Patents by Inventor Georg Johann MAURER

Georg Johann MAURER 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: 11970037
    Abstract: A method for controlling a vertical vibration damping of a wheel of a vehicle, in which the wheel has a suspension including a vibration damper with a control element including an actuating element for adapting a damping characteristic of the vibration damper includes a series of steps. The vehicle includes a first sensor for detecting roadway anomalies, a second sensor for detecting a vertical displacement of the wheel, and a control unit connected to the first and second sensors and the control element. The method steps include detecting roadway anomalies with the first sensor, detecting the vertical displacement with the second sensor and switching the vibration damper with the control element at a first point in time from a first state with a first damping characteristic into a second state with a second damping characteristic when a first sensor signal generated by the first sensor indicates a roadway anomaly with a minimum height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Cyril Coerman, Uwe Hoffmann, Georg Johann Maurer
  • Patent number: 11766911
    Abstract: A method is provided for diminishing the effect of roadway anomalies on a vehicle by dynamically adjusting an actuating element for regulating damper forces of a vibration damper of a vehicle wheel when passing over a roadway anomaly, in particular a pothole, wherein, when the falling edge of the roadway anomaly is reached, the actuating element is switched into its hardest setting and, when the rising edge of the roadway anomaly is reached, the force request is set equal to 0 and, thereafter, a force request is calculated based on the parameters of the vehicle and the suspension and is transmitted to the damping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Cyril Coerman, Uwe Hoffmann, Georg Johann Maurer
  • Publication number: 20230071791
    Abstract: A method is provided for diminishing the effect of roadway anomalies on a vehicle by dynamically adjusting an actuating element for regulating damper forces of a vibration damper of a vehicle wheel when passing over a roadway anomaly, in particular a pothole, wherein, when the falling edge of the roadway anomaly is reached, the actuating element is switched into its hardest setting and, when the rising edge of the roadway anomaly is reached, the force request is set equal to 0 and, thereafter, a force request is calculated based on the parameters of the vehicle and the suspension and is transmitted to the damping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Cyril Coerman, Uwe Hoffmann, Georg Johann Maurer
  • Patent number: 11433891
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a powerplant, a front axle having first and second wheels and a differential operably coupled to the powerplant. A power-takeoff unit (PTU) is connected to the differential. A rear axle has third and fourth wheels and a gearbox connected to the PTU without a center differential. The gearbox has a first clutch configured to selectively couple the third wheel to the PTU and a second clutch configured to selectively couple the fourth wheel to the PTU. A controller is programmed to determine, during a turn, which of the third and fourth wheels is an outer rear wheel, determine whether there is a positive or negative torque on the outer rear wheel, and disengage, or keep disengaged, the one of the first and second clutches that is associated with the outer rear wheel in response to a negative torque on the outer rear wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Cyril Coerman, Georg Johann Maurer
  • Publication number: 20220242404
    Abstract: A method for determining a trajectory of a motor vehicle for a driver assistance function includes: determining an initial trajectory of the motor vehicle on a road; setting an upper threshold for the lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle; detecting data of the road surface in the direction of travel ahead of the motor vehicle with at least one sensor; determining the vertical profile of the road surface of a plurality of paths running parallel to each other in the direction of travel ahead of the motor vehicle by using the data; determining, when the vertical profile of at least one of the paths indicates a pothole, a lateral deviation from the initial trajectory for which a limit value does not exceed the set upper threshold for the lateral acceleration, wherein the road boundary is not exceeded; and outputting an adjusted trajectory by using the determined lateral deviation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Georg Johann Maurer, Cyril Coerman
  • Publication number: 20210283972
    Abstract: A method for controlling a vertical vibration damping of a wheel of a vehicle, in which the wheel has a suspension including a vibration damper with a control element including an actuating element for adapting a damping characteristic of the vibration damper includes a series of steps. The vehicle includes a first sensor for detecting roadway anomalies, a second sensor for detecting a vertical displacement of the wheel, and a control unit connected to the first and second sensors and the control element. The method steps include detecting roadway anomalies with the first sensor, detecting the vertical displacement with the second sensor and switching the vibration damper with the control element at a first point in time from a first state with a first damping characteristic into a second state with a second damping characteristic when a first sensor signal generated by the first sensor indicates a roadway anomaly with a minimum height.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Cyril Coerman, Uwe Hoffmann, Georg Johann Maurer
  • Publication number: 20200307588
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a powerplant, a front axle having first and second wheels and a differential operably coupled to the powerplant. A power-takeoff unit (PTU) is connected to the differential. A rear axle has third and fourth wheels and a gearbox connected to the PTU without a center differential. The gearbox has a first clutch configured to selectively couple the third wheel to the PTU and a second clutch configured to selectively couple the fourth wheel to the PTU. A controller is programmed to determine, during a turn, which of the third and fourth wheels is an outer rear wheel, determine whether there is a positive or negative torque on the outer rear wheel, and disengage, or keep disengaged, the one of the first and second clutches that is associated with the outer rear wheel in response to a negative torque on the outer rear wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Cyril COERMAN, Georg Johann MAURER
  • Patent number: 10703376
    Abstract: A method is described for controlling the automatic starting of a motor vehicle comprising an electronically controllable locking differential, uphill in a split mu situation. The method comprises the following steps: determining the positive gradient of the underlying surface; defining an initial locking torque on the basis of the determined positive gradient and on the basis of a component of the torque which the vehicle requires to travel uphill with only the first driven wheel powered; calculating the slip ratio SRxx for the first driven wheel xx according to SRxx=(Vxx?VRef)/VCrit if the reference velocity VRef is between 0 and a critical velocity VCrit, and according to SRxx=(Vxx?VRef)/VRef if the reference velocity VRef is higher than the critical velocity VCrit; and defining the locking torque of the electronically controllable locking differential on the basis of the slip ratio of the first driven wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Cyril Coerman, Lucian Lippok, Robert Barend Ter Waarbeek, Georg Johann Maurer
  • Publication number: 20190023275
    Abstract: A method is described for controlling the automatic starting of a motor vehicle comprising an electronically controllable locking differential, uphill in a split mu situation. The method comprises the following steps: determining the positive gradient of the underlying surface; defining an initial locking torque on the basis of the determined positive gradient and on the basis of a component of the torque which the vehicle requires to travel uphill with only the first driven wheel powered; calculating the slip ratio SRxx for the first driven wheel xx according to SRxx=(Vxx?VRef)/VCrit if the reference velocity VRef is between 0 and a critical velocity VCrit, and according to SRxx=(Vxx?VRef)/VRef if the reference velocity VRef is higher than the critical velocity VCrit; and defining the locking torque of the electronically controllable locking differential on the basis of the slip ratio of the first driven wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Cyril COERMAN, Lucian LIPPOK, Robert Barend TER WAARBEEK, Georg Johann MAURER