Patents by Inventor Gunter Lohfink

Gunter Lohfink 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: 8151663
    Abstract: A gear arrangement is provided with a built-up for a shaft or pinion to rotate in unison therewith. The gear includes a gear rim and two flanges arranged axially on both sides and fixed them against the gear rim in a positive-locking connection. A hub, over which the respective other parts of the gear are pushed, is formed on at least one of the parts of the gear. The parts of the gear are held together without the use of rivets or screws by a clamped connection including a clamping ring, which is caused to mesh with a groove extending circumferentially on the circumference of the hub or shaft. The clamped connection presses the respective flange outer surface in a spring-mounted manner. Mutually corresponding elevations and depressions on the axial outer surfaces of the gear rim as well as on the axially inner surfaces of the flanges mesh with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Olaf Beutler, Waldemar Rogowski, Remt Blankenspeck, Günter Lohfink
  • Patent number: 8141447
    Abstract: A spiral-toothed gear wheel for a rack and pinion steering. The spiral-toothed gear wheel includes a pinion, which meshes on the power take-off side with a toothed rack, and a spiral-toothed gear, which is arranged on the pinion on the drive side in such a way that they rotate in unison, and on which a torque caused by a steering power or/and steering assist power acts. The spiral-toothed gear is designed as a built-up gear and includes a gear rim, which is arranged, relative to the axial direction of the gear or of the pinion thereof, between two flanges. The gear rim is pushed over a hub formed at one of the flanges and is fitted together with the flanges in a positive-locking manner. One of the flanges, namely, the flange having the hub for the gear rim, is made in one piece with the pinion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Olaf Beutler, Waldemar Rogowski, Remt Blankenspeck, Günter Lohfink
  • Publication number: 20110221153
    Abstract: A linking rod for a vehicle comprising a basic body (2). The basic body (2) comprises a bearing housing (3) and a joint housing (4) which are spaced apart from one another by a coupling piece (9) of the basic body (2). The bearing housing (3), of the basic body (2). is formed from a first plastic material which is surrounded by an enclosure (7) which is made from a second plastic material that is softer than the first plastic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Bladt, Olaf Beutler, Günter Lohfink, Karl-Walter Palluck, Stefan Loheide, Dirk Lamla, Stefan Schönhoff, Christian Maassmann
  • Patent number: 7938417
    Abstract: A connecting piece for the articulated connection of components disposed in the chassis of a vehicle. The connecting piece comprises a base body (1) made out of sheet metal in which at least one through bore (3) is provided, a plastic part (13) is rigidly connected to the base body (1), and at least one articulated joint (5), comprising a housing (4), rigidly connected to the base body (1). The housing (4) is inserted into the through bore (3), in an axial direction (24), and has a housing section (22) with a radial shoulder (23) disposed outside the hole (3) and embedded in the plastic part (13), by which the housing section (22), rigidly connected to the housing (4), is axially supported on the base body (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Metin Ersoy, Volker Grube, Frank Nachbar, Frank Budde, Karl-Heinz Kallwass, Ulrich Bladt, Günter Lohfink, José Ramón Izquierdo Nuñez, Jesús Santiago Miguel Pérez, Esteban Cañibano Alvarez, Ignacio Lobo Casanova
  • Publication number: 20100282012
    Abstract: The invention relates to a skew gear constructed as a built skew gear and provided with attenuation. The skew gear wheel has a first flange for rotation-locked arrangement of the skew gear on a shaft or a pinion, a second flange or a disk, and a ring gear arranged and rotatable therebetween. The two flanges, or the first flange and the disk, are frictionally or positively connected with one another, wherein their respective elements providing the connection extend through the ring gear in the axial direction. According to the invention, at least one elastomeric element is overmolded on an inside contour of the ring gear for forming the attenuation, so that the ring gear and the attenuation form a single unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Olaf Beutler, Remt Blankenspeck, Waldemar Rogowski, Gunter Lohfink
  • Publication number: 20100084834
    Abstract: A connecting piece for the articulated connection of components disposed in the chassis of a vehicle. The connecting piece comprises a base body (1) made out of sheet metal in which at least one through bore (3) is provided, a plastic part (13) is rigidly connected to the base body (1), and at least one articulated joint (5), comprising a housing (4), rigidly connected to the base body (1). The housing (4) is inserted into the through bore (3), in an axial direction (24), and has a housing section (22) with a radial shoulder (23) disposed outside the hole (3) and embedded in the plastic part (13), by which the housing section (22), rigidly connected to the housing (4), is axially supported on the base body (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Metin Ersoy, Volker Grube, Frank Nachbar, Frank Budde, Karl-Heinz Kallwass, Ulrich Bladt, Gunter Lohfink, Jose Ramon Izquierdo Nunez, Jesus Santiago Miguel Perez, Esteban Canibano Alvarez, Ignacio Lobo Casanova
  • Publication number: 20090056488
    Abstract: A spiral-toothed gear wheel for a rack and pinion steering. The spiral-toothed gear wheel includes a pinion, which meshes on the power take-off side with a toothed rack, and a spiral-toothed gear, which is arranged on the pinion on the drive side in such a way that they rotate in unison, and on which a torque caused by a steering power or/and steering assist power acts. The spiral-toothed gear is designed as a built-up gear and includes a gear rim, which is arranged, relative to the axial direction of the gear or of the pinion thereof, between two flanges. The gear rim is pushed over a hub formed at one of the flanges and is fitted together with the flanges in a positive-locking manner. One of the flanges, namely, the flange having the hub for the gear rim, is made in one piece with the pinion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Olaf Beutler, Waldemar Rogowski, Remt Blankenspeck, Gunter Lohfink
  • Publication number: 20090044650
    Abstract: A gear arrangement is provided with a built-up for a shaft or pinion to rotate in unison therewith. The gear includes a gear rim and two flanges arranged axially on both sides and fixed them against the gear rim in a positive-locking connection. A hub, over which the respective other parts of the gear are pushed, is formed on at least one of the parts of the gear. The parts of the gear are held together without the use of rivets or screws by a clamped connection including a clamping ring, which is caused to mesh with a groove extending circumferentially on the circumference of the hub or shaft. The clamped connection presses the respective flange outer surface in a spring-mounted manner. Mutually corresponding elevations and depressions on the axial outer surfaces of the gear rim as well as on the axially inner surfaces of the flanges mesh with one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Olaf Beutler, Waldemar Rogowski, Remt Blankenspeck, Gunter Lohfink
  • Publication number: 20070292063
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing an elastomer bearing is provided as well as a bush bearing as well as a device for manufacturing a corresponding bush bearing. Elastomer bearings of a compact design are obtained, in which a prestress of a predetermined value can be generated in the elastomer bearing body during the manufacturing process in a simple manner. In particular, the manufacture of bush bearings with high radial rigidity, which have a favorable characteristic against cardanic and torsional loads and preferably meet high requirements on the pressing-out force, is made possible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2005
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Stefan Loheide, Ulrich Bladt, Gunter Lohfink, Eckhard Jantzen
  • Patent number: 5188784
    Abstract: In a laminar extrusion, overlapping layers of an EVOH phase are dispersed into a PP or MAPP matrix phase incompatible with the EVOH phase to form a vapor, gas and/or organic liquids barrier. When the matrix phase is a PP phase, MAPP can be added to improve adhesion between the overlapping layers and the matrix phase. MEPR and/or PE can also be mixed with the EVOH and/or PP phase to adjust the mechanical properties of the extrusion. In order to produce the extrusion, a molten polymer blend including bodies of the EVOH phase dispersed in the PP or MAPP phase is first prepared and then extruded through a die unit. In the die unit, a converging extensional flow is produced to lengthen the dispersed bodies of EVOH phase in a first direction while a diverging extensional flow lengthens these bodies in a second direction transversal to the first one. Such lengthening of the bodies produces in the extrusion the overlapping layers of EVOH phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (McGill University)
    Inventors: Musa R. Kamal, Gunter Lohfink, Laurent Arghyris, Sassan Hozhabr-Ghelichi