Patents by Inventor Steffen Lorenz

Steffen Lorenz 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: 11106069
    Abstract: A vehicle window pane having a plate-like window pane body which has an outer side which faces the surroundings of the vehicle and an inner side which faces away from the outer side and to which a composite is connected, the composite having a layer structure which may have multiple layers disposed one on top of the other, one of the layers having a liquid crystal arrangement having two films and a liquid crystal cell disposed between the two films, and another one of the layers being a polarizer layer. At least one layer of the layer structure can be a compensation layer whose area is smaller than the area of the liquid crystal arrangement, the liquid crystal cell thus having an edge portion which is thicker than a central portion covered by the compensation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: WEBASTO SE
    Inventors: Max Buchmann, Jonas Dietrich, Steffen Lorenz, Daniela Baierl, Sascha Dietrich, Daniel Brose, Seongmin Lee, Byoung Kun Jeon
  • Publication number: 20210146660
    Abstract: A vehicle window pane having a plate-like window pane body which has an outer side which faces the surroundings of the vehicle and an inner side which faces away from the outer side and to which a composite is connected, the composite having a layer structure which may have multiple layers disposed one on top of the other, one of the layers having a liquid crystal arrangement having two films and a liquid crystal cell disposed between the two films, and another one of the layers being a polarizer layer. At least one layer of the layer structure can be a compensation layer whose area is smaller than the area of the liquid crystal arrangement, the liquid crystal cell thus having an edge portion which is thicker than a central portion covered by the compensation layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Max BUCHMANN, Jonas DIETRICH, Steffen LORENZ, Daniela BAIERL, Sascha DIETRICH, Daniel BROSE, Seongmin LEE, Byoung Kun JEON
  • Patent number: 10983392
    Abstract: A vehicle window pane having a plate-like window pane body which has an outer side facing the surroundings of the vehicle and an inner side facing away from the outer side and on whose inner side a shading arrangement is disposed, the shading arrangement being formed by a liquid crystal arrangement which has a liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal arrangement has two films between which the liquid crystal cell is disposed, and the liquid crystal arrangement is connected to the window pane body via at least one longitudinal-expansion compensation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: WEBASTO SE
    Inventors: Daniela Baierl, Steffen Lorenz, Jonas Dietrich, Max Buchmann, Jan Grothe, Oliver Heisel, Kim Krachenfels
  • Patent number: 10792866
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a component bond (70, 140) comprising: a fastening structure (60, 160) that has at least one component layer (60; 160a, 160b); and a thermoplastic connecting element (10, 110) having a head (12) and a shank (14), in which method the connecting element (10, 110) is driven into the fastening structure (60, 160) under pressure whilst rotating, such that the shank (14) penetrates the fastening structure (60, 160). The connecting element (10, 110), after penetrating the fastening structure (60, 160), is converted by friction into a softened, free-flowing state in a die (44, 144) which is placed against the fastening structure (60, 160) in the opposite direction to the driving direction, resulting in a thicker section (22, 22) that extends beyond the radial extent of some sections of the shank (14). The fastening structure (60, 160) is thus interlockingly held between the head (12) and the thicker section (22, 122).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: EJOT GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Mirko Becker, Steffen Lorenz, Ingo Krausser
  • Publication number: 20200201113
    Abstract: A vehicle window pane having a plate-like window pane body which has an outer side facing the surroundings of the vehicle and an inner side facing away from the outer side and on whose inner side a shading arrangement is disposed, the shading arrangement being formed by a liquid crystal arrangement which has a liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal arrangement has two films between which the liquid crystal cell is disposed, and the liquid crystal arrangement is connected to the window pane body via at least one longitudinal-expansion compensation layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Daniela BAIERL, Steffen LORENZ, Jonas DIETRICH, Max BUCHMANN, Jan GROTHE, Oliver HEISEL, Kim KRACHENFELS
  • Patent number: 10661641
    Abstract: A cover for a vehicle roof, which may have a pane, an anti-splinter layer arranged on the inside face of the pane, and a lighting device having a luminous layer, wherein the luminous and anti-splinter layer forms both the anti-splinter layer and the luminous layer in this one layer and in particular the lighting device contains at least one luminous unit, which is designed to radiate light into the luminous and anti-splinter layer at a lateral edge region of the luminous and anti-splinter layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: WEBASTO SE
    Inventors: Johannes Thannheimer, Steffen Lorenz, Hubert Böhm, Thomas Schütt
  • Patent number: 10202073
    Abstract: A shading arrangement of a transparent roof section of a passenger car, having a flat shading element displaceable between a shading position and an uncovering position and having a lower side facing towards a vehicle interior and an upper side facing towards a vehicle environment. An indirect illuminating device can be provided which illuminates the shading element from the upper side and/or the lower side. The shading element can have a lighting effect material that interacts with the illuminating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: WEBASTO SE
    Inventors: Thomas Schuett, Andreas Rockelmann, Hubert Boehm, Thorsten Richthofen, Johannes Thannheimer, Steffen Lorenz
  • Publication number: 20180169958
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a component bond (70, 140) comprising: a fastening structure (60, 160) that has at least one component layer (60A, 60a; 160a, 160b); and a thermoplastic connecting element (10, 110) having a head (12, 112) and a shank (14, 114), in which method the connecting element (10, 110) is driven into the fastening structure (60, 160) under pressure whilst rotating, such that the shank (14, 114) penetrates the fastening structure (60, 160). The connecting element (10, 110), after penetrating the fastening structure (60, 160), is converted by friction into a softened, free-flowing state in a die (44, 144) which is placed against the fastening structure (60, 160) in the opposite direction to the driving direction, resulting in a thicker section (22, 22) that extends beyond the radial extent of some sections of the shank (14, 114). The fastening structure (60, 160) is thus interlockingly held between the head (12, 112) and the thicker section (22, 122).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Mirko BECKER, Steffen LORENZ, Ingo KRAUSSER
  • Publication number: 20180001751
    Abstract: A cover for a vehicle roof, which may have a pane, an anti-splinter layer arranged on the inside face of the pane, and a lighting device having a luminous layer, wherein the luminous and anti-splinter layer forms both the anti-splinter layer and the luminous layer in this one layer and in particular the lighting device contains at least one luminous unit, which is designed to radiate light into the luminous and anti-splinter layer at a lateral edge region of the luminous and anti-splinter layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2015
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: Johannes THANNHEIMER, Steffen LORENZ, Hubert BÖHM, Thomas SCHÜTT
  • Patent number: 9676259
    Abstract: A cover for a motor vehicle roof has a first sheet of planar extent with a main area, a second sheet of planar extent, which is arranged on the main area of the first sheet and has a main area facing away from the first sheet, the main area of the second sheet being smaller than the main area of the first sheet, so that the first sheet has a region projecting beyond the second sheet, a coupling element, which is coupled to the first sheet at the projecting region and is coupled to the main area of the second sheet, in order to fix the second sheet to the first sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: WEBASTO SE
    Inventors: Oliver Kleinert, Steffen Lorenz
  • Publication number: 20170158125
    Abstract: A shading arrangement of a transparent roof section of a passenger car, having a flat shading element displaceable between a shading position and an uncovering position and having a lower side facing towards a vehicle interior and an upper side facing towards a vehicle environment. An indirect illuminating device can be provided which illuminates the shading element from the upper side and/or the lower side. The shading element can have a lighting effect material that interacts with the illuminating device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas SCHUETT, Andreas ROCKELMANN, Hubert BOEHM, Thorsten RICHTHOFEN, Johannes THANNHEIMER, Steffen LORENZ
  • Publication number: 20150306944
    Abstract: A cover for a motor vehicle roof has a first sheet of planar extent with a main area, a second sheet of planar extent, which is arranged on the main area of the first sheet and has a main area facing away from the first sheet, the main area of the second sheet being smaller than the main area of the first sheet, so that the first sheet has a region projecting beyond the second sheet, a coupling element, which is coupled to the first sheet at the projecting region and is coupled to the main area of the second sheet, in order to fix the second sheet to the first sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Inventors: Oliver KLEINERT, Steffen LORENZ
  • Publication number: 20150210040
    Abstract: A cover for a motor vehicle roof comprises a layer stack having a first sheet of planar extent having a main surface, a second sheet of planar extent having a main surface, an adhesive arranged between the main surfaces and serving for fixing the second sheet to the first sheet, wherein the refractive index of the second sheet has a first value and the refractive index of the adhesive has a second value such that a difference between the first value and the second value is greater than zero, in particular greater than or equal to 0.01.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Hubert Böhm, Steffen Lorenz, Johannes Thannheimer
  • Patent number: 8966840
    Abstract: An arrangement for closing an opening in a vehicle and method for producing such an arrangement. In an arrangement for closing an opening in a vehicle, comprising a pane and an anti-shatter film attached to the pane, in the border region of the pane, the pane and the anti-shatter file are provided with a foam encapsulation. The foam encapsulation is arranged at least particularly spaced apart from an edge of the anti-shatter film, which edge is formed on the pane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Webasto SE
    Inventors: Steffen Lorenz, Andreas Lang, Wolfgang Dittrich, Peter Reihl, Bernhard Harnischfeger, Alexander Bergmiller, Matthias Dichtl, Manuel Degenhardt, Michaela Nowak, Guido Bott
  • Publication number: 20130283727
    Abstract: An arrangement for closing an opening in a vehicle and method for producing such an arrangement. In an arrangement for closing an opening in a vehicle, comprising a pane and an anti-shatter film attached to the pane, in the border region of the pane, the pane and the anti-shatter file are provided with a foam encapsulation. The foam encapsulation is arranged at least particularly spaced apart from an edge of the anti-shatter film, which edge is formed on the pane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Inventors: Steffen Lorenz, Andreas Lang, Wolfgang Dittrich, Peter Reihl, Bernhard Harnischfeger, Alexander Bergmiller, Matthias Dichtl, Manuel Degenhardt, Michaela Nowak, Guido Bott
  • Publication number: 20110226312
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle surface component, which can be attached to a vehicle in an exterior arrangement and has a solar cell arrangement, which is connected on its inner side to a carrying layer and is provided toward the outer side of the vehicle with an outer layer. A particularly light and stable vehicle surface component is obtained according to the invention by the carrying layer being produced in the manner of a composite lightweight construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: WEBASTO AG
    Inventors: Hubert Böhm, Andreas Lang, Steffen Lorenz, Martin Pollak, Michael Kölbl, Helmut Teschner
  • Patent number: 7836705
    Abstract: A device for ventilating and cooling the interior of a vehicle with at least one air guide channel (7) having air inlet openings (8) located in the rear of a solar cell equipped vehicle roof (5a, 5b), the air guide channel (7) being restricted to the rear area (3) of the vehicle roof (5a, 5b) and having at least one fan (15) for taking in outside air (10) and at least one cooling element (14) for cooling the air taken in. The bottom of the air guide channel (7) is formed by a first section (12) of a roof portion (5b) which extends from the vehicle rear toward the vehicle front (3, 1) and the top of the air guide channel (7) is formed by a second section (13) of a roof portion (5a) which extends from the vehicle front toward the vehicle rear (1, 3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Webasto AG
    Inventors: Helmut Teschner, Michael Koelbl, Martin Pollak, Sven Vilsmayer, Rupert Kogler, Werner Paetz, Alfred Renner, Gerit Erbeck, Hubert Boehm, Steffen Lorenz
  • Patent number: 6345206
    Abstract: The method according to the present invention is used for automatically configuring a fuzzy automatic-control device, in the form of generating transformation criteria. These transformation criteria preferably have change, stop, jump-back and reset rules for the individual states of the fuzzy automatic-control device that represent recognition probabilities. The method allows transformation criteria for configuring fuzzy automatic-control devices to be produced fully automatically by the arithmetic logic unit. Even if the pattern signals change frequently, the fuzzy automatic-control device can thus be reconfigured quickly, flexibly and without complications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Juergen Adamy, Joachim Freitag, Steffen Lorenz