Patents by Inventor Gunnar FRANZ
Gunnar FRANZ 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).
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Patent number: 11952031Abstract: A steering handle of a vehicle includes a support structure, which is mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation and at each end of which an angled gripping element for a hand of a driver is provided such that the gripping element can be rotated relative to the support structure. In at least one defined driving state of the vehicle, the two gripping elements are or have been positioned by way of an actuating device in such a way that portions of the gripping elements that are provided for grasping with the hands of the driver lie on a line, the free ends of the portions facing one another.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2019Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Julian Eichhorn, Gunnar Franz, Christian Froemel, Zoltan Major, Martin Wiesinger
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Publication number: 20230219588Abstract: A vehicle may be operated in a driving mode with autonomous lateral control and in a driving mode with manual lateral control, where the vehicle has a steering lever with a steering lever range, and where the steering lever range represents a circular space which is delimited about 360° by a rotational movement of the steering lever about a steering lever axis of rotation. A method associated with the vehicle may include one or more of the following steps: operating the vehicle in a driving mode with autonomous lateral control; detecting an intrusion in the steering lever range and/or a breaching of a predefined distance from the steering lever range by the vehicle occupant or another object with a sensor unit without the vehicle occupant coming into contact with the steering lever; and signaling the intrusion and/or the breaching of the distance to the vehicle occupant.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2021Publication date: July 13, 2023Inventors: Gunnar FRANZ, Sonja RUEMELIN, Peter SCHNEIDER
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Publication number: 20220348081Abstract: An apparatus for providing information on board a vehicle includes a first display; a second display; a scanning device for capturing a position of a person on board the vehicle; and a processing device. The processing device is configured to: determine a constellation in which the second display is located between the first display and the person; determine a display content of the first display that is covered by the second display; and provide the determined display content on the second display.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 29, 2022Publication date: November 3, 2022Inventors: Gunnar FRANZ, Philipp HOFFMANN, Jasper STERN
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Publication number: 20210394812Abstract: A steering handle of a vehicle includes a support structure, which is mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation and at each end of which an angled gripping element for a hand of a driver is provided such that the gripping element can be rotated relative to the support structure. In at least one defined driving state of the vehicle, the two gripping elements are or have been positioned by way of an actuating device in such a way that portions of the gripping elements that are provided for grasping with the hands of the driver lie on a line, the free ends of the portions facing one another.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2019Publication date: December 23, 2021Inventors: Julian EICHHORN, Gunnar FRANZ, Christian FROEMEL, Zoltan MAJOR, Martin WIESINGER
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Patent number: 10974572Abstract: A method and a corresponding device permit an at least partially computer-controlled and/or autonomous vehicle to communicate with its surroundings, in particular with a road user such as a person in its surroundings. A control unit for a vehicle is configured to receive surroundings data from one or more surroundings sensors of the vehicle and to detect at least one road user in the surroundings of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings data. The control unit is configured to determine on the basis of the surroundings data whether there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle. The control unit is configured, if it has been determined that there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle, to actuate an adaptation system of the vehicle and/or one or more visual communication system in order to communicate with the road user.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2019Date of Patent: April 13, 2021Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Lenja Sorokin, Gunnar Franz
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Publication number: 20190225057Abstract: A method and a corresponding device permit an at least partially computer-controlled and/or autonomous vehicle to communicate with its surroundings, in particular with a road user such as a person in its surroundings. A control unit for a vehicle is configured to receive surroundings data from one or more surroundings sensors of the vehicle and to detect at least one road user in the surroundings of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings data. The control unit is configured to determine on the basis of the surroundings data whether there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle. The control unit is configured, if it has been determined that there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle, to actuate an adaptation system of the vehicle and/or one or more visual communication system in order to communicate with the road user.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2019Publication date: July 25, 2019Inventors: Lenja SOROKIN, Gunnar FRANZ
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Patent number: 10286757Abstract: A method and a corresponding device permit an at least partially computer-controlled and/or autonomous vehicle to communicate with its surroundings, in particular with a road user such as a person in its surroundings. A control unit for a vehicle is configured to receive surroundings data from one or more surroundings sensors of the vehicle and to detect at least one road user in the surroundings of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings data. The control unit is configured to determine on the basis of the surroundings data whether there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle. The control unit is configured, if it has been determined that there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle, to actuate an adaptation system of the vehicle and/or one or more visual communication system in order to communicate with the road user.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2017Date of Patent: May 14, 2019Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Lenja Sorokin, Gunnar Franz
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Publication number: 20180093553Abstract: A method and a corresponding device permit an at least partially computer-controlled and/or autonomous vehicle to communicate with its surroundings, in particular with a road user such as a person in its surroundings. A control unit for a vehicle is configured to receive surroundings data from one or more surroundings sensors of the vehicle and to detect at least one road user in the surroundings of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings data. The control unit is configured to determine on the basis of the surroundings data whether there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle. The control unit is configured, if it has been determined that there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle, to actuate an adaptation system of the vehicle and/or one or more visual communication system in order to communicate with the road user.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2017Publication date: April 5, 2018Inventors: Lenja Sorokin, Gunnar Franz
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Patent number: 9855826Abstract: A method and a corresponding device permit an at least partially computer-controlled and/or autonomous vehicle to communicate with its surroundings, in particular with a road user such as a person in its surroundings. A control unit for a vehicle is configured to receive surroundings data from one or more surroundings sensors of the vehicle and to detect at least one road user in the surroundings of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings data. The control unit is configured to determine on the basis of the surroundings data whether there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle. The control unit is configured, if it has been determined that there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle, to actuate an adaptation system of the vehicle and/or one or more visual communication system in order to communicate with the road user.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2015Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Lenja Sorokin, Gunnar Franz
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Publication number: 20170335949Abstract: A vehicle has an automatic transmission and a manually actuatable selector element which is provided for selecting a group of operating modes of the automatic operation. The selector element is additionally provided to switch the vehicle from a vehicle operating mode of non-highly automated driving into a vehicle operating mode of highly automated driving, or vice versa.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2017Publication date: November 23, 2017Inventors: Christopher ROELLE, Lenja SOROKIN, Gunnar FRANZ
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Patent number: 9689697Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a navigation system of a motor vehicle by receiving an input by means of an input device of the navigation system, a destination being indicated by way of the input; as well as by determining at least one conceivable route from a starting position to the destination by an arithmetic device of the navigation system by means of filed map data, wherein, for at least one route section of the at least one conceivable route, at least one parameter of at least one wireless communication network is determined by the arithmetic device.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2014Date of Patent: June 27, 2017Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Lenja Sorokin, Gunnar Franz, Christopher Roelle
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Publication number: 20160179094Abstract: A method and a corresponding device permit an at least partially computer-controlled and/or autonomous vehicle to communicate with its surroundings, in particular with a road user such as a person in its surroundings. A control unit for a vehicle is configured to receive surroundings data from one or more surroundings sensors of the vehicle and to detect at least one road user in the surroundings of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings data. The control unit is configured to determine on the basis of the surroundings data whether there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle. The control unit is configured, if it has been determined that there is a need for communication between the road user and the vehicle, to actuate an adaptation system of the vehicle and/or one or more visual communication system in order to communicate with the road user.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2015Publication date: June 23, 2016Inventors: Lenja SOROKIN, Gunnar FRANZ
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Publication number: 20140379252Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a navigation system of a motor vehicle by receiving an input by means of an input device of the navigation system, a destination being indicated by way of the input; as well as by determining at least one conceivable route from a starting position to the destination by an arithmetic device of the navigation system by means of filed map data, wherein, for at least one route section of the at least one conceivable route, at least one parameter of at least one wireless communication network is determined by the arithmetic device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2014Publication date: December 25, 2014Inventors: Lenja SOROKIN, Gunnar FRANZ, Christopher ROELLE