Patents by Inventor Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus

Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus 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: 7207541
    Abstract: A locking device of a longitudinal adjustment device of a vehicle seat is provided with a catch bar with periodically arranged snap openings and snap studs that is assigned to a bottom rail of the longitudinal adjustment device and is further provided with a locking unit assigned to a seat rail of the longitudinal adjustment device. The locking device has at least two licking pins that can be inserted into the snap openings independent of one another, they can be disengaged only jointly. The locking pins are arranged in a guide member which has a pin bore for each locking pin. The guide member is provided with an area facing the catch bar. Projections projecting toward the catch bar are arranged on this area and extend as a continuation of the pin bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Klaus Kautzner
  • Patent number: 7069811
    Abstract: An actuation device of an adjustment unit for automotive vehicle seats has a hand lever and a frame. The frame carries the hand lever and accommodates an output shaft. The hand lever adopts a central position when the actuation device is in a position of rest, and may be pivoted alternatively in the two directions of rotation against the action of an elastic means biasing it in the central position. The hand lever has a first driving region. An adjustment wheel having circumferential gear teeth is centred on the output shaft. A pivotal lever has a long hole surrounding the output shaft, has a left engagement region and a right engagement region substantially extending as a continuation of the long hole. These regions are both provided with teeth matching the gear teeth of the adjustment wheel and being disengaged from the teeth of the adjustment wheel in the position of rest of the actuation device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Ulrich Karthaus
  • Patent number: 6764054
    Abstract: A locking device of a longitudinal adjustment device of a vehicle seat is provided with a catch bar with periodically arranged snap openings and snap studs that is assigned to a bottom rail of the longitudinal adjustment device and is further provided with a locking unit assigned to a seat rail of the longitudinal adjustment device. The locking device has at least two locking pins that can be inserted into the snap openings independent of one another, they can be disengaged only jointly. The locking pins are arranged in a guide member which has a pin bore for each locking pin. The snap pins are provided with a grooved region consisting of at least one individual groove. Said grooved region is located in proximity to the lower end of the corresponding pin bore when the locking pin is engaged in a snap opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Inventors: Burkhard Becker, Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Klaus Kautzner, Ulrich Karthaus
  • Publication number: 20030167872
    Abstract: An actuation device of an adjustment unit for automotive vehicle seats has a hand lever and a frame. The frame carries the hand lever and accommodates an output shaft. The hand lever adopts a central position when the actuation device is in a position of rest, and may be pivoted alternatively in the two directions of rotation against the action of an elastic means biasing it in the central position. The hand lever has a first driving region. An adjustment wheel having circumferential gear teeth is centred on the output shaft. A pivotal lever has a long hole surrounding the output shaft, has a left engagement region and a right engagement region substantially extending as a continuation of the long hole. These regions are both provided with teeth matching the gear teeth of the adjustment wheel and being disengaged from the teeth of the adjustment wheel in the position of rest of the actuation device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2003
    Publication date: September 11, 2003
    Applicant: C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Ulrich Karthaus
  • Publication number: 20030164434
    Abstract: A locking device of a longitudinal adjustment device of a vehicle seat is provided with a catch bar with periodically arranged snap openings and snap studs that is assigned to a bottom rail of the longitudinal adjustment device and is further provided with a locking unit assigned to a seat rail of the longitudinal adjustment device. The locking device has at least two licking pins that can be inserted into the snap openings independent of one another, they can be disengaged only jointly. The locking pins are arranged in a guide member which has a pin bore for each locking pin. The guide member is provided with an area facing the catch bar. Projections projecting toward the catch bar are arranged on this area and extend as a continuation of the pin bore.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Publication date: September 4, 2003
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Klaus Kautzner
  • Publication number: 20030150971
    Abstract: A locking device of a longitudinal adjustment device of a vehicle seat is provided with a catch bar with periodically arranged snap openings and snap studs that is assigned to a bottom rail of the longitudinal adjustment device and is further provided with a locking unit assigned to a seat rail of the longitudinal adjustment device. The locking device has at least two locking pins that can be inserted into the snap openings independent of one another, they can be disengaged only jointly. The locking pins are arranged in a guide member which has a pin bore for each locking pin. The snap pins are provided with a grooved region consisting of at least one individual groove. Said grooved region is located in proximity to the lower end of the corresponding pin bore when the locking pin is engaged in a snap opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2002
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Inventors: Burkhard Becker, Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Klaus Kautzner, Ulrich Karthaus
  • Patent number: 6502798
    Abstract: Seat frame of an adjustable seat in a vehicle with a seat carrier having two side parts and one rear tie-bar, and provided with at least one transverse shaft for the transmission of an adjusting movement from one side of the seat to the other, said transverse shaft being borne in the two seat parts and having for each seat side an adjusting arm fastened on it. At least one side part is provided with a location recess—preferably open in its bottom part—and is freely receiving the transverse shaft 26, in the side part, beside the location recess, first fastener are provided and the transverse shaft is encompassed by a bearing part—preferably between the adjusting arms fastened on the shaft—, said bearing part bearing the transverse shaft 26, bridging the location recess and constituting second fastener corresponding to the first fastener.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH KG
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Burckhard Becker, Wilfried Beneker
  • Patent number: 6428102
    Abstract: A vehicle seat equipped with a seat part and an adjustment device for adjusting the depth of the seat part. The vehicle seat has a seat carrier consisting essentially of two lateral parts and is provided with a seat cushion carrier. The seat cushion carrier has a front transverse part which is connected to the two lateral parts of the seat carrier in a longitudinal guide, which is orientated in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle seat. The seat cushion carrier further has an adjusting device for adjusting the position of the front transverse part in the longitudinal guide, a rear transverse part which is hinged in an inferior drag link to the two lateral parts, in a rear area thereof, and a spring which is arranged between the front transverse part and the rear transverse part above the inferior drag link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Inventors: Burckhard Becker, Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus
  • Patent number: 6299252
    Abstract: Motor vehicle seats with safety belts wherein the free end of the lap belt is attached to an outer rocker located on the vehicle exterior side. The arrangement provides an improved distribution of forces in the event of an accident.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co KG
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Burckhard Becker, Wilfried Beneker
  • Patent number: 6283547
    Abstract: There is provided a back rest of a motor vehicle seat, which comprises a back rest support (26), onto which a shoulder rest (36) for a separate adjustment of an upper section of the back rest is provided, whereby the shoulder rest (36) is linked to the back rest support (26) and that an adjustment device is allocated to it, which is embodied as an air bag (46), which can be filled and emptied in a controlled manner and which is arranged between the back rest support (26) and the shoulder rest (36) and that re-adjusting device are provided, which are arranged between the shoulder rest (36) and the back rest support (26) and which stress the shoulder rest (36) in one of its two extreme positions, for example the position of the smallest distance from the back rest support (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Inventors: Heinz Bauer, Burckhard Becker, Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus
  • Patent number: 6264274
    Abstract: This frame for a seat carrier of a vehicle seat is provided with a left and a right side part (20, 22) and with a left and a right front swiveling prop (52, 54). The swiveling prop (52) is hinged in the front area of the left side part (20) and the right swiveling prop (54) in the front area of the right side part (22) and an adjusting device is provided by means of which the incline of the two swiveling props (52, 54) may be adjusted. One swiveling prop (52) a) is arranged on the outer side of the side part (20) to which it belongs, b) is hooked out downwards starting from the hinge joint connecting it to this side part (20), c) has a stiffening (64) across its plane of motion and d) is rigidly connected with the other swivelling prop (54) via a cross tube (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Burckhard Becker, Wilfried Beneker
  • Patent number: 6264275
    Abstract: A power adjustable vehicle seat with a seating that is adjustable in height has a side part and an electromotor. The electromotor comprises a flange-mounted transmission, which transmission is provided with an output shaft and with a transmission case. The side part is provided with a bearing for the output shaft. The transmission case has an area axially facing said bearing for the output shaft. The area facing the side part is open-ended by having no case wall on that open end axially facing the bearing for the output shaft. The side part functions as a case wall of the transmission case once the transmission case is fastened to the side part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Burckhard Becker, Wilfried Beneker
  • Patent number: 6260922
    Abstract: The vehicle seat is equipped with an adjusting device having with a first adjusting element (20) and a second adjusting element (22). The adjusting device is particularly suited for a length-adjustment of an underframe relative to a seat. The adjusting device has a spindle (26) and an auxiliary spindle nut (30) encompassing the spindle (26). The spindle (26) is fastened onto the first adjusting element (20) of the adjusting device so as to rotate in unison with it and the spindle nut (30) a) is rotatably supported in the second adjusting element which is motion-linked with the first adjusting element (20) and b) is forming on its outer case a worm wheel that is engaged with a worm (32) which may be connected to a multi-turn actuation (36).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Burckhard Becker
  • Patent number: 6260672
    Abstract: The invention presents a vehicle seat with an adjusting mechanism, for example with a height adjustment of the seat area or with a length adjustment of a longitudinal guiding (20, 22), whereas the adjusting mechanism is provided with an electromotor (36), a step-down gear (34) and an adjusting device having a first adjusting element as well as a second adjusting element which may be adjusted relative to the first adjusting element. The adjusting mechanism is additionally provided with a constantly engaged brake (38) that is leading to a braking moment in both senses of rotation of the electromotor (36), the braking moment being calculated so as to be considerably smaller than the active driving moment of the electromotor (36) but so as to be bigger than the passive torques occurring during normal operation of the vehicle due to all kinds of acceleration and loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Burckhard Becker, Michael Lingner
  • Patent number: 6231022
    Abstract: The invention relates to a longitudinal guide rail for a motor vehicle seat which includes a device for locking the releasable fixing of a top rail and a bottom rail. The device has blocking fingers which, by a retaining spring, can engage independently from each other into a locking position and can together be pulled into a release position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: C. Rob. Hammerstein & Co Kg
    Inventors: Burckhard Becker, Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus
  • Patent number: 6220669
    Abstract: A seat frame of a vehicle seat includes a seat support having two side parts (20,22) and one rear tie-bar (24). The tie bar is detachably connected to the two side parts (20, 22). At least two different tie-bars (24, 25) are provided that may be used optionally one of the tie-bars (25) being conventional and the other tie bar provided with bars for a toddler seat, more particularly with a so-called Isofix connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Burckhard Becker, Wilfried Beneker
  • Patent number: 6189399
    Abstract: The invention relates to an adjustment device for motor vehicle seats which contains a gearing part which meshes with a gearing member to limit backlash, the gearing part is formed by a main part consisting of a main gearing and a compensation part with an elastic member arrange between the parts. A swiveling axis connects the parts. The degree of backlash of the two parts is restricted to a circular movement based on the connection through the swiveling axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus, Burckhard Becker, Michael Lingner
  • Patent number: 6116689
    Abstract: The device relates to a motor vehicle seat with an underframe, which can be adjusted in height, onto which a seat support is arranged and which comprises a back swiveling support, which is linked to the seat support at the swiveling joint and with a belt lock of a safety belt, which is allocated to the seat support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Inventors: Heinz Bauer, Burckhard Becker, Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus
  • Patent number: 6109693
    Abstract: There is provided a motor vehicle seat with a seat support, which is constructed of two sections, namely of a front part and of a back part, which are connected with each other via two side connecting areas and that for an adjustment of the seat depth, the side connecting areas each have a long hole, into which an axle pin is led and that a device exists for the mechanical adjustment and fixation of the two sections in opposition to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Inventors: Heinz Bauer, Burckhard Becker, Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus
  • Patent number: 6099079
    Abstract: The invention relates to a belt integral seat of a motor vehicle with a backrest, which includes a frame, a retractor, for the safety belt attached to the backrest and a sensor steering this retractor. The seat also contains a seat area, which is joined by a back rest joint with the back rest, and a seat frame, which comprises an adjustment device, with which at least the angle of the tilt of the seat area can be changed. The sensor is connected in a pivoted manner with the frame of the back rest around the swiveling axis and in the seat frame a mechanical device for the registration of the adjustment of the angle of the tilt is provided, which registers the angle of the tilt of the seat area in comparison to a state of reference and which is pivotally connected with the sensor by a flexible shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Inventors: Heinz Bauer, Burckhard Becker, Ernst-Reiner Frohnhaus