Robert Boschgmbh

Berthold Wocher

Thomas Pfendler

Siegbert Steinlechner

Heins-Erdam Bollhagen

Hans Hecht

Wolfgang Kienzle

Josef Kleinhans

Ulrich Kuhn

Nikolaus Simon

Horst Magenau

Heins Bollhagen

Johannes Nier

Heinz Pfitzmaier

Heinz Pfitzemaier

Hans Bauerlen

A capacitive sensor includes a plurality of individual condenser elements, each of which consist of a first, preferably circular, electrode and a second, preferably surrounding ring-shaped, electrode, which are mounted on one side of a nonconducting support. A common conductor is connected to each of the first electrodes of condenser elements. A signal can be detected separately from each of the condenser elements via conductors connected separately to the individual second electrodes. To increase the sensitivity and to avoid interference, the remote side of the support opposite to the one side is provided with a third additional electrode, which is at ground potential and also acts as a shield for interfering couplings. The sensor is used for measurement of the fuel film thickness in the intake of an internal combustion engine.

Capacitive sensor for measurement of a fuel wall film, particularly in

A capacitive position sensor includes a capacitor arrangement assembled of a stator (5) and a rotor (6). The stator supports at least three coplanar electrodes (21, 22, 23) having the shape of circle sectors 120.degree.. The rotor supports at least a counterelectrode (25) having the shape of a circle sector of 240.degree.. An oscillator (30) applies two a.c. voltage (u1, u2) of equal amplitude and opposite phase to two of the stator electrode (21, 22). The range of rotation of the rotor is such that the remaining third electrode on the stator is always overlapped by the counterelectrode. Voltage induced on the counterelectrode by means of the a.c. voltages on the stator electrodes is inverted and fed back as a neutralizing voltage (uR) to the third stator electrode (23) until the induced voltage on the counterelectrode reaches zero value. The neutralizing voltage is rectified and integrated into a d.c. voltage (UA) which serves as a measure of the angular position of the rotor (6).

Capacitive position sensor

An apparatus for determining the flow rate of a flowing medium having a substrate as a carrier and a resistor arrangement disposed on the substrate which among other elements includes a layer-like measuring resistor (R.sub.H) as well as a likewise layer-like heating resistor (R.sub.S), the heating output of which is regulated such that the measuring resistor (R.sub.H) has a constant temperature, the heating output of the heating resistor (R.sub.S) being a standard for the flow rate of the flowing medium. The surface area of (R.sub.S) is greater than the surface area of (R.sub.H) and extends farther toward a fastening of the substrate, in order to prevent a flow of heat out of the vicinity of the measuring resistor (R.sub.H). The measuring resistor (R.sub.H) and the heating resistor (R.sub.S) are located on the downstream portion of the substrate, on a lip set off by a slit. With this disposition of the measuring resistor (R.sub.H), soiling of the substrate affects the measurement result only slightly.

Apparatus for determining the flow rate of a flowing medium

The distance-frequency transducer includes a capacitor whose capacitance changes as a function of movement of one electrode relative to the other. The movement is controlled by the parameter to be measured, as, for example, the pressure in a pressure pickup. The capacitance determines the frequency of an RC oscillator. The output frequency of the oscillator can be calibrated directly in pressure units.

Distance-frequency transducer

A radar system utilizes stretched radar pulses generated by multiplying the received radar pulse sequence by an auxiliary pulse sequence having a slightly lower pulse repetition frequency than the transmitted radar pulses. The pulse repetition period of the sequence of auxiliary pulses therefore exceeds the pulse repetition period of the transmitted radar pulses by a predetermined time difference. To eliminate echoes from undesired targets located more than a predetermined maximum distance from the radar the sequence of auxiliary pulses is synchronized to the sequence of transmitted radar pulses periodically with a synchronizing time including a predetermined number of transmitted radar pulses. The predetermined number is so chosen that the product of the number minus one, multiplied by the predetermined time difference, is equal to the time required for a radar pulse to travel back and forth from a target located at the predetermined maximum distance.

Method and system for increasing the distance which can be unambiguously

A signal proportional to steering angle is produced by a potentiometer controlled by the steering wheel, except for steering angles below about 0.1.degree. that are frequently used for corrections in driving on a straight course. For steering angles above about 0.5.degree., the signal remains constant in magnitude. The signal controls a range gate of the radar system suppressing the effect of echoes beyond a maximum range limit smaller than the intercept of a radar ray at the beam edge on an arc concentric with the curved path of the vehicle having a radius of curvature exceeding that of the vehicle path by a predetermined amount which is chosen so as to preclude reception of echoes from guard rails situated on the outside of highway curves. The steering angle signal can be provided together with other functions contributing to a maximum range limit operation for the radar for a more comprehensive elimination of echoes irrelevant to the anti-collision purpose of the radar, thereby reducing unnecessary warnings.

Reduction of echoes of irrelevant targets in a vehicle anti-collision

Pulse sequences from a radar receiver respectively made up of successive start pulses and of successive echo pulses from one or more targets are expanded in time by multiplication with an auxiliary pulse sequence differing slightly in repetition rate from the start pulse sequence. This enables circuits to be used with a lower degree of time resolution that would otherwise be needed, at the cost of proportionally reducing the number of individual measurements of the target distance, a cost which is of no substantial consequence in an anti-collision radar where the closing rates are small compared to the pulse repetition rate. A time-expanded sequence of reference pulses is similarly produced from the oscillator controlling the repetition of the radar pulses and the auxiliary oscillator in order to make the measurements independent of signal propagation times within these circuits. The time-expanded pulses to be evaluated are differentiated and the null passage instant of the differentiated pulses is used to find the maximum amplitude of the pulses and to determine which pulses should be disregarded on the basis of amplitude discrimination. A range gate controlled with reference to the velocity of the vehicle in which the radar is mounted, in combination with certain other factors, is used to exclude interference from irrevalent targets.

Method and apparatus utilizing time-expanded pulse sequences for

Radiation is directed between moving vehicles, and the time between transmission and reception of waves, such as microwaves, is determined similarly to radar timing, to determine the spacing between the vehicles. To prevent spurious responses and ambiguities, the signal reflected from the leading vehicle to the trailing vehicle is modulated; modulation can be controlled either automatically, by providing a modulation control signal associated with a given lane of roadway or under driver-command.

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Leonberg, Germany

Berthold Wocher