Patents Assigned to Danfoss
  • Patent number: 7316115
    Abstract: A system for operating a hydromechanical transmission having a movable input member that transmits a signal to a control unit that uses predefined logic to determine if a hydrostatic transmission should be in a first low speed mode that uses displacement control or if it should be in a second high speed mode that uses a power, torque, or speed control scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
    Inventors: Lynn T Jansen, Michael D. Gandrud
  • Patent number: 7316291
    Abstract: The invention concerns a suction muffler for a hermetic refrigerant compressor with a housing having an inlet and an outlet and limiting at least one muffling chamber, and a gas supply channel located in the muffling chamber between the inlet and the outlet. It is endeavoured to prevent too much oil from remaining in the refrigerant gas flow. For this purpose, the gas supply channel forms a throttling path and ends in the muffling chamber, and that in the area of the inlet of the gas supply channel an oil extraction opening is located, which ends in the muffling chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Danfoss Compressors GmbH
    Inventors: Jan Thomsen, Preben Bjerre, Christian Svendsen, Morten Svendsen, Klaus Reinwand
  • Patent number: 7316112
    Abstract: An improved rotary spool control system for a closed hydrostatic circuit and method to use the same. The control spool utilizes metering of the spool notches and specifically the metering of the servo drain notch wherein the drain notch is of irregular cross sectional shape. Because of the metering and irregular cross sectional shape, this spool is able to provide an aggressive response while still having smooth linear control. The method of creating the feedback control includes displacing pressurized fluid through the hydrostatic circuit rotating the control spool to create an error signal removing the error signal with a control sleeve and metering the servo piston drain with the irregularly shaped metering porting notch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
    Inventor: Aaron T. Becker
  • Patent number: 7317290
    Abstract: AC inverters that are electrically connected to a direct current source to convert the direct current source such that the transistor power module of an inverter can power a plurality of AC motors wherein the motors can be located remote from the inverters or within the inverter housings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D Gandrud, Torben Frederiksen, Jeff Herrin
  • Publication number: 20080000241
    Abstract: The invention provides a refrigeration system with a compressing unit, and a method of controlling a refrigeration system. To facilitate a better control, the capacity of the compressing unit is controlled based on a predicted future cooling demand rather than an actually determined cooling demand. The invention further provides a system wherein a cost value for changing the cooling capacity of the system is taken into consideration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Danfoss A/S
    Inventors: Lars Larsen, Claus Thybo
  • Publication number: 20080000318
    Abstract: The invention concerns a compressor crankshaft, particularly a refrigerant compressor crankshaft (1) and a method for manufacturing such a crankshaft, with a shaft element (2), a crank pin (9) located eccentrically to the shaft element and a transition element (7) between the shaft element (2) and the crank pin (9). The purpose of the invention is to keep the manufacturing costs low. For this purpose, it is ensured that along its circumference the transition element (7) has at least one first reference point (20) and one second reference point (21a, 21b), with which the transition element (7) can be positioned in a holding fixture (25) of a working machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: Danfoss Compressors GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Holm Iversen, Heinz Otto Lassen, Marten Nommensen, Ekkehard Handke
  • Publication number: 20080000301
    Abstract: A method of measuring vibration on an operational device. The method includes providing an operational device with a control unit and a vibration sensor comprised of a three axis accelerometer, a digital signal processor, and a communications transceiver. The digital signal processor takes the raw vibration data for each axis of the three axis accelerometer and applies a weighting function to the vibration data for each individual axis. Then stress level data associated with the vehicle operator is used to calculate the instantaneous contributions of the filtered data to the stress level data of the operator to determine instantaneous stress level data that has accumulated over a fixed time interval. After the fixed time interval, the digital signal processor calculates an increase of the stress level of the operator during the time interval to create stress data that is transmitted through a communications transceiver for display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: SAUER-DANFOSS INC.
    Inventor: Lincoln Davidson
  • Publication number: 20070299564
    Abstract: An engine management system and a method of operating the same within a vehicle. The system uses a plurality of software modules one of which communicates with the vehicle engine to communicate information and additionally communicates with at least one other software module that provides information regarding auxiliary device operations and parameters such that the first software module produces an input torque curve signal for the vehicle engine. Additionally, secondary software modules are able to provide reduced power requirements signals to a plurality of auxiliary devices in order to ensure optimum fuel economy and noise reduction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2006
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: SAUER-DANFOSS INC.
    Inventors: Donald P. NELSON, Jeremy E. NACK
  • Publication number: 20070295147
    Abstract: A joystick (1) having a yoke pivotally secured to an upper support (28) and a lever (16) pivotally secured to a lower support. The yoke has a latching portion that engages a cam roller (14) on the lever to push the lever downward. Supported on the lever is an armature (24) positioned in spaced relation to a solenoid (26). The solenoid is energized based on the movement of the yoke.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicants: Sauer-Danfoss Inc., Penny & Giles Control Ltd.
    Inventors: Stanley Didier, Wayne Edmunds, Terence Pontin
  • Publication number: 20070295924
    Abstract: The invention provides a fluid controller for controlling a machine, e.g. for steering a vehicle. The controller comprises a housing defining an inlet port connected to the source and an outlet port connected to the pressure operated device. The flow rate is controlled by movement of a valve member within the housing, and a processor provides a reference which is indicative of a desired position of the valve member relative to the housing. The fluid controller comprises a fault detection system based on an observer. The observer calculates a theoretically correct position of the valve member relative to the housing for a given reference, and compares this position to an obtained position of the valve member relative to the housing. The difference between the positions is compared with a threshold value. In order to dynamically change the sensitivity of the system, the threshold value is scaled based on a gradient of the reference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2007
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: Sauer-Danfoss ApS
    Inventor: Martin Clausen
  • Patent number: 7311007
    Abstract: The invention provides a pressure sensor with a housing for a pressure sensing arrangement, e.g. a semi-conductor arrangement. The housing consists of a bottom part and an intermediate member with a through hole forming a sidewall of a cavity for the pressure sensing arrangement. A membrane is attached to the intermediate member to cover an opening of the cavity, and to allow pressure from outside to propagate into a pressure transmitting medium contained inside the housing and thus to the pressure sensing arrangement therein. The invention also provides a method of making a pressure sensor with a housing of the above-described kind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Danfoss A/S
    Inventor: Jes Vogler
  • Publication number: 20070292310
    Abstract: Micro fluidic system for analysing species within a fluid medium includes at least one first fluid reservoir (12) holding a carrier fluid, a second fluid reservoir(s) (13-15) holding reagent fluid(s) producing measurable chemical reactions when mixed with the species, detecting arrangement (54) able to detect the measurable chemical reactions, a membrane (61) permeable to the species, the membrane being in downstream fluid communication with the first fluid reservoir (12) and in upstream fluid communication with analysing mechanism (50), the first fluid reservoir(s) and the second fluid reservoir(s) being stored in storage container (10) and in downstream fluid communication with pressurizing mechanism through connecting mechanism (6), wherein the analysing mechanism comprise one substrate with micro-channels and covered in a fluid tight manner by a sheet, the micro-channels at said one substrate defining at least one meandering part(s) (51, 52) for mixing and/or reacting the reagent fluid(s) to the carrier f
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: Danfoss A/S
    Inventor: Peter Gravesen
  • Patent number: 7309940
    Abstract: The invention concerns a rotor arrangement for an electrical drive motor of a compressor, particularly a refrigerant compressor, with a rotor having a rotor lamination of stacked sheet plates, and a shaft, which is inserted in an axial recess of the rotor lamination and is unrotatably connected with the rotor lamination, the recess being formed by openings in adjacent sheet plates. It is endeavoured to simplify the manufacturing of such rotor arrangements. For this purpose, it is ensured that openings of different sizes are provided in the sheet plates, at least two sheet plates forming a first group, each having an opening, which is smaller than the cross-section of the shaft, the remaining sheet plates forming a second group, each having an opening, which is larger than the cross-section of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Danfoss Compressors GmbH
    Inventors: Marten Nommensen, Frank Holm Iversen, Heinz Otto Lassen, Beate Sönksen, legal representative, Christian Petersen, deceased
  • Publication number: 20070277356
    Abstract: A tubular elastomer actuator with a shape in a cross-sectional view which shape exposes at most one single axis of symmetry of a specific length, e.g., an oval shape. The actuator could be made from a sheet made from a plurality of plate shaped elements which are laminated together and rolled. Each plate shaped element may have a corrugation that gives the element an anisotropic structure, and contains an electrode on only one surface. The actuator displacement is the result of shrinkage displacement of the plate shaped elements upon the application of electrical field across their thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2007
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Applicant: Danfoss A/S
    Inventors: Mohamed Benslimand, Peter Gravesen
  • Publication number: 20070281815
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hydrostatic mechanical traction gearbox having a continuously variable hydrostatic drive in which the hydrostatic drive has a hydrostatic pump driven by an internal combustion engine and a hydraulic motor driven by the pump, the pump and the hydraulic motor are positively coupled in an adjustable fashion by means of a single common pivoting part in such a way that the pump can be pivoted between a minimum angle and a maximum angle while at the same time the motor pivots synchronously from a maximum pivot angle to a minimum angle. The pump is configured for a single delivery direction of the volume flow. A mechanical range change gearbox is connected downstream, said gearbox having a plurality of gear shifting stages which can be shifted by means of a clutch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Applicant: Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
    Inventor: Wilhelm Gollner
  • Publication number: 20070277520
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hydraulic module for hydrostatic mechanical gearboxes having two swashplates or oblique axis drive units which are integrated in the hydraulic module. The swashplate drive units are mounted in a common housing with parallel drive shafts and each have a rotating cylinder block with expellers which can move therein and which are supported in a sliding fashion on a double swashplate whose pivot angle is adjustable by means of a servo system. The double swashplate is designed to carry out positively coupled common adjustment of the volume flow of the two drive units and is equipped with bearing faces for the expellers of the respective drive units, said bearing faces having different angles of inclination relative to the respective drive shaft. The oblique axis drive units each have a cylinder block with expellers which can move therein and which are each pivotably mounted on the coaxial shafts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Applicant: SAUER-DANFOSS INC
    Inventor: Wilhelm Gollner
  • Patent number: 7299738
    Abstract: An axial piston machine having a swashplate or an oblique axis which can be adjusted by means of servopistons and has a valve segment and an adjustment unit for the electrically proportional adjustment of the volumetric displacement. The adjustment unit comprises proportional magnets which can be activated electrically, and a control piston for controlling the oil pressure which moves the servopistons. The proportional magnets act on the control piston along a common tappet axis, a feedback device for feeding back the current swashplate or oblique-axis valve-segment position to the control piston being provided. The feedback device comprises spring levers 6, 6? which can pivot about an axis, the spring levers 6, 6? each being mounted on the pivot axis 5 with a bearing shell 15, which are each composed of two component shells which support the spring lever 6, 6? at separate locations on the pivot axis 5, and which each essentially enclose a half-space about the pivot axis 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
    Inventors: Reinhardt Thoms, Carsten Fiebing, Bernd Hames, Martin Wüstefeld
  • Patent number: 7300260
    Abstract: A positive displacement piston unit is provided that utilizes a magnetorheological (MR) or electrorheological (ER) fluid as the transmission fluid. Each cylinder of the invention has an intake port connected to the suction port of the hydrostatic pump and an output port connected to the pressure port. Flow of the transmission fluid through the cylinder is controlled by an electromagnet or electrode located in close proximity to the intake and output ports of the cylinder. By energizing the electromagnet or electrode, the viscosity of the transmission fluid can be increased such that the portion of the fluid immediately near the electromagnet or electrode substantially solidifies. The solidified portion of the transmission fluid disables fluid through the particular passage, thereby restricting flow of the transmission fluid to the cylinder. As such, the present invention does not require the use of mechanical cylinder valves to control the flow of the transmission fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
    Inventor: Michael D Gandrud
  • Patent number: 7299629
    Abstract: A charge pump is provided with two independent outlets that can satisfy the pressure requirements of both a charge circuit and an auxiliary circuit. Preferably, the charge pump is a multiple roller vane pump that has at least one inlet and two outlets independent of each other. The first outlet is in fluid communication with a charge circuit, and the second outlet is in fluid communication with an auxiliary circuit. Because the two outlets are independent of each other, the roller vane pump is able to satisfy the pressure requirements of both the charge and auxiliary circuits. Preferably, the two outlets are diametrically opposed to each other, thereby reducing the load on the driveshaft. Additionally, the roller vane pump may include a second inlet independent of the first.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A Betz, Jeff L Herrin, Alan W Johnson
  • Patent number: D558796
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Danfoss A/S
    Inventor: Kristoffer Riemann Hansen