Patents by Inventor Ulrich Waechter

Ulrich Waechter 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: 20240120774
    Abstract: A device (100) for wirelessly transferring power toward a consumer (200) by way of inductive coupling, wherein the device (100) has: a rectifier (101) for generating a DC voltage (UG) from a line voltage (UN), an inverter (102) which is configured to generate a pulse-width-modulated drive signal (AS), and a power coil (103) driven by way of the pulse-width-modulated drive signal (AS), which power coil can generate an alternating magnetic field for power transfer and for measurement purposes, wherein, in a first operating mode, the inverter (102) is configured to generate the pulse-width-modulated drive signal (AS) for power transfer as a function of the DC voltage (UG), and wherein, in a second operating mode, the inverter is configured to generate the pulse-width-modulated drive signal (AS) for measurement purposes depending on a measurement voltage (UM), wherein the DC voltage (UG) is greater than the measurement voltage (UM) during the second operating mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2023
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Inventors: Christian Egenter, Ulrich Waechter, Max-Felix Mueller, Mathias Bellm
  • Patent number: 11936203
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating a device for wireless transfer of energy in the direction of an electrical consumer via inductive coupling. The method involves sequentially carrying out a power transfer, a data exchange, a measurement of setup parameters, and a measurement of a resonance frequency, wherein during the power transfer, an electrical actual power emitted by an inverter is regulated to a predetermined electrical setpoint value, wherein during the data exchange, data are exchanged between the device and the electrical consumer via a communication unit, wherein during the measurement of the setup parameters, objects possibly arranged over a power coil are detected, wherein during the measurement of the resonance frequency, a resonance frequency of a resonant circuit having the power coil is ascertained, and wherein the measurement of the resonance frequency is executed immediately before or immediately after the measurement of the setup parameters or the data exchange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: E.G.O. ELEKTRO-GERAETEBAU GMBH
    Inventors: Mathias Bellm, Christian Egenter, Max-Felix Mueller, Ulrich Waechter
  • Publication number: 20240068135
    Abstract: Interlacing equipment may be used to form fabric and to create a gap in the fabric. The fabric may include one or more conductive strands. An insertion tool may be used to align an electrical component with the conductive strands during interlacing operations. A soldering tool may be used to remove insulation from the conductive strands to expose conductive segments on the conductive strands. The soldering tool may be used to solder the conductive segments to the electrical component. The solder connections may be located in grooves in the electrical component. An encapsulation tool may dispense encapsulation material in the grooves to encapsulate the solder connections. After the electrical component is electrically connected to the conductive strands, the insertion tool may position and release the electrical component in the gap. A component retention tool may temporarily be used to retain the electrical component in the gap as interlacing operations continue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Kyle L. Chatham, Kathryn P. Crews, Didio V. Gomes, Benjamin J. Grena, Storrs T. Hoen, Steven J. Keating, David M. Kindlon, Daniel A. Podhajny, Andrew L. Rosenberg, Daniel D. Sunshine, Lia M. Uesato, Joseph B. Walker, Felix Binder, Bertram Wendisch, Martin Latta, Ulrich Schläpfer, Franck Robin, Michael Baumann, Helen Wächter Fischer
  • Patent number: 11913143
    Abstract: Interlacing equipment may be used to form fabric and to create a gap in the fabric. The fabric may include one or more conductive strands. An insertion tool may be used to align an electrical component with the conductive strands during interlacing operations. A soldering tool may be used to remove insulation from the conductive strands to expose conductive segments on the conductive strands. The soldering tool may be used to solder the conductive segments to the electrical component. The solder connections may be located in grooves in the electrical component. An encapsulation tool may dispense encapsulation material in the grooves to encapsulate the solder connections. After the electrical component is electrically connected to the conductive strands, the insertion tool may position and release the electrical component in the gap. A component retention tool may temporarily be used to retain the electrical component in the gap as interlacing operations continue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kyle L Chatham, Kathryn P. Crews, Didio V. Gomes, Benjamin J. Grena, Storrs T. Hoen, Steven J. Keating, David M. Kindlon, Daniel A. Podhajny, Andrew L. Rosenberg, Daniel D. Sunshine, Lia M. Uesato, Joseph B. Walker, Felix Binder, Bertram Wendisch, Martin Latta, Ulrich Schläpfer, Franck Robin, Michael Baumann, Helen Wächter Fischer
  • Publication number: 20230389139
    Abstract: An induction cooktop comprising a cooktop plate and a planar and flat support structure has a flexible woven fabric as a support on which antennas and/or sensors are mounted as lines by means of embroidering processes. The antennas and/or sensors have feed lines, which are mounted and/or secured on the support by means of embroidering processes and cross one another and other lines on the same surface of the support, wherein they are electrically insulated from one another. The support structure has a thermal stability of ?200° C. It is arranged on a planar and flat retainer and, together with antennas and/or sensors, is pressed against an underside of the cooktop plate by said retainer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventors: Christian Egenter, Ulrich Waechter, Max-Felix Mueller, Mathias Bellm, Michael Rupp
  • Publication number: 20230145468
    Abstract: Method for operating a device for wireless transfer of energy in the direction of an electrical consumer by means of inductive coupling, wherein the device has: a rectifier for generating a DC voltage from a grid voltage, an inverter fed from the DC voltage, which is designed to generate a pulse-width-modulated actuation signal, a power coil actuated by means of the pulse-width-modulated actuation signal, by means of which a magnetic alternating field can be generated to transfer the energy, and a communication unit, which is designed to exchange data bidirectionally with the electrical consumer, wherein the method has the following steps: sequentially carrying out a power transfer (LTX), a data exchange (DAT), a measurement of setup parameters (MAP), and a measurement of a resonance frequency (MRF), wherein during the power transfer (LTX), an electrical actual power emitted by the inverter is regulated to a predetermined electrical setpoint value, wherein during the data exchange (DAT), data are exchanged be
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventors: Mathias Bellm, Christian Egenter, Max-Felix Mueller, Ulrich Waechter
  • Publication number: 20230121821
    Abstract: A method for operating a system having a device for the wireless transmission of energy to an electrical consumer by means of inductive coupling, and an electrical consumer, wherein the device has: a rectifier for generating a DC voltage from a line voltage, an inverter which is fed from the DC voltage and designed to generate a pulse-width-modulated activation signal, a power coil activated by the pulse-width-modulated activation signal, by means of which an alternating magnetic field can be generated to transmit the energy, a communication device designed to exchange data bi-directionally with the electrical consumer, and a regulator designed to regulate a power output by the inverter to a predetermined setpoint, and wherein the electrical consumer has: a switching device for changing the load impedance of the electrical consumer, and a communication device designed to exchange data bi-directionally with the device, wherein the method comprises the steps: synchronizing the operation of the device and the op
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: Christian Egenter, Max-Felix Mueller, Mathias Bellm, Ulrich Waechter
  • Publication number: 20130139704
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a cooking vessel which is of a prespecified cooking vessel type and comprises: a cooking vessel type encoding device which encodes the cooking vessel type of the cooking vessel, with the cooking vessel type encoding device being a passive, electrical resonant circuit, with a resonant frequency of the resonant circuit encoding the cooking vessel type of the cooking vessel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: E.G.O. Elektro-Geratebau GmbH
    Inventors: Wilfried Schilling, Ulrich Wächter