Patents by Inventor Richard A. Heinz
Richard A. Heinz 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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Publication number: 20240133981Abstract: A current sensor arrangement includes a first conductor structure extending in a first direction and configured to carry a first current along the first direction; a second conductor structure extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and configured to carry a second current along the second direction; and a magnetic field sensor arranged between the first conductor structure and the second conductor structure and configured to receive a first magnetic field produced by the first current and a second magnetic field produced by the second current. The first conductor structure and the second conductor structure overlap with the magnetic field sensor in a third direction that is perpendicular to the first and second directions. The magnetic field sensor includes a first sensor element sensitive to the first magnetic field and a second sensor element sensitive to the second magnetic field.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2022Publication date: April 25, 2024Inventors: Stephan LEISENHEIMER, Richard HEINZ
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Patent number: 11965756Abstract: Implementations relate to a sensor assembly for determining rotation about an axis and linear movement parallel to the axis. The sensor assembly comprises a magnetic structure comprising a north pole radially displaced from the axis and a south pole radially displaced from the axis and opposite to the north pole. The north pole and the south pole of the magnet extend radially into the direction of the axis at an axial end of the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly further comprises at least one sensor element sensitive to magnetic fields radially between the north pole and the south pole.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2022Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Joo Il Park, Richard Heinz, Hyun Jeong Kim, Sehwan Kim, Stephan Leisenheimer, Severin Neuner
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Publication number: 20240060798Abstract: A sensor system may include a magnet arranged such that a linear position of the magnet corresponds to a position of a trigger element on a substantially linear trajectory, and such that an angular position of the magnet corresponds to a selected position of a selection element, the selected position being one of a plurality of selected positions. The sensor system may include a magnetic sensor to determine the position of the trigger element based on a strength of a first magnetic field component and a strength of a second magnetic field component, and determine the selected position of the selection element based on a strength of a third magnetic field component and the strength of the second magnetic field component. The first magnetic field component, the second magnetic field component, and the third magnetic field component may be perpendicular to each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 18, 2023Publication date: February 22, 2024Inventors: Sebastian LADURNER, Richard HEINZ, Sigmund ZARUBA, Severin NEUNER
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Publication number: 20240061055Abstract: A sensor system may include a first magnet arranged such that a position of the first magnet corresponds to a position of a trigger element on a linear trajectory. The sensor system may include a second magnet arranged such that a position of the second magnet corresponds to a selected position of a selection element. The sensor system may include a magnetic sensor to detect a strength of a first magnetic field component, a strength of a second magnetic field component, and a strength of a third magnetic field component. The magnetic sensor may be further to determine the position of the trigger element based on the strength of the first magnetic field component and the strength of the second magnetic field component, and to determine the selected position of the selection element based on the strength of the third magnetic field component.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2022Publication date: February 22, 2024Inventors: Sebastian LADURNER, Richard HEINZ
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Patent number: 11885648Abstract: A method for determining a rotation angle of a magnet includes measuring a 3D magnetic field vector of a magnetic field generated by the magnet, wherein the 3D magnetic field vector describes at least a part of an ellipse in 3D space during a rotational movement of the magnet. The method further includes mapping the measured 3D magnetic field vector to a 2D vector based on a compensation mapping, wherein the compensation mapping is configured to map the ellipse in 3D space to a circle in 2D space. The method further includes determining the rotation angle of the magnet based on the 2D vector.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2022Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Joo II Park, Richard Heinz, Hyun Jeong Kim, Stephan Leisenheimer, Severin Neuner
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Publication number: 20230305042Abstract: The innovative concept described herein relates to a magnetic-field-based current measuring device. The latter includes, inter alia, an at least two-dimensionally measuring magnetic field sensor mounted at a node at which a first, a second and a third electrical conductor, each coming from different directions, are brought together. The magnetic field sensor is configured to determine in each case a magnitude and/or a direction of the magnetic fields which are respectively generated in the first, second and third electrical conductors and meet at the node, and to derive, on the basis thereof, information about a magnitude and/or a direction of the individual electric currents flowing at the node. The innovative concept described herein additionally relates to a corresponding method for magnetic-field-based measurement of electric currents using a magnetic-field-based current measuring device.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2023Publication date: September 28, 2023Inventors: Stephan LEISENHEIMER, Richard HEINZ
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Patent number: 11762799Abstract: The described techniques address deadlocking issues associated with interconnected hardware devices that share bus lines associated with a digital communication interface. A watchdog-based solution is described that may be implemented internally within the interconnected hardware devices or, alternatively, as an external component. The watchdog circuity may monitor a logic state of one or more internal connections of a hardware device and cause one or more portions of the hardware device to reset when a deadlock condition is detected using this internal monitoring.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2019Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Stephan Leisenheimer, Christof Bodner, Benjamin Kollmitzer, Richard Heinz
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Patent number: 11644342Abstract: A method of determining a position of a first object includes receiving a first component and a second component of a vector field jointly generated by the first object and by a second object. The method further includes using the second component of the vector field to provide a compensation quantity indicating a contribution of the second object to the first component of the vector field. Further, the method includes determining the position of the first object using the first component of the vector field and the compensation quantity.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2021Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Stephan Leisenheimer, Richard Heinz, Hyun Jeong Kim, Joo Il Park
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Patent number: 11630796Abstract: A serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication system includes a memory configured with a start register address and an end register address that define a register address range for a data operation; a chip select terminal configured to receive a chip select signal comprising an active and idle signal levels that define a plurality of chip select frames; a serial data input terminal configured to receive a master out, slave in (MOSI) signal, wherein the MOSI signal includes configuration information received in a first chip select frame of the data operation, wherein the configuration information includes an operation command bit indicating whether the data operation is a write operation or a read out operation and an auto-incrementation control bit indicating whether automatic register address incrementation across chip select frames is enabled or disabled; and a serial data output terminal configured to transmit a master in, slave out (MISO) signal.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2021Date of Patent: April 18, 2023Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Andreas Jansen, Richard Heinz, Catalina-Petruta Juglan, Stephan Leisenheimer, Lacramioara Mihaela Smochina
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Patent number: 11574167Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of a circuit for determining information about the position, attitude, or orientation of a magnet comprises an input interface configured to receive components of a magnetic field produced by the magnet. An evaluation logic unit corresponds to at least one trained neural network and is configured to determine the information about the position, attitude, or orientation of the magnet on the basis of the received components.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2020Date of Patent: February 7, 2023Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Richard Heinz, Andrea Hollenbach, Stephan Leisenheimer
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Publication number: 20230035123Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a sensor chip, including a semiconductor substrate, a first sensor circuit monolithically integrated into the semiconductor substrate, at least one second sensor circuit monolithically integrated into the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first and second integrated sensor circuits are embodied identically.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 28, 2022Publication date: February 2, 2023Applicant: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Stephan LEISENHEIMER, Richard HEINZ, Hans-Joerg WAGNER, Markus KAMMERSBERGER
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Publication number: 20230037205Abstract: A method for determining a rotation angle of a magnet includes measuring a 3D magnetic field vector of a magnetic field generated by the magnet, wherein the 3D magnetic field vector describes at least a part of an ellipse in 3D space during a rotational movement of the magnet. The method further includes mapping the measured 3D magnetic field vector to a 2D vector based on a compensation mapping, wherein the compensation mapping is configured to map the ellipse in 3D space to a circle in 2D space. The method further includes determining the rotation angle of the magnet based on the 2D vector.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2022Publication date: February 2, 2023Applicant: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Joo II PARK, Richard HEINZ, Hyun Jeong KIM, Stephan LEISENHEIMER, Severin NEUNER
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Publication number: 20220373359Abstract: Implementations relate to a sensor assembly for determining rotation about an axis and linear movement parallel to the axis. The sensor assembly comprises a magnetic structure comprising a north pole radially displaced from the axis and a south pole radially displaced from the axis and opposite to the north pole. The north pole and the south pole of the magnet extend radially into the direction of the axis at an axial end of the sensor assembly. The sensor assembly further comprises at least one sensor element sensitive to magnetic fields radially between the north pole and the south pole.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2022Publication date: November 24, 2022Inventors: Joo Il PARK, Richard HEINZ, Hyun Jeong KIM, Sehwan KIM, Stephan LEISENHEIMER, Severin NEUNER
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Publication number: 20220358077Abstract: A serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication system includes a memory configured with a start register address and an end register address that define a register address range for a data operation; a chip select terminal configured to receive a chip select signal comprising an active and idle signal levels that define a plurality of chip select frames; a serial data input terminal configured to receive a master out, slave in (MOSI) signal, wherein the MOSI signal includes configuration information received in a first chip select frame of the data operation, wherein the configuration information includes an operation command bit indicating whether the data operation is a write operation or a read out operation and an auto-incrementation control bit indicating whether automatic register address incrementation across chip select frames is enabled or disabled; and a serial data output terminal configured to transmit a master in, slave out (MISO) signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 7, 2021Publication date: November 10, 2022Applicant: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Andreas JANSEN, Richard HEINZ, Catalina-Petruta JUGLAN, Stephan LEISENHEIMER, Lacramioara Mihaela SMOCHINA
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Patent number: 11391558Abstract: An integrated Hall sensor device for measuring a magnetic field is provided. The integrated Hall sensor device includes: a semiconductor chip; a first Hall sensor for generating a first magnetic field measurement signal dependent on a first component; a second Hall sensor for generating a second magnetic field measurement signal dependent on a second component of the magnetic field; a first stress sensor for generating a shear stress measurement signal dependent on mechanical stresses in the semiconductor chip; and an evaluation device for determining one or more properties of the magnetic field depending on the first magnetic field measurement signal, the second magnetic field measurement signal. and the first shear stress measurement signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2020Date of Patent: July 19, 2022Inventors: Udo Ausserlechner, Richard Heinz, Benjamin Kollmitzer, Armin Satz
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Publication number: 20220196379Abstract: An exemplary embodiment relates to a device for training a neural network for determining a rotation angle of an object. The device is configured to receive system data via a sensor system for measuring a magnetic field in order to determine the rotation angle. The device is also configured to generate error data which includes at least one deviation of the system data from a target state of the sensor system or the strength of the components of a superimposed external magnetic field. Furthermore, the device is configured to create training data using the system data and the error data and to train the neural network using the training data.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2021Publication date: June 23, 2022Applicant: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Richard HEINZ, Andrea HEINZ, Stephan LEISENHEIMER
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Patent number: 11255697Abstract: A control stick may include a magnet and a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic sensor. The 3D magnetic sensor may determine a twist angle of a handle of the control stick based on a strength of a magnetic field at the 3D magnetic sensor. A twisting of the handle may modify an air gap between the 3D magnetic sensor and the magnet. The strength of the magnetic field may be based on strengths of first, second, and third magnetic field components. The 3D magnetic sensor may determine a tilt angle of the handle based on a ratio of the strength of the first magnetic field component to the strength of the third magnetic field component. A tilting of the handle in a direction corresponding to the first magnetic field component may modify the ratio of the strength of the first magnetic field component to the strength of the third magnetic field component.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2019Date of Patent: February 22, 2022Assignee: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Stephan Leisenheimer, Richard Heinz, Sigmund Zaruba
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Patent number: 11248934Abstract: A magnetic sensor device includes a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic sensor and a magnet that produces a magnetic field. The 3D magnetic sensor is arranged within the magnetic field and is configured to measure three different magnetic field components of the magnetic field and generate sensor signals in response to the measured three different magnetic field components. The magnet is arranged in a default spatial position in an absence of any applied spatial force, where the magnet is configured to rotate about a rotation axis based on an applied rotational force. The magnetic field varies inhomogeneously with regards to at least one of the three magnetic field components upon rotation of the magnet about the rotation axis.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2020Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Inventor: Richard Heinz
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Publication number: 20220018686Abstract: A method of determining a position of a first object includes receiving a first component and a second component of a vector field jointly generated by the first object and by a second object. The method further includes using the second component of the vector field to provide a compensation quantity indicating a contribution of the second object to the first component of the vector field. Further, the method includes determining the position of the first object using the first component of the vector field and the compensation quantity.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 8, 2021Publication date: January 20, 2022Applicant: Infineon Technologies AGInventors: Stephan LEISENHEIMER, Richard HEINZ, Hyun Jeong KIM, Joo ll PARK
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Patent number: 11150108Abstract: A magnetic angle sensor includes a semiconductor chip that includes: a pair of vertical Hall sensor elements configured to generate vertical Hall sensor signals in response to a magnetic field impinging thereon; a first pair of lateral Hall sensor elements configured to generate first lateral Hall sensor signals in response to the magnetic field impinging thereon; a second pair of lateral Hall sensor elements configured to generate second lateral Hall sensor signals in response to the magnetic field impinging thereon; and a sensor circuit configured to: determine a first angle value corresponding to an orientation of the magnetic field based on the vertical Hall sensor signals, determine a second angle value corresponding to the orientation of the magnetic field based on the first and the second lateral Hall sensor signals, and determine whether the first and the second angle values are within an acceptable tolerance range of each other.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2019Date of Patent: October 19, 2021Inventors: Stephan Leisenheimer, Richard Heinz