Leopold Kostal Gmbh & Co. Kg

Kostal Automobil Elektrik Gmbh & Co. Kg

Leopold Kotsai Gmbh & Co. Kg

Uwe Borgmann

Michael Bleckmann

Reiner Janca

Carl Christian Lexow

Michael Köster

Dirk Schmidt

Jan Freiwald

Michael K&ouml;ster

Torben Zeleny

A capacitive measuring system includes capacitive sensors and an evaluation circuit having a multiplexer, a synchronous rectifier, a sinusoidal signal generator, and a reference voltage divider. The capacitive sensors are acted on by a mono-frequency voltage signal generated by the sinusoidal signal generator, output signals of the capacitive sensors are transmitted in alternation to the synchronous rectifier via the multiplexer, and signal amplification of output signals of the synchronous rectifier are calibrated as a function of an activatable reference impedance. The synchronous rectifier is formed by a MOS semiconductor switch. A source-drain section of the MOS semiconductor switch forms a shunt that is controlled by the mono-frequency voltage signal. A channel of the multiplexer is provided for transmitting a calibration signal, generated by the reference voltage divider, to the synchronous rectifier alternately with the output signals of the capacitive sensors.

Capacitive measuring system

A control element for roof or window adjustment in a motor vehicle includes a surface and a sensor. The surface has an introduced recess and a surface portion. The surface portion is connected to the surface in a gap-free manner above the recess. The surface portion only partially covers the recess. The sensor is formed within the surface portion or is arranged onto the bottom side thereof to detect deformations of the surface portion.

Control element

A switching device for actuating drive elements includes first switching elements situated on a housing surface to be actuatable by fingers of a person and a second switching element situated on a housing surface to be actuatable by a palm, a palm heel, or a thumb of the person. The first and second switching elements are formed by touch surface sensors without switching contacts. In one variation, actuation of one of the first switching elements causes actuation of a corresponding one of the drive elements only when the second switching element is actuated during the actuation of the one of the first switching elements. In another variation, simultaneous actuation of one of the first switching elements and the second switching element causes a drive element corresponding to the one of the first switching elements to be actuated according to a function corresponding to the second switching element.

Switching device for switching drive elements in a motor vehicle

A method for detecting contact of a capacitive sensor includes transferring charge quantities in multiple successive cycles from the capacitive sensor to an integration capacitor having a known capacitance value. A voltage of the integration capacitor is measured. The measured voltage is processed to generate a sensor amplitude that is indicative of a capacitance value of the capacitive sensor. Contact of the capacitive sensor is detected based on a temporal behavior of the sensor amplitude. For instance, contact of the capacitive sensor is detected based on the rate of change of the sensor amplitude.

Method for detecting contact on a capacitive sensor element

A device for controlling multiple functions includes a switch panel. The switch panel includes control panels extending along a longitudinal extension of the switch panel. The switch panel is pivotably mounted about an axis of rotation parallel with the longitudinal extension to pivot about the axis of rotation in response to manual actuation of the switch panel by manual actuation of the control panels. The switch panel is movable with respect to the longitudinal extension of the switch panel and is fixed with respect to a transverse extension of the switch panel perpendicular to the longitudinal extension. Force sensors respectively associated with the control panels are distributed along the longitudinal extension of the switch panel. Actuation of the switch panel by actuating one of the control panels triggers a function depending on which one control panel is actuated and the force sensors detect which control panel is actuated.

Device for controlling multiple functions in a motor vehicle

A method for measuring a capacitance value of a capacitive sensor uses an integration process. For the integration process, the sensor is connected to an integration capacitor having a known capacitance value greater than the capacitance value of the sensor and a voltage Uof the integration capacitor is measured by an A/D converter after a number IZ of executed integration cycles of the integration process. The method includes carrying out the integration process until the number IZ of executed integration cycles has reached the number N of integration cycles to be executed, adding a voltage value U(N) of the integration capacitor, which is determined by the A/D converter, to the total voltage value U, increasing the number N, and repeating until the number N exceeds a predetermined value. The final total voltage value Uis indicative of the capacitance value of the capacitive sensor.

Method for measuring a capacitance value

A rotary actuator includes a stator on which a sensor surface is arranged and a rotor configured to rotate about the stator. The rotor forms an actuating surface for the sensor surface. An interval fixing device such as a rotationally fixed sliding disk is arranged between the actuating surface and the sensor surface. A spring is configured to press the sensor surface towards the actuating surface.

Rotary actuator

A method for determining the absolute value of a rotational angle includes imaging a continuous segment of a code track of a code carrier on a sensor array such that the sensor array generates a corresponding output signal. The code track includes a code provided over an angular range of 360&#xb0;. The code contains a plurality of code words with each code word respectively corresponding to an angular value in the angular range. The output signal is correlated with a reference signal in a correlation filter to produce a correlation function signal. The reference signal is indicative of the code and the angular values corresponding to the code words. The correlation function signal is processed to determine the code word of the imaged segment of the code track as a function of the angular value where the output signal best coincides with the reference signal.

Process to determine the absolute angular position of a motor vehicle steering wheel

An angle sensor with a fixed stator and a rotor rotating about an axis of rotation in which the stator has optical sensor elements being aligned in a plane vertical to the axis of rotation on a circular line in the perimeter direction concentric to the axis of rotation and being distributed across a range of perimeter angle. The sensor sensor elements cooperate with the rotor coding. The angle sensor solves the technical problem of ensuring that mechanical tolerances will not adversely impact operation of the sensor. This problem is solved in that the longitudinal axes of the sensor elements are not aligned radial to the circle line on which these units are positioned in the perimeter direction, but rather are aligned parallel to each other.

Angle sensor

The invention relates to a device for detecting the angle position of the steering wheel of a motor vehicle. The aim of the invention is to provide a device of this kind in which the technical problem of determining the absolute angle position of the steering wheel in a measuring range greater than 360&deg; is solved without the need for mechanical reduction gears and such like. This is achieved by means of a measurement system comprising at least one coil system which cooperates with an electrically conductive structure configured on/in a flexible flat cable ( ). The flexible flat cable ( ) is wound in a winding gap situated between the outer lateral surface ( ) of an inner cylindrical rotor ( ) joined to the steering gear shaft and the inner lateral surface ( ) of an outer cylindrical stator ( ) joined to the steering column, in such a way that its one end is fixed to the rotor ( ) and its other to the stator ( ).

Device for detecting the angle position of a motor vehicle steering wheel

A motor vehicle electrical control circuit for controlling energy consumption units includes a microcomputer, semiconductor output amplifiers, and control circuits. Each of the output amplifiers is connected to a respective one of the consumption units for providing electrical energy to the units. The control circuits are connected to the microcomputer and to a respective one of the output amplifiers for controlling the electrical energy provided to the consumption units. The control circuits generate a measurement signal indicative of a variable of the respective one of the output amplifiers. The computer systems process the measurement signals to determine if either a critical change or a sub-critical change of the variable has occurred. The associated control circuit shuts off the electrical energy provided by the respective one of the output amplifiers to the respective consumption unit in the event of a critical change and activates a security function stored in the computer system to vary the electrical energy provided to the respective consumption unit in the event of a sub-critical change.

Motor vehicle electrical control system

A bidirectional DC motor comprising a commutator (6) which can be connected to a constant voltage source by a first and a second brush. The second brush is disposed opposite one side of the first brush in a spaced disposition with respect to the periphery of the commutator, which spacing correlates with a desired motor characteristic to provide a relatively convenient arrangement for switching the direction of rotation of a DC motor. In addition to the second brush (8) provided for one direction of rotation, the commutator (6) also has a third brush (9) for the counter-direction of rotation and is disposed in a spaced disposition with respect to the periphery of the commutator (6), which spacing correlates with the desired motor characteristic for the counter-direction of rotation. The first brush (7) is connected to one pole (+) of the constant voltage source (10) and the two other brushes (8, 9) are connected to the other pole (-) of the constant voltage source (10) by a switch (S1, S2) respectively.

Growing community of inventors

Recklinghausen, Germany

Uwe Borgmann