Patents by Inventor Peter Lützow

Peter Lützow 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: 9846060
    Abstract: An optical sensor arrangement for measuring an observable, the arrangement including an optical resonance circuit including at least a first and a second optical resonator, each of the optical resonators including an entry port for coupling light into the optical resonator and a drop port for decoupling light from the optical resonator. The first and second resonator are configured such that only a portion of the first and second resonator detects the presence of the observable, a size of the portion of the first resonator being different from a size of the portion of the second resonator. The optical resonance circuit further configured to be coupled to a light generation circuit and to a detector unit for detecting light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Frauhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande
  • Patent number: 9677996
    Abstract: An optical sensor arrangement for measuring an observable including at least one light source for generating a first light component of a first frequency including a first mode and a second light component of a second frequency including a second mode orthogonal to the first mode, an optical resonator having differing optical lengths for the first and second modes, at least one of the optical lengths being variable depending on the observable and a dependence of the respective optical length being different for the first and second modes, and a detector unit coupled to the optical resonator for coupling out the two light components and being configured for detecting a frequency difference between a resonance frequency of the optical resonator for the first mode and a resonance frequency of the optical resonator for the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande
  • Publication number: 20160047677
    Abstract: An optical sensor arrangement for measuring an observable, the arrangement including an optical resonance circuit including at least a first and a second optical resonator, each of the optical resonators including an entry port for coupling light into the optical resonator and a drop port for decoupling light from the optical resonator. The first and second resonator are configured such that only a portion of the first and second resonator detects the presence of the observable, a size of the portion of the first resonator being different from a size of the portion of the second resonator. The optical resonance circuit further configured to be coupled to a light generation circuit and to a detector unit for detecting light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Publication date: February 18, 2016
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewan dten Forschung e. V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande
  • Patent number: 9097648
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an example method and optical sensor for detecting molecules of a particular substance by means of an optical sensor. Such an example method may include bringing the sensor into contact with a fluid to be analyzed, coupling light of a first wavelength into an optical resonator of the optical sensor, coupling light of a second wavelength into the same resonator or into a second optical resonator of the optical sensor, detecting, for each of the first and the second wavelengths, an optical signal coupled out of an optical path containing the respective resonator, varying an optical length of the respective resonator or the respective wavelength and detecting a broadening of this resonance indicating an absorption of the light fed into the respective resonator by molecules accumulated at the active layer of this resonator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande, Wolfgang Schade
  • Patent number: 9080953
    Abstract: A sensor arrangement including a light source, a first optical element, a second optical element, a first photo detector, and a second photo detector. The light source is optically coupled to the first optical element that is optically coupled to the second optical element. The first photo detector is optically coupled to the first optical element for detecting a first component of the part of the light which is not transmitted by the second optical element, and the second photo detector is optically coupled to the second optical element for detecting a second component of the part of the light which is transmitted by the second optical element. One of the first and the second optical elements is an optical filter and the other is a sensor element, where the sensor element or the filter is tunable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande, Alethea Vanessa Gomez Zamora
  • Publication number: 20140326858
    Abstract: An optical sensor arrangement for measuring an observable including at least one light source for generating a first light component of a first frequency including a first mode and a second light component of a second frequency including a second mode orthogonal to the first mode, an optical resonator having differing optical lengths for the first and second modes, at least one of the optical lengths being variable depending on the observable and a dependence of the respective optical length being different for the first and second modes, and a detector unit coupled to the optical resonator for coupling out the two light components and being configured for detecting a frequency difference between a resonance frequency of the optical resonator for the first mode and a resonance frequency of the optical resonator for the second mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: November 6, 2014
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande
  • Patent number: 8857242
    Abstract: The invention relates to a gas sensor having a mechanical microresonator, which has an excitation apparatus for optically exciting a mechanical oscillation of the microresonator as well as a reading apparatus for detecting the oscillation of the microresonator, wherein the reading apparatus comprises a waveguide which is implemented together with the microresonator on a dielectric or semiconducting substrate and is intended to optically read the oscillation of the microresonator, and wherein the excitation apparatus has an optical waveguide which is implemented on the same substrate and optically connects an excitation light source to the immediate surroundings of the microresonator. The invention also relates to a use of such a sensor to analyse a gas composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignees: Miopas GmbH, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lutzow, Wolfgang Schlaak, Herbert Venghaus, Thomas Wegner
  • Publication number: 20140253917
    Abstract: A sensor arrangement including a light source, a first optical element, a second optical element, a first photo detector, and a second photo detector. The light source is optically coupled to the first optical element that is optically coupled to the second optical element. The first photo detector is optically coupled to the first optical element for detecting a first component of the part of the light which is not transmitted by the second optical element, and the second photo detector is optically coupled to the second optical element for detecting a second component of the part of the light which is transmitted by the second optical element. One of the first and the second optical elements is an optical filter and the other is a sensor element, where the sensor element or the filter is tunable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande, Alethea Vanessa Gomez Zamora
  • Patent number: 8823947
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical sensor comprising an optical waveguide (1) and a light-sensitive element (4) for detecting light coupled out of the waveguide (1) and also various ring resonators (2), the ring resonators (2) being coupled optically to the mentioned waveguide (1) and, with the exception of at most one of the ring resonators (2), each having a means (5) for adjusting resonance frequencies of the respective ring resonator (2) and/or of the coupling between the ring resonator (2) and the waveguide (1) and at least two of the ring resonators (2) having different optical lengths in an initial state and being disposed for having their resonance frequencies influenced by means of different variables to be measured which are specific for each of these ring resonators (2). The invention refers furthermore to a method which can be implemented with a sensor of this type for detecting molecules of at least one substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lútzow, Herbert Venghaus, Hugo Joseph Wilhelmus Maria Hoekstra
  • Publication number: 20140118741
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an example method and optical sensor for detecting molecules of a particular substance by means of an optical sensor. Such an example method may include bringing the sensor into contact with a fluid to be analyzed, coupling light of a first wavelength into an optical resonator of the optical sensor, coupling light of a second wavelength into the same resonator or into a second optical resonator of the optical sensor, detecting, for each of the first and the second wavelengths, an optical signal coupled out of an optical path containing the respective resonator, varying an optical length of the respective resonator or the respective wavelength and detecting a broadening of this resonance indicating an absorption of the light fed into the respective resonator by molecules accumulated at the active layer of this resonator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Daniel Pergande, Wolfgang Schade
  • Patent number: 8682115
    Abstract: An optical sensor for detecting a substance includes a first waveguide and a second waveguide optically coupled via a directional coupler to the first waveguide. The sensor has a functional surface in a region of the directional coupler for accumulating or storing the substance to be detected so that an intensity of a coupling arranged by the directional coupler between the first waveguide and the second waveguide can be changed by the accumulating or storing of this substance. The first waveguide extends in a freely floating manner over a coupling path covered by the directional coupler or rests on a swellable material. The first waveguide is guided in a vicinity of the coupling path so that a spacing between the first waveguide and the second waveguide can be changed there by a deformation or movement of the first waveguide or of a carrier of the first waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lutzow, Herbert Venghaus
  • Publication number: 20120182552
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical sensor comprising an optical waveguide (1) and a light-sensitive element (4) for detecting light coupled out of the waveguide (1) and also various ring resonators (2), the ring resonators (2) being coupled optically to the mentioned waveguide (1) and, with the exception of at most one of the ring resonators (2), each having a means (5) for adjusting resonance frequencies of the respective ring resonator (2) and/or of the coupling between the ring resonator (2) and the waveguide (1) and at least two of the ring resonators (2) having different optical lengths in an initial state and being disposed for having their resonance frequencies influenced by means of different variables to be measured which are specific for each of these ring resonators (2). The invention refers furthermore to a method which can be implemented with a sensor of this type for detecting molecules of at least one substance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gessellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lützow, Herbert Venghaus, Hugo Joseph Wilhelmus Maria Hoekstra
  • Publication number: 20110290002
    Abstract: The invention relates to a gas sensor having a mechanical microresonator, which has an excitation apparatus for optically exciting a mechanical oscillation of the microresonator as well as a reading apparatus for detecting the oscillation of the microresonator, wherein the reading apparatus comprises a waveguide which is implemented together with the microresonator on a dielectric or semiconducting substrate and is intended to optically read the oscillation of the microresonator, and wherein the excitation apparatus has an optical waveguide which is implemented on the same substrate and optically connects an excitation light source to the immediate surroundings of the microresonator. The invention also relates to a use of such a sensor to analyse a gas composition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicants: Miopas GmbH, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lutzow, Wolfgang Schlaak, Herbert Venghaus, Thomas Wegner
  • Publication number: 20110194807
    Abstract: An optical sensor for detecting a substance includes a first waveguide and a second waveguide optically coupled via a directional coupler to the first waveguide. The sensor has a functional surface in a region of the directional coupler for accumulating or storing the substance to be detected so that an intensity of a coupling arranged by the directional coupler between the first waveguide and the second waveguide can be changed by the accumulating or storing of this substance. The first waveguide extends in a freely floating manner over a coupling path covered by the directional coupler or rests on a swellable material. The first waveguide is guided in a vicinity of the coupling path so that a spacing between the first waveguide and the second waveguide can be changed there by a deformation or movement of the first waveguide or of a carrier of the first waveguide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Heidrich, Peter Lutzow, Herbert Venghaus