Patents by Inventor Volker GERHARDT

Volker GERHARDT 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: 9908438
    Abstract: An operating device for operating an adjustable seat of a motor vehicle includes a carrier, an operating element having a surface, and at least one holding element coupling the operating element to the carrier at a bearing position on the carrier. The operating device also includes a sensor configured to detect a size of a force acting on the operating element surface during an operating input and to generate a signal corresponding to the size of the detected force. The sensor is integrated into the bearing position on the carrier. The operating device further includes seat adjuster configured to adjust the adjustable seat based on the size of the detected force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: DAIMLER AG
    Inventors: Volker Entenmann, Volker Gerhardt, Jörg Reisinger, Tingting Zhang-Xu
  • Patent number: 9878731
    Abstract: A steering wheel for a motor vehicle is disclosed. The steering wheel includes an optical finger navigation module, at least one further operating element, a steering wheel electronic system and a databus for data transmission between the optical finger navigation module and the steering wheel electronic system. The at least one further operating element is directly connected to the optical finger navigation module via a signal line. The optical finger navigation module is designed in such a way as to receive a signal from the at least one further operating element and relay it on to the steering wheel electronic system via the databus. In this way, no dedicated lines from the operating element to the steering wheel electronic system are necessary. Thus, the construction space for the installation of a device consisting of an optical finger navigation module and a further operating element in a steering wheel is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Volker Entenmann, Volker Gerhardt, Joerg Reisinger
  • Publication number: 20160229312
    Abstract: An operating device to operate an adjustable seat of a motor vehicle having a carrier includes an operating element having a first surface directed towards an outer surface of the carrier, a second surface and at least one third surface adjacent to the first surface and the second surface. The operating device also includes a sensor for detecting a size of a force acting on the at least one third surface during the operating input and to generate a signal corresponding to the size of the detected force. The operating device also includes an evaluation device for generating a control signal by processing the signal corresponding to the size of the detected force, and an adjustment device to adjust the adjustable seat on the basis of the control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Volker ENTENMANN, Volker GERHARDT, Jörg REISINGER, Tingting ZHANG-XU
  • Publication number: 20150360711
    Abstract: A steering wheel for a motor vehicle is disclosed. The steering wheel includes an optical finger navigation module, at least one further operating element, a steering wheel electronic system and a databus for data transmission between the optical finger navigation module and the steering wheel electronic system. The at least one further operating element is directly connected to the optical finger navigation module via a signal line. The optical finger navigation module is designed in such a way as to receive a signal from the at least one further operating element and relay it on to the steering wheel electronic system via the databus. In this way, no dedicated lines from the operating element to the steering wheel electronic system are necessary. Thus, the construction space for the installation of a device consisting of an optical finger navigation module and a further operating element in a steering wheel is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2014
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Applicant: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Volker ENTENMANN, Volker GERHARDT, Joerg REISINGER