Kostal Automobil Elektrik Gmbh & Co. Kg

Matthias Seifert

Michael Bleckmann

Kai Brensel

Andre Fehling

Guido Huperz

Norbert Andresen

Marc Lux

Christian Brueggemann

Alexander Kaul

Ralf Ostermann

Heike Skutta

Frank Kunert

Edward Ziebko

Daniel Klagges

André Fehling

Michael Schmidt

An axially resilient press-in contact pin includes a metal body and an electrically conductive, elastic element. The metal body includes a pin-shaped section and a press-in spring. The press-in spring is on a first end of the pin-shaped section. The elastic element surrounds at least portions of the pin-shaped section and extends beyond a second end (i.e., free end region) of the pin-shaped section.

Axially resilient pressing contact pin

An electrical multidirectional force sensor includes a sensor element having a sensor pin and a sensor plate and a circuit board. The sensor pin is movable in at least two actuation directions. The sensor plate is integrally connected to multiple strip-shaped support elements. Each strip-shaped support element has an end portion with an opening. The sensor plate and the strip-shaped support elements are cut free in one piece from a metal plate. The sensor plate is connected to the sensor pin to move relative to the circuit board in correspondence with movement of the sensor pin.

Electrical multi-directional force sensor

A capacitive multipath force sensor module includes a movable actuator, first and second stationary capacitor plates, and a central capacitor plate connected to the actuator and positioned between the stationary plates. The central plate moves by a same amount toward one stationary plate and away from the other stationary plate when the actuator is moved. In multiple successive cycles, while the first stationary plate is held at ground, (i) the central plate and the second stationary plate are connected to a voltage and (ii) are then disconnected from the voltage with the central plate being connected to a capacitor having a known capacitance value to thereby enable a charge quantity stored on the central plate to be transferred to the capacitor. After a predefined number of cycles, a voltage of the capacitor, which is indicative of an amount of movement of the actuator, is measured.

Method for determining the deflection of the actuator of a capacitive multipath force sensor module

A capacitive sensor system for touch detection includes a sensor surface, a first sensor electrode, a second sensor electrode, and an evaluation device. The sensor electrodes are both situated on and border the sensor surface. The first sensor electrode has a first closed conductor loop and the second sensor electrode has a second closed conductor loop. The first closed conductor loop surrounds the second closed conductor loop without the closed conductor loops touching each other. Each sensor electrode generates a sensor signal that depends on a position of a touch of an object on the sensor surface relative to the closed conductor loop of the sensor electrode. The evaluation device detects the touch based on a comparison of a ratio value to a threshold value, wherein the ratio value is a ratio of (i) a difference and (ii) a sum of the sensor signals.

Capacitive sensor system for touch detection

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Bochum, Germany

Matthias Seifert