Patents by Inventor Wolfgang Breun
Wolfgang Breun 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).
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Patent number: 10400845Abstract: A seal guide unit for guiding and sealing a piston rod of a vibration damper having a first guide element and a second guide element fixedly connected to the first guide element and arranged coaxial to the first guide element, and a radially moveable piston rod seal arrangement arranged coaxially between the two guide elements and is at least indirectly surrounded in circumferential direction by at least one guide element, including a defined radial annular gap, and comes in at least indirect axial contact with at least one guide element. The piston rod seal arrangement includes a piston rod seal and a sliding element which encloses the piston rod seal in circumferential direction and axially limits the piston rod seal at least on one side. The sliding element has a lower friction coefficient than parts of the seal guide unit adjoin the piston rod seal arrangement.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2015Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AGInventors: Thomas Thein, Stefan Liehmann, Wolfgang Breun, Alexander Pass, Michael Heinisch, Ingo Schau, Uwe Gehringer
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Publication number: 20170328437Abstract: A seal guide unit for guiding and sealing a piston rod of a vibration damper having a first guide element and a second guide element fixedly connected to the first guide element and arranged coaxial to the first guide element, and a radially moveable piston rod seal arrangement arranged coaxially between the two guide elements and is at least indirectly surrounded in circumferential direction by at least one guide element, including a defined radial annular gap, and comes in at least indirect axial contact with at least one guide element. The piston rod seal arrangement includes a piston rod seal and a sliding element which encloses the piston rod seal in circumferential direction and axially limits the piston rod seal at least on one side. The sliding element has a lower friction coefficient than parts of the seal guide unit adjoin the piston rod seal arrangement.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 12, 2015Publication date: November 16, 2017Inventors: Thomas THEIN, Stefan LIEHMANN, Wolfgang BREUN, Alexander PASS, Michael HEINISCH, Ingo SCHAU, Uwe GEHRINGER
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Patent number: 8393447Abstract: A vibration damper includes a damping medium filled cylinder in which a piston rod carrying a working piston is guided with freedom of axial movement, the working piston dividing the cylinder into two working spaces. The piston rod forms a housing having an inside wall, the housing having first and second working chambers separated by a separating piston, the first working chamber being connected to one of the working spaces to provide amplitude selective damping as the working piston moves in the cylinder. The separating piston is spaced from the inside wall to form an annular gap in which a pressure gradient develops when the piston rod moves, thereby causing the separating piston to move in the housing, the separating piston being radially expandable to close the gap when sufficient pressure develops in one of the working chambers.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2008Date of Patent: March 12, 2013Assignee: ZF Friedrichafen AGInventors: Wolfgang Breun, Marcus Kirchner, Hans Gonschorrek, Valentin Harwardt
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Patent number: 8245823Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration damper comprising a cylinder in which a piston rod is guided in an axially movable manner. A first piston is mounted stationarily on the piston rod while a second piston that is equipped with at least one valve disk biased by a spring assembly is mounted on the piston rod so as to be axially movable counter to a force of at least one support spring. The spring assembly is provided with at least one spring plate on which the spring assembly rests. The second piston is retained by a fixing sleeve which supports the at least one spring plate. The structural unit encompassing the fixing sleeve and the at least one spring plate is fitted with an axially effective separating joint for a locking connection inside the structural unit. The entire structural unit can be axially displaced towards the at least one support spring.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2006Date of Patent: August 21, 2012Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AGInventors: Bernd Zeissner, Andreas Foerster, Frank Gundermann, Steffen Heyn, Anton Krawczyk, Uwe Boecker, Thomas Thein, Wolfgang Breun, Herbert Bies, Holger Beyer, Ludwig Gampl, Heinz-Joachim Gilsdorf, Klaus Sauer
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Publication number: 20090127039Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration damper comprising a cylinder in which a piston rod is guided in an axially movable manner. A first piston (7) is mounted stationarily on the piston rod while a second piston (23) that is equipped with at least one valve disk biased by a spring assembly is mounted on the piston rod so as to be axially movable counter to the force of at least one support spring. The spring assembly is provided with at least one spring plate (39, 41) on which the spring assembly (33, 35) rests. The second piston (23) forms a structural unit along with a fixing sleeve (37) and the at least one spring plate for the spring assembly. The at least one spring plate is mounted in an axially movable manner relative to the fixing sleeve (37) and can be fixed in the desired axial position in order to adjust the bias of the spring assembly.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2006Publication date: May 21, 2009Applicant: ZF FRIEDCHSHAFEN AGInventors: Bernd Zeissner, Andreas Foerster, Frank Gundermann, Steffen Heyn, Anton Krawczyk, Uwe Boecker, Thomas Thein, Wolfgang Breun, Herbert Bies, Holger Beyer, Ludwig Gampl, Heinz-Joachim Gilsdorf, Klaus Sauer
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Publication number: 20090038898Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration damper comprising a cylinder in which a piston rod is guided in an axially movable manner. A first piston is mounted stationarily on the piston rod while a second piston that is equipped with at least one valve disk biased by a spring assembly is mounted on the piston rod so as to be axially movable counter to a force of at least one support spring. The spring assembly is provided with at least one spring plate on which the spring assembly rests. The second piston is retained by a fixing sleeve which supports the at least one spring plate. The structural unit encompassing the fixing sleeve and the at least one spring plate is fitted with an axially effective separating joint for a locking connection inside the structural unit. The entire structural unit can be axially displaced towards the at least one support spring.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2006Publication date: February 12, 2009Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AGInventors: Bernd Zeissner, Andreas Foerster, Frank Gundermann, Steffen Heyn, Anton Krawczyk, Uwe Boecker, Thomas Thein, Wolfgang Breun, Herbert Bies, Holger Beyer, Ludwig Gampl, Heinz-Joachim Gilsdorf, Klaus Sauer
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Publication number: 20080230334Abstract: A vibration damper includes a damping medium filled cylinder in which a piston rod carrying a working piston is guided with freedom of axial movement, the working piston dividing the cylinder into two working spaces. The piston rod forms a housing having an inside wall, the housing having first and second working chambers separated by a separating piston, the first working chamber being connected to one of the working spaces to provide amplitude selective damping as the working piston moves in the cylinder. The separating piston is spaced from the inside wall to form an annular gap in which a pressure gradient develops when the piston rod moves, thereby causing the separating piston to move in the housing, the separating piston being radially expandable to close the gap when sufficient pressure develops in one of the working chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2008Publication date: September 25, 2008Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AGInventors: Wolfgang Breun, Marcus Kirchner, Hans Gonschorrek, Valentin Harwardt
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Publication number: 20070144849Abstract: A connecting bearing for a vibration damper includes a cup-shaped bearing housing, in which a disk-shaped transmission element with parallel top and bottom surfaces is provided, this element being attached to the vibration damper. Elastomeric bodies are arranged above and below the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, and a compensating element is provided to compensate for an angular offset between the vibration damper and a line perpendicular to a connecting surface of the connecting bearing. The compensating element is located between at least one of the elastomeric bodies and the transmission element.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2006Publication date: June 28, 2007Inventors: Wolfgang Breun, Andreas Zietsch
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Patent number: 7228785Abstract: A piston rod has a hollow section with an open end, a housing, and a fastening connection for a piston. The housing includes a cap welded to the open end, a tubular intermediate piece welded to the cap, and a bottom part attached to the fastening connection. The cap has a shoulder received in the intermediate piece to form an annular space which functions as a labyrinth seal to receive any weld spatters formed during the friction welding process. The outside surface of the piston rod is machined to final dimensions and surface coated following welding.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2005Date of Patent: June 12, 2007Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AGInventors: Ralf Wilhelm, Wolfgang Breun, Klaus Sauer, Ludwig Eberlein
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Patent number: 7077248Abstract: Suspension strut unit comprising a connector bearing for piston rod of the suspension strut unit, a spring plate for a vehicle spring, and a first has a bearing with a bearing input part on the spring plate side and a bearing output part on the connector bearing side, which bearing allows relative rotational movement between the vehicle spring and the connector bearing of the piston rod. After the piston rod has traveled inward a certain distance, the cylinder is supported against the connector bearing by way of a stop buffer. A second bearing allows relative rotational movement between the connector bearing and the cylinder when the stop buffer is active; the second bearing is located functionally between the stop buffer and the connector bearing, and a functional separation is present between the bearing input part for the spring plate and the second bearing.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2004Date of Patent: July 18, 2006Assignee: ZF Sachs AGInventors: Günther Handke, Manfred Schuler, Wolfgang Breun, Ali Dogan, Stephan Zuber
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Publication number: 20060060079Abstract: A piston rod has a hollow piston rod section, a housing axially spaced from the end portion of the hollow piston rod, and a cup located between the end portion of the rod section and the housing and welded to the latter.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2005Publication date: March 23, 2006Inventors: Ralf Wilhelm, Wolfgang Breun, Klaus Sauer, Ludwig Eberlein
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Publication number: 20040245691Abstract: Suspension strut unit comprising a connector bearing for piston rod of the suspension strut unit, a spring plate for a vehicle spring, and a first has a bearing with a bearing input part on the spring plate side and a bearing output part on the connector bearing side, which bearing allows relative rotational movement between the vehicle spring and the connector bearing of the piston rod. After the piston rod has traveled inward a certain distance, the cylinder is supported against the connector bearing by way of a stop buffer. A second bearing allows relative rotational movement between the connector bearing and the cylinder when the stop buffer is active; the second bearing is located functionally between the stop buffer and the connector bearing, and a functional separation is present between the bearing input part for the spring plate and the second bearing.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2004Publication date: December 9, 2004Applicant: ZF Sachs AGInventors: Gunther Handke, Manfred Schuler, Wolfgang Breun, Ali Dogan, Stephan Zuber
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Publication number: 20040168870Abstract: Suspension strut unit comprising a connector bearing for a piston rod of the suspension strut unit, where a spring plate for a vehicle spring has a bearing with a connector bearing-side bearing part and a spring plate-side bearing part, which bearing allows relative rotational movement between the vehicle spring and the connector bearing of the piston rod, where, after the piston rod has traveled inward a certain distance, a stop buffer rests against a cylinder; where a second bearing allows relative movement between the connector bearing and the cylinder after the stop buffer has become active; and where the second bearing allows the stop buffer to move relative to the spring plate at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the suspension strut unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2004Publication date: September 2, 2004Applicant: ZF Sachs AGInventors: Gunther Handke, Manfred Schuler, Wolfgang Breun, Ali Dogan, Stephan Zuber