Patents by Inventor Christoph Fiala

Christoph Fiala 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).

  • Patent number: 10859061
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a housing, a guide, a shaft, at least two cylinders each delimited by an associated cylinder wall, at least two pistons, a feed configured to supply a working fluid, an exhaust configured to discharge the working fluid, and at least one actuator configured to open and close a plurality of secondary outlets. Each associated cylinder wall may include a primary outlet and a secondary outlet of the plurality of secondary outlets. Each primary outlet and each secondary outlet may be fluidically connected to an outlet chamber that is fluidically connected to the exhaust. Each primary outlet may open into an associated primary outlet channel that opens into the outlet chamber. Each secondary outlet may be fluidically connected to an associated secondary outlet channel that opens into the outlet chamber and is separate from the plurality of primary outlet channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Inventors: Christoph Fiala, Michael Hoetger, Gunter Rzychon
  • Patent number: 10851849
    Abstract: An engine assembly may include an internal combustion engine and an expander couplable to the internal combustion engine in a force transmitting manner. The engine assembly may also include a pulley mounted rotatably on a shaft of the expander. The pulley may be coupled to the internal combustion engine in a force-transmitting manner via a belt drive. The engine assembly may further include a first driver plate connected non-rotatably to the pulley and a second driver plate arranged adjacent thereto and connected non-rotatably to the shaft. The engine assembly may additionally include a clutch device including at least one actuating device and a coupling wheel. The coupling wheel may contact the first driver plate and the second driver plate when the clutch device is closed such that the pulley is connected with the shaft of the expander in a driving manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Michael Hoetger, Hannes Marlok, Lydia Ziegler
  • Patent number: 10746233
    Abstract: An engine assembly may include an internal combustion engine, an expander coupled to the engine, a pulley rotatably arranged on a shaft of the expander and coupled to the engine, a coupling device including at least one elastic operating element arranged within an operating element accommodation in an axially deformable manner, a drive disk arranged on the shaft between the pulley and the at least one operating element, and a pressure device connected to the operating element accommodation via a fluid line and configured to apply pressure to the operating element accommodation. The at least one operating element may be deformable in an axial direction such that the at least one operating element adjusts the drive disk into force-transferring contact with the pulley when the at least one operating element is deformed by a pressure applied to the operating element accommodation by the pressure device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Michael Hoetger, Hannes Marlok, Lydia Ziegler
  • Patent number: 10669983
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a rotor with a shaft. A plurality of cylinders may be arranged in an annular manner about the shaft. A plurality of pistons may each be positioned within each of the plurality of cylinders and may be constructed and arranged to move translationally within the plurality of cylinders. A cylinder head may include a plurality of inlet openings and may be in operative communication with the plurality of cylinders. A sealing washer having a plurality of passage openings may be disposed on the cylinder head so that the plurality of passage openings and the plurality of inlet openings may be flush with one another. A number of the plurality of inlet openings may correspond to a number of the plurality of passage openings. A valve plate may be connected to the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner and may be constructed and arranged to be brought into congruence with the plurality of passage openings of the sealing washer based on a rotary angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Mirko Guenther, Michael Hoetger, Falk Schneider
  • Patent number: 10612513
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a rotor having a shaft rotatably mounted in a housing. A plurality of cylinders may be arranged annularly around the rotor. A plurality of pistons may each be disposed within each of the plurality of cylinders and may be constructed and arranged to selectively translate within each of the plurality of cylinders. Each of the plurality of cylinders may be disposed within a cylinder head and may be in operative communication with an inlet opening defined in the cylinder head and at least one outlet opening defined in the housing. An auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve may be operatively connected to the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner. The auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve may comprises an auxiliary outlet rotary opening constructed and arranged to connect to a vent duct of one of the plurality of cylinders based on an angle of rotation, and may vent the one of the plurality of cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Mirko Guenther, Michael Hoetger, Hannes Marlock, Falk Schneider
  • Publication number: 20200088477
    Abstract: A heat exchanger unit for a fluid circuit of a motor vehicle includes a plurality of fluid connections for a through-flow of a working fluid, a fluid distributor fluidically connected to the fluid connections, and a fluid connector fluidically connected to the fluid connections. The fluid distributor is structured and arranged to distribute the working fluid among the fluid connections, and the fluid collector is structured and arranged to collect the working fluid after flowing through the fluid connection. At least a portion of the fluid distributor and/or the fluid collector includes a surge tank for the working fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Richard Bruemmer, Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Klaus Irmler, Hannes Marlok, Holger Oechslen
  • Patent number: 10451027
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a shaft and a housing surrounding at least a portion of the shaft. A cylinder arrangement may be disposed within the housing in a circular manner. The cylinder arrangement may include a plurality of cylinders and a plurality of pistons each extending within each of the plurality of cylinders and may be constructed and arranged to drive the shaft. The plurality of cylinders may each include an expansion volume with an inlet and at least one outlet opening for a working medium. A cylinder head may be provided on the housing and may be constructed and arranged to close the plurality of cylinders of the cylinder arrangement. A cavity may be defined around the shaft in a central region of the cylinder arrangement and may be in operative communication with a plurality of auxiliary outlet openings of the expansion volume of each of the plurality of cylinders via a temporary connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Mirko Guenther, Michael Hoetger, Gunter Rzychon
  • Publication number: 20190257215
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a rotor mounted rotatably in a housing. The axial piston machine may also include a plurality of cylinders in which a plurality of pistons are disposed such that the plurality of pistons are translationally movable. The plurality of cylinders may be arranged in a ring-like manner around the rotor. Further, the axial piston machine may include a starter device configured to exert a pulse-like torque on the rotor to initiate a starting operation. The starter device may be couplable to the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2016
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Mirko Guenther, Michael Hoetger
  • Publication number: 20180355924
    Abstract: An engine assembly may include an internal combustion engine, an expander coupled to the engine, a pulley rotatably arranged on a shaft of the expander and coupled to the engine, a coupling device including at least one elastic operating element arranged within an operating element accommodation in an axially deformable manner, a drive disk arranged on the shaft between the pulley and the at least one operating element, and a pressure device connected to the operating element accommodation via a fluid line and configured to apply pressure to the operating element accommodation. The at least one operating element may be deformable in an axial direction such that the at least one operating element adjusts the drive disk into force-transferring contact with the pulley when the at least one operating element is deformed by a pressure applied to the operating element accommodation by the pressure device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Michael Hoetger, Hannes Marlok, Lydia Ziegler
  • Publication number: 20180291967
    Abstract: An engine assembly may include an internal combustion engine and an expander couplable to the internal combustion engine in a force transmitting manner. The engine assembly may also include a pulley mounted rotatably on a shaft of the expander. The pulley may be coupled to the internal combustion engine in a force-transmitting manner via a belt drive. The engine assembly may further include a first driver plate connected non-rotatably to the pulley and a second driver plate arranged adjacent thereto and connected non-rotatably to the shaft. The engine assembly may additionally include a clutch device including at least one actuating device and a coupling wheel. The coupling wheel may contact the first driver plate and the second driver plate when the clutch device is closed such that the pulley is connected with the shaft of the expander in a driving manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Michael Hoetger, Hannes Marlok, Lydia Ziegler
  • Publication number: 20180258907
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a housing, a guide, a shaft, at least two cylinders each delimited by an associated cylinder wall, at least two pistons, a feed configured to supply a working fluid, an exhaust configured to discharge the working fluid, and at least one actuator configured to open and close a plurality of secondary outlets. Each associated cylinder wall may include a primary outlet and a secondary outlet of the plurality of secondary outlets. Each primary outlet and each secondary outlet may be fluidically connected to an outlet chamber that is fluidically connected to the exhaust. Each primary outlet may open into an associated primary outlet channel that opens into the outlet chamber. Each secondary outlet may be fluidically connected to an associated secondary outlet channel that opens into the outlet chamber and is separate from the plurality of primary outlet channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Inventors: Christoph Fiala, Michael Hoetger, Gunter Rzychon
  • Publication number: 20180135413
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a a housing having vapor, cylinder chamber and wobble-plate chambers. The machine may have cylinders arranged annularly around a shaft in the cylinder chamber and having pistons arranged therein in a translationally movable manner, a valve disk connected to the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner and arranged in the vapor chamber, and a wobble plate connected to one of the pistons via a cup and ball bearing and to the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, the wobble plate being arranged in the wobble-plate chamber. The housing may have steam-chamber, cylinder, and wobble-plate housing parts connected to one another. A cylinder sleeve having a radially protruding collar may be provided in at least one cylinder, wherein the cylinder sleeve may be retained via the collar in a cut-out in the cylinder housing part, which may adjoin a parting plane between the vapor-chamber and cylinder housing parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Mirko Guenther, Michael Hoetger, Hannes Marlock, Berthold Repgen, Falk Schneider
  • Publication number: 20180058421
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a shaft and a housing surrounding at least a portion of the shaft. A cylinder arrangement may be disposed within the housing in a circular manner. The cylinder arrangement may include a plurality of cylinders and a plurality of pistons each extending within each of the plurality of cylinders and may be constructed and arranged to drive the shaft. The plurality of cylinders may each include an expansion volume with an inlet and at least one outlet opening for a working medium. A cylinder head may be provided on the housing and may be constructed and arranged to close the plurality of cylinders of the cylinder arrangement. A cavity may be defined around the shaft in a central region of the cylinder arrangement and may be in operative communication with a plurality of auxiliary outlet openings of the expansion volume of each of the plurality of cylinders via a temporary connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Mirko Guenther, Michael Hoetger, Gunter Rzychon
  • Publication number: 20180045172
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a rotor with a shaft. A plurality of cylinders may be arranged in an annular manner about the shaft. A plurality of pistons may each be positioned within each of the plurality of cylinders and may be constructed and arranged to move translationally within the plurality of cylinders. A cylinder head may include a plurality of inlet openings and may be in operative communication with the plurality of cylinders. A sealing washer having a plurality of passage openings may be disposed on the cylinder head so that the plurality of passage openings and the plurality of inlet openings may be flush with one another. A number of the plurality of inlet openings may correspond to a number of the plurality of passage openings. A valve plate may be connected to the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner and may be constructed and arranged to be brought into congruence with the plurality of passage openings of the sealing washer based on a rotary angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Mirko Guenther, Michael Hoetger, Falk Schneider
  • Publication number: 20180045171
    Abstract: An axial piston machine may include a rotor having a shaft rotatably mounted in a housing. A plurality of cylinders may be arranged annularly around the rotor. A plurality of pistons may each be disposed within each of the plurality of cylinders and may be constructed and arranged to selectively translate within each of the plurality of cylinders. Each of the plurality of cylinders may be disposed within a cylinder head and may be in operative communication with an inlet opening defined in the cylinder head and at least one outlet opening defined in the housing. An auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve may be operatively connected to the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner. The auxiliary outlet rotary slide valve may comprises an auxiliary outlet rotary opening constructed and arranged to connect to a vent duct of one of the plurality of cylinders based on an angle of rotation, and may vent the one of the plurality of cylinders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bucher, Christoph Fiala, Mirko Guenther, Michael Hoetger, Hannes Marlock, Falk Schneider