Patents by Inventor Ulf Friesen

Ulf Friesen 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).

  • Publication number: 20240132028
    Abstract: A method for determining an optimum or maximum-permissible speed of a rail vehicle, dependent on a thermal state of at least one friction element of at least one friction brake of includes detecting at least one parameter which characterizes a current operating situation of the rail vehicle, determining or estimating a first influence on the thermal state of the at least one friction element based on the current operating situation of the rail vehicle, determining or estimating a second influence on the thermal state of the at least one friction element, determining the optimum or maximum-permissible speed of the rail vehicle in such a way that an allowed friction-element maximum temperature of the at least one friction element is not exceeded, or the allowed friction-element maximum temperature of the at least one friction element is substantially obtained, at the at least one friction element under the first or second influence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Inventors: Ulf FRIESEN, Ralf FURTWÄNGLER, Fabian HAUSS, Werner MACHANE, Gerhard STAHLBAUER
  • Patent number: 11787374
    Abstract: A method for improving the adhesion of a rail vehicle by conditioning selected axle(s), detects whether a higher total brake force can be achieved by changing the manipulated variable of the wheel slip at at least one unit from a current starting wheel slip to a forced wheel slip, and, if so, changes the wheel slip at at least one unit from the current starting wheel slip to the forced wheel slip by regulating the manipulated variable of the brake application force at the unit, whereby the friction ratios between the wheel and the rail changes at the subsequent units, and regulates the manipulated variable of the brake application force at the subsequent units to regulate the wheel slip, which is likewise changed by the changed friction ratios, at the units back to the unchanged manipulated variable of the starting wheel slip, optimized brake forces being produced at the units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas Rasel, Ulf Friesen, Marc-Oliver Herden, Jörg-Johannes Wach, Reinhold Mayer
  • Patent number: 11697405
    Abstract: A method and a device for determining braking-related actual values of a train assembly including multiple carriages for carrying out a deceleration-controlled braking of the train assembly, in which the longitudinal deceleration and the longitudinal slope are considered to be actual values, from which an adjustment value balancing the control deviation is determined for a control element of the brake by a deceleration controller/deceleration force controller according to a predefined setpoint value of a desired braking deceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Inventors: Christoph Tomberger, Ulf Friesen
  • Patent number: 11472450
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining a critical driving situation of at least one wheel of a rail vehicle, wherein a characteristic value of a fluctuation strength of a raw speed signal of at least one wheel is determined, and wherein, for the purpose of evaluating the driving situation, said characteristic value is compared with criteria which describe a critical driving situation. Upon detection of a critical driving situation, the method provides that an action is triggered in the rail vehicle, wherein the method is designed in such a way that it can be combined with or make use of a sensor system and processing devices as found in a modern rail vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Inventors: Andrea Etzbach, Ulf Friesen, Norman Kreisel
  • Publication number: 20220242380
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments relate to a method for calibrating a coordinate system of a multi-axis deceleration sensor in a rail vehicle, including calibrating the vertical axis of the sensor to the vertical axis of the vehicle, measuring the acceleration along the longitudinal and transverse axis of the sensor during a braking process of the rail vehicle at a low speed and at a standstill over a time curve, determining an offset vector at a standstill, the offset vector consisting partly of a component in the longitudinal direction and partly of a component in the transverse direction of the sensor and representing the influence of the gravitational acceleration on the measured acceleration of the rail vehicle, and ascertaining at least one resulting acceleration vector of the coordinate system of the sensor about the vertical axis of the sensor such that the at least one resulting acceleration vector faces the vehicle longitudinal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Inventors: Ulf FRIESEN, Ralf FURTWÄNGLER, Dirk DEEKEN
  • Publication number: 20220169223
    Abstract: A brake system, brake regulating method and device for a rail vehicle use an input for a target deceleration value (äset), an input for an actual deceleration value (atrain), and an output for a deceleration control variable value. The deceleration control variable value (aOUt) is set by a regulating unit to minimize a deviation between the actual deceleration value (atrain) and the target deceleration value (aset). The brake regulating device uses a limiting device, which limits the deceleration control variable value (aout) independently of the regulating unit such that the deceleration control variable value (aout) deviates from the target deceleration value (aset) maximally by a maximum negative control stroke to lower values or maximally by a maximum positive control stroke to higher values. The invention additionally relates to a braking method and a brake system for a rail vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Ulf FRIESEN, Marc-Gregory ELSTORPFF Marc-Gregory ELSTORPFF, Rupert LANG, Ralf FURTWÄNGLER
  • Publication number: 20210129879
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining a critical driving situation of at least one wheel of a rail vehicle, wherein a characteristic value of a fluctuation strength of a raw speed signal of at least one wheel is determined, and wherein, for the purpose of evaluating the driving situation, said characteristic value is compared with criteria which describe a critical driving situation. Upon detection of a critical driving situation, the method provides that an action is triggered in the rail vehicle, wherein the method is designed in such a way that it can be combined with or make use of a sensor system and processing devices as found in a modern rail vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Andrea ETZBACH, Ulf FRIESEN, Norman KREISEL
  • Publication number: 20200262400
    Abstract: A method and a device for determining braking-related actual values of a train assembly including multiple carriages for carrying out a deceleration-controlled braking of the train assembly, in which the longitudinal deceleration and the longitudinal slope are considered to be actual values, from which an adjustment value balancing the control deviation is determined for a control element of the brake by a deceleration controller/deceleration force controller according to a predefined setpoint value of a desired braking deceleration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Christoph TOMBERGER, Ulf FRIESEN
  • Publication number: 20200207322
    Abstract: A method and equipment determine braking-relevant actual values for a train composed of a plurality of wagons, in particular a rail vehicle, for the performance of controlled-retardation braking of the train, in which at least the longitudinal retardation is taken into account as an actual value, from which, using a retardation controller, in accordance with a predefined target value of a desired break retardation, an actuating value compensating for the control deviation is determined for an actuator of the brake, in that the longitudinal retardation is measured by a plurality of retardation sensors positioned along the train in at least two different wagons to determine the respective local longitudinal retardation, the longitudinal retardation based on the entire train then being calculated as an actual value by a central measured value detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Christoph TOMBERGER, Ulf FRIESEN
  • Publication number: 20200086836
    Abstract: A method for improving the adhesion of a rail vehicle by conditioning selected axle(s), detects whether a higher total brake force can be achieved by changing the manipulated variable of the wheel slip at at least one unit from a current starting wheel slip to a forced wheel slip, and, if so, changes the wheel slip at at least one unit from the current starting wheel slip to the forced wheel slip by regulating the manipulated variable of the brake application force at the unit, whereby the friction ratios between the wheel and the rail changes at the subsequent units, and regulates the manipulated variable of the brake application force at the subsequent units to regulate the wheel slip, which is likewise changed by the changed friction ratios, at the units back to the unchanged manipulated variable of the starting wheel slip, optimized brake forces being produced at the units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Thomas RASEL, Ulf FRIESEN, Marc-Oliver HERDEN, Jörg-Johannes WACH, Reinhold MAYER
  • Patent number: 10583744
    Abstract: A braking system for a rail vehicle includes a target value generator for the target value of the overall braking power, a controller for determining at least one manipulated variable value on the basis of the target value and at least one actuator which transmits the manipulated variable value to the at least one braking device. The system at least approximately determines acceleration components of the rail vehicle and determines the actual value of the total braking power from the acceleration components while taking the vehicle speed and the vehicle mass into consideration. The controller is designed to control the manipulated variable value such as to reduce the control deviation between the target value and the determined actual value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: KNORR-BREMSE SYSTEME FÜR SCHIENENFAHRZEUGE GMBH
    Inventors: Claus Müller, Christoph Tomberger, Ulf Friesen, Achim Vollmer
  • Publication number: 20190359189
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for maintaining total braking power of a rail vehicle while taking the available friction conditions into consideration. The method includes recognizing that at least one unit is wheel-slide controlled; retrieving the type of friction prevailing on the wheel-slide controlled units; determining the values ?0 and K?0 for each unit that is wheel-slide controlled; forming a function for the value ?0 and a function for the value K?0, in each case over the entire length of the units comparing the actual braking request in each of the units, to the function of the value K?0, and changing each braking request in each of the units, towards the respective value of the function of K?0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas RASEL, Ulf FRIESEN, Christoph TOMBERGER, Jörg-Johannes WACH, Reinhold MAYER
  • Publication number: 20180194233
    Abstract: A braking system for a rail vehicle includes a target value generator for the target value of the overall braking power, a controller for determining at least one manipulated variable value on the basis of the target value and at least one actuator which transmits the manipulated variable value to the at least one braking device. The system at least approximately determines acceleration components of the rail vehicle and determines the actual value of the total braking power from the acceleration components while taking the vehicle speed and the vehicle mass into consideration. The controller is designed to control the manipulated variable value such as to reduce the control deviation between the target value and the determined actual value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Inventors: Claus MÜLLER, Christoph TOMBERGER, Ulf FRIESEN, Achim VOLLMER
  • Patent number: 9187103
    Abstract: A method for estimating the temperature (TB, est) of a wheel bearing of a wheelset of a rail vehicle by means of a calculation model (Tbearingestimator). The calculation model (Tbearing,estimator) estimates the temperature of the axle bearing, according to the speed (vtrain) and the ambient temperature (Tamb) of the rail vehicle as input variables of the calculation model (Tbearing estimator), and the temperature of a component of the wheelset, different from the axle bearing but directly or indirectly connected to the axle bearing in a heat-conducting manner, is measured as the measuring temperature (Tmeas) during operation. The temperature of the component different from the axle bearing is estimated by means of the calculation model (Tbearingestimator) as the estimated temperature (Tmeas,est).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: KNORR-BREMSE SYSTEME FUR SCHIENENFAHRZEUGE GMBH
    Inventors: Ralf Furtwängler, Ulf Friesen
  • Patent number: 8942903
    Abstract: A method for predicting the temperature (Tin,p) of a wheel bearing of a vehicle wheel for a future moment (t+?tp) in relation to a present moment (t) or for a future time interval (t, t+?tp) in relation to a present moment (t), on the basis of a course of the temperature (Tin) of the wheel bearing in a past time interval (t??tb, t) in relation to the present moment (t), the predicted temperature (Tin,p) of the wheel bearing being determined from the sum of the temperature (Tin) of the wheel bearing at the present moment (t) and a corrective value (?TP) which is determined according to a change in at least one driving condition, such as the speed (?vtrain), and a change in the temperature (?Tb) of the wheel bearing within the past time interval (t??tb, t).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme fur Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH
    Inventors: Ulf Friesen, Ralf Furtwängler
  • Patent number: 8874304
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the state of a bogie of a railway vehicle having at least one wheel set, wherein the wheels of the wheel set are rigidly connected by an axle and have an approximately conical wheel profile, and signals corresponding to a sinusoidal run of the wheel set of the bogie based on the conical wheel profile of the wheels are filtered out of signals provided by sensors disposed on the bogie. The frequency of the sinusoidal run is determined relative to boundary conditions, such as the prevailing vehicle speed, and compared to a save value or range of values for the frequency of the sinusoidal run typical for the prevailing boundary conditions, wherein the deviation of the measured frequency from the saved value or range of values for the frequency is monitored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme fur Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH
    Inventors: Ulf Friesen, Thomas Burkhart
  • Patent number: 8649921
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the state of components of a railway vehicle, wherein sensors for capturing loads acting on the components are operated, the measurement values thereof are fed as input values to an analysis unit for analyzing the wear state, wherein the current position of the railway vehicle is processed as a signal to this end, wherein the current velocity of the railway vehicle is recorded over time, from which a v-t profile is generated and compared to a stored v-t profile in order to determine the current position as a further input value for monitoring the state by stochastically comparing both profiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme fur Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH
    Inventors: Marc-Oliver Herden, Ulf Friesen, Michael Amft
  • Patent number: 8577546
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the driving behavior of a railway vehicle, wherein at least one measurement variable characterizing the vibrational behavior of at least one wheel set of the railway vehicle, is captured by at least one sensor providing a corresponding measurement signal. The method includes the steps of identifying at least one significant event or a combination of multiple significant events within the time trace of the measurement signal and identifying the event time at which the significant event took place, deriving the frequency from the time trace of the measurement signal starting from the event time, comparing the derived frequency to at least one stored reference frequency, evaluating the vibrational behavior of the wheel set as a function of the deviation of the derived frequency from the at least one stored reference frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme fur Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Günther, Jörg-Johannes Wach, Ulf Friesen, Stefan Sedlmair
  • Publication number: 20120259487
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the state of a bogie of a railway vehicle having at least one wheel set, wherein the wheels of the wheel set are rigidly connected by an axle and have an approximately conical wheel profile, and signals corresponding to a sinusoidal run of the wheel set of the bogie based on the conical wheel profile of the wheels are filtered out of signals provided by sensors disposed on the bogie. The frequency of the sinusoidal run is determined relative to boundary conditions, such as the prevailing vehicle speed, and compared to a save value or range of values for the frequency of the sinusoidal run typical for the prevailing boundary conditions, wherein the deviation of the measured frequency from the saved value or range of values for the frequency is monitored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: KNORR-BREMSE SYSTEME FÜR SCHIENENFAHRZEUGE GMBH
    Inventors: Ulf Friesen, Thomas Burkhart
  • Patent number: 8276440
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for the error monitoring of chassis components of rail vehicles, including at least one vibration sensor. According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one vibration sensor is arranged on a bogie frame or on a wheel set bearing of an axis of a bogie of the rail vehicle such that the detection direction thereof has a component in the moving direction (x-direction) or a component perpendicular to the moving direction (y-direction) and at the same time a component parallel to the vertical axis (z-direction) of the rail vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme fur Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH
    Inventors: Jörg Johannes Wach, Johannes Schuhmacher, Marc Oliver Herden, Reinhold Mayer, Ulf Friesen