode and a reception electrode and the second electrode structure has a field transmission electrode and at least one field sensing electrode. The first electrode structure is adapted to detect a gripping of an electric hand-held device, whereas the second electrode structure is adapted to detect an approach of a finger to the second electrode structure, for example of the hand gripping the hand-held device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Inventors: Holger Erkens, Claus Kaltner
  • Publication number: 20140118011
    Abstract: A method for the detection of a gripping of a hand-held device with one hand, using a capacitive sensor device, uses at least one transmitting electrode, at least one compensating electrode and at least one receiving electrode. An electrical signal is tapped at the receiving electrode and the sensor device can be operated in a first operating mode and in a second operating mode. In the first operating mode, a first alternating electrical signal is applied to the transmitting electrode and a second alternating electrical signal is applied to the compensating electrode. In the second operating mode, the second alternating signal is only applied to the compensating electrode. Furthermore, a sensor device can be provided which is configured to perform the method as described above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2011
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Inventors: Stefan Burger, Andreas Dorfner, Holger Erkens, Claus Kaltner, Holger Steffens
  • Publication number: 20140111222
    Abstract: An electrode arrangement for an electric field sensor device with a transmitting electrode and at least one receiving electrode may have a nonconductive substrate having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer. A first electrode is arranged within the first conductive layer, wherein the first electrode is a receiving electrode of the electric field sensor device, and a second electrode is arranged within the second conductive layer, wherein the second electrode is a transmitting electrode of the electric field sensor device wherein the second electrode covers a larger area than the first electrode and wherein the second electrode is textured to reduce the capacitance between the first and second electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Inventors: Roland Aubauer, Claus Kaltner
  • Publication number: 20140055396
    Abstract: A gesture detection system according to embodiments includes an input device including a touch sensitive surface and a contact-free detection system; and a controller configured to determine characteristic parameters for the position in three-dimensional space of a user input object and select an operational mode of the input device based on the position of the user input object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Inventors: Roland Aubauer, Johannes Matokic, Claus Kaltner
  • Publication number: 20130282338
    Abstract: A method for measuring sensor signals, has the steps: a) receiving a signal packet with a plurality of sampled sensor signals; b) determining a signal level from the sampled sensor signals; c) determining signal variations within the packet; d) comparing the determined signal variations with a predetermined noise threshold and if the variations are below the noise threshold then using the signal packet for further processing and if the variations are above the noise threshold then summing the signal level and repeating steps a) to c) and determining a predetermined number of repetitions has been reached and if so averaging the summed signal level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Andreas Dorfner, Claus Kaltner
  • Publication number: 20130187705
    Abstract: An electrode device for a capacitive sensor device and a circuit arrangement for a capacitive sensor device for the operation of an electrode device are provided, wherein the electrode device has a first electrode structure with at least one transmitting electrode and at least one receiving electrode, and a second electrode structure with at least one field sensing electrode, wherein the electrode device or the capacitive sensor device can be operated in a first operation mode and in a second operation mode. In addition a method is provided for approach and/or touch detection with a sensor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Inventors: Claus Kaltner, Richard Unterreitmayer, Holger Steffens
  • Publication number: 20130057303
    Abstract: A device for an electric hand-held device for detecting the hand-held device being clasped by a hand, has at least one transmitting electrode, which can emit an alternating electric field, and at least one receiving electrode, in which the alternating electric field can be coupled at least partially, wherein the at least one transmitting electrode and the at least one receiving electrode can be arranged on the hand-held device such that each of them is at least partially covered by the hand when the hand-held device is being clasped by the hand. When the hand-held device is being clasped by the hand, a first portion of the alternating electric field emitted by the transmitting electrode can be coupled via the hand into the receiving electrode, wherein at least the first portion of the alternating electric field is a characteristic representative of the hand-held device being clasped by the hand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Inventors: Claus Kaltner, Reinhard Unterreitmayer
  • Publication number: 20120286802
    Abstract: An electronic circuit with a plurality of connections for a plurality of sensor elements is provided, wherein the electronic circuit is configured to detect, with at least one multiplexing method, the presence of an object in at least one observation area of the sensor elements and to distinguish between the sensor elements. Also a method for determining the position of at least one object situated in at least one observation area of sensor elements relative to the sensor elements is provided, whereby with a multiplexing method an electric variable for each sensor element is detected, which is indicative for the presence of the object in the respective observation area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Claus Kaltner, Holger Steffens
  • Publication number: 20120026121
    Abstract: An electrical hand-held device is provided with improved proximity detection, which can be placed on a surface and has at least one transmission electrode, at least one reception electrode and at least one compensation electrode arranged between transmission electrode and reception electrode. The transmission electrode and the compensation electrode can be supplied with an electric switching signal of predetermined signal frequency and predetermined signal amplitude. Switching electric signal at the compensation electrode is phase-delayed with respect to the switching electric signal at the transmission electrode. Alternating electric fields radiated at the transmission electrode and the compensation electrode generate a current in the reception electrode, which is representative of an approach of a hand to the hand-held device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Inventors: Reinhard Unterreitmayer, Claus Kaltner, Holger Steffens, Stefan Donat
  • Publication number: 20110316304
    Abstract: The invention provides an antitrap protection system for a moving system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventors: Hans Schwaiger, Thomas Kandziora, Peter Fasshauer, Claus Kaltner
  • Publication number: 20090066346
    Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit device and a method for detecting the presence of an object in the vicinity of a motor vehicle. The aim of the invention is to provide solutions which allow monitoring the vicinity of a motor vehicle with regard to the presence of an object. In particular, the aim of the invention is to provide solutions which allow detecting the approach of human body parts to danger-relevant structures, such as for example soft top devices, window openings, door openings and trunk lids, and taking the appropriate safety measures. According to the invention, this problem is solved by a motor vehicle that comprises a detection circuit with a first electrode system, a second electrode system and an alternative current generator for generating a potential difference between the two electrode systems, the first electrode system being arranged in the lower region of the vehicle for inputting the shift current events in the region supporting the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: IDENT TECHNOLOGY AG
    Inventor: Claus Kaltner