Patents by Inventor Dirk Eichel

Dirk Eichel 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: 11519201
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door lock, comprising a locking mechanism, which essentially consists of a rotary latch and a pawl, and further comprising an actuation lever mechanism acting on the locking mechanism, and an inertia element. Said inertia element, during normal operation, follows a movement of the actuation lever mechanism. At high accelerations, for example in the event of a crash, the inertia element blocks the actuation lever mechanism acting on the locking mechanism. According to the invention, an elastic damping element is connected to the actuation lever mechanism. Said damping element abuts the inertia element at least in the event of a crash for the purpose of damping vibrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Kiekert AG
    Inventors: Carsten Fuchs, Dirk Eichel
  • Publication number: 20220003023
    Abstract: A motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which has a locking mechanism consisting of a rotary latch and at least one pawl. The pawl exerts an opening torque (U1, U2) on the rotary latch. In addition, the pawl has an arched contact region, which interacts with a latching contour of the rotary latch. The contact region of the pawl has a first arch portion and a second arch portion, each having different radiuses (R1, R2). According to the invention, the first arch portion has, in the closing direction (S) of the locking mechanism, a larger radius (R1) than the second following arch portion having the radius (R2) there.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Inventor: Dirk EICHEL
  • Publication number: 20200056404
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door lock, comprising a locking mechanism, which essentially consists of a rotary latch and a pawl, and further comprising an actuation lever mechanism acting on the locking mechanism, and an inertia element. Said inertia element, during normal operation, follows a movement of the actuation lever mechanism. At high accelerations, for example in the event of a crash, the inertia element blocks the actuation lever mechanism acting on the locking mechanism. According to the invention, an elastic damping element is connected to the actuation lever mechanism. Said damping element abuts the inertia element at least in the event of a crash for the purpose of damping vibrations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2018
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Carsten Fuchs, Dirk Eichel
  • Patent number: 10557289
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lock, in particular for a door or opening element of a motor vehicle. In order to avoid the unplanned opening of the lock in the event of a crash, the invention proposes a lock with a locking mechanism comprising a rotary latch, a pawl for locking the rotary latch in a detent position, preferably a blocking lever for blocking the pawl in the detent position and a release lever for opening the locking mechanism, in particular by lifting the blocking lever out of the blocking position. The lock is provided with a rotation-lock device, by means of which an opening process of the locking mechanism caused by momentum or an impact can be prevented or blocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Kiekert Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hendrik Wahmann, Carsten Fuchs, Dirk Eichel
  • Patent number: 9879450
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lock, in particular for a door or opening element of a motor vehicle, said lock comprising a locking mechanism with a rotary latch, a pawl for locking the rotary latch in a detent position, preferably a blocking lever for blocking the pawl in the detent position and a release lever for opening the locking mechanism, in particular by moving the blocking lever out of the blocking position. The lock is characterized in that a safety catch device of the lock, said device comprising in particular more than one catch position, is designed to prevent the opening of the locking mechanism during excessive acceleration, in particular during excessively violent acceleration of the release lever and/or handle of a door or opening element. An unplanned opening of the lock in the event of a crash can thus be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Kiekert Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hendrik Wahmann, Dirk Eichel, Carsten Fuchs
  • Patent number: 9581611
    Abstract: A system for detecting a rotational speed of a turbocharger includes: a rotational speed sensor unit which includes a radar transmitter for emitting radar waves and a radar receiver for receiving the radar waves and which is designed to detect radar waves reflected by a machine element of the turbocharger and to provide them as a measuring signal; and an evaluation unit which is coupled to the rotational speed sensor unit and is designed to check whether the reflected radar waves are detectable by the radar receiver based on a predetermined criterion and to ascertain the rotational speed of the turbocharger based on an evaluation of the measuring signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Dirk Eichel
  • Publication number: 20160017643
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lock, in particular for a door or opening element of a motor vehicle, said lock comprising a locking mechanism with a rotary latch, a pawl for locking the rotary latch in a detent position, preferably a blocking lever for blocking the pawl in the detent position and a release lever for opening the locking mechanism, in particular by moving the blocking lever out of the blocking position. The lock is characterised in that a safety catch device of the lock, said device comprising in particular more than one catch position, is designed to prevent the opening of the locking mechanism during excessive acceleration, in particular during excessively violent acceleration of the release lever and/or handle of a door or opening element. An unplanned opening of the lock in the event of a crash can thus be avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventors: Hendrik Wahmann, Dirk Eichel, Carsten Fuchs
  • Publication number: 20160010363
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lock, in particular for a door or opening element of a motor vehicle. In order to avoid the unplanned opening of the lock in the event of a crash, the invention proposes a lock with a locking mechanism comprising a rotary latch, a pawl for locking the rotary latch in a detent position, preferably a blocking lever for blocking the pawl in the detent position and a release lever for opening the locking mechanism, in particular by lifting the blocking lever out of the blocking position. The lock is provided with a rotation-lock device, by means of which an opening process of the locking mechanism caused by momentum or an impact can be prevented or blocked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Hendrik Wahmann, Carsten Fuchs, Dirk Eichel
  • Publication number: 20150354250
    Abstract: The invention relates to a motor vehicle door lock, which is equipped with a ratchet mechanism, a tripping lever for opening the ratchet mechanism and a ratchet lever that is pivotable about an axis. The ratchet lever renders the ratchet mechanism ineffective, at least with regard to the magnitude and direction of occurring retarding forces, for example in an accident (“in the event of a crash”) ineffective. According to the invention the ratchet lever is connected to an actuating lever applying force to a tripping lever in such an articulated manner that both levers together in the normal operation describe a predetermined normal actuation track (R1) without mechanical blocking and in the crash operation describe a crash actuation track (R2) deviating from the normal actuation track (R1) while simultaneously a mechanical blocking occurs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Thorsten Bendel, Armin Handke, Carsten Fuchs, Matthias Ochtrop, Dirk Eichel, Omer Inan, Jan Faitl, Tomas Janacek
  • Patent number: 9109380
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door lock is provided with a catch with an actuating-lever mechanism which acts on the catch. There is also a locking lever which, together with the actuating lever, renders the actuating-lever mechanism inactive when accelerating forces of predetermined magnitude occur, for example in the event of a crash. The actuating lever and locking lever disable the actuating-lever mechanism mechanically, as a result of the accelerating forces occurring, by associated deflection. Following dissipation of the accelerating forces, the actuating lever and locking lever reconnect the actuating-lever mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Kiekert Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stephan Mittelbach, Rolf Siemensmeyer, Dirk Eichel, Michael Strathmann
  • Publication number: 20150114096
    Abstract: A system for detecting a rotational speed of a turbocharger includes: a rotational speed sensor unit which includes a radar transmitter for emitting radar waves and a radar receiver for receiving the radar waves and which is designed to detect radar waves reflected by a machine element of the turbocharger and to provide them as a measuring signal; and an evaluation unit which is coupled to the rotational speed sensor unit and is designed to check whether the reflected radar waves are detectable by the radar receiver based on a predetermined criterion and to ascertain the rotational speed of the turbocharger based on an evaluation of the measuring signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventor: Dirk Eichel
  • Publication number: 20140352266
    Abstract: The invention relates to a tubular bag machine for filling a product into bags (9), comprising a vertical filling tube (2), a transverse sealing unit (3), a control unit (4) for controlling the tubular bag machine, and a sensor device (5) for detecting the product in the filling tube (2), which is designed to detect the product falling through the filling tube (2), wherein the sensor device (5) has a sensor (51) for emitting electromagnetic waves, and which is connected to the control unit (4), wherein the electromagnetic waves emitted by the sensor (51) remain in a detection space (E) which is confined to one region at the filling tube (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: Juergen Seidel, Werner Soergel, Stephan Schulteis, Dirk Eichel
  • Patent number: 8504321
    Abstract: A method is described for determining information about a rotational speed of a compressor, in particular a turbocharger, by providing a measuring signal, in particular a microwave measuring signal, which is directed at a compressor impeller of the compressor, so that the measuring signal is reflected on revolving blades of the compressor impeller, detecting the measuring signal reflected by one or more blades, and determining the information about the rotational speed as a function of the reflected measuring signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Juergen Seidel, Alex Grossmann, Bernhard Opitz, Dirk Hofmann, Jochen Laubender, Uwe Kassner, Dirk Eichel, Klaus Lerchenmueller, Juergen Wendt
  • Publication number: 20130056997
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a motor-vehicle door lock which is provided with a catch (2,3), with an actuating-lever mechanism (5, 6) which acts on the catch (2, 3). There is also a locking lever (7) which, together with the actuating lever (5), renders the actuating-lever mechanism (5, 6) inactive when accelerating forces of predetermined magnitude occur, for example in the event of a crash. According to the invention, the actuating lever (5) and locking lever (7) disable the actuating-lever mechanism (5, 6) mechanically, as a result of the accelerating forces occurring, by associated deflection. Following dissipation of the accelerating forces, the actuating lever (5) and locking lever (7) reconnect the actuating-lever mechanism (5, 6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Inventors: Stephan Mittelbach, Rolf Siemensmeyer, Dirk Eichel, Michael Strathmann
  • Publication number: 20100332180
    Abstract: A method is described for determining information about a rotational speed of a compressor, in particular a turbocharger, by providing a measuring signal, in particular a microwave measuring signal, which is directed at a compressor impeller of the compressor, so that the measuring signal is reflected on revolving blades of the compressor impeller, detecting the measuring signal reflected by one or more blades, and determining the information about the rotational speed as a function of the reflected measuring signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Juergen SEIDEL, Alex Grossmann, Bernhard Opitz, Dirk Hofmann, Jochen Laubender, Uwe Kassner, Dirk Eichel, Klaus Lerchenmueller, Juergen Wendt