Patents by Inventor Stefan Sommer

Stefan Sommer 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: 20080139691
    Abstract: The invention relates to novel UV-curable polyurethane dispersions based on unsaturated polyesters modified with dicyclopentadiene, the preparation of these polyurethane dispersions and the use thereof as a lacquer, coating and/or adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Harald Blum, Richard Kopp, Stefan Sommer, Christoph Irle
  • Publication number: 20080057372
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an end plate for a fuel cell stack, containing at least one channel (7) for the supply and/or removal of at least one reactant and/or a reaction product and/or a coolant, wherein at least a part at least of one pump (8) for delivering the reactants and/or reaction products and/or coolant and which is arranged in the course of the respective channel (7) is integrated into the end plate. The invention further relates to a fuel cell stack which contains such an end-plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2005
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventors: Stefan Sommer, Christian Schleier
  • Publication number: 20070207366
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a bipolar plate (1) for electrochemical systems which contains a first plate (2) with a first flowfield (2a) for media distribution as well as a second plate (3) with a second flowfield (3a) for media distribution. This first plate in the region of the first flow field at least in regions comprises a plane surface section (4) from which discrete projections (5) distanced to one another project arranged in a distributed manner. Furthermore a method for manufacturing this bipolar plate is suggested as well as an electrochemical system which contains this bipolar plate. According to the invention it is possible in an inexpensive manner to manufacture a bipolar plate which permits the construction of fuel cells functioning with a low peripheral consumption (pumps, compressors) and which are safer with regard to their operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Inventors: Stefan Sommer, Raimund Stroebel, Claudia Kunz, Joachim Scherer, Christian Schleier, Bernd Gaugler
  • Patent number: 7113015
    Abstract: A tuning circuit for setting a signal propagation time on a signal line in an integrated circuit, particularly a DRAM circuit, has a transistor and a capacitor. A control connection of the transistor is connected to a control unit for the purpose of switchably connecting the capacitor to the signal line through the transistor in order to set the signal propagation time on the signal line on the basis of application of a control signal, generated in the control unit, to the control connection on the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Lenart Hauptner, Volker Kilian, Richard Roth, Stefan Sommer
  • Patent number: 7029409
    Abstract: A hydraulic system of a CVT transmission of a motor vehicle is proposed, which has an oil pump for conveying oil from an oil sump to a variator comprising a first pulley set and a second pulley set. In each case, a valve mechanism is provided for controlling a pressure acting on the pulley set concerned. Between the valve mechanisms associated with the respective pulley sets is arranged a pressure selector valve, whose position determines which of the the valve mechanisms controls a main pressure to be delivered by the oil pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Stefan Sommer, Andreas Piepenbrink
  • Patent number: 7016244
    Abstract: For testing or for characterizing output drivers of output circuits of high-speed semiconductor memory devices under conditions close to an application, scan elements are provided at the inputs of the output circuits. The scan elements in each case have a register function and are cascaded to form a scan chain. Via the scan chain, test data signals are applied to the inputs of the output circuits whilst bypassing a memory cell array of the semiconductor memory devices. The characterization of data signals of the high-speed semiconductor memory devices that are output by the output circuits requires only a test memory controller not connected to the data signal terminals and a passive load simulation of the application memory controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Stefan Sommer, Wolfgang Spirkl
  • Patent number: 7013206
    Abstract: One or several vibration dampers of a vehicle suspension have a damping force arrangement wherein a control signal is computed within the actuating range in accordance with a standard control method for adjusting the damper characteristic. The drive of a damper adjustable in accordance with this invention is so improved that body movements (notwithstanding a harder adjusted damping for critical driving situations) are substantially suppressed as early as possible. In specific driving situations, the adjusting range of the damper force is changed in that the upper limit of the adjusting range is raised or lowered and/or the lower limit of the adjusting range is raised or lowered. A soft damper setting takes place preferably in dependence upon signals which announce or display a change of the vehicle longitudinal deceleration or vehicle transverse acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignees: Continental Aktiengesellschaft, ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Alexander Stiller, Stefan Sommer, Jörg Grotendorst, Eberhard Hees, Thomas Kutsche, Wolfgang Schumacher, Christian Maurischat
  • Patent number: 6973781
    Abstract: A system for maintaining hydraulic pressure in a vehicle hydraulic system when the vehicle is stopped or idling. A hydraulic pressure reserve system includes a primary hydraulic circuit that includes a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic sump and that provides hydraulic pressure to at least a hydraulically actuated transmission and an accumulator tank and control valve connected from the primary hydraulic circuit for storing a reserve of hydraulic fluid at an accumulator pressure. An accumulator control valve, such as a bi-directional valve, allows a flow of hydraulic fluid between the primary circuit and the accumulator tank according to the primary circuit pressure to raise the primary circuit pressure towards a desired pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Todd Brown, Stefan Sommer, Hebert Mozer
  • Publication number: 20050108606
    Abstract: A test for internal circuits in semiconductor circuits, for example DRAMs, in a reduced-I/O mode requires that contact be made only with a subset of the signal connections on the semiconductor circuit. Driver circuits associated with signal connections which are not contained in the subset are internally connected to a test potential line (TPOT), and the latter is connected to a supply potential (GND, VCC) for the semiconductor circuit or to a monitor connection (MON), so that all driver circuits can be tested or monitored under load even during a burn-in in the reduced-I/O mode. During the testing of semiconductor circuits in the reduced-I/O mode, the test coverage is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Publication date: May 19, 2005
    Inventors: Georg Muller, Stefan Sommer
  • Publication number: 20050096171
    Abstract: A system for maintaining hydraulic pressure in a vehicle hydraulic system when the vehicle is stopped or idling. A hydraulic pressure reserve system includes a primary hydraulic circuit that includes a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic sump and that provides hydraulic pressure to at least a hydraulically actuated transmission and an accumulator tank and control valve connected from the primary hydraulic circuit for storing a reserve of hydraulic fluid at an accumulator pressure. An accumulator control valve, such as a bi-directional valve, allows a flow of hydraulic fluid between the primary circuit and the accumulator tank according to the primary circuit pressure to raise the primary circuit pressure towards a desired pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2003
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Todd Brown, Stefan Sommer, Hebert Mozer
  • Patent number: 6867597
    Abstract: In the case of the present-day trend of miniaturizing housed electronic devices, there is the problem that the contact spacings between the terminal pins becomes smaller and smaller and are no longer visible optically. As a result, it also becomes more difficult to solder the contacts of correspondingly designed contact bases, which for example, are designed as test bases, to the individual conductor tracks of the printed circuit board. Possible faulty soldering points, short circuits or interruptions have hitherto been tracked down by laborious manual measurement using the TDR method. The invention proposes producing a test device in which in each case two terminal pins are connected to a short-circuiting bridge. The test device is inserted into the contact base and connects two signal paths of the printed circuit board on which the propagation time of a reflected wave can be measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Lenart Hauptner, Volker Kilian, Richard Roth, Stefan Sommer
  • Publication number: 20050030781
    Abstract: For testing or for characterizing output drivers of output circuits of high-speed semiconductor memory devices under conditions close to an application, scan elements are provided at the inputs of the output circuits. The scan elements in each case have a register function and are cascaded to form a scan chain. Via the scan chain, test data signals are applied to the inputs of the output circuits whilst bypassing a memory cell array of the semiconductor memory devices. The characterization of data signals of the high-speed semiconductor memory devices that are output by the output circuits requires only a test memory controller not connected to the data signal terminals and a passive load simulation of the application memory controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Inventors: Stefan Sommer, Wolfgang Spirkl
  • Publication number: 20040128040
    Abstract: One or several vibration dampers of a vehicle suspension have a damping force arrangement wherein a control signal is computed within the actuating range in accordance with a standard control method for adjusting the damper characteristic. The drive of a damper adjustable in accordance with this invention is so improved that body movements (notwithstanding a harder adjusted damping for critical driving situations) are substantially suppressed as early as possible. In specific driving situations, the adjusting range of the damper force is changed in that the upper limit of the adjusting range is raised or lowered and/or the lower limit of the adjusting range is raised or lowered. A soft damper setting takes place preferably in dependence upon signals which announce or display a change of the vehicle longitudinal deceleration or vehicle transverse acceleration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventors: Alexander Stiller, Stefan Sommer, Jorg Grotendorst, Eberhard Hees, Thomas Kutsche, Wolfgang Schumacher, Christian Maurischat
  • Patent number: 6688383
    Abstract: A method of adjusting an operating temperature of a control device (2) of a motor vehicle automatic transmission. The transmission control has a hydraulic unit (3) and an electronic unit (4) with electronic modules. The control device (3)is situated in a transmission housing which is partially filled with transmission oil and at least partly surrounded by transmission oil. The control device (2) has a cooling device (5) by which at least part of the electronic unit (4) is cooled with the transmission oil. The transmission oil has a temperature &THgr;C which is lower than a prevailing transmission oil temperature &THgr;G. The electronic unit (4) is impinged upon with a defined volume flow of the transmission oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: ZF Batavia L.L.C.
    Inventors: Stefan Sommer, Bernd Fessler
  • Patent number: 6688999
    Abstract: The invention describes a method and a device for controlling a drive train of a motor vehicle with a drive assembly and a continuously variable automatic transmission with a variable speed gear, wherein an electronic control unit for controlling at least the continuously variable automatic transmission and an emergency device are provided, with this unit being activated in the event of failure of the electronic control unit and a constant pressure/force ratio being established in the variable speed gear. Pursuant to the invention, in the event of failure of the electronic control unit the frictional connection between the drive assembly and the continuously variable automatic transmission is interrupted before the emergency driving mode is made available through the emergency device by re-establishing the frictional connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: ZF Transmission Technologies, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Stefan Sommer, Andreas Piepenbrink, Steffen Braun
  • Patent number: 6626699
    Abstract: A plug-in connector for establishing an electrical connection between two regions separated by a wall having a mounting hole includes a connector part having electrical contacts and located on one side of the wall. A guide bushing is located on the other side of the wall. The lower end of the guide bushing passes through the mounting hole to bear the plug contacts. The connector part and the guide bushing connect when the guide bushing is rotated with respect to the connector part such that connector part and the guide bushing are aligned longitudinally. The connector part is held on the wall such that the connector part is aligned with the mounting hole and is movable along the longitudinal axis of the guide bushing. A stop limits the movement of the connector part away from the guide bushing which is affixed on the wall opposite the connector part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignees: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Peter Epe, Stefan Sommer, Christian Fritzsche
  • Publication number: 20030103137
    Abstract: A test configuration for the metrological examination of a test object (in particular, an integrated circuit) contains an apparatus (in the form of a microscope) for representing the test object. The apparatus generates a representation image for representing the test object. A test device (with an associated test element) taps off an electrical signal at the test object, and generates a representation image for representing the electrical signal. Another device carries out a real-time coupling of the representation image of the test device with the representation image of the apparatus. The test configuration enables the metrological examination of the test object to be carried out cost and time-effectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2002
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Inventors: Klaus Espertshuber, Stefan Sommer, Maud Prevert
  • Publication number: 20030090273
    Abstract: In the case of the present-day trend of miniaturizing housed electronic devices, there is the problem that the contact spacings between the terminal pins becomes smaller and smaller and are no longer visible optically. As a result, it also becomes more difficult to solder the contacts of correspondingly designed contact bases, which for example, are designed as test bases, to the individual conductor tracks of the printed circuit board. Possible faulty soldering points, short circuits or interruptions have hitherto been tracked down by laborious manual measurement using the TDR method. The invention proposes producing a test device in which in each case two terminal pins are connected to a short-circuiting bridge. The test device is inserted into the contact base and connects two signal paths of the printed circuit board on which the propagation time of a reflected wave can be measured.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2002
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: Lenart Hauptner, Volker Kilian, Richard Roth, Stefan Sommer
  • Publication number: 20030086578
    Abstract: A tuning circuit for setting a signal propagation time on a signal line in an integrated circuit, particularly a DRAM circuit, has a transistor and a capacitor. A control connection of the transistor is connected to a control unit for the purpose of switchably connecting the capacitor to the signal line through the transistor in order to set the signal propagation time on the signal line on the basis of application of a control signal, generated in the control unit, to the control connection on the transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2002
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Inventors: Lenart Hauptner, Volker Kilian, Richard Roth, Stefan Sommer
  • Publication number: 20030060313
    Abstract: A hydraulic system of a CVT transmission of a motor vehicle is proposed, which has an oil pump for conveying oil from an oil sump to a variator comprising a first pulley set and a second pulley set. In each case, a valve mechanism is provided for controlling a pressure acting on the pulley set concerned. Between the valve mechanisms associated with the respective pulley sets is arranged a pressure selector valve, whose position determines which of the the valve mechanisms controls a main pressure to be delivered by the oil pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    Publication date: March 27, 2003
    Inventors: Stefan Sommer, Andreas Piepenbrink