Patents by Inventor Felix Pfister

Felix Pfister 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: 11619565
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling, more particularly in a closed-loop manner, a test bench for a powertrain with a real transmission, the method including calculating a desired value of a control parameter, more particularly a desired rotational speed, at the transmission output of the real transmission by means of a model that represents the transmission and at least one further component, more particularly a shaft, of the output side of the powertrain as virtual components, on the basis of at least one measurement parameter, more particularly a rotational speed and/or a torque, measured on the powertrain; and controlling the test bench, more particularly a load machine, on the basis of the desired value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Andreas Fleck
  • Patent number: 11566970
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to test stands for generating test runs on the basis of a test drive using a vehicle along a driving route. In some embodiments, a test stand determines at least one idle operating time of an internal combustion engine and/or at least one overrun operating time of the internal combustion engine from a time curve of a vehicle speed and a time curve of a gas pedal position. The test stand may further set a specified idle control mode instead of the operating control mode during an idle operating time and/or a specified overrun control mode is set instead of the operating control mode during an overrun operating time in the test stand automation unit in order to carry out the test run.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Wolfgang Winkler, Emre Kural, Camillo Signor, Gerald Hoehmann
  • Publication number: 20210231527
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling, more particularly in a closed-loop manner, a test bench for a powertrain with a real transmission, the method including calculating a desired value of a control parameter, more particularly a desired rotational speed, at the transmission output of the real transmission by means of a model that represents the transmission and at least one further component, more particularly a shaft, of the output side of the powertrain as virtual components, on the basis of at least one measurement parameter, more particularly a rotational speed and/or a torque, measured on the powertrain; and controlling the test bench, more particularly a load machine, on the basis of the desired value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Felix PFISTER, Andreas FLECK
  • Publication number: 20200348209
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to test stands for generating test runs on the basis of a test drive using a vehicle along a driving route. In some embodiments, a test stand determines at least one idle operating time of an internal combustion engine and/or at least one overrun operating time of the internal combustion engine from a time curve of a vehicle speed and a time curve of a gas pedal position. The test stand may further set a specified idle control mode instead of the operating control mode during an idle operating time and/or a specified overrun control mode is set instead of the operating control mode during an overrun operating time in the test stand automation unit in order to carry out the test run.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Wolfgang Winkler, Emre Kural, Camillo Signor, Gerald Hochmann
  • Patent number: 10677687
    Abstract: To subject a test object during a test run on a test bench to real environmental and/or surrounding conditions, particularly thermal conditions, it is provided that at least one temperature is measured at a measurement point as a measured variable during the test run on the test bench. At least one test object component of the test object is subdivided in a number of segments. The thermal interaction of at least one segment with the environment of the vehicle is simulated during the test run by a thermal simulation model of the simulation model. The thermal simulation model calculates the segment heat flow that is supplied to or dissipated from the at least one segment. This segment heat flow is adjusted as a function of the measured temperature at the test bench on at least one segment by means of a number of heat flow actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: AVL LIST GmbH
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Stefan Geneder, Stefan Jakubek
  • Patent number: 10502661
    Abstract: To make the handling of a tire model for controlling a test run on a test bench simpler and more flexible and thus more practicable, it is provided that at least one longitudinal velocity of a tire is calculated in a first simulation unit with a first simulation model, and the longitudinal velocity is provided to a second simulation unit, and a longitudinal force and/or a rolling resistance torque of the tire are calculated with a second simulation model in the second simulation unit on the basis of the longitudinal velocity, and said longitudinal force and/or rolling resistance torque are used to calculate at least one target dyno value for a drive control unit of a load machine of the test bench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: AVL LIST GmbH
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Martin Schmidt, Clemens Reitze
  • Patent number: 10451524
    Abstract: In order to be able to test an assembly of components of a vehicle on a test stand with improved dynamics, it is provided to calculate, in a simulation unit (20) using a simulation model (21) for the at least one component of the assembly, the instantaneous drive train rotary speed (nP) of this component from a drive train torque (TP) acting in the drive train (2) and the braking effect (B) of the braking system (11), and the calculated instantaneous drive train rotary speed (nP) is used by the vehicle control device (14) for calculating the at least one component, and the calculated drive train rotary speed (nP) is used by a drive controller (23) for controlling the load machine (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventor: Felix Pfister
  • Patent number: 10393604
    Abstract: In a test run, in order to easily provide a high-quality propulsion torque of a torque generator based on the partially low-quality measured variables available on the test bench, it is foreseen that an inner torque (Mi) of the torque generator (D) is measured and based on the measured inner torque (Mi), from an equation of motion, including the measured inner torque (Mi), a dynamic torque (Mdyn) and a shaft torque (Mw) measured on the output shaft of the torque generator (D), a correction torque ({circumflex over (M)}cor) is estimated, and from the estimated correction torque ({circumflex over (M)}cor) and the measured inner torque (Mi), the propulsion torque (Mv) according to the relation Mv={circumflex over (M)}cor+Mi is computed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: AVL LIST GmbH
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Stefan Jakubek
  • Patent number: 10317312
    Abstract: In order to reduce the excitation of vibrations and resonances in a test bed for a real component and a virtual component, one of the following method steps is provided: a) determining a first correction value (K1) from the measured variable (M), wherein the first correction value (K1) is added to the measured variable (M) and the sum is communicated as a corrected measured variable (M*) to the virtual component for calculating the control variable (S), b) determining a second correction value (K2) from the calculated control variable (S), wherein the second correction value (K2) is added to the calculated control variable (S) and the sum is transferred as a corrected control variable (S*) to the actuator, c) determining a third correction value (K3) from the measured variable (M), wherein the third correction value (K3) is used to modify a parameter (P) of the equation of movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Stefan Jakubek, Andreas Fleck
  • Publication number: 20190041295
    Abstract: To subject a test object during a test run on a test bench to real environmental and/or surrounding conditions, particularly thermal conditions, it is provided that at least one temperature is measured at a measurement point as a measured variable during the test run on the test bench. At least one test object component of the test object is subdivided in a number of segments. The thermal interaction of at least one segment with the environment of the vehicle is simulated during the test run by a thermal simulation model of the simulation model. The thermal simulation model calculates the segment heat flow that is supplied to or dissipated from the at least one segment. This segment heat flow is adjusted as a function of the measured temperature at the test bench on at least one segment by means of a number of heat flow actuators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Stefan Geneder, Stefan Jakubek
  • Publication number: 20180143101
    Abstract: To make the handling of a tire model for controlling a test run on a test bench simpler and more flexible and thus more practicable, it is provided that at least one longitudinal velocity of a tire is calculated in a first simulation unit with a first simulation model, and the longitudinal velocity is provided to a second simulation unit, and a longitudinal force and/or a rolling resistance torque of the tire are calculated with a second simulation model in the second simulation unit on the basis of the longitudinal velocity, and said longitudinal force and/or rolling resistance torque are used to calculate at least one target dyno value for a drive control unit of a load machine of the test bench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Martin Schmidt, Clemens Reitze
  • Publication number: 20170336289
    Abstract: In order to be able to test an assembly of components of a vehicle on a test stand with improved dynamics, it is provided to calculate, in a simulation unit (20) using a simulation model (21) for the at least one component of the assembly, the instantaneous drive train rotary speed (nP) of this component from a drive train torque (TP) acting in the drive train (2) and the braking effect (B) of the braking system (11), and the calculated instantaneous drive train rotary speed (nP) is used by the vehicle control device (14) for calculating the at least one component, and the calculated drive train rotary speed (nP) is used by a drive controller (23) for controlling the load machine (8).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Applicant: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventor: Felix Pfister
  • Publication number: 20170261392
    Abstract: In a test run, in order to easily provide a high-quality propulsion torque of a torque generator based on the partially low-quality measured variables available on the test bench, it is foreseen that an inner torque (Mi) of the torque generator (D) is measured and based on the measured inner torque (Mi), from an equation of motion, including the measured inner torque (Mi), a dynamic torque (Mdyn) and a shaft torque (Mw) measured on the output shaft of the torque generator (D), a correction torque ({circumflex over (M)}cor) is estimated, and from the estimated correction torque ({circumflex over (M)}cor) and the measured inner torque (Mi), the propulsion torque (Mv) according to the relation Mv={circumflex over (M)}cor+Mi is computed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventors: Felix PFISTER, Stefan JAKUBEK
  • Patent number: 9454857
    Abstract: For a method for testing a vehicle or components thereof which is as flexible as possible, it is proposed that a test control unit 3 generates or plays back a virtual world which contains both a virtual vehicle state and a virtual vehicle environment, and the test control unit 3 manipulates a number of sensors and/or actuators of the real vehicle 1 according to the requirements of the virtual world and, at the same time, activates a driving state actuator 2 according to the requirements of the virtual world, and the driving state actuator 2 generates the instantaneous vehicle state and the instantaneous vehicle environment in the virtual world by introducing additional forces or moments into the real vehicle 1 so that the real vehicle 1 experiences the vehicle state and the vehicle environment from the virtual world on the real test track 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventor: Felix Pfister
  • Publication number: 20160171133
    Abstract: In order to be able to superimpose and compare measurement results from test runs in a substantially more effective, faster, and improved manner, a virtual track (A*-B*) is read from a data storage unit (4), wherein the virtual track (A*-B*) is stored as a sequence of geo-coordinates (P) and with corresponding, to the geo-coordinate (P) related data (D) of a vehicle (1*), a driver and/or surroundings of the vehicle (1*), and the virtual track (A*-B*) is used to carry out the test run of the virtual vehicle (1*), wherein measured data (M) on the virtual vehicle (1*) is detected and stored in relation to the geo-coordinate (P) during the test run.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Applicant: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Felix Pfister, Clemens Reitze
  • Publication number: 20160116367
    Abstract: In order to reduce the excitation of vibrations and resonances in a test bed (1) for a real component (4) and a virtual component (5), one of the following method steps is provided: a) determining a first correction value (K1) from the measured variable (M), wherein the first correction value (K1) is added to the measured variable (M) and the sum is communicated as a corrected measured variable (M*) to the virtual component (5) for calculating the control variable (S), b) determining a second correction value (K2) from the calculated control variable (S), wherein the second correction value (K2) is added to the calculated control variable (S) and the sum is transferred as a corrected control variable (S*) to the actuator (3), c) determining a third correction value (K3) from the measured variable (M), wherein the third correction value (K3) is used to modify a parameter (P) of the equation of movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Applicant: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: FELIX PFISTER, STEFAN JAKUBEK, ANDREAS FLECK
  • Publication number: 20150149031
    Abstract: For a method for testing a vehicle or components thereof which is as flexible as possible, it is proposed that a test control unit 3 generates or plays back a virtual world which contains both a virtual vehicle state and a virtual vehicle environment, and the test control unit 3 manipulates a number of sensors and/or actuators of the real vehicle 1 according to the requirements of the virtual world and, at the same time, activates a driving state actuator 2 according to the requirements of the virtual world, and the driving state actuator 2 generates the instantaneous vehicle state and the instantaneous vehicle environment in the virtual world by introducing additional forces or moments into the real vehicle 1 so that the real vehicle 1 experiences the vehicle state and the vehicle environment from the virtual world on the real test track 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventor: Felix Pfister
  • Patent number: 8863866
    Abstract: To be able to simulate any desired kind of driving state with a test vehicle it is envisioned to connect an active secondary vehicle 2 to the front or rear of the test vehicle 1, and wherein the secondary vehicle 2 is equipped with its own drive and load device 3 by which the test vehicle 1 is braked and/or pushed additionally to its own deceleration and/or acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventor: Felix Pfister
  • Patent number: 8631692
    Abstract: To simplify the development of a hybrid vehicle the invention envisions simulating the hybrid vehicle by using a test vehicle 1 comprising a first axle 5 that is powered by a combustion engine and a second passive, non-powered axle 6, and wherein the axle that is present in the real hybrid vehicle and powered by an electric motor is simulated on the test vehicle 1 by an active secondary vehicle 2 that is hooked up to the test vehicle 1 and that is equipped with its own drive 3 and additionally to the combustion engine brakes and/or pushes the test vehicle 1, and wherein the secondary vehicle 2 is connected with a control device 7 of the test vehicle 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventor: Felix Pfister
  • Patent number: 8612166
    Abstract: A test bed for an electrical energy storage system for vehicles includes a test system for conducting electrical tests of the energy storage system, optionally at least one conditioning unit for the climate control of the energy storage system, at least one data collection and analysis system, and optionally at least one safety system. In order to be able to test energy storage systems in a manner approximating their use as closely as possible in that all real influences on the energy storage system, for example, a traction battery for electric or hybrid vehicles, can be simulated with the simultaneous interaction of thermal, electrical, and mechanical influencing factors without the need to conduct tests in a real-world environment, at least one actuator is additionally provided for the mechanical stimulation of the energy storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Mario Schweiger, Stephan Kunzfeld, Kurt Gschweitl, Felix Pfister, Franck Le Rhun, Christian Schyr