Patents by Inventor Wilfried Noell

Wilfried Noell 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: 20240118489
    Abstract: An exemplary micro-optical component includes a micro-substrate and a micro-optical element disposed on the micro-substrate. The micro-optical element is structured to modify or process light. At least a portion of a component tether is physically attached to the micro-substrate or physically attached to the micro-optical element. The micro-optical component has a thickness less than 250 ?m. Light can be processed by reflection, refraction, diffraction, frequency changes, polarization changes, color-temperature or frequency distribution changes, or phase changes. The micro-optical component can be disposed on a system substrate to form a micro-optical system. The system substrate can include a cavity and the micro-optical element can be disposed at least partially in the cavity. Micro-optical components can be passive optical micro-devices. A light-active element can be disposed on the micro-substrate to receive light from or emit light to the micro-optical element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2022
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Inventors: Ronald S. Cok, Wilfried Noell, David Gomez, Ruggero Loi
  • Publication number: 20240045114
    Abstract: A micro-lens based module including at least one nanostructured layer, the nanostructured layer including one or several diffractive domains corresponding to an optical object. The claimed micro-lens based module allows dynamic and/or coloured projections of optical objects with an improved optical quality. The present invention also relates to a projection device and a method of projection of improved coloured and/or dynamic images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Giorgio QUARANTA, Wilfried NOELL, Christopher BREMER
  • Patent number: 11630026
    Abstract: A method for assessing the quality of a multi-channel micro- and/or subwavelength-optical projection unit is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: At least a predefined portion of the optical projection unit is illuminated so that an image is generated by at least two channels of the predefined portion of the multi-channel optical projection unit. At least one characteristic quantity is determined based on the analysis of the image, wherein a value of the characteristic quantity is associated with a characteristic feature of the projection unit, a defect of the projection unit and/or a defect class of the projection unit. The quality of the projection unit is assessed based on the at least one characteristic quantity. Moreover, a test system for assessing the quality of a multi-channel micro- and/or subwavelength-optical projection unit and a computer program are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Inventors: Isabel Agireen, Katrin Schindler, Wilfried Noell, Sophiane Tournois, Susanne Westenhoefer
  • Patent number: 11365863
    Abstract: A projection system for a vehicle, in particular for an ambient lighting device for generating a plurality of light cones for illuminating the ground in the surroundings of the vehicle, includes at least one light source and a microlens array. The microlens array includes an optical axis, a first portion with at least one first channel and a second portion with at least one second channel. The projection system includes an optical device that is provided downstream of the microlens array and is arranged at least in the area of the first portion, with the distance between the microlens array and the optical device being less than 20 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Inventors: Christopher Bremer, Giorgio Quaranta, Wilfried Noell, Toralf Scharf
  • Publication number: 20210401291
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for analyzing a substance, comprising: —a measurement body (1, 1a), which has a measurement surface (2) and is to be brought at least in part into contact with the substance (3) in the region of the measurement surface for the purpose of measuring; a laser device (4), particularly having a quantum cascade laser (QCL), a tunable QCL and/or a laser array, preferably an array of QCLs, in order to generate one or more excitation beams (10) at different wavelengths, preferably in the infrared or medium infrared spectral range, which is directed to the substance (3); and a detection apparatus (5, 6, 7) which is integrated at least in part in the measurement body (1, 1a) or connected thereto and comprises the following: •a source (5) for coherent detection light (11) and •a first optical waveguide structure (6) which can be or is connected to the source for the detection light, which guides the detection light, and has a refractive index which is dependent at least in portions on th
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Uwe Schriek, Wilfried Noell, Thorsten Lubinski
  • Publication number: 20210348736
    Abstract: A projection system for a vehicle, in particular for an ambient lighting device for generating a plurality of light cones for illuminating the ground in the surroundings of the vehicle, includes at least one light source and a microlens array. The microlens array includes an optical axis, a first portion with at least one first channel and a second portion with at least one second channel. The projection system includes an optical device that is provided downstream of the microlens array and is arranged at least in the area of the first portion, with the distance between the microlens array and the optical device being less than 20 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Christopher BREMER, Giorgio QUARANTA, Wilfried NOELL, Toralf SCHARF
  • Publication number: 20210063863
    Abstract: A method for assessing the quality of a multi-channel micro- and/or subwavelength-optical projection unit is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: At least a predefined portion of the optical projection unit is illuminated so that an image is generated by at least two channels of the predefined portion of the multi-channel optical projection unit. At least one characteristic quantity is determined based on the analysis of the image, wherein a value of the characteristic quantity is associated with a characteristic feature of the projection unit, a defect of the projection unit and/or a defect class of the projection unit. The quality of the projection unit is assessed based on the at least one characteristic quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventors: Isabel AGIREEN, Katrin SCHINDLER, Wilfried NOELL, Sophiane TOURNOIS, Susanne WESTENHOEFER
  • Publication number: 20200348588
    Abstract: A framework for a replication device for producing nanostructured and/or microstructured components forms a gimbal suspension. In addition, a replication device is provided including such a framework. Further, a method is described for producing nanostructured and/or microstructured components by imprint lithography using a replication device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: Raoul KIRNER, Wilfried NOELL, Andreas NAGY
  • Patent number: 9116440
    Abstract: An optical module includes a chamber capable of being evacuated and a mirror in the chamber. The mirror includes a plurality of individual mirrors. Each individual mirror includes: a mirror body including a reflection face; a support structure; and a thermally conductive portion that mechanically connects the support structure to the mirror body. For at least one individual mirror, the thermally conductive portion includes a plurality of thermally conductive strips arranged radially, adjacent thermally conductive strips being separated from each other, and each of the plurality of thermally conductive strips connecting the mirror body to the support structure. For at least one individual mirror, an actuator is associated with the mirror body, the actuator being configured to displace the mirror body relative to the support structure in at least one degree of freedom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Hauf, Severin Waldis, Wilfried Noell, Yves Petremend, Marco Jassmann, Lothar Kulzer, Caglar Ataman
  • Publication number: 20140211187
    Abstract: An optical module includes a chamber capable of being evacuated and a mirror in the chamber. The mirror includes a plurality of individual mirrors. Each individual mirror includes: a mirror body including a reflection face; a support structure; and a thermally conductive portion that mechanically connects the support structure to the mirror body. For at least one individual mirror, the thermally conductive portion includes a plurality of thermally conductive strips arranged radially, adjacent thermally conductive strips being separated from each other, and each of the plurality of thermally conductive strips connecting the mirror body to the support structure. For at least one individual mirror, an actuator is associated with the mirror body, the actuator being configured to displace the mirror body relative to the support structure in at least one degree of freedom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Hauf, Severin Waldis, Wilfried Noell, Yves Petremend, Marco Jassmann, Lothar Kulzer, Caglar Ataman
  • Patent number: 8717531
    Abstract: A mirror serves for guiding a radiation bundle. The mirror has a basic body and a coating of a reflective surface of the basic body, the coating increasing the reflectivity of the mirror. A heat dissipating device serves for dissipating heat deposited in the coating. The heat dissipating device has at least one Peltier element. The coating is applied directly on the Peltier element. A temperature setting apparatus has at least one temperature sensor for a temperature of the reflective surface. A regulating device of the Temperature setting apparatus can be connected to the at least one Peltier element and is signal-connected to the at least one temperature sensor. The result is a mirror in which a heat dissipating capacity of the heat dissipating device is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Severin Waldis, Florian Bach, Daniel Benz, Armin Werber, Wilfried Noell, Dirk Heinrich Ehm, Stefan Wiesner, Dieter Kraus
  • Publication number: 20120044474
    Abstract: An optical module is used to guide an EUV radiation beam. The optical module has a chamber that can be evacuated and at least one mirror accommodated in the chamber. The mirror has a plurality of individual mirrors, the reflection faces of which complement one another to form an overall mirror reflection face. A support structure is in each case mechanically connected via a thermally conductive portion to a mirror body of the respective individual mirror. At least some of the mirror bodies have an associated actuator for the predetermined displacement of the mirror body relative to the support structure in at least one degree of freedom. The thermally conductive portions are configured to dissipate a thermal power density of at least 1 kW/m2 absorbed by the mirror bodies to the support structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Markus Hauf, Severin Waldis, Wilfried Noell, Yves Petremend, Marco Jassman, Lothar Kulzer, Caglar Ataman
  • Publication number: 20100261120
    Abstract: A mirror serves for guiding a radiation bundle. The mirror has a basic body and a coating of a reflective surface of the basic body, the coating increasing the reflectivity of the mirror. A heat dissipating device serves for dissipating heat deposited in the coating. The heat dissipating device has at least one Peltier element. The coating is applied directly on the Peltier element. A temperature setting apparatus has at least one temperature sensor for a temperature of the reflective surface. A regulating device of the Temperature setting apparatus can be connected to the at least one Peltier element and is signal-connected to the at least one temperature sensor. The result is a mirror in which a heat dissipating capacity of the heat dissipating device is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT AG
    Inventors: Severin Waldis, Florian Bach, Daniel Benz, Armin Werber, Wilfried Noell, Dirk Heinrich Ehm, Stefan Wiesner, Dieter Kraus
  • Patent number: 7575369
    Abstract: Assembly element (18) made in a plate of brittle material, including an aperture (32) provided for the axial insertion of an arbour (26). The inner wall (33) of the aperture (32) includes elastic structures (34), which are etched into the plate and which each include at least one support surface (36) for gripping the arbour (26) radially in order to secure the assembly element (18) relative to the arbour (26). The assembly element (18) includes a first series (S1) of elastic structures (34) etched in a top layer (39) of the plate and a second series (S2) of elastic structures (34) etched in a bottom layer (41) of the plate. A timepiece may be fitted with this assembly element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventors: Roland Bitterli, Wilfried Noell, Fabien Blondeau, Lionel Paratte, Toralf Scharf, Pierre-André Meister, André Zanetta
  • Patent number: 7572050
    Abstract: Assembly element made in a plate of brittle material, such as silicon, in particular for a timepiece, including an aperture provided for the axial insertion of an arbour, the inner wall of the aperture including elastic structures which are etched into the plate and which each include at least one support surface for gripping the arbour radially in order to secure the assembly element relative to the arbour. Each elastic structure is formed by a fork which is connected to the inner wall of the aperture by a bridge of material and which includes two branches extending, on either side of the bridge of material, generally towards the arbour. Each branch includes a support surface in proximity to the free end thereof. The invention also proposes a timepiece fitted with an assembly element of this type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogére Suisse
    Inventors: Roland Bitterli, Wilfried Noell, Fabien Blondeau, Lionel Paratte, Toralf Scharf, Pierre-André Meister, André Zanetta
  • Patent number: 7505373
    Abstract: The invention proposes a MEMS micromotor produced in a plate made of crystalline or amorphous material, in particular based on silicon, which comprises a lower layer forming a substrate, and an upper layer in which at least one actuator and a rotor is etched, the actuator driving the rotor in rotation about a shaft (64), characterized in that the shaft (64) is connected to the plate, in that the shaft (64) extends axially through a hole of the plate, and in that the shaft (64) is clamped in the hole and centered in the hole by means of elastic fixing structures which are produced by etching in the substrate and which are arranged on the circumference of the hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogére Suisse
    Inventors: Lionel Paratte, Wilfried Noell, Jean-Philippe Rebeaud, Nicolas Golay, Yves Petremand, André Zanetta, Fabien Blondeau, Pierre-André Meister
  • Publication number: 20090059344
    Abstract: A micromirror device (21) comprises an electrostatically actuable micromirror (25) and also a frame (27) and a base (9). The micromirror (25) is cardanically suspended in the base (9) via the frame (27) in that it is connected to the frame (27) via two articulated joints and the frame (27) is connected to the base (9) via two further articulated joints. In this way, the micromirror (25) can be actuated by application of an electrical voltage to correspondingly positioned electrodes, that is to say that one or both of the rotation axes defined by the two pairs of articulated joints are pivoted. The micromirror is then suspended in such a way that the two articulated joints defining one of the two rotation axes each comprise a torsion spring and the other two articulated joints defining the other of the two rotation axes each comprise a bending spring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: SERCALO Microtechnology Ltd.
    Inventors: Cornel MARXER, Peter Herbst, Michael Zickar, Wilfried Noell
  • Publication number: 20080303781
    Abstract: A micro electromechanical shutter device and a pixel arrangement in which respective shutter elements are configured to controllably take a first geometrical state open and a second geometrical state closed by different degrees of actuation, and wherein the first geometrical state of the shutter element is configured to correspond to a non-actuated rest state of the shutter element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2006
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Applicant: Sony Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Juan Manuel Teijido, Wilfried Noell, Michael Zickar, Nicolaas F. De Rooij
  • Patent number: 7447119
    Abstract: The invention proposes a drive module intended to engage with a clock wheel having a plate made of crystalline or amorphous material comprising a lower layer, which forms a substrate, and an upper layer, into which an MEMS type of micromotor is etched, wherein the micromotor has at least one actuator rotatably driving a rotor, characterized in that a pinion arranged coaxially to the rotor is rotatably connected to the rotor and disposed above the rotor, said pinion being provided to engage with the clock wheel in an engagement zone located close to an outer peripheral edge of the plate, that the rotor is disposed on the plate in order to minimize the distance between the outer peripheral edge of the rotor and the outer peripheral edge of the plate corresponding to the engagement zone, and that the diameter of the pinion is larger than that of the rotor so as to protrude relative to the plate into the engagement zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventors: Lionel Paratte, André Zanetta, Pierre-André Meister, Yves Petremand, Nicolas Golay, Fabien Blondeau, Wilfried Noell
  • Patent number: 7438465
    Abstract: Assembly element (18) made in a plate of brittle material, including an aperture (32) provided for the axial insertion of an arbour (26), the inner wall (33) of the aperture (32) including elastic structures (34), which are etched into the plate to grip the arbour (26) radially. Each elastic structure (34) includes a first rectilinear elastic strip (L1) which extends along a tangential direction relative to the arbour (26). According to the invention, each elastic structure (34) is formed by a radial stack of several parallel elastic strips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventors: Roland Bitterli, Wilfried Noell, Fabien Blondeau, Lionel Paratte, Toralf Scharf, Pierre-André Meister, André Zanetta