Patents Assigned to ZF Friedrichshafen
  • Patent number: 11858496
    Abstract: A method for operating a hybrid vehicle includes obtaining propulsion switching data descriptive of a state of one or more vehicle systems for switching power flow of an internal combustion engine and an electric machine. The propulsion switching data may be used to provide a driver behavior recommendation and/or an actual environmental impact of the hybrid vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Gahl Berkooz, Greg Yezersky, Lev Levine, Iris Maria Weiss
  • Publication number: 20230418778
    Abstract: Method for secure on-board communication between components (2, 4) of a vehicle by way of a communication bus (6) of the vehicle. The method includes (Si) sending a message from a component (2; 4) to the communication bus (6), (S2) storing information of the message sent in the component (2; 4), (S3) reading all the messages on the communication bus (6) by the component (2; 4), (S4) comparing information in the messages read with the information in the message sent by the component (2; 4), and (S5) initiating a countermeasure in reaction to a deviation based on the comparison of information in the read messages with the information in the sent message. Also disclosed is a control unit, a system and a vehicle which are designed to carry out such a method for secure on-board communication between components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Kai Leingruber, Christoph Stritt, Matthias Stauber, Georg Willmann
  • Publication number: 20230421149
    Abstract: The invention relates to a topological semiconductor switch for power electronics that has at least two power semiconductors, in particular power transistors, characterized in that the topological semiconductor switch has at least one first power semiconductor containing a first semiconductor material, and at least one second power semiconductor containing a second semiconductor material. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Stefan HAIN, Matthias LOCHNER
  • Patent number: 11854317
    Abstract: A method for standardizing a plurality of motor vehicles may include determining a characteristic value of an individual vehicle (50) based on transmission data for the individual vehicle from a data gathering device (6) associated with the individual vehicle. The transmission data for the individual vehicle may be associated with shifting characteristics of a transmission of the individual vehicle for at least one of an operation interval of the individual vehicle or a mileage of the individual vehicle. Additionally, the method may include assigning the individual vehicle to one of a plurality of profiles (10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5) of a classification (10) based at least in part on a magnitude of the characteristic value. The classification may be determined based at least in part on average values and a magnitude and frequency of deviations from the average values of transmission data gathered for a plurality of vehicles (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Mazlum Zerey, Christoph Kirst, Stefan Jochem
  • Patent number: 11850928
    Abstract: An electric drive axle for a vehicle includes at least one first electric vehicle drive system (1) for driving at least one vehicle wheel (11, 12) and at least one connection interface (8) for at least one power take-off (PTO). The vehicle drive system (1, 13) is coupled at least to one first double shift element (6) such that, at least in a first engagement position of the first double shift element (6), the vehicle drive system (1, 13) is drivingly coupled to at least one vehicle wheel (11, 12) and, in a second engagement position of the first double shift element (6), the vehicle drive system (1, 13) is decoupled from the at least one vehicle wheel (11, 12) and is drivingly coupled to the connection interface (8) for the power take-off (PTO). A vehicle with an electric drive axle is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignees: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG, ZF DRIVETECH (SUZHOU) CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Frank Seemann, Paul Lenz, Andreas Grossl, Werner Hechberger, Kai Borntraeger, Maik Woerl, Marco Di Sarno, Cong Ren
  • Patent number: 11852237
    Abstract: An electro-mechanical actuator for generating an axial actuation force is provided. The electro-mechanical actuator includes an electric machine having a stator (1) and a rotor (2). The electro-mechanical actuator also includes a spindle drive with a rotary element (6) and with an element that is movable in a translatory manner. A rotation of the rotary element (6) may result in a translatory motion of the element that is movable in a translatory manner. The rotor (2) and the rotary element (6) of the spindle drive are coupled to each other in a circumferential direction (U) such that a rotation of the rotor (2) results in a rotation of the rotary element (6) of the spindle drive (5). A rotational play (8) is formed between the rotor (2) and the rotary element (6) of the spindle drive in the circumferential direction (U).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Matthias Reisch, Andreas Füßl, Jürgen Wafzig, Andreas Wendzel, Lorenz Fischer, Holger Gohmert, Uwe Fehr, Michael Arnegger
  • Patent number: 11852202
    Abstract: A cooling oil guiding device for rotating component parts. An annular oil channel extends in radial direction and cooling oil can be supplied from radially inward. The oil channel is partially open radially outwardly. A sealing area is provided in a radially outer area of the oil channel having blocking elements and outlet elements. The blocking elements are arranged radially inwardly of the outlet elements and have at least two passages in radial direction which are distributed along the circumference. Outlet channels aligned with the passages and inlets which are disposed between the outlet channels in circumferential direction are formed by the outlet elements. An annular channel is provided between the blocking elements and the outlet elements to connect the inlets with the outlet channels and passages, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Steffen Matschas, Axel Rohm, Ingo Krafft, Monika Rößner, Angelika Ebert, Julian Larbig
  • Patent number: 11852224
    Abstract: A gear unit for a motor vehicle electric drive system, has a housing with a middle portion and a first and second axial end portions. The middle portion receives an electric machine. A differential gear is arranged in the second end portion of the housing. The differential gear is connected on the drive side to a first planetary gearset and on the driven side to a first output shaft and second output shaft arranged coaxial to one another. The second output shaft is a hollow shaft, and the first output shaft extends into the second output shaft. A first bearing for rotatable support of the second output shaft is arranged radially between the second output shaft and a structural component of the gear unit, and a second bearing for the rotatable support of the two output shafts is arranged between the first output shaft and second output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Martin Brehmer, Christopher Allnoch, Markus Laile
  • Publication number: 20230407960
    Abstract: A method for heating a transmission (3) with a torque converter (11), is disclosed. By the selective actuation of clutches (K1, K2, K3, KR, KV) various gears (R1, R2, R3, V1, V2, V3) can be engaged, so that the transmission (3) is blocked on the drive output side, whereby a turbine shaft (12) of the torque converter (11) is immobilized while a drive power is introduced into the transmission (3) by a drive element (2) Blocking the transmission is brought about by actuating the clutches (K1, K2, K3, KR, KV) in such manner that two gears (R1, R2, R3, V1, V2, V3) different from one another in the same driving direction are engaged at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Harald Fischer
  • Publication number: 20230408353
    Abstract: A method is proposed for the production of a deformation body (100) for measuring a force and/or a torque for a roll stabilization system of a vehicle. In one example, the method comprises a step of preparing a support material, a step of producing a central element (104) that can be connected to the support material and can be deformed by the force, and a step of connecting the support material to the central element (104) in order to produce the deformation body (100).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Georg Tenckhoff
  • Patent number: 11846327
    Abstract: A hub assembly for a hybrid module having a first and a second connection partner arranged coaxially with one another, the first connection partner has a first bearing portion and the second connection partner has a second bearing portion, and a plurality of connecting elements. The first and the second bearing portion have receiving openings for receiving the connecting elements. The first and the second connection partner are prepositioned with respect to one another via a form-fitting connection such that the receiving openings in the first and the second bearing portion are each oriented in pairs in a positionally correct manner with respect to one another in the circumferential direction about the main axis H.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventor: Thomas Bauer
  • Patent number: 11846342
    Abstract: A transmission where a first shaft is rotationally fixable to a third shaft and to a second shaft, the second and third shafts are rotationally connectable to a fourth shaft, the second shaft is rotationally connectable to a fifth shaft, the fourth shaft is rotationally connectable to the fifth shaft, the third shaft is rotationally connectable to the fifth shaft, fixed gears of the fourth and fifth shafts are rotationally connected to a drive output, a first gearwheel of the sixth shaft meshes with a fixed gear of the second shaft, and a second gearwheel of the sixth shaft meshes with a fixed gear of the third shaft. Moreover, a first gearwheel of the sixth shaft is an idler gear and a second gearwheel of the sixth shaft is a fixed gear, or vice versa. Additionally, the idler gear of the sixth shaft is rotationally fixable to the sixth shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Max Bachmann, Thomas Rosemeier, Michael Roske, Matthias Reisch, Johannes Kaltenbach, Stefan Beck, Michael Wechs, Martin Rattay, Juri Pawlakowitsch, Fabian Kutter
  • Patent number: 11846343
    Abstract: A drive axle of an electric vehicle has first and a second drive wheels (R1, R2) with wheel axles (a1, a2), a first electric machine (EM1) and a second electric machine (EM2) with a common rotation axis (m), a transmission (G3) with a transmission input shaft (EW) and a transmission output shaft (AW), and an axle differential (DI) with a differential input (DIK) and two differential output shafts (3a, 3b). The first electric machine (EM1) is connected to the transmission input shaft (EW) and the transmission output shaft (AW) is connected to the differential input (DIK). The second electric machine (EM2) can be connected as an additional drive when necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Johannes Glückler, Stefan Spühler, Stefan Renner, Michael Trübenbach, Kai Bornträger, Johannes Kaltenbach
  • Patent number: 11846346
    Abstract: A gear unit includes an input shaft, output shafts and a differential having two planetary gearsets with a plurality of gearset elements. A first gearset element is connected to the input shaft, a second gearset element is connected to the first output shaft, and a third gearset element is connected to a gearset element of the second planetary gearset. A second gearset element of the second planetary gearset is connected to a housing, and a third gearset element of the second planetary gearset is connected to the second output shaft. A first output torque transmittable to the first output shaft. The gearset elements of the first planetary gearset and second planetary gearset have a helical toothing such that a torque is transmittable between the two output shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Thomas Kölbl, Matthias Reisch, Michael Roske
  • Publication number: 20230398862
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electrically driveable drive axle (19) for an all-terrain utility vehicle, comprising a first drivetrain (20) with a first electric motor (21), with a first transmission (22) and with a first drive output (23), and comprising a second drivetrain (30) with a second electric motor (31), with a second transmission (32) and with a second output (33), wherein the first drivetrain (20) and the second drivetrain (30) are arranged in a common housing (40) and/or on the common housing (40), and wherein the first drivetrain (20) forms a first torque path and the second drivetrain (30) forms a second torque path. The drive axle (10) according to the invention is characterized in that the first torque path and the second torque path are mechanically separate from one another. The invention furthermore relates to a corresponding vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2023
    Publication date: December 14, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Maximilian Winkler, Alexander Mühlbauer, Florian Felbinger, Willi Rometsch, Franz Reitinger, Johannes Auburger, Ulrich Solka, Hendrik Frisch
  • Publication number: 20230400092
    Abstract: An axle drive for a motor vehicle, comprising an electric machine coupled by a rotor shaft to a transmission for the axle drive, wherein a torque can be transferred from the electric machine to an intermediate shaft with a first gear stage and from the intermediate shaft to another gear train, in particular a differential, with a second gear stage, wherein the rotor shaft or a shaft segment coupled to the rotor shaft is supported in a bearing element, wherein a fluid supply is designed to convey a liquid, in particular oil, into an intermediate space between the bearing element and a side shaft on the axle drive through a fluid channel, and from the intermediate space into the rotor chamber in the electric machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2023
    Publication date: December 14, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas KÖLBL, Stephan BRANDL, Heidi BARTLSPERGER, Nils TRÜMPER, Christina WEBER, Sophia SCHUBERT, Alois BIEREDER
  • Patent number: 11843288
    Abstract: A rotor (1) for an electric machine (2) includes at least one sensor element (3) configured for detecting at least one condition variable of the rotor (1), a signal processing unit (4) connected to the at least one sensor element (3) and configured for generating measured data from the detected condition variable of the rotor (1) and transmitting the measured data to a control device (5), and at least one induction coil (7) that includes at least one electrical conductor (8), is arranged at least indirectly on an end face of the rotor (1), and is configured for generating electrical energy from a magnetic front stray field (12) rotating in relation to the rotor (1) during the operation of the electric machine (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Kehr, Jochen Eggler
  • Patent number: 11841001
    Abstract: A method for directly determining a theoretical damage of at least one component of a device includes providing load-specific reference data in an evaluation unit, sensing actual load-specific data by a load sensing system, and transmitting the actual, load-specific data to the evaluation unit. The actual load-specific data includes classified load collectives comprising a dwell time of occurring damage variables at defined load levels, a number of load changes of occurring damage variables, and an event count of occurring damage variables. The method further includes scaling the load-specific reference data to the actual load-specific data for calculating the theoretical damage of the at least one component and determining a remaining service life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Johannes Schaefer, Marco Sticker
  • Patent number: 11844198
    Abstract: A power module includes at least one power semiconductor element between first and second conductive layers, a first cooling member on the first conductive layer, a second cooling member under the second conductive layer, and at least one snubber capacitor between the first and second conductive layers. Each snubber capacitor has a capacitor core between first and second electrodes and first and second transition layers. The first transition layer is between the first conductive layer and the first electrode and the second transition layer is between the second electrode and the second conductive layer, or the first transition layer is between the first electrode and the capacitor core and the second transition layer is between the capacitor core and the second electrode. The first and second transition layers are conductive. A thermal expansion coefficient of the transition layers is between thermal expansion coefficients of adjacent elements of the snubber capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventor: Wei Liu
  • Publication number: 20230391032
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for marking a vehicle tyre (20) and a corresponding marking station. In one example, the vehicle tyre is supplied (100) to a marking station (10), the vehicle tyre (20) is aligned and centred (102, 103) in the marking station (10), marking is performed (108) in the marking station in accordance with characteristics of the vehicle tyre (20), and marking is performed (108) using one marking device (12) from a multiplicity of different marking devices (12). The method according to the invention is distinguished by the fact that the marking device (12) for marking the vehicle tyre (20) is positioned (107) at the vehicle tyre (20) by means of a robot arm (11).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas Dollinger, Andreas Griebl, Florian Stemplinger, Johannes Maier