Patents Assigned to ZKW GROUP GMBH
  • Patent number: 12377771
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cleaning device (20) for a lens glass (10) in particular of a vehicle, with an optically transparent lens glass (10), with a hydrophobic and dirt-repelling, optically transparent coating (25), which is applied on an outer side (11) of the lens glass (10), with at least one vibration element (21), which is coupled with the lens glass (10), wherein the at least one vibration element (21) can be activated by a control device (40), and with an optically transparent anti-fog device (30), which is arranged at an inner side (12) of the lens glass (10). Furthermore, a vehicle with at least one cleaning device (20) is specified within the scope of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Reiter, Georg Pitterle, Christian Jackl
  • Patent number: 12351100
    Abstract: A motor vehicle lighting system (1) including at least two adaptive motor vehicle headlights (2), wherein an adaptive motor vehicle headlight (2) is a headlight that is designed to produce dipped beam distribution (AL) and adaptive full beam distribution (FL) having a resolution of at least two, preferably at least seven, individually controllable segments (FLs1, FLs2, Fls13), wherein the dipped beam distribution (AL) has a region assigned for the road sign lighting, hereinafter referred to as sign light region (ALsl), which at least partially overlaps with an emission region, which is associated with the full beam distribution (FL).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Dominik Zusser, Heimo Frank, Raphael Gutenbrunner
  • Patent number: 12352399
    Abstract: An illumination device for a motor vehicle light has a plate-like transparent light guiding body (LGB). Light sources are arranged on a narrow side of the LGB and emit light that enters the LGB and propagates therein in a first main light propagation direction (X1) to the opposite narrow side. At least some of the light rays (S1), incident on the front main surface (FMS) of the light propagating in the X1 direction are totally reflected at the FMS such that the light strikes a rear main surface (RMS), which has an exit structure. At least some of the light rays (S1?) which are totally reflected at the FMS and which strike the RMS exit the LGB via the exit structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2024
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Hajduk, Martin Hamar, Michal Tomecek, Jiří Jahn, Christian Maier, Christian Muellauer, Dominik Fallmann, Martin Gremlica
  • Patent number: 12356086
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system (1) for monitoring the surroundings of a motor vehicle (100), in particular an autonomous or semi-autonomous motor vehicle, wherein the system (1) includes at least one optical image capturing device (2) as well as further a lighting device (3, 4), wherein the optical image capturing device (2) is arranged for capturing an area of coverage (E1) of the surroundings, and wherein the area of coverage (E1) can be illuminated at least partially, preferably completely, by the lighting device (3, 4), and wherein the lighting device (3, 4) is arranged for generating a motor vehicle light distribution or part of a motor vehicle light distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Brandstetter, Johann Altmann, Martin Sporn, Harald Bechmann, Ingeborg Bednar, Christian Jackl
  • Patent number: 12337767
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp includes: (i) a housing and cover lens, (ii) an obstacle detection device including a camera, for capturing images, and (iii) a camera calibration system for automatically calibrating the spatial orientation of the camera. The system keeps the camera in a predetermined target position and includes (a) an adjustment device for adjusting the spatial orientation of the camera within the housing, (b) a reference mark arranged in the housing, and (c) a control device. Each image has a constant predetermined reference mark position sector (PRMPS), and the camera is in the target position when the reference mark is arranged within the PRMPS of the images. The control device receives the images captured by the camera and controls the adjustment device to remove the deviation from the target position when the reference mark is outside the PRMPS of the images in a non-target position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Oleksandr Chistov, Martin Brandstetter
  • Patent number: 12326232
    Abstract: A lighting device for a vehicle headlamp includes a plurality of light sources; a first lens element (FLE) downstream of the light sources; and a second lens element (SLE) downstream of the FLE. A light receiving surface (LRS) of the FLE is formed by a main-area and a sub-area. The light sources and LRS are distanced to each other whereby a first fraction of light is emitted towards the sub-area and a second fraction is emitted towards the main-area. The light sources, FLE, and SLE are configured to create a complete or partial, preferably adaptive, high beam light distribution with two sections. The sub-area and main-area are configured to refract impinging light, wherein refraction of light by the sub-area and main-area is such that a first intensity maximum of a first section is vertically lower in front of the lighting device than a second intensity maximum of the second section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2024
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Knobloch, Markus Danner, Patrick Schmidt
  • Patent number: 12326229
    Abstract: Illumination device (10) for a motor vehicle headlight, wherein the illumination device (10) comprises the following: a heat sink (50) with several light sources (20) and projection optics (60), a holding body (70) for holding the projection bodies (60) and the heat sink (50), wherein the heat sink (50) is attached to the holding body (70) by means of an attachment device, wherein the attachment device comprises at least three attachment pairs (100a), which are arranged in a cross-section orthogonal to the main emission direction (X) at the same distance to the optical axis (A) of the projection optics (60) about the optical axis (A), wherein an attachment pair (100a) comprises a rib (100) projecting from the holding body (70), which rib extends along an extension plane (E) away from the holding body (70) against the main emission direction (X), and comprises a fixing recess (200) corresponding to the projecting rib (100), which is arranged on the heat sink (50) and passes through it along an axis (X1) par
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Riegler Hans-Jörg, Christian Jackl, Alexander Hacker
  • Patent number: 12326231
    Abstract: Projection device (10) for a motor vehicle headlight, wherein the projection device (10) comprises the following: a light entry micro-optics array (100), comprising micro entrance optics, a light emitting micro-optics array (200), comprising micro exit optics, a substrate layer (300), on which the at least one light entry micro-optics array (100) is arranged on a first side (310) of the substrate layer (300) and the at least one light emitting micro-optics array (200) is arranged on a second side (320), wherein respectively a micro entrance optic (110) and respectively precisely one associated micro exit optic (210) form a micro-optics pair (400), wherein the light entry surface (111) of the micro entrance optic (110) and the first side (310) form a first marginal edge (410a) in a common surface section line, and wherein the light emitting surface (211) of the micro exit optic (210) and the second side (320) form a second marginal edge (410b) in a common surface section line, wherein the substrate layer (3
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventor: Josef Gürtl
  • Patent number: 12297971
    Abstract: An illumination device (100) for a motor vehicle headlight, with an optical body (1) and a plurality of light guiding bodies (2), wherein the light guiding bodies merge into the optical body with their light exit surfaces (2b) in an optical body merging surface (11) opposite an optical body light exit surface (10) of the optical body. The light guiding bodies are arranged such that light exit surfaces of adjacent light guiding bodies have a distance from one another greater than zero resulting respectively in an open space (12) between two adjacent light guiding bodies on the optical body merging surface. The illumination unit (101) further includes an additional optical device (200) that has at least one light entry area (201) and one or more light extraction areas (202).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2024
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Danner, Erwin Lumetsberger, Jörg Bachler
  • Patent number: 12262498
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle module (10), including a manipulation-detecting electronic control unit (1), wherein the electronic control unit (1) is equipped in order to control at least one electrically controllable vehicle function, for example a light function, such as a low-beam light function or a high-beam light function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Günther Jernej, Dietmar Kieslinger, Marion Schubert, Christoph Haiden, Bernhard Androsch, Dominic Seibert, Jiri Šonský
  • Patent number: 12253228
    Abstract: Illumination device (10) for a motor vehicle headlight for producing segmented full beam distribution (FL), wherein the illumination device (10) comprises the following for this purpose: an optical element (100), comprising light guiding bodies (200) for forming the definable segment full beam distribution (FL), which light guiding bodies (200) respectively have a light entry surface (210) and an exit surface (220), projection optics (300) arranged downstream of the beam path of the optical element (100) having an optical axis (A), which projection optics (300) are designed to project the light exiting from the common exit surface (200a) in front of the illumination device (10) in the direction of a main emission direction (X), and wherein each light guiding body (200) has two lateral side surfaces (230a, 230b) and an upper and a lower side surface (240a, 240b), wherein the optical element (100) has a first and a second light emission half (L1, L2), which can be delimited from one another by a virtual vert
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Ulrich Galander, Jakob Pühringer, Benedikt Krist
  • Patent number: 12234965
    Abstract: Signal lamp for a vehicle configured to create an illumination pattern. It includes an illuminant configured to emit parallel light, a first optical element configured to receive light from the illuminant, and a second optical element configured to receive light from the first optical element. The light entry surface of the first optical element has a plurality of concave cylinder diverging lenses (CDLs), wherein the light exit surface of the second optical element has a plurality of convex cylinder converging lenses (CCLs). The CDLs are oriented on the light entry surface such that their cylinder axes are rotated by a first angle around a main axis, wherein the CCLs are oriented on the light exit surface such that their cylinder axes are rotated by a second angle around the main axis. The first and second angles are such that in a frontal view towards the light exit surface of the second optical element the CDLs overlap with the CCLs in order to form a lattice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventor: Reinaldo Arturo Zapata Pena
  • Patent number: 12222079
    Abstract: A method for controlling an adaptive motor vehicle headlight (AMVH), wherein a first data storage device (DSD) is assigned to the AMVH, which is designed to emit different segmented light distributions having a resolution of at least 2×12 and has light sources arranged in segments for this purpose, each segment including at least one LED light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Brunner, Peter Mayer
  • Patent number: 12187182
    Abstract: Illumination device (10) for a motor vehicle headlamp, wherein the illumination device (10) comprising: at least one light module (20) configured to illuminate light along a light path in a main direction (X),—a movable lower light guide element (100) and a movable upper light guide element (200),—a motion device for a movement of the lower and upper light guide element (100, 200) with respect to each other between—a closed position (PI), wherein the lower and upper light guide element (100, 200) are—as seen in the main direction (X)—in front of the at least one light module (20) at least partially blocking the light path of the at least one light module (20), wherein the lower and upper light guide element (100, 200) are configured to emit light in the main direction (X), when in the closed position (PI), and an opened position (P2), wherein the lower and upper light guide element (100, 200) are moved away from the light path of the at least one light module to unblock the light path of the at least one ligh
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Maier, Matthias Kern, Rene Poschenreither, Lars Amundsson, Daniel Gaiswinkler
  • Patent number: 12146635
    Abstract: A lighting device (10) for a vehicle headlamp, comprising: —a light module (50), —a fan (100) configured to dissipate heat produced by the light module (50), —a support frame (70) configured to hold the light module (50), wherein the support frame (70) comprises a securing device (200) which is disposed on the support frame (70), wherein the securing device (200) is configured to secure the fan (100) in an end position (P2) on the securing device (200), wherein the securing device (200) comprises a protrusion (210) extending along an axis (Z) and a first fastening-element (220), wherein the fan (100) comprises an engaging-opening (110), and a second fastening-element (120), wherein the securing device (200) is arranged in a way, that allows the fan (100) to be brought into an intermediate position (P1) by inserting the engaging-opening (110) onto the protrusion (210), such that the fan (100) is mounted pivotable around the axis (Z) on the securing device (200), wherein the securing device (200) is arranged in
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Andrej Zubaj, Robert Gutten
  • Patent number: 12140285
    Abstract: Method for attaching a lens (100) for a motor vehicle headlight (10) to a motor vehicle headlight housing (200), comprising the following steps in chronological order: a. providing a motor vehicle headlight housing (200), wherein the following is arranged in the motor vehicle headlight housing (200): a first light module (210) and a second light module (220), a screen (230), wherein the first and second light module (210, 220) as well as the screen (230) form an assembly, and providing a lens (100), which has a first projection section (110) and a second projection section (120), wherein the first projection section (110) in combination with the first light module (210) is designed to produce a first light distribution, and wherein the second projection section (120) in combination with the second light module (220) is designed to produce a second light distribution, wherein the lens (100) has an opaque section (130), b.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Artner, Markus Bemmerl, Markus Huber
  • Patent number: 12139065
    Abstract: A motor vehicle lighting system (2) for emitting position-limited ground projections (B4a, B4c) for a motor vehicle (1) with a stepped height-adjustable chassis (3), wherein at least two pre-defined chassis height levels (S0, S1) are provided, namely a zero level (S0) and at least one higher operating level (S1), wherein the motor vehicle lighting system (2) includes at least two projection devices (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d), and a control unit (5) connected to each projection device (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) for individually controlling each projection device (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Zeuner, Christian Urban
  • Patent number: 12127350
    Abstract: A method for soldering an SMD component to a circuit carrier in a positionally stable manner, includes: a) providing a circuit carrier including a printed circuit board (PCB) contact surface, which is coated with a soldering paste (SP); b) applying an adhesive point onto the circuit carrier wherein the adhesive point delimits the PCB contact surface coated with SP; c) placing an SMD component, which includes a component contact surface, on the PCB contact surface coated with SP wherein the component contact surface contacts the PCB contact surface via the SP and the SMD component rests on the SP without contacting the adhesive point; d) waiting to complete a curing process of the adhesive point; and e) heating, melting and subsequently cooling the SP to produce an electric, thermal and/or a mechanical connection between the component and PCB contact surfaces, wherein the SMD component is allowed to vertically sink in molten SP and is mechanically restricted from drifting horizontally on the molten SP by means
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Haiden, Johannes Spitzer, Christoph Rainer
  • Patent number: 12127354
    Abstract: The invention relates to a car module (10) comprising a tamper detecting electronic control unit (1), wherein the electronic control unit (1) is configured to control at least one electrically controllable function of a vehicle, for instance a light function such as low beam or high beam of a vehicle headlight, said electronic control unit (1) comprising—at least one carrier (2), in particular a printed circuit board, comprising an electric circuit (2a) for performing the controlling by the electronic control unit (1), —a housing (3) enclosing the at least one carrier (2), wherein the housing (3) comprises at least two parts (3a, 3b), wherein a first part (3a) of the housing (3) is holding the carrier (2), and wherein a second part (3b) of the housing (3) is attached to the first part (3a) in order to close the housing (3) and as such enclose the carrier (2) within the housing (3), and—a system (4) for detecting opening of the housing (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Dietmar Kieslinger, Marion Schubert
  • Patent number: 12123567
    Abstract: A lighting device (1) for a motor vehicle headlamp, including an optoelectronic component (2), a cooling element (3), a circuit board (4), a stabilisation element (5) and a fastening element (6), wherein the stabilisation element (5) comprises an opening (5a) for enclosing the optoelectronic component (2), wherein at least two stabilisation arms (7) extend away from an edge of the opening (5a), which stabilisation arms (7) are equipped to act on the optoelectronic component (2), wherein the cooling element (3) contacts the optoelectronic component (2) on a side facing away from an active side of the optoelectronic component in such a manner that the same exerts a pressure on the optoelectronic component (2) acting in the direction of the active side of the optoelectronic component (2), wherein the at least two stabilisation arms (7) are designed resiliently and act on the active side of the optoelectronic component (2) in such a manner that the at least two stabilisation arms (7) counteract this pressure of t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Längauer, Philipp Elsler, Hans-Jörg Riegler