Patents Assigned to ZF Sachs AG
  • Patent number: 7004296
    Abstract: A torque transmission system for the transmission of torque between a prime mover and a gearbox in a vehicle includes an input shaft, which can rotate around a first axis of rotation; at least one output shaft, which can rotate around a second axis of rotation transversely offset from the first axis of rotation; and a first clutch arrangement with an output area, which is or can be connected nonrotatably to the output shaft, and an input area, which can be connected as desired to the output area for the transmission of torque. A drive arrangement connects the input shaft to the input area so that the input area can be caused to rotate by the input shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Markus Heiartz, Sebastian Bindig
  • Patent number: 6997619
    Abstract: A clutch-release mechanism for actuating the friction clutch of a motor vehicle, installed concentrically around a guide sleeve, includes a release bearing with an inner ring and an outer ring as well as a sliding sleeve. The inner ring is in working contact with a release spring of the friction clutch and the outer ring is in working contact with the sliding sleeve by way of a sliding surface, and the release mechanism has both a first device for compensating for a tilt of the center axis of the friction clutch with respect to the center axis of the guide sleeve and/or for a wobbling eccentricity of the release spring, and a second device for compensating for an offset between the above-mentioned center axes. The first device consists of a modified raceway for the balls, where the race has both a first race radius and a second race radius to form a surface in the form of a spherical segment, where differences between the angles of the release spring and of the release bearing are compensated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventor: Klaus Reuter
  • Patent number: 6988601
    Abstract: A torque converter which has a pump wheel, a turbine wheel, and a stator, which form a hydrodynamic circuit, and also a torsional vibration damper with a primary and a secondary damper element. The primary and the secondary damper element are connected to each other in a rotationally elastic manner by at least one set of springs. The turbine wheel has a turbine wheel shell and is supported rotatably with respect to a turbine wheel hub in a first bearing, which provides axial and radial support. The secondary damper element is mounted nonrotatably on the turbine wheel hub. The turbine wheel acts by way of an intermediate element on the primary damper element. The stator is mounted on a stator hub, which is supported by an axially operative second bearing on a turbine wheel base, which is connected to the turbine wheel shell. The first bearing is located radially outside the second bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Herbert Schmid, Herbert Johann
  • Patent number: 6986415
    Abstract: A pressure plate assembly for a friction clutch includes a housing connectable with an abutment arrangement for rotation therewith about an axis of rotation. The housing has an outer axial side and an inner axial side. A pressure plate is mounted in the housing so that it faces the inner axial side. The pressure plate is rotatable with the housing about the axis of rotation. The pressure plate includes actuating sections which extend past a radially outer edge of the housing. An energy storage element is mounted on the outer side of the housing such that the energy storage device exerts a force on the actuating sections for urging the pressure plate away from the inner axial side. An assembly pretensioning arrangement is operative for holding the energy storage element in a pretensioned assembly position in which the energy storage device does not exert a force on the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Waldemar Mensch, Sebastian Vogt, Andreas Orlamünder
  • Patent number: 6986289
    Abstract: Apparatus for detecting a parameter associated with the torque transmitted by a friction clutch, where the friction clutch has a clutch disk which is or can be connected for rotation in common to a power takeoff shaft. The apparatus includes a receiver area, which does not rotate with the clutch disk in the torque-transmitting state, and a code provided on the clutch disk. The code can be scanned by the receiver area and thus generates a sensor signal associated with transmitted torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Thomas Otto, Barbara Ester
  • Patent number: 6974005
    Abstract: Vibration damper comprising a damping medium-filled pressure tube, in which a displacer is installed, where a damping device produces a damping force as a function of the movement of the displacer. A damping force-limiting device, independently of the flow of the damping medium, becomes active above a certain damping force threshold value, which is defined as a function of the vehicle. At least a partial section of the force-limiting device is connected in a fixed manner to the pressure tube below the damping force threshold value and travels an operating distance which is associated with a change in the volume of the pressure tube when the force threshold is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Dieter Lutz, Gottfried Zimmermann
  • Patent number: 6962330
    Abstract: A vibration damper includes a damping element and a pneumatic spring, where the damping element has a container tube, a fastening part, and a piston rod, and where the pneumatic spring consists of a spring bellows acting as a roll bellows, an outer tube connected to the mass whose vibrations are to be minimized, and a roll-over tube carrying a roll-over profile. The spring bellows forms one boundary of an elastic space filled with a pressurized gas, whereas the roll-over tube seals off the gas space from the container tube and is attached thereto. A stamped and formed support ring, which supports the roll-over tube on the container tube and serves to suppress tilting movements, is installed between the container tube and the roll-over tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Bernd Klitsch, Stefan Brehm, Michael Müller
  • Patent number: 6962533
    Abstract: A torsional vibration damper, especially a dual-mass flywheel, has a primary side and a secondary side, which is free to rotate around an axis of rotation relative to the primary side. Starting from a rotation in a direction of rotation around a forward base angle (?), a forward base spring arrangement exerts a forward base restoring force on the secondary side. Starting from rotation around a forward auxiliary angle (?), which is greater than the forward base angle (?), a forward auxiliary spring arrangement exerts an additional forward auxiliary restoring force. Upon rotation around a forward limit angle (?), both spring arrangements come to a stop together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Michael Zottmann, Jürgen Kleifges, Bernhard Schierling, Alexander Manger
  • Patent number: 6957530
    Abstract: A hydrodynamic torque converter which has at least a hydrodynamic circuit including at least one pump wheel and one turbine wheel, wherein each of these wheels is provided with an outer shell to accept a set of vanes which form flow chambers, the inner edges of the vanes away from the outer shell being connected to an inner shell, which acts as part of an internal torus. At least the vanes of the turbine wheel have connecting elements both on the inner edges and on the outer edges, which connecting elements pass through openings in the shells to fasten the vanes to the shells, being provided for this purpose with a predetermined minimum overhang with respect to the edge of the associated vane, this minimum overhang making it possible for the connecting elements to be plastically deformed in such a way that they can grip the rear surfaces of the shells, i.e., the surfaces facing away from the vanes, and thus fasten the vanes to the shells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Hermann Schleicher, Jürgen Ackermann
  • Patent number: 6951526
    Abstract: A power train for a motor vehicle includes a drive unit, a gearbox having first and second input shafts, and a clutch having first and second multi-disk clutch arrangements assigned to respective input shafts for transferring torque between the drive unit and the gearbox. An operating fluid, especially a cooling oil, is supplied to the clutch arrangements for operation under action of the fluid. An actuator arrangement is assigned to the gearbox for engaging and disengaging gears assigned to the first and second input shafts, and a control unit controls the actuator arrangement so that at least one gear is automatically engaged when the clutch is released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Jochen Kuhstrebe, Olaf Moseler, Axel Rohm, Eduard Steiner, Rainer Reuthal, Hans-Jürgen Schneider, Wolfgang Kundermann, Jörg Sudau, John Thomas, Thomas Strasser
  • Patent number: 6942084
    Abstract: A release mechanism for actuating a friction clutch between an internal combustion engine and a transmission of a motor vehicle that is designed for concentric assembly on a guide sleeve mounted on a transmission shaft in order to bear against a release spring of the friction clutch where the guide sleeve and the friction clutch each having a respective center axis. The release mechanism includes a clutch release bearing. The release mechanism also includes a first device for compensating for at least one of a tilt between the center axes and wobbling eccentricity of the release spring where the first device includes a spherical surface between the release bearing and the guide sleeve, and a second device for compensating for offset between the center axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Thomas Riess, Karl Müller, Kurt Lindner, Martin Geiger
  • Patent number: 6932203
    Abstract: A torque converter comprises a pump rotor, a turbine rotor, and a stator. The turbine rotor is fixed to a gearbox input shaft. The gearbox input shaft forms an axial duct with an initial zone and an end zone for a hydraulic fluid. The gearbox input shaft further comprises a shaft core and a shaft sleeve, surrounding the shaft core, fixed against rotation to each other. The shaft core and shaft sleeve are matched to each other in such a manner that the shaft core runs radially in the shaft sleeve with no play and the shaft core and the shaft sleeve together form the axial duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventor: Herbert Schmid
  • Patent number: 6929105
    Abstract: A fluid clutch includes a housing having an interior that can be filled with fluid, an output element that can be rotated relative to the housing, a first friction surface arrangement coupled to the housing, a second friction surface arrangement coupled to the output element, and means for bringing the first and second friction surface arrangements into frictional engagement. A fluid circulation arrangement in the housing causes fluid to circulate around the friction surfaces without requiring a simultaneous exchange of fluid to and from the interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Zf Sachs AG
    Inventor: Christoph Sasse
  • Patent number: 6929108
    Abstract: A clutch assembly for a mobile vehicle clutch includes a sleeve axially disposed on a shaft and engaged to actuate clutch springs or levers for disengaging a clutch. The sleeve is attached to a clutch release bearing that is moved axially along the input shaft by a clutch fork. A contact surface of the release fork engages a contact surface disposed on lugs of the clutch release bearing. At least one of the contact surfaces includes a self-lubricating material to reduce friction between the release for and the clutch release bearing during actuation of the clutch assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventor: Ronald B. Morford
  • Patent number: 6923304
    Abstract: A wear take-up device in the path of force transmission between the pressure plate and the force-exerting arrangement includes at least one take-up element, which can be shifted to compensate for wear; a blocking element with a detection section which can come to rest against a stop fixed to the housing upon the occurrence of wear and which can move with respect to the pressure plate; and a wedge-like arresting element, which is pretensioned by a pretensioning arrangement toward a state in which the detection section is arrested and thus prevented from returning to its previous position. A retaining device opposes the pretensioning action of the pretensioning arrangement at least under the conditions in which the detection section has essentially not been moved out of an arrested position with respect to the pressure plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Joachim Lindner, Reinhold Weidinger
  • Patent number: 6923462
    Abstract: Fastening element for a shock absorber includes a first part which is fixed to the piston rod of the a shock absorber and is provided with an aperture for a bearing bolt and a second part with a bearing surface for a helical spring surrounding the shock absorber. The second part coaxially surrounds the first part and is held relative to the first part at least in an axial direction by a securing ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventor: Andreas Tantius
  • Patent number: 6923433
    Abstract: Pneumatic spring with at least one control valve inside the pneumatic spring with control positions for feeding, blocking, and discharging compressed air, which valve is actuated by a control element also installed inside the pneumatic valve. The control element acts on one of the two pneumatic spring assemblies which can move relative to each other, namely, either on the outer tube or on the roll tube, where the control element has a working length which is shorter than the stroke length of the pneumatic spring and is pretensioned by a first spring against one of the pneumatic spring assemblies which can move relative to each other. The control element is supported in a floating manner relative to the pneumatic spring assemblies, and a second spring, the force of which is directed against the first spring, co-determines the position of the control element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Alexander Gross, Christophe Jolibert
  • Patent number: 6924575
    Abstract: An electric machine includes a stator having a laminated core comprising a stack of sheet metal stampings having a central opening, a plurality of undercut anchoring elements around the central opening, and a hub which is cast in place in the central opening so that the anchoring elements are at least partially embedded in the hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Jens Baumeister, Knut Welke
  • Patent number: 6918479
    Abstract: A diaphragm spring for a friction clutch includes a ring-like body area and a plurality of spring tongues arranged at the inner edge in a row in a circumferential direction and extending radially inward from the body area. Openings are formed between adjacent spring tongues, each opening having a radially outer base area, at least one of the openings being limited in the circumferential direction by a wall area having a curvature which increases as the wall proceeds from the base area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Martin Pahrisch, Ronald Beck, Alfred Schraut, Erwin Ziegler, Frank Hirschmann
  • Patent number: 6915886
    Abstract: A bridging clutch is installed in a fluid medium-filled housing of a hydrodynamic coupling device located between a drive shaft and a transmission input shaft, the coupling device also containing a pump wheel and a turbine wheel. The bridging clutch is provided with a piston, which, when moved into a first axial position, brings at least one friction element into working connection with at least one friction surface, and when moved into a second axial position, at least partially releases this working connection, and with a torsional vibration damper, which is designed with at least one drive element and with at least one takeoff element, at least one of which has openings for circumferential springs and actuating areas for these springs. At least one of the takeoff elements acts a carrier element for the turbine wheel, which is held otherwise without radial support in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Jürgen Dacho, Peter Frey, Ralf Rönnebeck, Georg Mencher, Bernd Schöder, Horst Breier, Hermann Schleicher