Patents Assigned to ZF Sachs AG
  • Patent number: 6915885
    Abstract: Oscillation damper with variable damping force, comprising a valve device, in which an actuator for adjusting the valve device performs a rotary motion against the spring force of a torsion spring, the position of the valve device being determined from the manipulated variable of the actuator and the reaction force of the torsion spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventor: Andreas Förster
  • Patent number: 6915891
    Abstract: A pressure plate, which is connected to a housing arrangement for rotation in common around an axis of rotation, and a force-exerting arrangement preferably a force-storing device, is supported against the housing arrangement and the pressure plate so that it can exert force on them. At least one wear take-up element of a wear take-up device is provided in the path of support between the force-exerting arrangement and the pressure plate. The wear take-up element has a manually operated adjusting element, which is movably supported on the pressure plate and engages with the at least one wear take-up element so that this element can be shifted with respect to the assembly to compensate for the wear which has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Frank Hirschmann, Reinhold Weidinger
  • Patent number: 6915889
    Abstract: A pressure plate assembly for a friction clutch including a housing having an axis of rotation; a pressure plate mounted in the housing with freedom to move axially relative to the housing; a stored-energy element mounted in the housing and transmitting force along a path from the housing to the pressure plate; a wear-compensating device in the path of force transmission, which device has at least one adjusting element free to move in an adjusting direction to compensate for wear; and a clearance-producing arrangement having at least one gripping element, which is attached to the assembly upon which the stored-energy element acts via the wear-compensating device. The minimum of one gripping element has a blocking section, by means of which it can make blocking contact with a blocking element when wear occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Reinhold Weidinger, Joachim Lindner, Anton Doll, Jürgen Streichsbier
  • Publication number: 20050139023
    Abstract: A gearshift mechanism for a motor vehicle with hydraulically actuated multiple clutch, particularly a twin clutch, has a first gear input shaft to drive a first group of gears and a second gear input shaft to drive a second group of gears. The two gear input shafts are each assigned a clutch unit being coaxial to one another. A stationary housing accommodates the two clutch units. At its end face, the housing can be closed off by a housing cover that has a central opening through which a drive hub of a clutch cage is guided. The housing cover is provided with a bearing flange around the central opening, on the outside of which the clutch cage is supported. This advantageously supports the clutch on the housing and makes it possible to achieve a support effect for a dual mass flywheel or the crankshaft end of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2003
    Publication date: June 30, 2005
    Applicants: Dr. Ing. h.c.F.Porsche, ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Dieter Kraxner, Klaus Tiede, Wolfgang Grosspietsch, Paul Kraus
  • Patent number: 6910561
    Abstract: A clutch arrangement, especially for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing arrangement (12) which is filled or which can be filled with fluid, at least one first friction element (22) which can be jointly rotated with the housing arrangement (12) and at least one second friction organ (24) which can be jointly rotated with an output element (18) and which can be brought to rest against the at least one first friction element (22) in order to produce at least one interactive friction effect. At least one friction element (22, 24) is embodied in such a way that fluid can circulate around at least certain areas of the friction elements (22, 24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventor: Christoph Sasse
  • Patent number: 6905004
    Abstract: An engagement wheel is mounted so that it can rotate relative to the drive shaft of a drive train in a motor vehicle. To allow rotational driving, the engagement wheel is operatively connected with an element that cannot be rotated relative to the drive shaft by at least one elastically deformable element mounted in the torque path between the engagement wheel and the rotationally fixed element. The elastically deformable element can absorb residual rotational energy of the drive train, when the engagement wheel is locked by a locking element, which may be in the form of a pawl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Horst Oppitz, Wolfgang Purretat, Stephan Benkert
  • Patent number: 6905006
    Abstract: A retaining cap includes a sleeve-shaped basic body which has at least one protective bellows retaining segment on which a protective bellows can be supported. A component which is movable with respect to the retaining cap can penetrate into the installation space of the retaining cap, the retaining cap having a plurality of deformation regions which are arranged in the circumferential direction. When in contact with the movable component, these regions make possible a free passage for the movable component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Günther Handke, Stephan Zuber
  • Patent number: 6905010
    Abstract: A friction clutch assembly has a clutch housing, at least one first friction plate, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the clutch housing and can be displaced in axial direction therein, and a second friction plate, which bears the clutch housing. At least one driver disk is arranged axially adjacent to the first and second friction plates and has friction linings on both sides, which interact with the friction plates, and a spring which can apply a compressive force for actuation of the clutch to the at least one first friction plate. At least one of the friction plates is made at least in part from a metal matrix and at least one nonmetallic foreign phase included in the matrix, which together form a metal matrix composite material. In a further aspect of the invention, the clutch housing is likewise formed from a metal matrix composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignees: ZF Sachs AG, Sachs Giesserei GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Diemer, Ingrid Hoffelner, Andreas Orlamünder, Jūrgen Frieg, Jens Kelter
  • Patent number: 6899016
    Abstract: A master cylinder for a hydraulically actuated clutch or brake system in a motor vehicle includes a piston in a housing, the piston being axially movable in the housing by a piston rod. The piston rod has a ball-shaped head, at least certain areas of which are surrounded by first and second shell-like support elements which form a ball socket, so that the piston and the piston rod are connected to each other essentially without play, but are still free to swivel with respect to each other. The support elements are arranged at least in part inside a piston shaft sleeve, against which these elements may be supported when forces introduced via the piston rod act upon them. The first support element has a hemispherical shell to enclose half of the ball-shaped head. The other side of the ball-shaped head, except for a certain clearance required for swiveling, is surrounded by a support element with a spherical-segment-shaped ring, through the opening in which the piston rod passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: André Gemeinhardt, Ralf Koberstein, Klaus Reuter, Klaus Krappmann
  • Patent number: 6892870
    Abstract: A friction clutch, particularly for a motor vehicle, has a rotatable clutch disk which is connected to a transmission input shaft so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it and which can be clamped in axially between two clutch pressure plates. The pressure plates, which may be a clutch pressure plate and a flywheel, have annular friction surfaces which can act upon the clutch disk. The annular friction surfaces comprise the friction surfaces of a plurality of friction segments which are arranged in a uniformly distributed manner so as to form a ring, wherein every friction segment is arranged so as to be axially flexible in a springing manner to a certain extent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Michael Peterseim, Ingrid Hoffelner, Matthias Diemer
  • Patent number: 6893009
    Abstract: Vibration damper, including a damping element and a pneumatic spring, wherein the damping element has a container tube, which is connected to a roll-off piston of the pneumatic spring. The roll-off piston is connected via an air suspension bellows acting as a rolling diaphragm to an external guide mounted concentrically and with freedom of axial movement with respect to the roll-off piston, the air suspension bellows and the roll-over piston forming the boundaries of a space filled with pressurized gas. The container tube is prepared for the installation of the roll-off piston by a non-cutting procedure suitable for mass production, wherein a length of tubing having the diameter of the container tube is mounted on a mandrel and clamped at both ends so that its length cannot change, and a pair of flow-turning/rotary-swaging rolls is pressed against the tubing and advanced toward each other to form an area of squeezed material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Stefan Brehm, Jörg Brandhofer, Michael Müller
  • Patent number: 6889811
    Abstract: A clutch system includes a clutch device for positioning in a drive train between a drive unit and a transmission, and an actuating unit for hydraulically actuating the clutch device by means of at least one hydraulic slave-cylinder. The actuating unit has a hydraulic-medium delivery device for delivering a pressurized hydraulic medium, and a valve assembly, whose mediation allows the hydraulic medium to be supplied to and discharged from the slave-cylinder. The valve assembly comprises at least one supply valve, located in a hydraulic connection, between the hydraulic-medium delivery device and the slave-cylinder and at least one discharge valve, which is separate from the supply valve and located in a hydraulic connection, between the slave-cylinder and a hydraulic-medium reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Angelika Ebert, Jochen Kuhstrebe, Thomas Busold
  • Patent number: 6886674
    Abstract: A clutch assembly is provided that includes a flywheel. A clutch cover is secured to the flywheel. An intermediate plate is spaced from the flywheel, and a pressure plate is arranged between the clutch cover and the intermediate plate. The intermediate plate may be secured to the clutch cover by flexible straps or another similar device. The straps retract the pressure plate from an engaged position to a disengaged position. First and second friction discs are respectively arranged between the pressure plate and the intermediate plate and the intermediate plate and the flywheel. The pressure plate forces the intermediate plate and the friction discs toward the flywheel to couple and engine and transmission together. A separator moves the intermediate plate with the pressure plate from the engaged position to the disengaged position thereby permitting self-disengagement of the friction discs from the flywheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Andrzej Szadkowski, Muneer Abusamra, Ronald B. Morford, Matthew Girlando
  • Patent number: 6886676
    Abstract: A hub ring for use in a clutch disk includes an inner circumference which can engage a hub; and a pair of axially opposed front sides. At least one of the front sides has means for positively engaging a structural component arranged against the respective front side so that torque can be transmitted from the structural component to the hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Frank von Levern, Norbert Lohaus
  • Patent number: 6881004
    Abstract: One-piece knuckle bracket made as a bent-to-shape part, comprising two support bodies a certain distance apart, each with an opening for receiving the external casing of a strut-type shock absorber. A connecting web and tabs for attachment of the shock absorber to a joint are provided between the support bodies, and the connecting web between the separated support bodies and the tabs for the attachment to a joint are connected to each other in such a way as to form an overall U-shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventor: Günther Handke
  • Patent number: 6881171
    Abstract: In either a pull-mode operating state or a push-mode operating state, a clutch arrangement assigned to the first gearbox input shaft and a clutch arrangement assigned to the second gearbox input shaft are actuated in such a way and a torque-generating arrangement comprising a drive unit is controlled in such a way that, when a shift is to be made between a first gear assigned to a first gearbox input shaft and a second gear assigned to a second gearbox input shaft, at least one of the following criteria with respect to the shifting sequence comprising the shift in question is fulfilled: (1) during the shifting sequence, the torque present at the gearbox output shaft is at least approximately constant or changes monotonically; (2) during the shifting sequence, the vehicle accelerates in an essentially monotonically increasing or in an essentially monotonically decreasing manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Jochen Kuhstrebe, Thomas John, Rainer Reuthal, Thomas Strasser
  • Patent number: 6880451
    Abstract: An oscillating motor includes a cylinder which is filled with hydraulic medium and which has at least one rib on its inside wall, whereby a motor shaft with at least one vane is supported inside the cylinder with freedom to oscillate, a sleeve concentric to the motor shaft, and a pressure-preloaded sealing arrangement inside each of at least two ring-shaped spaces between the cylinder and the motor shaft, which sealing arrangements seal the working chambers formed by the cylinder and its rib, the motor shaft, and the vane together with the cylinder covers at the ends. The ring-shaped spaces are connected to each other by a pressure equalization channel, and an axial groove, which forms the pressure equalization channel, is present in the contact area between the motor shaft and the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Rainer Beilner, Matthias Reuss
  • Patent number: 6877596
    Abstract: A diaphragm spring for a friction clutch includes a ring-like body area and a plurality of spring tongues arranged in a row in the circumferential direction and extending radially inward from the body area. A stiffening rib formed in at least one of the spring tongues extends radially into the body area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Martin Pährisch, Ronald Beck, Alfred Schraut, Erwin Ziegler, Frank Hirschmann
  • Patent number: 6877595
    Abstract: A friction clutch for motor vehicles with a ring-shaped pressure plate with a more-or-less radially oriented, ring-shaped friction surface, which can be moved axially against a ring-shaped friction lining carried by a support plate. The ring-shaped friction surface consists of a radially inner, ring-shaped partial friction surface and an adjoining radially outer ring-shaped partial friction surface. The radially outer partial friction surface projects axially to a slight extent beyond the radially inner partial friction surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Klaus Neumann, Frank Hirschmann
  • Patent number: 6874607
    Abstract: A friction clutch with a pressure plate 6, which is mounted nonrotatably but with freedom of axial movement in a clutch housing 5, this pressure plate 6 being actuated by a pressure spring 7 in the direction toward a clutch disk 8, which can be clamped between the pressure plate 6 and an opposing pressure plate 1. More-or-less radially pretensioned friction springs 18 of a friction damping device are installed between the pressure plate 6 and a component with respect to which the pressure plate 6 can move in the axial direction. The friction springs 18 are mounted on spacer bolts 12, which project axially from the clutch housing 5, these bolts passing through corresponding openings 23 in a diaphragm spring, which serves as the pressure spring 7, the diaphragm spring being mounted on the spacer bolts 12 in such a way that its plane can be tilted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Waldemar Mensch, Achim Link, Rüdiger Berck