Patents by Inventor Stephan Zecha

Stephan Zecha 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: 9234819
    Abstract: A device and a method provide for the non-destructive simulation or reproduction of driving situations involving collisions and/or near-collisions between a test vehicle and a target object, while testing driver assistance systems or anticipatory vehicle sensor systems of the test vehicle. The target object is moved along a guide rope, for example by a drive rope. If a load exceeds a threshold value during a collision of the test vehicle with the target object, then the target object decouples from the guide rope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Continental Safety Engineering International GmbH
    Inventors: Stephan Zecha, Clemens Schmidgall, Mathias Kempf, Mark Schulte, Adam Swoboda
  • Patent number: 8896467
    Abstract: Methods and an appropriately setup communication unit for positioning in vehicle-to-surroundings communication are described, wherein the method involves a first sensor (S1) of a first communication subscriber using a transmission and reception unit to emit a challenge pulse, to which a transmission and reception unit of a second sensor (S2) of a second communication subscriber responds with a response pulse. The response pulse is received and evaluated by the first sensor (S1) and positioning is performed. In order to achieve reliable cooperative sensor communication, the transmission and reception units of the first and second sensors (S1, S2) use a frequency band (SCH2) which is reserved for vehicle-oriented safety applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Ulrich Stählin, Marc Menzel, Stephan Zecha, Oliver Scherf
  • Publication number: 20140014473
    Abstract: A device and a method provide for the non-destructive simulation or reproduction of driving situations involving collisions and/or near-collisions between a test vehicle and a target object, while testing driver assistance systems or anticipatory vehicle sensor systems of the test vehicle. The target object is moved along a guide rope, for example by a drive rope. If a load exceeds a threshold value during a collision of the test vehicle with the target object, then the target object decouples from the guide rope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL SAFETY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL GMBH
    Inventors: Stephan Zecha, Clemens Schmidgall, Mathias Kempf, Mark Schulte, Adam Swoboda
  • Publication number: 20120139761
    Abstract: Methods and an appropriately setup communication unit for positioning in vehicle-to-surroundings communication are described, wherein the method involves a first sensor (S1) of a first communication subscriber using a transmission and reception unit to emit a challenge pulse, to which a transmission and reception unit of a second sensor (S2) of a second communication subscriber responds with a response pulse. The response pulse is received and evaluated by the first sensor (S1) and positioning is performed. In order to achieve reliable cooperative sensor communication, the transmission and reception units of the first and second sensors (S1, S2) use a frequency band (SCH2) which is reserved for vehicle-oriented safety applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicant: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Ulrich Stählin, Marc Menzel, Stephan Zecha, Oliver Scherf
  • Publication number: 20110246156
    Abstract: The invention describes a method for determining the probability of a collision of a vehicle with a living being, in which the behaviour in space and time of the living being is modelled by means of a behavioural model and the behaviour in space and time of the vehicle is modelled by means of a kinematic model and, starting from the current positions of the vehicle and the living being, at least one trajectory for each of them is determined. According to the invention, the current positions of the living being and of the vehicle are used to compute trajectories of the vehicle and of the living being as a trajectory pair until said trajectory pair either indicates a collision or indicates no collision, whereupon the number of trajectory pairs indicating a collision is determined, and the probability of a collision is determined as the quotient of the number of trajectory pairs indicating a collision and the total number of trajectory pairs that have been computed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL SAFETY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL GMBH
    Inventors: Stephan Zecha, Woldemar Bauer
  • Patent number: 7320379
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for occupant protection in a motor vehicle and for anti-theft protection of the motor vehicle, comprising an airbag (3), which may be inflated with gas by means of a filling device, a transceiver (5), for electromagnetic waves (6) and an occupant protection analytical unit (81) connected thereto. An occupant protection interrogation unit (41) is arranged on the inflatable airbag (3), which is wirelessly interrogated by the transceiver (5). Information on the degree and/or speed of unfolding of the airbag is thus provided to the occupant protection analytical unit (81). The transceiver (5) may furthermore wirelessly interrogate a portable anti-theft interrogation unit (42), for example, a chipcard and hence provide an anti-theft analytical unit (82) with information about the authorisation of the anti-theft interrogation unit (42) and/or the separation of the anti-theft interrogation unit (42) from the transceiver (5) based on the returned signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Janos Gila, Jürgen Herold, Klaus Hofbeck, Wolfgang Konrad, Birgit Rösel, Stephan Zecha
  • Patent number: 7036846
    Abstract: A device comprises a gas cushion inflatable with gas by a filling device, a transceiver for electromagnetic waves, an evaluation device connected to the transceiver, and an interrogation unit, disposed on the gas cushion, that can be remotely interrogated by the transceiver to provide a degree of deployment and/or deployment velocity of the gas cushion to the evaluation device. The interrogation unit can be implemented by a transponder or a polarizing reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengellschaft
    Inventor: Stephan Zecha
  • Publication number: 20060043710
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for occupant protection in a motor vehicle and for anti-theft protection of the motor vehicle, comprising an airbag (3), which may be inflated with gas by means of a filling device, a transceiver (5), for electromagnetic waves (6) and an occupant protection analytical unit (81) connected thereto. An occupant protection interrogation unit (41) is arranged on the inflatable airbag (3), which is wirelessly interrogated by the transceiver (5). Information on the degree and/or speed of unfolding of the airbag is thus provided to the occupant protection analytical unit (81). The transceiver (5) may furthermore wirelessly interrogate a portable anti-theft interrogation unit (42), for example, a chipcard and hence provide an anti-theft analytical unit (82) with information about the authorisation of the anti-theft interrogation unit (42) and/or the separation of the anti-theft interrogation unit (42) from the transceiver (5) based on the returned signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Inventors: Janos Gila, Jurgen Herold, Klaus Hofbeck, Wolfgang Konrad, Birgit Rosel, Stephan Zecha
  • Publication number: 20040183277
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device comprising a gas cushion (3) that can be inflated with gas by means of a filling device, in addition to a transceiver (5) for electromagnetic waves (6) and an evaluation device (8) that is connected to the latter. At least one interrogation unit (4), which can be interrogated in a contactless manner by the transceiver (5), is located on the gas cushion (3). This permits the provision of information in the evaluation device (8) concerning the degree of deployment and/or the deployment speed of the gas cushion (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2003
    Publication date: September 23, 2004
    Inventor: Stephan Zecha
  • Publication number: 20030078715
    Abstract: An arrangement having a damper element (4) and a displacement sensor (5a,5b) which detects the compression travel of said damper element (4) when a force is applied, is connected to the damper element (4) and makes available an output signal for processing in a motor vehicle restraint system is described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Publication date: April 24, 2003
    Inventor: Stephan Zecha