Patents Assigned to ZF Friedrichshafen
  • Patent number: 8413533
    Abstract: An operating device for a gear-changing transmission operated by shift-by-wire is disclosed. The operating device includes an operating element, rotatably or pivotally supported in a bearing position having a position sensor device, and a device for producing force-feedback. The force-feedback device includes an adjustable counterforce element acting on the operating element, wherein the counterforce element comprises a fluid having controllably variable viscosity. The operating device including the counterforce element is produced by a bearing gap of the bearing position of the operating element, with the bearing gap being filled with the fluid. A space-saving integration of the counterforce element of a force-feedback device is enabled into the joint of an operating lever. Thus, the cost, structural complexity, and installation space required for an operating device having force-feedback is significantly reduced. The haptics of a mechanical operating lever can be realistically emulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Ludger Rake, Andreas Giefer
  • Patent number: 8414439
    Abstract: A transmission device (1) for a vehicle having a variator (3) that has an axially longer length that the variator (3) is wider and deeper. The variator (3) comprises a planetary gear set (4), a manual gearbox unit (9) and a hydraulic system having an oil sump. Following installation in the vehicle, a longitudinal extension of the variator (3) is oriented at least approximately horizontally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Gerhard Bailly, Thomas Ratzmann, Karl Grad, Juergen Pohlenz
  • Publication number: 20130082886
    Abstract: A radio switch, in particular a snap-action switch, having an antenna, a transmitter assembly and a generator, wherein the antenna is electrically connected to the transmitter assembly in order to emit a signal which is generated by the transmitter assembly, wherein the transmitter assembly is accommodated on a circuit mount which is in the form of a panel, wherein the antenna is held in the radio switch on a mount substrate which is separate from the circuit mount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Eduard Ruff
  • Publication number: 20130085030
    Abstract: A hydrodynamic coupling arrangement, particularly torque converter, comprises a housing arrangement (12) which is filled or fillable with fluid, an impeller (20), a turbine (28), a lockup clutch (54), a torsional vibration damping arrangement (42) with an input region (52) and an output region (82), wherein a first torque transmission path (46) and parallel thereto a second torque transmission path (48) and a coupling arrangement (50) for superposing the torques transmitted via the torque transmission paths (46,48) are provided between the input region (52) and the output region (82), wherein the torsional vibration damping arrangement (42) further includes at least in the first torque transmission path (46) a phase shifter arrangement (56) for generating a phase shift of rotational irregularities transmitted via the first torque transmission path (46) relative to rotational irregularities transmitted via the second torque transmission path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas Dögel, Ingrid Hoffelner, Michael Kühner, Mathias Kopp
  • Patent number: 8410788
    Abstract: A method of diagnosing an electronic display device (1) having a screen (3) and a graphics memory (2) in which image data (14), of an image displayed or to be displayed on the screen (3), are one of stored or changed. A measured value (15) characterizes a current consumption or the change in current consumption of the screen (3) or display device (1) while a reference value (16) characterizes the current consumption or the change in current consumption of the screen (3) or display device (1) on the basis of the image data (14) or the change in image data (14). The method compares the reference value (16) to the measured value (15) to determine any malfunction or error in the electronic display device (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Ralf Hartrampf, Ludger Rake, Andreas Giefer
  • Patent number: 8403806
    Abstract: A transmission oil pump for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle. The speed of the oil pump can be shifted by a transmission (2), that is arranged between the drive motor of the motor vehicle and the transmission oil pump, to a fast-running mode or a slow-running mode so that the oil pump can be operated at two different speed levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Josef Haupt, Christian Popp, Thilo Schmidt, Georg Gierer
  • Patent number: 8403116
    Abstract: A protective pipe for a piston-cylinder unit comprises a pipe body having at one end a bottleneck-shaped base which is axially and radially supported at least indirectly at a piston rod of the piston-cylinder unit. A surface region of the bottleneck-shaped base has an accumulation of material which increases radially inward starting from its outer edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Günther Handke, Alexander Miller
  • Patent number: 8403803
    Abstract: A multi-stage transmission comprising planetary gearsets (P1, P2, P3, P4), shafts and shift elements. The sun gear of gearset (P1) couples drive shaft (1). The carrier of gearset (P1) couples shaft (3) which can couple housing (G) via brake (03), shaft (1) via clutch (13), which couples the carrier of gearset (P4), and shaft (6), via clutch (36). Shaft (6) couples the ring gear of gearset (P2) and the sun gears of gearsets (P3, P4). Shaft (7) couples the ring gear of gearset (P1) and the carrier of gearset (P2). The sun gear of set (P2) couples shaft (4), which can couple housing (G) via brake (04). The ring gear of gearset (P3) couples shaft (5), which can couple housing (G) via brake (05) and output shaft (2) operatively couples the ring gear of gearset (P4), is connected to the carrier of gearset (P3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Gerhard Gumpoltsberger, Christian Sibla, Stefan Beck, Josef Haupt, Gert Bauknecht, Peter Ziemer
  • Patent number: 8403121
    Abstract: A device for sealing a double clutch transmission of a motor vehicle, with a transmission housing, in which are arranged a clutch chamber with clutch oil and a double clutch, a transmission chamber with transmission oil and a double clutch transmission wheel set and two co-axial drive shafts disposed, one inside the other. One drive shaft is an interior central shaft which extends inside the transmission chamber from the end of the second hollow drive shaft. The two drive shafts each have a sealing element to seal the clutch chamber from the transmission chamber. A mounting component is situated inside and fixed to the transmission housing to support two adjacent sealing elements. A first sealing element forms a seal radially on the hollow drive shaft and a second sealing element forms a seal radially on the central drive shaft to provide a reliable seal and offer a simple ventilation and leakage detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignees: ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG
    Inventors: Dieter Kraxner, Peter Höbel, Markus Rettenmaier, Jens Patzner
  • Publication number: 20130072338
    Abstract: A wet clutch arrangement includes a housing arrangement which is filled or fillable with fluid, a first friction surface formation which is rotatable with the housing arrangement around an axis of rotation and a second friction surface formation which is rotatable with a driven member around the axis of rotation and which can be brought into frictional engagement with the first friction surface formation by a piston pump. At least a portion of a torsional vibration damping arrangement is provided in a torque transmission path and includes an input region and an output region. The torsional vibration damping arrangement further includes at least in a first torque transmission path a phase shifter arrangement for generating a phase shift of rotational irregularities transmitted via the first torque transmission path relative to rotational irregularities transmitted via a second torque transmission path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas Dögel, Michael Kühner, Ingrid Hoffelner
  • Publication number: 20130068580
    Abstract: A hydrodynamic coupling arrangement, particularly torque converter, includes a housing arrangement which is filled or fillable with fluid, an impeller, a turbine, a lockup clutch, a torsional vibration damping arrangement with an input region and an output region, wherein a first torque transmission path and parallel thereto a second torque transmission path and a coupling arrangement for superposing the torques transmitted via the torque transmission paths are provided between the input region and the output region. The torsional vibration damping arrangement further includes at least in the first torque transmission path a phase shifter arrangement for generating a phase shift of rotational irregularities transmitted via the first torque transmission path relative to rotational irregularities transmitted via the second torque transmission path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas Doegel, Michael Kühner, Ingrid Hoffelner, Mathias Kopp
  • Publication number: 20130072076
    Abstract: A method and device for maneuvering a yacht via a control device which is designed as a joystick (7). The joystick (7) is tilted in the direction of a longitudinal axis (y) and a transversal axis (x) of the yacht, to initiate forward or backward movement and transverse movement, and the joystick (7) is rotated to initiate yaw movement of the yacht around its longitudinal axis (zj). The yacht (1) has a single drive which is designed as a pivotable drive (6) which has a pivotable thrust vector around a vertical axis. The steering movements of the joystick (7) are transferred to the pivotable drive (6) in a matched manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Andrea Pellegrinetti, Adriano Zanfei
  • Publication number: 20130071175
    Abstract: A ball joint with a ball pin and a steel ball pin with a joint ball. The ball joint and ball pin are suitable for use when, for example, solid-on-solid friction predominates under high static pre-loading or high operational loads and with small joint movements. A portion of the surface of the ball pin has surface layer hardening in order to increase a fatigue strength of the ball pin. The ball pin and the ball joint, on portion of the ball pin without the any surface layer hardened, includes a nitrided layer as wear protection. The ball pin and the ball joint provide an advantageous combination of high fatigue strength, good corrosion protection and high wear-resistance. The nitrided layer of ball joints, previously only regarded as improving corrosion protection, also functions as a wear protection. Thus, these ball pins overcome the mutual exclusion between surface layer hardening and nitriding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Dirk Adamczyk, Wolfgang Kleiner, Klaus Pape, Wolfgang Eulerich, Martin Rechtien, Thomas Wiegmann, Manfred Heidemann, Jochen Kruse, Johannes Tabor, Rainer Jasper, Ulrich Schefzyk
  • Publication number: 20130071174
    Abstract: A ball joint with a ball pin and a steel ball pin with a joint ball. The ball joint and ball pin are suitable for use when solid-on-solid friction predominates, for example under high static pre-loading or under high operational loads and with small joint movements. At least in a bearing contact area, between the joint ball and the bearing shell, does not include any nitrided layer. The surface of the ball pin has an oxide layer, provided as wear protection, at least in the bearing contact area of the joint ball. The oxide layer in the ball joints, previously regarded (as part of the nitriding treatment) as only improving corrosion protection functions as a form of wear protection. Thus, the mutual exclusion between increasing the fatigue strength (by surface layer hardening) and improving the wear resistance (by nitriding/oxidation) is overcome with such ball pins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventor: Klaus Pape
  • Publication number: 20130069451
    Abstract: An induction generator for a radio switch having a magnet element as well as an induction coil with a coil core, characterized in that the coil core is U-shaped, wherein a first contact position and a second contact position for the magnet element are defined on the limbs of the coil core, with a flux direction reversal taking place in each case in the coil core when a change takes place between said positions, wherein the magnet element is arranged such that it can move in a defined manner linearly between the contact positions on the induction generator in a direction in which the limbs are adjacent to one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventor: Eduard Ruff
  • Patent number: 8397887
    Abstract: An actuating system for at least first and second coaxially arranged shifting elements of a transmission, in particular, a dual-clutch transmission (1) with at least two coaxially arranged control devices for actuating the associated shifting elements. The control devices comprise at least one rotary drive (4, 5) and at least one control element (6, 7) which are coupled to one another by corresponding gearteeth such that rotational movement, of each rotary drive (4, 5), can be converted into an axial control movement of the associated control element (6, 7). The axial position of the teeth of the geartooth array, of each control element (6, 7), varies in the circumferential direction, at least over a certain range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Matthias Reisch, Juergen Wafzig
  • Patent number: 8398522
    Abstract: A multi-stage transmission comprising planetary gearsets (P1, P2, P3, P4), shafts, and shift elements. Gearsets (P1, P2) form a front -mounted gear gearset and gearsets (P3, P4) form a main gearset. The carriers of gearsets (P1, P2) are coupled via shaft (4) which couples a main gearset element. The ring gear of gearset (P1) couples the sun gear of gearset (P2) via shaft (8) that couples drive shaft (1) via clutch (18). The sun gear of gearset (P1) couples housing (G) by shaft (3) via brake (03), and shaft (1) via clutch (13). The ring gear of gearset (P2) couples housing (G) by shaft (5) via brake (05). Shaft (7) couples main gearset element, and, via brake (07), housing (G). Shaft (6) couples another main gearset element and, via clutch (16), shaft (1). The output shaft couples a further main gearset element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Gert Bauknecht, Gerhard Gumpoltsberger, Peter Ziemer, Mark Mohr
  • Publication number: 20130065728
    Abstract: A method for operating a drive-train of a motor vehicle with a drive aggregate in the form of a hybrid drive system (3) which comprises at least one electric machine (2), an internal combustion engine (1), a transmission (5), a drive output (4) and a brake system which comprises at least one wear-free permanent brake (6). When a braking torque is required, the braking torque is distributed between the electric machine (2) and the wear-free permanent brake (6). At the beginning of a braking torque demand, the required brake torque is provided exclusively by the electric machine (2). Thereafter, as a function of characteristics of the wear-free permanent brake, the braking torque demand is transferred, in a controlled manner, from the electric machine to the wear-free permanent brake (6) so that the sum of the braking torques provided at the drive output (4) corresponds to the required braking torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Markus Eisele, Yvonne Wiegand, Jurgen Blaser
  • Publication number: 20130061701
    Abstract: A dual clutch transmission for a motor vehicle which comprises at least two part-transmissions each of which has at least one input shaft and an output shaft arranged as the drive output shaft of both part-transmissions. The at least one input shaft and the output shaft are arranged on a main axis and/or a secondary axis and at least one intermediate transmission with at least one countershaft is provided, the at least one countershaft is designed as the secondary axis relative to the main axis, and at least one of the input shafts can be connected to the output shaft by at least two gearwheel planes and/or by way of at least one shifting element. A plurality of shifting elements N in number are provided with N being an integer larger than or equal to two such that N-1 shifting elements are arranged on the main axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventor: Michael WECHS
  • Publication number: 20130061702
    Abstract: A bevel gear drive (1) comprises a spur bevel gear (2) and a pinion which both mesh with one another. The spur bevel gear and the pinion are arranged within a housing (3). An abutment plate (4) is provided so as to avoid displacement of the spur bevel gear (2), under high operating loads. The abutment plate (4) is integrated in the housing (3) and supports the spur bevel gear (2) when forces, that can cause displacement of the spur bevel gear (2), act upon the spur bevel gear (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Henry SCHWARZ, Thomas KOPPE