Patents by Inventor Tobias Schwab

Tobias Schwab 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: 11953770
    Abstract: The invention relates to a display device having an integrated, optically operating proximity sensor system (76) for detecting an object present within an observation space in front of the display device, such as a hand or a finger of a hand of a person. The display device is provided with a display unit (11) which has a front side (60) having an information-displaying display surface (62) and having an edge region (64), which adjoins said display surface and is not used for the display of information, and a rear side. The display device also has a proximity sensor system (76) having at least one transmitter (78) for emitting sensor radiation towards the observation space and having at least one receiver (74) for receiving sensor radiation reflected from the observation space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
    Inventors: Alberto Sanchez Castillo, Tobias Schwab, Willem Hofman, Jeah-Sheng Wu, Rüdiger Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20220390784
    Abstract: The invention relates to a display device having an integrated, optically operating proximity sensor system (76) for detecting an object present within an observation space in front of the display device, such as a hand or a finger of a hand of a person. The display device is provided with a display unit (11) which has a front side (60) having an information-displaying display surface (62) and having an edge region (64), which adjoins said display surface and is not used for the display of information, and a rear side. The display device also has a proximity sensor system (76) having at least one transmitter (78) for emitting sensor radiation towards the observation space and having at least one receiver (74) for receiving sensor radiation reflected from the observation space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Applicant: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
    Inventors: Alberto SANCHEZ CASTILLO, Tobias SCHWAB, Willem HOFMAN, Jeah-Sheng WU, Rüdiger SCHMIDT
  • Patent number: 11314331
    Abstract: The operating unit for a device, in particular for a vehicle component, is provided with a housing (10) that has a control panel (12) and is provided for attaching in an apparatus, in particular a vehicle dashboard or vehicle center console, the control panel (12) being elastically mounted on the housing (10). Furthermore provided is an actuator (16) for mechanically exciting exclusively the control panel (12) when use of the control panel (12) is detected, the control panel forming the front side of a touch-sensitive touch panel (13). Finally, the operating unit also comprises a vibration compensation mass (20) that is mechanically excitable by the or by an actuator (16) when use of the control panel (12) is detected and is elastically mounted in and/or on the housing (10) and is movable to essentially compensate for a movement of the housing (10) when activating the actuator (16) that can mechanically excite the control panel (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Tobias Schwab, Harri Pankratz
  • Patent number: 11281037
    Abstract: The invention relates to a display device having an integrated, optically operating proximity sensor system (30) for detecting an object present within an observation space in front of the display device, such as a hand a finger of a hand of a person. The display device is provided with a display unit (22), which has a front side having an information-displaying display surface (20) and having an edge region (18), which adjoins said display surface and is not used for the display of information, and a rear side. The display device also has a proximity sensor system (30) having at least one transmitter (32) for emitting sensor radiation toward the observation space and having at least one receiver (34) for receiving sensor radiation reflected from the observation space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Rüdiger Schmidt, Tobias Schwab, Tomasz Tarnowski
  • Publication number: 20210286430
    Abstract: The operating unit for a device, in particular for a vehicle component, is provided with a housing (10) that has a control panel (12) and is provided for attaching in an apparatus, in particular a vehicle dashboard or vehicle center console, the control panel (12) being elastically mounted on the housing (10). Furthermore provided is an actuator (16) for mechanically exciting exclusively the control panel (12) when use of the control panel (12) is detected, the control panel forming the front side of a touch-sensitive touch panel (13). Finally, the operating unit also comprises a vibration compensation mass (20) that is mechanically excitable by the or by an actuator (16) when use of the control panel (12) is detected and is elastically mounted in and/or on the housing (10) and is movable to essentially compensate for a movement of the housing (10) when activating the actuator (16) that can mechanically excite the control panel (12).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Tobias Schwab, Harri Pankratz
  • Patent number: 11097616
    Abstract: The operating device for a vehicle component, in particular a human machine interface (HMI) for vehicles, is provided with a housing, comprising a front wall having a front face in particular with a display surface and a rear face facing away from the front face, and an operating element unit which is positioned and/or can be positioned on and/or in front of the front wall of the housing for manually triggering operating functions and/or for manually adjusting parameters of operating functions for a vehicle component. The operating element unit comprises at least one operating element, a display element and/or a display device, an evaluating and control unit assigned to the at least one operating element and to the display element or the display device, and an energy supply unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
    Inventors: Klaus-Martin Masthoff, Tobias Schwab, Matthias Stallein
  • Publication number: 20210178898
    Abstract: The invention relates to a display device (210) which is provided with a display (212) and a backlighting unit (218) arranged behind the display (212). The backlighting unit (218) comprises a light guide plate (222) which has an upper light guide plate element (222a) and a lower light guide plate element (222b). Backlight (230) of light sources (220) is fed laterally into the upper light guide plate element (222a), which is emitted from the light emission side (228) of the light guide plate (222) after deflection and scattering within the light guide plate element (222a). Sensor radiation is fed into the lower light guide plate element (222b) by means of proximity sensor system transmitter elements (236), wherein said sensor radiation is likewise emitted from the light emission side (228) of the light guide plate (222) after reflection and scattering. Both light guide plate elements (222a, 222b) are optimized for the wavelengths of the radiation which is fed into the latter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Winfried FUST, Tuomas SIEKKINEN, Tobias SCHWAB, Rüdiger SCHMIDT, Alberto SANCHEZ CASTILLO
  • Patent number: 10866644
    Abstract: The operating unit (10) for a vehicle component is provided with a housing (14) having a frame (16) and a display (62) having a transparent cover pane (18) with an edge (22). A plurality of actuators (24) for introducing flexural waves into the cover pane (18) is arranged along the edge (22) of the cover pane (18). A contact surface (34) is assigned to each actuator (24) on the cover pane (18), by means of which contact surface the actuator (24) acts on the cover pane (18) in order to introduce flexural waves into the cover pane (18). The flexural waves introduced into the cover pane (18) by the actuators (24) are superposed in the cover pane (18) and give the cover pane (18) a tactilely sensible, locally resolved surface structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Kirsch, Tobias Schwab, Jan Henning Kessler, Sascha Langener
  • Patent number: 10754451
    Abstract: The operating device for a vehicle comprises a capacitively operating touch panel having an upper face with a touch sensitive surface, and an operating unit having a movable operating element which can be grasped manually and has an electrically conductive surface and a plate shaped holding element, provided with an upper face and a lower face facing away from the upper face, on which the operating element is movably arranged and which for its part is arranged on the touch-sensitive surface of the upper face of the touch panel. The operating element comprises at least one wiper, electrically connected to the electrically conductive surface of the operating element, sliding along a sensing path of the upper face of the holding element when the operating element is moved. The holding element comprises alternately successively arranged first sections and second sections along the sensing path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
    Inventors: Christoph Fischer, Tobias Schwab
  • Patent number: 10732716
    Abstract: The operating unit for a device, particularly for a vehicle component, is provided with a housing that has an operating panel and is provided for attachment in an apparatus, particularly a vehicle dashboard or vehicle center console, the operating panel being elastically mounted on the housing. Further, an actuator for mechanically exciting the operating panel when use of the operating panel is detected is provided. Finally, the operating unit also has a vibration compensation mass that is mechanically excitable by the or by an actuator when use of the operating panel is detected and is elastically mounted in and/or on the housing and is movable to essentially compensate for a motion of the housing when the actuator mechanically exciting the operating panel is activated. The operating unit has a backlit display that has a display unit and a backlight unit separate therefrom. The backlight unit serves as a vibration compensation mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
    Inventors: Tobias Schwab, Harri Pankratz
  • Publication number: 20200150476
    Abstract: The invention relates to a display device having an integrated, optically operating proximity sensor system (30) for detecting an object present within an observation space in front of the display device, such as a hand a finger of a hand of a person. The display device is provided with a display unit (22), which has a front side having an information-displaying display surface (20) and having an edge region (18), which adjoins said display surface and is not used for the display of information, and a rear side. The display device also has a proximity sensor system (30) having at least one transmitter (32) for emitting sensor radiation toward the observation space and having at least one receiver (34) for receiving sensor radiation reflected from the observation space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Rüdiger Schmidt, Tobias Schwab, Tomasz Tarnowski
  • Publication number: 20200026357
    Abstract: The operating unit (10) for a vehicle component is provided with a housing (14) having a frame (16) and a display (62) having a transparent cover pane (18) with an edge (22). A plurality of actuators (24) for introducing flexural waves into the cover pane (18) is arranged along the edge (22) of the cover pane (18). A contact surface (34) is assigned to each actuator (24) on the cover pane (18), by means of which contact surface the actuator (24) acts on the cover pane (18) in order to introduce flexural waves into the cover pane (18). The flexural waves introduced into the cover pane (18) by the actuators (24) are superposed in the cover pane (18) and give the cover pane (18) a tactilely sensible, locally resolved surface structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan KIRSCH, Tobias SCHWAB, Jan Henning KESSLER, Sascha LANGENER
  • Publication number: 20190391672
    Abstract: The operating device for a vehicle comprises a capacitively operating touch panel having an upper face with a touch sensitive surface, and an operating unit having a movable operating element which can be grasped manually and has an electrically conductive surface and a plate shaped holding element, provided with an upper face and a lower face facing away from the upper face, on which the operating element is movably arranged and which for its part is arranged on the touch-sensitive surface of the upper face of the touch panel. The operating element comprises at least one wiper, electrically connected to the electrically conductive surface of the operating element, sliding along a sensing path of the upper face of the holding element when the operating element is moved. The holding element comprises alternately successively arranged first sections and second sections along the sensing path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventors: Christoph FISCHER, Tobias SCHWAB
  • Publication number: 20190278386
    Abstract: The operating device for a vehicle component, in particular a human machine interface (HMI) for vehicles, is provided with a housing, comprising a front wall having a front face in particular with a display surface and a rear face facing away from the front face, and an operating element unit which is positioned and/or can be positioned on and/or in front of the front wall of the housing for manually triggering operating functions and/or for manually adjusting parameters of operating functions for a vehicle component. The operating element unit comprises at least one operating element, a display element and/or a display device, an evaluating and control unit assigned to the at least one operating element and to the display element or the display device, and an energy supply unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Klaus-Martin MASTHOFF, Tobias SCHWAB, Matthias STALLEIN
  • Publication number: 20190163280
    Abstract: The operating unit for a device, particularly for a vehicle component, is provided with a housing that has an operating panel and is provided for attachment in an apparatus, particularly a vehicle dashboard or vehicle center console, the operating panel being elastically mounted on the housing. Further, an actuator for mechanically exciting the operating panel when use of the operating panel is detected is provided. Finally, the operating unit also has a vibration compensation mass that is mechanically excitable by the or by an actuator when use of the operating panel is detected and is elastically mounted in and/or on the housing and is movable to essentially compensate for a motion of the housing when the actuator mechanically exciting the operating panel is activated. The operating unit has a backlit display that has a display unit and a backlight unit separate therefrom. The backlight unit serves as a vibration compensation mass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Tobias SCHWAB, Harri PANKRATZ
  • Patent number: 9595692
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing an organic component in which a layer stack comprising an electrode, a counter-electrode and one or more organic layers is produced and in which a functional layer with metal particle nanoclusters is formed in the layer stack, wherein here in the layer stack a base layer of an inorganic material is produced on an underlying stack region which comprises at least one organic layer and an arrangement of isolated metal particle nanoclusters is formed on the base layer. The invention further relates to an organic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Technische Universität Dresden
    Inventors: Till Jaegeler-Hoheisel, Tobias Schwab, Sylvio Schubert, Moritz Riede, Karl Leo
  • Patent number: 9421913
    Abstract: A bracket for releasable securement of a cargo compartment floor, which is swingable about an axis in a vehicle in the opened position includes a holding device which, in an installed condition, can be swiveled or pushed from a starting position in which it projects from a surface of a cargo compartment lining elastically at least partially into the cargo compartment lining. A lighting device is provided in the part of the holding device which, in the starting position, projects from the cargo compartment lining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Robert Adolf, Tobias Schwab
  • Publication number: 20160133875
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing an organic component in which a layer stack comprising an electrode, a counter-electrode and one or more organic layers is produced and in which a functional layer with metal particle nanoclusters is formed in the layer stack, wherein here in the layer stack a base layer of an inorganic material is produced on an underlying stack region which comprises at least one organic layer and an arrangement of isolated metal particle nanoclusters is formed on the base layer. The invention further relates to an organic component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventors: Till Jaegeler-Hoheisel, Tobias Schwab, Sylvio Schubert, Moritz Riede, Karl Leo
  • Publication number: 20150232035
    Abstract: A bracket for releasable securement of a cargo compartment floor, which is swingable about an axis in a vehicle in the opened position includes a holding device which, in an installed condition, can be swivelled or pushed from a starting position in which it projects from a surface of a cargo compartment lining elastically at least partially into the cargo compartment lining. A lighting device is provided in the part of the holding device which, in the starting position, projects from the cargo compartment lining.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2013
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Robert Adolf, Tobias Schwab
  • Patent number: 8858020
    Abstract: An illuminated display for representing a three-dimensional object includes a display element containing the object, wherein information becomes visible when light is coupled into the display element. The display element is transparent. The three-dimensional object is made from a first plastic material having a first refractive index and is partially or completely surrounded by a second plastic material having a second refractive index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Tobias Schwab, Stephan Berlitz