Patents by Inventor Klaus Spath

Klaus Spath has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8074533
    Abstract: A servo-assistance device (10) for a shift mechanism of a motor vehicle transmission, with which a characteristic curve can be produced which, as a function of a manual shifting force or a shift phase, has ranges of different gradients or proportionality to the manual shifting force. The servo-assistance device (10) includes an element (20) which is acted upon by the manual shifting force to be assisted. To produce the characteristic curve, the servo-assistance device (10) has components (42, 44, 50, 52) that are actuated by a servo-pressure (60) in such manner that the element (20) maintains its current position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Dieter Fischer, Klaus Spath
  • Publication number: 20100016118
    Abstract: A servo-assistance device (10) for a shift mechanism of a motor vehicle transmission, with which a characteristic curve can be produced which, as a function of a manual shifting force or a shift phase, has ranges of different gradients or proportionality to the manual shifting force. The servo-assistance device (10) includes an element (20) which is acted upon by the manual shifting force to be assisted. To produce the characteristic curve, the servo-assistance device (10) has components (42, 44, 50, 52) that are actuated by a servo-pressure (60) in such manner that the element (20) maintains its current position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Dieter Fischer, Klaus Spath
  • Patent number: 7526975
    Abstract: A gearshifting unit for a vehicle transmission (6) comprising a main transmission part (10) manually shifted by the vehicle driver using a gearshift lever (16) and one range change group transmission (14) shifted by valves (44, 46). The gearshifts are manually preselectable by the vehicle driver using a gearshift lever (16), the same as a power assistance device (74) for shifting the gear steps in the main transmission part (10) and one electronic control device (20) which actuates the valves (44, 46). In a method for reducing the power assistance, a neutral position is detected in the manually shifting main transmission part (10) and once the neutral position is determined, the gearshift begins in the range change group transmission part (14) and the power assistance is engaged with a delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Dieter Fischer, Klaus Späth
  • Publication number: 20080245174
    Abstract: The invention relates to a transmission shift device (30) for a transmission (6) having one range group transmission (14) and one shift lever (16) with a superposed H-shaped shift pattern in which a shift and selector shaft (32) is operatively connected by one end (34) with the shift lever (16) and by the other end with a transmission-side shift means, one blocking device actuatable with pressure means which prevents or at least makes detectable for the driver of a motor vehicle the inadvertent activation of transmission gears in a range group change so that the shift and selector shaft (32) is autonomously displaceable from a shift gate (G5-G6) to the shift gate (G3-G4) of the next two lower gears (G3, G4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2006
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Dieter Fischer, Klaus Spath
  • Publication number: 20060053928
    Abstract: A gearshifting unit for a vehicle transmission (6) comprising a main transmission part (10) manually shifted by the vehicle driver using a gearshift lever (16) and one range change group transmission (14) shifted by valves (44, 46). The gearshifts are manually preselectable by the vehicle driver using a gearshift lever (16), the same as a power assistance device (74) for shifting the gear steps in the main transmission part (10) and one electronic control device (20) which actuates the valves (44, 46). In a method for reducing the power assistance, a neutral position is detected in the manually shifting main transmission part (10) and once the neutral position is determined, the gearshift begins in the range change group transmission part (14) and the power assistance is engaged with a delay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2003
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Inventors: Dieter Fischer, Klaus Spath
  • Patent number: 6722218
    Abstract: The invention shows a shifting device (11, 40) with a servo-assistance device (10) for a transmission (30) of a vehicle. A gear shift linkage (4, 6, 16) is connected with a lever (18) which is connected with a control rod (20) of the assistance device (10) and a gear shift shaft (26, 44) engages in gear shift rails (32) of the transmission (30) by means of levers (28). A central gear shift shaft (44) is provided in the shifting device (40) which is firmly mounted on the transmission housing and can be rotatably actuated by the gear shift linkage (4, 6, 16) actuated by the driver for transmitting the manual shifting force to the disengaging lever (18) of the assistance device (10) and for transmitting the manual shifting force to the gear shift rails (32) of the transmission (30). The central gear shift shaft (44) can also be displaceably actuated by the gear shift linkage (4, 6, 16) to select the gear shift rail (32) to be shifted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Dieter Fischer, Klaus Späth