Patents Assigned to Fichtel & Sachs
  • Patent number: 5680916
    Abstract: An actuator is provided with a drive system and a crank mechanism which converts the motion of the drive system into an essentially translational motion of an output element. The crank mechanism is designed as a worm gear pair with a worm gear which sits on the output shaft and is engaged with a segment worm gear which is rotationally mounted in a housing, whereby engaged with the segment worm gear, in addition to the output element, there is an energy storing device, preferably a spring device, mounted so that it can pivot in a bearing, which energy storing device can move relative to the segment worm gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Udo Borschert, Lutz Leimbach, Ullrich Scherpf, Manfred Waning, Michael Zottmann
  • Patent number: 5678671
    Abstract: A motor vehicle clutch assembly has an actuator device. The clutch assembly is a friction clutch assembly. The actuator device moves linearly and is for engaging and disengaging the clutch. The actuator device is powered by a motor. The actuator device has a device for blocking the linear movement of the actuator device in a preferred position, thereby reducing work done by the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Lutz Leimbach, Reiner Voss
  • Patent number: 5678672
    Abstract: A torque transmission device (10) for the selective transmission of a torque between drive input parts (12) and drive output parts (14) which rotate relative to one another around an axis of rotation (A), comprising: a first clutch element (15) which is non-rotationally connected to the drive input part (12), a second clutch element (17) which is non-rotationally connected to the drive output part (14) and can be brought into selective torque transmission engagement with the first clutch element (15), whereby the first and/or the second clutch element (15, 17) comprises a membrane element (32, 36) which is in a membrane plane (E, E') which is oriented essentially orthogonally to the axis of rotation (A), displacement means (40, 42) corresponding to the respective membrane element (32, 36) for the generation of an axial displacement of the respective membrane element (32, 36) for the torque transmission engagement, whereby, in the displacement state, the respective membrane element (32, 36) comprises at least
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventor: Jorg Sudau
  • Patent number: 5679087
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a motor vehicle planetary transmission component for the individual drive of a wheel of a motor vehicle. The planetary transmission component comprises a rotary component of a motor which is mounted with its motor shaft by means of a roller bearing on a support part, which support part simultaneously forms a housing for a planetary transmission. The motor shaft supports, equiaxially with respect to its axis of rotation, a sun wheel which is surrounded by a ring gear held on the support part. Engaged with the sun wheel and the ring gear are planet wheels which are supported axially parallel to the axis of rotation of the motor shaft on a driven shaft part of the planetary transmission. The driven shaft part is supported by means of a single, single-row roller bearing on the support part. This roller bearing is located on the side of the plane of rotation of the planet wheels axially farther from the roller bearing of the motor shaft, and has some radial play.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventor: Dieter Lutz
  • Patent number: 5678646
    Abstract: A propulsion system for a vehicle comprising an electric motor, circuit breakers which switch field windings of the electric motor, as well as a cooling device which cools the field windings and the circuit breakers by its coolant circuit. The electric motor is realized in the form of a first modular unit which is mechanically functional in itself. The circuit breakers are assembled in at least one second modular unit, which is connected firmly to the first modular unit to form a propulsion unit. The individual modular units can be separated from one another and are connected to one another both by detachable electrical interface connections and also by detachable coolant interface connections. This construction makes it possible to selectively expand the propulsion unit by adding additional modular units, or in the event of the failure or malfunction of individual modular units to replace the modular units without having to replace the entire propulsion unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventor: Hans Fliege
  • Patent number: 5678673
    Abstract: An actuator for a motor vehicle friction clutch comprises a drive system, a transmission which converts its motion into an essentially translational motion of an output element, whereby the travel of the transmission can be limited by at least one stop, and a clutch position regulating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Udo Borschert, Lutz Leimbach, Manfred Waning, Michael Zottmann
  • Patent number: 5673778
    Abstract: This invention relates to a clutch disc with a torsional vibration damper, in which a control plate is used which, after a specified angle of rotation, comes into contact with the aperture of a spring element. Additional friction surfaces can be activated as a result of the presence of a control plate, which is capable of coming into contact on one of the components, i.e. the input part or the output part, with a friction element which is connected non-rotationally to the other of the two components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventor: Norbert Ament
  • Patent number: 5675222
    Abstract: An electric road motor vehicle with a switchable winding electric motor propulsion system, a switchable winding electric motor propulsion system in an electric road motor vehicle, and a switchable winding electric motor propulsion system for a motor vehicle. For the optimization of an electric motor propulsion system of a vehicle, the electric motor equipped with a rotary field winding is connected through a switching system to an electronic converter, so that due to the switching system, the number of phase windings of the rotary field winding to be connected to the individual output connections can be changed. The switching system is controlled by a control circuit through a actuator. The control circuit also controls the converter and deactivates the driver currents fed to the rotary field winding, while it switches over the switching system through the actuator. The switching system can thereby be made simpler and smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventor: Hans Fliege
  • Patent number: 5669474
    Abstract: A hydrodynamic torque converter is designed with a lock-up clutch which comprises a piston which can be extended in the axial direction and can be connected by at least one friction lining to the converter housing. The friction lining is designed with a multiplicity of depressions for the flow of hydraulic fluid, preferably oil, from the converter circuit, whereby the depressions extend between the radially outside edge and the radially inside edge of the friction lining in the circumferential direction at a specified angle, with a changing radial distance from the axis of rotation of the friction lining. Each depression changes its longitudinal direction between each inlet and outlet for the oil at least once, so that its radial component is oriented opposite to its orientation before the change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Uwe Dehrmann, Peter Volland, Hans-Wilhelm Wienholt
  • Patent number: 5669478
    Abstract: A flywheel with two centrifugal masses has a secondary centrifugal mass assembled from two individual parts, wherein the first part is actively connected to a torsion damping device, and the second part has a friction surface for a friction clutch. To increase the useful life of the flywheel system, the two parts of the secondary centrifugal mass are held at a distance from one another, and are connected to one another in their radially inner area essentially only by means of axially projecting spacer elements, which spacer elements are distributed circumferentially, and by means of rivets or screws. The rear side of the second part of the secondary centrifugal mass can thus be air cooled by the system of air cooling passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Bernhard Schierling, Rudolf Bauerlein, Cora Carlson, Hilmar Gobel
  • Patent number: 5669597
    Abstract: Self-pumping air suspension spring for a motor vehicle, comprising a roller bellows, which form a spring chamber, a spring carrier which consists of a cylinder and a piston rod (which piston rod can move axially in the cylinder, whereby the roller bellows are functionally connected to the cylinder and the piston rod), a vestibule with at least one connection to the spring chamber and at least one connection to the air reservoir, which can be of any appropriate type. In the event of a movement of the piston rod, there is a pumping action via the vestibule in connection with at least one non-return valve in the spring chamber, whereby the vestibule is located inside the spring chamber enclosed by the roller bellows and the cylinder. At least one of the components of the air suspension spring executing the pumping action is formed by the piston rod. It is appropriate if the cylinder is used in conjunction with a vibration damper which is part of an air suspension spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Henning Rittstieg, Hartmut Rolleke
  • Patent number: 5666859
    Abstract: This invention relates to a latching shifter for bicycle transmissions, such as hub transmissions or derailleurs, with a housing, a latch element with notches, a latching spring with a latching lug and two projections, as well as a slide with different bias stages which interact with the projections of the latching spring. By changing the position of the slide, the projections of the latching spring are brought together with different bias stages of the slide, whereupon the latching spring is pressed with varying degrees of pressure by means of its latching lug into the notches of the latching element. The advantage of the externally adjustable bias is that the shifter can be individually adjusted in terms of the retention force which prevents unintentional shifting when the bicycle is in motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Markus Arbeiter, Klaus Neumann
  • Patent number: 5667049
    Abstract: A pulled membrane spring clutch, whereby the membrane spring is supported with its outside diameter on a plate spring, which membrane spring has a rather large load pressure. The resulting load pressure acts on a mechanism which makes an automatic adjustment to compensate for wear to the friction linings, whereby the membrane spring retains its position relative to the clutch housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Reinhold Weidinger, Jorg Sudau
  • Patent number: 5667234
    Abstract: A telescoping front fork of a bicycle which has a spring system which acts between an upper cylindrical housing and a lower cylindrical housing and includes at least one suspension spring, a supplemental spring and a spring in the rebound direction, each of which is made of a compressible elastic foamed, or expanded cellular elastomer. The spring constant of the supplemental spring is lower than that of the suspension spring. This arrangement has the advantage that acceleration peaks are reduced during the transition from a situation in which the two cylindrical houses are at rest and one in which the two cylindrical houses slide in relation to one another. The breakaway force is oriented to the weaker supplemental spring in connection with the rebound direction spring and as the support force increases, the suspension spring is compressed on a delayed basis, without any measurable additional breakaway force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Zirk, Gerald Bischof
  • Patent number: 5667047
    Abstract: A divided flywheel apparatus has a first centrifugal mass connected to a driving mechanism, a second centrifugal mass engaged with the first centrifugal mass my means of a torsional vibration damper, whereby the second centrifugal mass is capable of a limited relative rotation with respect to the first centrifugal mass, and a damping device which contains at least one vibration damper, by means of which, under specified operating conditions, a frictional connection can be established between the two centrifugal masses. The damping device has a sensor apparatus, by means of which the occurrence of at least one measurement corresponding to a specified operating condition can be measured, and by means of a signal transmitted to a switching apparatus, the actuation of the vibration damper can be triggered by means of an actuation device which can be actuated by means of the switching device, resulting in an effective action which is a function of the value measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Michael Weiss, Jorg Sudau, Bernhard Schierling, Thomas Wirth, Jurgen Kleifges, Reinhard Feldhaus, Andreas Orlamunder, Eberhard Knaupp
  • Patent number: 5667043
    Abstract: A hydrodynamic torque converter consists of a pump wheel driven by an internal combustion engine, a turbine wheel coupled to a drive shaft, and a stator which can be blocked in one direction of rotation. These wheels, together form a converter circuit filled with a hydraulic fluid, preferably oil, which interacts with a lock-up clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Uwe Dehrmann, Peter Volland, Hans-Wilhelm Wienholt
  • Patent number: 5665901
    Abstract: At least one adjustable drive unit for a wheel support which can be set in oscillation, and electronic units which measure and evaluate the oscillating movement of the suspended vehicle with the following process steps:Acceleration of the wheel support by the drive unit to an oscillation measurement point A in an oscillation range above the resonance frequency of the wheel, and maintenance of the wheel support in this oscillating condition, until at measurement point B, the wheel has matched the oscillations of the wheel support with sufficient accuracy;A delayed reduction of the oscillation frequency with simultaneous measurement and storage of the oscillation amplitude to a reverse oscillation frequency at measurement point C, at which, during the reduction of the oscillation frequency, the oscillation amplitude has fallen below a first limit value which is considered an indicator of the faded, or decayed, resonance frequency;An increase in the oscillation frequency with simultaneous measurement and storage
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Frank Ilzig, Norbert Omlor
  • Patent number: 5662200
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a clutch disc with an elastic connection between the carrier plate and the hub. The elastic connection is in the form of elastic elements, which elastic elements are fastened parallel to the axis of rotation by rivets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventors: Klaus Memmel, Gunter Wawrzik, Winfried Sturmer, Harald Jeppe
  • Patent number: 5660079
    Abstract: To detect the shift position of a motor vehicle transmission (1), the invention teaches that by means of sensors (17), the position of a shift lever (7) which shifts the transmission (1) is measured in the neutral path of a shift pattern of the transmission which corresponds to the neutral position of the transmission (1). The direction of the displacement into the gears which are located in pairs in the shift paths of the transmission is measured by means of shift lever contacts (23), which respond when the shift lever (7) is displaced from the neutral shift position. An evaluation circuit (25), as a function of the signals from the sensors (17) which, in the neutral shift position of the transmission, detect the shift path which has been selected and the signals from the shift lever contacts (23) which detect the direction of displacement, delivers a shift position signal which identifies the shift position instantaneously engaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventor: Erich Friedrich
  • Patent number: 5657676
    Abstract: Process for emptying liquids and/or gases from a container, in particular from a shock absorber, in which a tool is used to penetrate the wall of the container to create a drain opening, whereby the tool is driven into the container by means of a pressure pulse. The pressure pulse is thereby generated by means of a controlled propellant charge inside a tool propellant chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Fichtel & Sachs AG
    Inventor: Manfred Koller