Patents by Inventor BERND HERTHAN

BERND HERTHAN has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20180245394
    Abstract: An actuating apparatus for adjusting a first vehicle door which can be automatically adjusted between a closed position and an open position is used in a vehicle. To this end, the actuating apparatus has a capacitive distance sensor for detecting a movement of a person who is in the vicinity of the vehicle, and also has a control and evaluation unit. The control and evaluation unit is configured to identify a first door actuation request on the basis of the detected movement, and to trigger adjustment of the first vehicle door when the first door actuation request is identified. In this case, a sensor electrode of the capacitive distance sensor is arranged in a vehicle corner region which is associated with the rear of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: BERND HERTHAN, DOMINIK HAGEL
  • Patent number: 9982473
    Abstract: An actuating apparatus for adjusting a first vehicle door which can be automatically adjusted between a closed position and an open position is used in a vehicle. To this end, the actuating apparatus has a capacitive distance sensor for detecting a movement of a person who is in the vicinity of the vehicle, and also has a control and evaluation unit. The control and evaluation unit is configured to identify a first door actuation request on the basis of the detected movement, and to trigger adjustment of the first vehicle door when the first door actuation request is identified. In this case, a sensor electrode of the capacitive distance sensor is arranged in a vehicle corner region which is associated with the rear of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Hallstadt
    Inventors: Bernd Herthan, Dominik Hagel
  • Publication number: 20170357246
    Abstract: The disclosure concerns a method for controlling a sliding door arrangement of a motor vehicle, wherein the sliding door arrangement comprises a sliding door, a drive arrangement for motorized displacement of the sliding door, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement with at least one sensor element, in particular implemented as a proximity sensor, where-in during operator event monitoring by means of the control arrangement the sensor signals of the sensor arrangement are monitored as to whether a predetermined operator event exists. It is proposed that the sensor arrangement is disposed at least partly in or on the sliding door and that opening the sliding door at least from a closed end position and/or closing the sliding door at least from an open end position is/are carried out by means of the drive arrangement depending on the result of the operator event monitoring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Applicant: BROSE FAHRZEUGTEILE GMBH & CO. KOMMANDITGESELLSCHAFT, BAMBERG
    Inventors: Bernd Herthan, Frank Ebert
  • Publication number: 20170350180
    Abstract: An adjustment drive of a motor vehicle, in particular for an electromotively operated tailgate, having an adjustable part. A drive unit has a first drive train and a second drive train. Each drive train has a variable-length actuation part attached to the adjustable part. The actuation part is driven by an electric motor of the respective drive train. The first drive train has at least one sensor for detection of a position of a rotating part, and the second drive train has no more than one sensor for detection of a position of a rotating part. We also describe a drive unit of an adjustment drive of a motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: BERND HERTHAN, BERTRAM BOPP, REINHOLD HOPF
  • Publication number: 20170328116
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for activating a motorized closure element assembly of a vehicle, wherein the closure element assembly comprises a closure element, a control assembly, and a sensor assembly. The measured values of the sensor assembly are monitored by the control assembly to determine whether a triggering operating situation, defined by an operating-situation condition, is present, and an activation of the closure element assembly is triggered by the control assembly upon detection of the triggering operating situation. It is proposed that an operating-situation condition of the triggering operating situation is defined by the orientation of at least one body part of the operator about the vertical axis lying within a predetermined permitted orientation range, and whether the orientation of the body part lies within the permitted orientation range is detected by the sensor assembly and, depending thereon, the activation of the closure element assembly is triggered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Inventor: Bernd Herthan
  • Publication number: 20170190309
    Abstract: A motor vehicle has a vehicle part that is designed and configured to be mounted in the exterior area of the motor vehicle. The vehicle part includes at least one sensor electrode of a capacitive proximity sensor. The at least one sensor electrode is disposed on a visible side of the vehicle part. The vehicle part is an underrun guard formed from sheet metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: BERND HERTHAN, KARL SCHNEIDER
  • Patent number: 9689982
    Abstract: An object detection device for a vehicle monitors the surroundings at the rear of the vehicle. The object detection device has a radar sensor for generating a radar signal containing information about a distance between the vehicle and a vehicle user or another object in the surroundings. The radar sensor mounts on a vehicle component pointing toward the surroundings to the rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, the object detection device contains a control and evaluation unit for determining a movement pattern of the vehicle user on the basis of the radar signal, and to compare the movement pattern with a predefined reference pattern and to actuate a servomotor which has the purpose of actuating the tailgate between an open position and a closed position when the movement pattern corresponds to the reference pattern. Furthermore, a vehicle ideally has such an object detection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Bernd Herthan
  • Patent number: 9599971
    Abstract: A method operates an onboard power supply system in a motor vehicle. The onboard power supply system has a master controller and a slave controller, in which the master controller communicates with the slave controller via a subsidiary bus system and a further onboard power supply system component via a main bus system. Present requests are received in the slave controller and in response to the present requests, performing one of: putting the slave controller into an operating mode and switching the master controller to a transmission mode, in which the master controller coordinates communication between the slave controller and the onboard power supply system component; or putting the slave controller into a sleep mode and switching the master controller to an undertaking mode, in which the master controller responds to queries from the onboard power supply system component to the slave controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Hallstadt
    Inventors: Bernd Herthan, Burkhard Wagner, Armin Feustel, Stefan Schiegel, Matthias Buehler
  • Patent number: 9446739
    Abstract: A method for controlling an adjusting movement of a power-operated adjustable vehicle closing element, via which a body opening of a vehicle can be closed and which can automatically be adjusted for clearing the body opening in the presence of an operating event is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: BROSE FAHRZEUGTEILE GMBH & CO. KOMMANDITGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Bernd Herthan, Thomas Weingartner, Holger Wurstlein, Udo Geuther
  • Publication number: 20160251891
    Abstract: An actuating apparatus for adjusting a first vehicle door which can be automatically adjusted between a closed position and an open position is used in a vehicle. To this end, the actuating apparatus has a capacitive distance sensor for detecting a movement of a person who is in the vicinity of the vehicle, and also has a control and evaluation unit. The control and evaluation unit is configured to identify a first door actuation request on the basis of the detected movement, and to trigger adjustment of the first vehicle door when the first door actuation request is identified. In this case, a sensor electrode of the capacitive distance sensor is arranged in a vehicle corner region which is associated with the rear of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: BERND HERTHAN, DOMINIK HAGEL
  • Patent number: 9283905
    Abstract: For error-proof, gesture-controlled opening of an actuating element in a motor vehicle, provision is made to detect a vehicle user's gesture, which conveys an opening command, by means of a sensor, to check a control behavior for activating at least one further gesture-controlled actuating element of the motor vehicle for plausibility in accordance with at least one predetermined criterion and, upon identification of the opening command, to refuse the opening of the actuating element if, in a temporal relationship with the identification of the opening command, the control behavior for activating the further actuating element is identified as being implausible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Hallstadt
    Inventor: Bernd Herthan
  • Patent number: 9205727
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for actuating a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, wherein the closure element arrangement has a closure element, a drive arrangement associated with the closure element, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor element that is particularly in the form of a proximity sensor, wherein operator control event monitoring involves the control arrangement being used to monitor sensor events in the sensor measured values from the sensor arrangement for whether a predetermined operator control event is occurring, and the result of the operator control event monitoring is taken as a basis for actuating the drive arrangement. It is proposed that the operator control event monitoring is based on at least one operator control event model stored in the control arrangement and that the operator control event model is produced and/or parameterized during use compliant with normal operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Hallstadt
    Inventor: Bernd Herthan
  • Publication number: 20150262436
    Abstract: A method for controlling an adjusting movement of a power-operated adjustable vehicle closing element, via which a body opening of a vehicle can be closed and which can automatically be adjusted for clearing the body opening in the presence of an operating event is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Inventors: Bernd Herthan, Thomas Weingartner, Holger Wurstlein, Udo Geuther
  • Publication number: 20150009062
    Abstract: An object detection device for a vehicle monitors the surroundings at the rear of the vehicle. The object detection device has a radar sensor for generating a radar signal containing information about a distance between the vehicle and a vehicle user or another object in the surroundings. The radar sensor mounts on a vehicle component pointing toward the surroundings to the rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, the object detection device contains a control and evaluation unit for determining a movement pattern of the vehicle user on the basis of the radar signal, and to compare the movement pattern with a predefined reference pattern and to actuate a servomotor which has the purpose of actuating the tailgate between an open position and a closed position when the movement pattern corresponds to the reference pattern. Furthermore, a vehicle ideally has such an object detection device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Inventor: BERND HERTHAN
  • Publication number: 20140195073
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for actuating a closure element arrangement in a motor vehicle, wherein the closure element arrangement has a closure element, a drive arrangement associated with the closure element, a control arrangement and a sensor arrangement having at least one sensor element that is particularly in the form of a proximity sensor, wherein operator control event monitoring involves the control arrangement being used to monitor sensor events in the sensor measured values from the sensor arrangement for whether a predetermined operator control event is occurring, and the result of the operator control event monitoring is taken as a basis for actuating the drive arrangement. It is proposed that the operator control event monitoring is based on at least one operator control event model stored in the control arrangement and that the operator control event model is produced and/or parameterized during use compliant with normal operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Hallstadt
    Inventor: Bernd Herthan
  • Publication number: 20140136024
    Abstract: For error-proof, gesture-controlled opening of an actuating element in a motor vehicle, provision is made to detect a vehicle user's gesture, which conveys an opening command, by means of a sensor, to check a control behavior for activating at least one further gesture-controlled actuating element of the motor vehicle for plausibility in accordance with at least one predetermined criterion and, upon identification of the opening command, to refuse the opening of the actuating element if, in a temporal relationship with the identification of the opening command, the control behavior for activating the further actuating element is identified as being implausible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co., KG, Hallstadt
    Inventor: Bernd HERTHAN
  • Publication number: 20130274897
    Abstract: A method operates an onboard power supply system in a motor vehicle. The onboard power supply system has a master controller and a slave controller, in which the master controller communicates with the slave controller via a subsidiary bus system and a further onboard power supply system component via a main bus system. Present requests are received in the slave controller and in response to the present requests, performing one of: putting the slave controller into an operating mode and switching the master controller to a transmission mode, in which the master controller coordinates communication between the slave controller and the onboard power supply system component; or putting the slave controller into a sleep mode and switching the master controller to an undertaking mode, in which the master controller responds to queries from the onboard power supply system component to the slave controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2013
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Inventors: BERND HERTHAN, BURKHARD WAGNER, ARMIN FEUSTEL, STEFAN SCHIEGEL, MATTHIAS BUEHLER