Patents by Inventor Stefan Sauer

Stefan Sauer 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: 11310407
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a housing, a PCB disposed in the housing, a circuit board connector at the PCB, and a coaxial connector having a core connector element and a shield connector element that at least partially circumscribes the core connector element. The PCB includes circuitry associated with an imager of the vehicular camera assembly. The circuit board connector includes a first connector element and a second connector element. The housing includes a vehicle connector portion configured for connecting to a connector end of a vehicle cable. When a first end of the coaxial connector is electrically connected to the circuit board connector, the core connector element of the coaxial connector electrically connects to the first connector element of the circuit board connector and the shield connector element of the coaxial connector electrically connects to the second connector element of the circuit board connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger
  • Publication number: 20220089102
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing, a lens assembly having a lens, an imager printed circuit board (imager PCB), and a heating device. The imager PCB is disposed at the camera housing and the lens is aligned with an imager disposed at the imager PCB. The heating device is disposed at at least a portion of the lens assembly and includes an electrically connecting portion having electrical contacts at an end thereof, with the electrical contacts disposed at an inner surface of the camera housing. The heating device is electrically connected to circuitry of the vehicular camera via electrical connectors that electrically connect with the electrical contacts of the electrically connecting portion of the heating device at the camera housing as the vehicular camera is assembled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Rene Dreiocker, Steven V. Byme, Jonathan D. Conger
  • Patent number: 11240411
    Abstract: A camera for a vehicular vision system includes a camera housing having a front camera housing portion and a rear camera housing portion. An imager is disposed at a first side of a printed circuit board. A lens assembly is supported at the front camera housing portion and optically aligned with the imager. At least one attachment element is disposed at the front or rear camera housing portion and has a material having a low CTE that is less than a CTE of the front camera housing portion. The low CTE of the material of the attachment element is less than 10 ppm/° C. The printed circuit board is mounted at the attachment element. The attachment element functions to accommodate temperature-induced movement of the printed circuit board relative to the at least one lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Rene Dreiocker, Stefan Sauer, Yuesheng Lu
  • Publication number: 20220014651
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a camera housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion. The front housing portion accommodates a lens. A first printed circuit board (PCB) is disposed at the front housing portion, with an imager disposed at a front side of the first PCB and a first electrical connector disposed at a rear side of the first PCB. A second PCB has a second electrical connector disposed at a front side. Circuitry of the second PCB is electrically connected to circuitry of the first PCB via electrical connection of the first and second electrical connectors. A plurality of terminal pins has a first end interior the camera housing and a second end at a connector portion of the rear housing portion. The connector portion is configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring connector when the vehicular camera assembly is installed at a vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Patent number: 11134183
    Abstract: A method of assembling a camera assembly for a vehicle vision system includes providing a housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion that includes a connector portion configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring connector. An imager circuit board includes an imager is disposed at the front housing portion such that the imager is aligned with the lens of the front housing portion. A connector circuit board is disposed at the rear housing portion and electrically connected to a coaxial connector structure at the connector portion. The rear housing portion is mated with the front housing portion and circuitry of the connector circuit board is electrically connected to circuitry of the imager circuit board via at least one spring-loaded connector that electrically connects at the imager circuit board and at the connector circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Publication number: 20210185202
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a housing, a PCB disposed in the housing, a circuit board connector at the PCB, and a coaxial connector having a core connector element and a shield connector element that at least partially circumscribes the core connector element. The PCB includes circuitry associated with an imager of the vehicular camera assembly. The circuit board connector includes a first connector element and a second connector element. The housing includes a vehicle connector portion configured for connecting to a connector end of a vehicle cable. When a first end of the coaxial connector is electrically connected to the circuit board connector, the core connector element of the coaxial connector electrically connects to the first connector element of the circuit board connector and the shield connector element of the coaxial connector electrically connects to the second connector element of the circuit board connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger
  • Publication number: 20210081978
    Abstract: The invention describes a distributed merchandise management system, in which the client, retailer and the manufacturer are linked by a network. This is implemented by a cloud storage (105), the cloud storage (105) comprising a means (105a) for storing data, a means for receiving first data from a first network node (110), the first data being associated with a physical object, a means for receiving request data from a second network node (120), a means for receiving second data from a third network node (130), the second data being associated with the first data and comprising at least one data piece adapted to change the first data depending on the received request data, a means for changing the first data based at least in part on the second data and the request data, and a means for sending a changed portion of the first data from the cloud storage (105) to the first network node (110).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas Gollner, Jan-Hendrik Schwarz, Sebastian Gottschalk, Stefan Sauer
  • Patent number: 10904416
    Abstract: A method of assembling a camera assembly for a vehicular vision system includes providing a first housing portion, providing a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB including circuitry, providing a mating connector at the PCB, disposing the PCB within the first housing portion, providing a second housing portion including a connector portion configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring, and disposing a coaxial connector at the connector portion of the second housing portion. The coaxial connector includes (i) a core connector element and (ii) a shield connector element that circumscribes the core connector element and that is spaced therefrom. Mating the second housing portion with the first housing portion, and electrically connecting a first end of the coaxial connector to the mating connector disposed at the PCB. The coaxial connector includes a second end for electrically connecting to the vehicle wiring when the camera assembly is installed at the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger
  • Publication number: 20200412925
    Abstract: A camera for a vehicular vision system includes a camera housing having a front camera housing portion and a rear camera housing portion. An imager is disposed at a first side of a printed circuit board. A lens assembly is supported at the front camera housing portion and optically aligned with the imager. At least one attachment element is disposed at the front or rear camera housing portion and has a material having a low CTE that is less than a CTE of the front camera housing portion. The low CTE of the material of the attachment element is less than 10 ppm/° C. The printed circuit board is mounted at the attachment element. The attachment element functions to accommodate temperature-induced movement of the printed circuit board relative to the at least one lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Rene Dreiocker, Stefan Sauer, Yuesheng Lu
  • Publication number: 20200399104
    Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprises an operator compartment, a compartment tower, a multi-field scanning tool, and mechanisms that facilitate movement along a travel plane in a warehouse. The tool establishes a scan field, and, within scan field bounds, an occupancy detection field and an obstacle detection field. Tool scanning hardware is configured to generate the scan field from a point of origin that is elevated relative to the operator compartment and to expand the scan field such that it intersects the operator compartment and extends laterally beyond lateral edges of the operator compartment such that the occupancy detection field falls within the operator compartment, the obstacle detection field falls outside of the operator compartment, and the multi-field scanning tool is configured to indicate the presence of an occupant in the occupancy detection field and obstacles in the obstacle detection field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Franz Pöschl, Timothy A. Wellman, Stefan Hanneman, Martin Okroy, Stefan Sauer, Jess Sauer
  • Patent number: 10800640
    Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprises an operator compartment, a compartment tower, a multi-field scanning tool, and mechanisms that facilitate movement along a travel plane in a warehouse. The tool establishes a scan field, and, within scan field bounds, an occupancy detection field and an obstacle detection field. Tool scanning hardware is configured to generate the scan field from a point of origin that is elevated relative to the operator compartment and to expand the scan field such that it intersects the operator compartment and extends laterally beyond lateral edges of the operator compartment such that the occupancy detection field falls within the operator compartment, the obstacle detection field falls outside of the operator compartment, and the multi-field scanning tool is configured to indicate the presence of an occupant in the occupancy detection field and obstacles in the obstacle detection field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Franz Pöschl, Timothy A. Wellman, Stefan Hanneman, Martin Okroy, Stefan Sauer, Jess Donnely
  • Publication number: 20200263590
    Abstract: A mixer for mixing an exhaust gas flow with a fluid injected into an exhaust gas line comprises means for generating a swirl effecting a rotating flow and means for a radial displacement in the exhaust gas flow admixed with the fluid and flowing axially through the mixer. In this respect, the swirl generation means and the radial displacement means are arranged and designed such that, viewed over the cross-section of the mixer perpendicular to the axial exhaust gas flow, at least two separate swirl regions result which are built up via tangentially acting vane-like swirl elements and at least one respective radial displacement region results which is arranged between two separate swirl regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan SAUER, Bernd BURKHARDT, Andreas HAAS
  • Publication number: 20200244846
    Abstract: A method of assembling a camera assembly for a vehicle vision system includes providing a housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion that includes a connector portion configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring connector. An imager circuit board includes an imager is disposed at the front housing portion such that the imager is aligned with the lens of the front housing portion. A connector circuit board is disposed at the rear housing portion and electrically connected to a coaxial connector structure at the connector portion. The rear housing portion is mated with the front housing portion and circuitry of the connector circuit board is electrically connected to circuitry of the imager circuit board via at least one spring-loaded connector that electrically connects at the imager circuit board and at the connector circuit board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Publication number: 20200173332
    Abstract: An apparatus for introducing and distributing a flowable additive into an exhaust gas flow comprises an inlet to receive the exhaust gas flow from a first exhaust gas treatment device, an outlet to output the exhaust gas flow to a second exhaust gas treatment device, a flow conducting device to lead the exhaust gas flow from the inlet to the outlet, and an injector opening into the flow conducting device, wherein an at least substantially straight-line main flow direction of the apparatus is defined by the inlet and the outlet. A mixing section of the flow conducting device arranged downstream of the injector extends obliquely or transversely to the main flow direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Markus Prokopp, Michael Schleh, Jürgen Kobe, Moritz Wied, Matthias Riepshoff
  • Patent number: 10630872
    Abstract: A camera assembly for a vehicle vision system includes a housing having a lens module and a housing portion that includes a connector portion configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring. An imager circuit board includes an imager at a first side. The imager circuit board is disposed in the housing such that the imager is aligned with the lens of the lens module. A connector circuit board is disposed in the housing and spaced from the imager circuit board. Circuitry of the connector circuit board is electrically connected to circuitry of the imager circuit board via a plurality of spring-loaded connectors that electrically connect at the second side of the imager circuit board and at a first side of the connector circuit board. A connector structure of the connector portion is electrically connected to circuitry of the connector circuit board at the second side of the connector circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Marc Sigle
  • Patent number: 10508579
    Abstract: A mixer device for introducing and distributing a liquid into a gas flow comprises a mixing chamber which can be flowed through by the gas flow, an overflow pipe which is arranged at least partly in the mixing chamber and which has a jacket surface and a first and a second pipe end, and at least one injector associated with the first pipe end of the overflow pipe to inject the liquid into the overflow pipe. The jacket surface of the overflow pipe has at least one inflow opening through which gas can flow from the mixing chamber into the overflow pipe for a subsequent mixing with the injected fluid. The overflow pipe is configured such that inflowing gas in its interior can have two swirl components of opposite senses imparted onto it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: FRIEDRICH BOYSEN GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Michael Fischer, Andres Haas, Stefan Sauer, Dennis Sailer, Bernd Burkhardt
  • Patent number: 10499758
    Abstract: A modular sieve (100) for a juicing apparatus is disclosed that comprises a first module (110) comprising a pattern of first protrusions (112) having first edge regions (113); and a second module (120) comprising a pattern of second protrusions (122) having second edge regions (123) for adjoining neighbouring first edge regions when the first module is engaged with the second module, wherein each first edge region and an adjoining second edge region delimit a plurality of apertures (150) for passing juice. A juicing apparatus including such a modular sieve is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Juergen Holzbauer, Stefan Sauer
  • Publication number: 20190273853
    Abstract: A method of assembling a camera assembly for a vehicular vision system includes providing a first housing portion, providing a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB including circuitry, providing a mating connector at the PCB, disposing the PCB within the first housing portion, providing a second housing portion including a connector portion configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring, and disposing a coaxial connector at the connector portion of the second housing portion. The coaxial connector includes (i) a core connector element and (ii) a shield connector element that circumscribes the core connector element and that is spaced therefrom. Mating the second housing portion with the first housing portion, and electrically connecting a first end of the coaxial connector to the mating connector disposed at the PCB. The coaxial connector includes a second end for electrically connecting to the vehicle wiring when the camera assembly is installed at the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Publication date: September 5, 2019
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger
  • Patent number: 10298823
    Abstract: A camera assembly for a vehicle vision system includes a housing having a first housing portion and a second housing portion, with a circuit element disposed within the first housing portion. The second housing portion has a connector portion configured for connecting to a vehicle wiring when the camera assembly is installed at a vehicle. A coaxial connector is disposed at the connector portion of the second housing portion. The coaxial connector includes a plurality of electrical coaxial connector elements. Each of the electrical coaxial connector elements has (i) a first end that is configured for electrically connecting to circuitry of the circuit element within the first housing portion and (ii) a second end that is configured for electrically connecting to the vehicle wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Jens Steigerwald, Nazar F. Bally, Marc Sigle, Achim Newiger
  • Publication number: 20190063293
    Abstract: A mixer device for introducing and distributing a liquid into a gas flow comprises a mixing chamber which can be flowed through by the gas flow, an overflow pipe which is arranged at least partly in the mixing chamber and which has a jacket surface and a first and a second pipe end, and at least one injector associated with the first pipe end of the overflow pipe to inject the liquid into the overflow pipe. The jacket surface of the overflow pipe has at least one inflow opening through which gas can flow from the mixing chamber into the overflow pipe for a subsequent mixing with the injected fluid. The overflow pipe is configured such that inflowing gas in its interior can have two swirl components of opposite senses imparted onto it.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Michael FISCHER, Andreas HAAS, Stefan SAUER, Dennis SAILER, Bernd BURKHARDT