Patents by Inventor Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane

Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane 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: 11718163
    Abstract: A movably arranged vehicle component is operatively coupled to and may be driven by an electric motor. The electric motor is supplied with a motor current to drive the movement of the vehicle component. A method for detecting a movement obstruction comprises the steps of supplying the electric motor with a supply voltage, thereby supplying the motor current; determining a frequency content of the motor current; and analysing the frequency content to determine whether the movement obstruction is present or not. A motor control system is configured to perform the above-mentioned method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: INALFA ROOF SYSTEMS GROUP B.V.
    Inventors: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Gerrit Schwepper
  • Patent number: 11686141
    Abstract: An open roof assembly is configured for providing a closable roof opening in a vehicle roof. Thereto, the open roof assembly comprises a closure member that is moveably arranged for opening and closing the roof opening and a detection system for detecting an object in the roof opening. The detection system is configured to provide an entrapment signal if a foreign object is detected in the roof opening, when the closure member is moving and a collision may occur. The detection system is further configured to provide an operating signal, when an object is detected performing a predefined action. Based on the operating signal a control unit may execute an associated function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: INALFA ROOF SYSTEMS GROUP B.V.
    Inventors: Gerrit Schwepper, Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Suyanto Ten-Jet-Foei, Jochem van de Pol, Stephan Christiaan Vervoort, Remco Roland Slagter
  • Patent number: 11585142
    Abstract: An open roof assembly for use in a vehicle roof of a vehicle comprises a moveably arranged closure member for selectively covering or at least partially exposing an opening in the vehicle roof, an electric motor operatively coupled to the closure member through a mechanical drive assembly for moving the closure member, an electric driving unit for providing a supply signal to the electric motor and a control unit operatively coupled to the electric driving unit for controlling operation of the electric motor. The electric driving unit comprises four switching devices in a bridged configuration and the control unit is configured to control a motion of the closure member by controlling operation of the switching devices, and to incur a safety stop during a motion of the closure member by an immediate reversal of a polarity of the supply signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: INALFA ROOF SYSTEMS GROUP B.V.
    Inventors: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Gerrit Schwepper
  • Publication number: 20220349233
    Abstract: An open-roof assembly is configured for covering or at least partly uncovering an opening in a vehicle roof. The open-roof assembly comprises a frame defining the opening, a moveably arranged closure member and a pressure-sensitive sensor device. The open-roof assembly comprises a closed state, in which the closure member covers the opening in the vehicle roof, and an open state, in which the closure member uncovers the roof opening at least partly. The pressure-sensitive sensor device is arranged between the closure member and the frame for detecting presence of an object between the closure member and the frame, at least when the closure member is moving from the open state towards the closed state. The pressure-sensitive sensor device extends over a device length and is configured to detect a location of a local pressure, which local pressure is exerted locally on the pressure-sensitive sensor device, along the device length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Sergej Sergeevic Lojko
  • Patent number: 11482960
    Abstract: A controller for controlling a motor of a closure and/or blind in a vehicle body is configured to determine a reference state signal comprising speed and/or current measurements, repeatedly estimate motor model parameters of the motor, determine an estimated state signal based on an input signal comprising measurements or estimates of a voltage, the estimated motor model parameters, the reference state signal and an error signal, the error signal representing a difference between the reference state signal and the estimated state signal, determine a disturbance observer signal from the error signal, compute a first derivative of the disturbance observer signal at a present moment, and reverse the motor upon determining that the first derivative of the disturbance observer signal exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: INALFA ROOF SYSTEMS GROUP B.V.
    Inventor: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane
  • Publication number: 20220268073
    Abstract: An open-roof assembly for a vehicle roof comprises a moveably arranged closure member, a drive assembly for moving the closure member and a control unit operatively coupled to the drive assembly. The control unit comprises a pinch detection unit for detecting a pinch of the closure member with an object. The pinch detection unit comprises a first pinch detection system and a second pinch detection system. The first pinch detection system is configured to detect a pinch with a soft object and the second pinch detection system is configured to detect a pinch with a hard object. The pinch detection unit is configured to adapt a configuration setting of the first pinch detection system upon detection of a pinch with a hard object by the second pinch detection unit to configure the first pinch detection system to detect a pinch with said hard object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Tom Joseph Maria van de Ligt
  • Publication number: 20220016961
    Abstract: A movably arranged vehicle component is operatively coupled to and may be driven by an electric motor. The electric motor is supplied with a motor current to drive the movement of the vehicle component. A method for detecting a movement obstruction comprises the steps of supplying the electric motor with a supply voltage, thereby supplying the motor current; determining a frequency content of the motor current; and analysing the frequency content to determine whether the movement obstruction is present or not. A motor control system is configured to perform the above-mentioned method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventors: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Gerrit Schwepper
  • Publication number: 20210254386
    Abstract: An open roof assembly for use in a vehicle roof of a vehicle comprises a movably arranged closure member for closing an opening in the vehicle roof and a pinch detection module for detecting a pinch of an object between the closure member and an edge of the opening. The pinch detection module is operatively coupled to receive an input signal and is configured to detect the pinch based on said input signal and a threshold. The pinch detection module is configured to dynamically determine the threshold based on the input signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Inventors: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Marco van Mourik
  • Publication number: 20210178871
    Abstract: An open roof assembly for use in a vehicle roof comprises a moveably arranged closure member and a drive system operatively coupled to the closure member for moving the closure member along a motion trajectory. The drive system comprises an electric motor and a control unit for controlling operation of the electric motor. The control unit comprises a mathematical model describing at least a part of the drive system; model parameters and a motion reference field. The control unit is configured to update the model parameters based on a received value of a first drive system variable; determine a value of a second drive system variable using the mathematical model; determine a comparison value by comparing the value of the second drive system value and a corresponding reference value of the motion reference field; and detect presence of an obstruction if the comparison value lies outside a predetermined value range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Marco Van Mourik
  • Publication number: 20210172233
    Abstract: An open roof assembly for use in a vehicle roof of a vehicle comprises a moveably arranged closure member for selectively covering or at least partially exposing an opening in the vehicle roof, an electric motor operatively coupled to the closure member through a mechanical drive assembly for moving the closure member, an electric driving unit for providing a supply signal to the electric motor and a control unit operatively coupled to the electric driving unit for controlling operation of the electric motor. The electric driving unit comprises four switching devices in a bridged configuration and the control unit is configured to control a motion of the closure member by controlling operation of the switching devices, and to incur a safety stop during a motion of the closure member by an immediate reversal of a polarity of the supply signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Gerrit Schwepper
  • Publication number: 20200173219
    Abstract: An open roof assembly is configured for providing a closable roof opening in a vehicle roof. Thereto, the open roof assembly comprises a closure member that is moveably arranged for opening and closing the roof opening and a detection system for detecting an object in the roof opening. The detection system is configured to provide an entrapment signal if a foreign object is detected in the roof opening, when the closure member is moving and a collision may occur. The detection system is further configured to provide an operating signal, when an object is detected performing a predefined action. Based on the operating signal a control unit may execute an associated function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Gerrit Schwepper, Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane, Suyanto Ten-Jet-Foei, Jochem Van de Pol, Stephan Christiaan Vervoort, Remco Roland Slagter
  • Publication number: 20190199258
    Abstract: A controller for controlling a motor of a closure and/or blind in a vehicle body is configured to determine a reference state signal comprising speed and/or current measurements, repeatedly estimate motor model parameters of the motor, determine an estimated state signal based on an input signal comprising measurements or estimates of a voltage, the estimated motor model parameters, the reference state signal and an error signal, the error signal representing a difference between the reference state signal and the estimated state signal, determine a disturbance observer signal from the error signal, compute a first derivative of the disturbance observer signal at a present moment, and reverse the motor upon determining that the first derivative of the disturbance observer signal exceeds a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventor: Dennie Wilhelmus Hendrikus Craane