Patents by Inventor Volkmar Hofmann

Volkmar Hofmann 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).

  • Correction of calibration errors in an optical instrument
    Patent number: 8049780
    Abstract: A calibration error correction device for an optical instrument includes a detector operable to detect a position of a focusing lens of an optical instrument along a mechanical path of the focusing lens. A line of sight through an image plane of the optical instrument and the focusing lens at a present position defines an actual viewing direction. The device also includes a memory configured to store viewing direction errors specifying a deviation between a known theoretical viewing direction and the actual viewing direction associated with a plurality of different positions of the focusing lens along the mechanical path and an indicator of at least one value indicative of the actual viewing direction based on the theoretical viewing direction and the viewing direction errors at each of the different positions of the focusing lens along the mechanical path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Trimble Jena GmbH
    Inventors: Volkmar Hofmann, Thomas Marold, Matthias Menzel
  • CORRECTION OF CALIBRATION ERRORS IN AN OPTICAL INSTRUMENT
    Publication number: 20090216476
    Abstract: A calibration error correction device for an optical instrument includes a detector operable to detect a position of a focusing lens of an optical instrument along a mechanical path of the focusing lens. A line of sight through an image plane of the optical instrument and the focusing lens at a present position defines an actual viewing direction. The device also includes a memory configured to store viewing direction errors specifying a deviation between a known theoretical viewing direction and the actual viewing direction associated with a plurality of different positions of the focusing lens along the mechanical path and an indicator of at least one value indicative of the actual viewing direction based on the theoretical viewing direction and the viewing direction errors at each of the different positions of the focusing lens along the mechanical path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: TRIMBLE JENA GMBH
    Inventors: Volkmar Hofmann, Thomas Marold, Matthias Menzel