Patents by Inventor Stefan Droste

Stefan Droste 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: 11791533
    Abstract: An antenna pane includes an electrically insulating substrate, an electrically conductive functional layer on a surface of the substrate, and an antenna structure, which includes an electrically conductive antenna layer for receiving and/or transmitting high-frequency antenna signals, the antenna layer being galvanically separated from the functional layer, wherein a high-frequency technical resistance between the antenna layer and the functional layer for high-frequency antenna signals is at least 10 ohm, wherein the antenna layer has a first connection region and the functional layer has a second connection region, and an insulating line that electrically divides the functional layer into a first and second functional layer zone that are galvanically separated from one another, but are coupled using high-frequency technology such that a high-frequency technical resistance for high-frequency antenna signals is less than 1 ohm, wherein the second connection region is contained in the second functional layer z
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: David Bertel, Guillaume Francois, Stefan Droste
  • Patent number: 11663425
    Abstract: A vehicle window includes a first glass pane, a transponder having an antenna and a control unit for communicating with a reader, wherein the control unit includes a memory for storing identification data. A reflector is associated with and spaced apart from the transponder for increasing an antenna gain of the antenna, wherein the reflector is implemented as a transparent, electrically conductive coating and/or as a metallic ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Thomas Holtstiege, Tim Schmitz, Stefan Droste
  • Patent number: 11415855
    Abstract: A laminated pane arrangement has a functional element based on liquid crystals, wherein the optical properties of the functional element and an electrical resistance heater of at least one flat electrode are controlled by two different AC voltages. In accordance with a first aspect, the functional element is contacted on two opposite sides by the AC voltages. The AC voltages differ in maximum amplitude, but have the same frequency. In accordance with a second aspect, the functional element is controlled by an AC voltage. At least one flat electrode is heated by an additional AC voltage of greater frequency. A fault in the control of the optical properties of the functional element is prevented by high-pass filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Stefan Droste, Florian Manz, Marcel Klein, Bastian Klauss, Michael Zeiss
  • Patent number: 11214042
    Abstract: A pane arrangement includes a first and second pane joined by an intermediate layer, an electro-optical functional element including a first surface electrode, an electro-optical functional layer, and a second surface electrode, wherein the functional element is arranged between the first and second panes, and the first and second surface electrodes face, respectively, the first and second panes, a sensor electrode arranged between the first surface electrode and the first pane and the sensor electrode is capacitively coupled to the first surface electrode, and a capacitive electronic sensor system electrically connected to the sensor electrode. The sensitivity of the electronic sensor system is selected such that when the outer surface of the first pane is touched above the first surface electrode by a human body part or the human body part approaches the outer surface of the first pane above the first surface electrode, a switching signal is emitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Patrick Weber, Stefan Droste
  • Patent number: 11052640
    Abstract: A laminated glass pane having a sensor assembly is presented. According to one aspect, the laminated glass pane has a first and a second glass layer that are connected via a combination film, and the sensor assembly is at least partially situated between the first and the second glass layers. According to another aspect, the sensor assembly includes a receiver antenna for supplying electromagnetic power to the sensor assembly and a transmitter antenna for transmitting information of the sensor assembly to a receiver unit situated outside the laminated glass pane. The sensor assembly includes a sensor and an evaluation unit that evaluates information from the sensor for transmission by the transmitter antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Klaus Schmalbuch, Stefan Droste, Christian Effertz, Patrick Weber
  • Patent number: 11014338
    Abstract: A laminated motor-vehicle windshield includes two glass sheets that are joined together by an interlayer made of a thermoplastic of refractive index n1. The thermoplastic interlayer includes a cut-out section in the upper portion of the windshield. The cut-out section is filled with a multilayer film forming a waveguide for guiding waves from a bottom point of entrance of light radiation on the face of the windshield exposed to the exterior of the vehicle to a top point of exit of the radiation on the face of the windshield arranged toward the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The multilayer film includes layers of a first material of refractive index n2 such that n1?n2 and of a second material that at least partially reflects the light radiation. The second material is placed on either side of the layer of first material to confine, in the latter, the light radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Benjamin Kaplan, Klaus Schmalbuch, Stefan Droste, Christian Effertz
  • Patent number: 10949004
    Abstract: A lighting laminated glazing includes a first transparent glazing and a second glazing; an intermediate thermoplastic material layer; an electrically conductive layer between the first and second glazings; a capacitive touch sensitive device including a touch sensitive structure formed in the electrically conductive coating, having a ground electrode and a touch electrode having a touch sensitive area; a light emitting diode on the electrically conductive layer to indicate the touch sensitive area, the diode having a light emitting surface facing the touch sensitive area, and having a first and a second terminal electrically connected to, respectively, the ground electrode and the touch sensitive area; and a lighting device controlled by the touch sensitive device, the lighting device including a lighting element distinct from the diode, the lighting element being disposed between the first and the second glazing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Patrick Weber, Stefan Droste, Pascal Bauerle
  • Patent number: 10938086
    Abstract: A glass pane includes an electrical heating assembly for use with an operating voltage of more than 14 V. A part of the heating assembly is adapted for acting as an antenna and the heating assembly has a first and a second number of electrically conductive meandering sections. The meandering sections within the first or second number, respectively, are arranged parallel to one another substantially in a first orientation. The respective beginnings and ends of the meandering sections within the first or second number, respectively, each end at a common electrical conductor, which extends in each case substantially perpendicular to the first orientation. One of the electrical conductors extended substantially perpendicular to the first orientation acts as an antenna and has, during use with the operating voltage, a potential different from the operating voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Volkmar Offermann, Stefan Droste
  • Patent number: 10899286
    Abstract: A laminated motor-vehicle windshield includes exterior glass sheet and an interior glass sheet, which sheets are joined together by an interlayer made of a thermoplastic of refractive index n1. The windshield is equipped with a through-hole that passes through at least one of the glass sheets and may pass through the interlayer and wherein the hole is filled with an optical device that is suitable for deviating a light beam incident substantially horizontally on that face of the windshield which is exposed to the exterior of the vehicle and for making it converge, substantially without deformation, on an image-capturing device of a camera, such as a CCD or CMOS detector, placed facing that face of the windshield which is turned toward the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The detector is arranged substantially parallelly to the surface of the windshield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Benjamin Kaplan, Klaus Schmalbuch, Stefan Droste, Christian Effertz
  • Patent number: 10775948
    Abstract: A touch control glazing includes a first transparent glazing; an electrically conductive layer and a capacitive touch sensitive device including a touch sensitive structure formed in the electrically conductive layer, the touch sensitive structure including a ground electrode and a touch electrode having a touch sensitive area; and a light emitting diode arranged on the electrically conductive layer to indicate the touch sensitive area, the light emitting diode having a light emitting surface facing at least partially the touch sensitive area, the light emitting diode having a first terminal being an first electrode zone electrically connected to the ground electrode and a second terminal being a second electrode zone electrically connected to the touch sensitive area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Patrick Weber, Stefan Droste, Pascal Bauerle
  • Patent number: 10743375
    Abstract: A pane arrangement directed to a heatable composite pane having a capacitive switching region, including a substrate and a cover pane is disclosed. At least one intermediate layer is arranged between the substrate and the cover pane. A carrier film having an electrically conductive layer is arranged between the substrate and the intermediate layer or between the cover pane and the first intermediate layer. The electrically conductive layer forms a capacitive switching region having a contact region, a supply line region, and a connection region. The supply line region electrically connects the contact region to the connection region that can be electrically connected to a sensor electronics system. A heating wire and at least two busbars are arranged between the substrate and the cover pane, wherein one end of the heating wire is electrically connected to one of the busbars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Marcel Klein, Stefan Droste, Patrick Weber
  • Patent number: 10737469
    Abstract: A vehicle antenna pane for separating a vehicle interior from external surroundings is presented. The pane has features that include an inner pane, an outer pane, at least one intermediate layer that connects an internal surface of the outer pane areally to an external surface of the inner pane, a planar antenna structure that is arranged between the inner pane and the outer pane, and a base plate that is arranged on an interior side in relation to the antenna structure. A dielectric is arranged between the antenna structure and the base plate, the dielectric being provided by means of the inner pane and the intermediate layer. A base of the antenna structure has a ratio of a length to a width of 1:1 to 10:1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Stefan Droste, Bernd Stelling, Guillaume Francois
  • Patent number: 10665919
    Abstract: An antenna pane is presented. The antenna pane has features that include an inner pane having an internal surface, an antenna structure made of an electrically conductive paste that is printed and fired into the internal surface of the inner pane, and a dielectric carrier element that is connected to the internal surface of the inner pane via an external surface of the dielectric carrier element. In one aspect, an internal surface of the dielectric carrier element has an electrically conductive base plate that is arranged in a region of an orthogonal projection of the antenna structure relative to the inner panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Stefan Droste, Bernd Stelling, Guillaume Francois
  • Patent number: 10610968
    Abstract: A coated pane with a communication window includes a base pane, a metal-containing coating on the base pane, a grid area made of intersecting, de-coated inner gridlines in the metal-containing coating, wherein the grid area has a grid area edge, and the grid area edge has intersecting outer gridlines, wherein the outer gridlines have interruptions increasing in size from the outer edge of the grid area all the way to the end of the grid surface edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Ilkay Arslan, Michael Behmke, Stefan Droste, Ingo Von Der Weiden, Dirk Wohlfeil
  • Patent number: 10557877
    Abstract: An alarm pane assembly is presented. The alarm pane assembly includes a pane made of tempered glass, a transparent, electrically conductive coating that is arranged on a surface of the pane, a sensor unit, and an antenna. According to one aspect, the sensor unit includes a transmitting unit and an evaluation unit. During operation, the transmitting unit forwards a high-frequency voltage signal with a frequency f in a range of 0.1 GHz to 6 GHz to the antenna, the antenna emits electromagnetic radiation of the frequency f, and the evaluation unit measures the impedance matching of the transmitting unit to the antenna. According to another aspect, the antenna is electromagnetically coupled to the conductive coating, and the sensor unit outputs an alarm signal when the measured impedance matching deviates from a reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Christian Effertz, Guillaume Francois, Stefan Droste, Klaus Schmalbuch, Ariane Weissler, Hans-Werner Kuster
  • Patent number: 10553087
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an alarm pane arrangement comprising: at least one first pane consisting of prestressed glass, with an outer surface and an inner surface, at least one transparent electrically conductive coating which is arranged on the inner surface of the first pane, and a sensor unit having an inductive sensor which is inductively coupled to the transparent electrically conductive coating, wherein the sensor unit outputs an alarm signal in the event of differences between a measurement signal from the inductive sensor and a comparison value, wherein the inductive sensor contains precisely one measuring coil, preferably a measuring coil having a ferrite core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Stefan Droste, Guillaume Francois, Christian Effertz
  • Patent number: 10536994
    Abstract: A pane, having at least one first pane with an outer face and an inner face is described. The pane has at least one electrically conductive transparent coating which is arranged on the outer face and/or the inner face of the first pane, and at least two busbars which are provided for connecting to a voltage source and which are connected to the electrically conductive transparent coating such that a current path for a heating current is formed between the busbars. The electrically conductive transparent coating has at least three regions with decoated structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Francois Guillaume, Stefan Droste, Bernd Stelling
  • Patent number: 10525673
    Abstract: A composite pane with a capacitive switching zone includes a substrate, a first intermediate layer areally bonded to the substrate, a second intermediate layer areally bonded to the first intermediate layer, and a cover pane areally bonded to the second intermediate layer. A carrier film with an electrically conductive layer is arranged between the first and second intermediate layers. A capacitive switching zone is electrically isolated from the electrically conductive layer by a coating-free separating line, the capacitive switching zone has a contact zone, a supply line zone, and a connection zone; the supply line zone electrically connects the contact zone to the connection zone, and the connection zone is electrically connectable to sensor electronics. The surface capacitance between the contact zone and the outside surface of the substrate is greater than the surface capacitance between the contact zone and the outside surface of the cover pane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Patrick Weber, Stefan Droste
  • Patent number: 10523201
    Abstract: A pane arrangement having a pane with an inner surface and an outer surface, a low-E coating arranged on the inner surface of the pane. The pane arrangement having a coating-free first partition line formed in the low-E coating. A capacitive switching region is electrically isolated from a surrounding region of the low-E coating. The surrounding region surrounds the capacitive switching region in sections. The capacitive switching region has a contact region, a supply line region and a first connection region. The supply line region electrically connects the contact region to the first connection region. A coating-free second partition line is formed in the low-E coating. The surrounding region is electrically isolated from an outer region of the low-E coating. The outer region surrounds the surrounding region. A capacitive sensor electronics system is electrically connected to the first connection region of the capacitive switching region and to the surrounding region by a second connection region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Patrick Weber, Stefan Droste, Klaus Schmalbuch, Pascal Bauerle
  • Patent number: 10500929
    Abstract: A panel, having at least: at least one first panel having an outer face and an inner face, at least one transparent, electrically-conductive coating, which is arranged on the outer face and/or on the inner face of the first panel, and at least one region having at least one outer de-coated structure and one inner de-coated structure, the transparent, electrically-conductive coating being located between the outer de-coated structure and the inner de-coated structure and inside the inner de-coated structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FRANCE
    Inventors: Noemie Rousselet, Stefan Droste, Michael Behmke, Bernd Stelling