Patents by Inventor Harro Heilmann

Harro Heilmann 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).

  • Publication number: 20060071447
    Abstract: In the case of a method for hitching a trailer (2) to a motor vehicle (1), in particular a semitrailer to a semitrailer towing machine, an image sensor (5) is provided which is arranged in a hitching region (6) in such a manner that image data of the hitching region (6) are recorded. During the approach of the motor vehicle (1) to the trailer (2), stored model data of the hitching region (6) of the trailer (2) are segmented in the image data recorded by the image sensor (5) and are in each case placed in the correct position in the image data. A target zone (9) for the hitching is determined therefrom. The arrangement of the target zone (9) in the image data is used as a measurement for a steering operation of the motor vehicle (1) during hitching.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Publication date: April 6, 2006
    Inventors: Ottmar Gehring, Harro Heilmann, Frederic Holzmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20060038381
    Abstract: A system for coupling a trailer (2) to a motor vehicle (1), in particular a trailer (2) to a motor tractor (1), is provided with an image sensor (5), which is located in the coupling area. The coupling process involves connecting a trailer coupler (4) of the motor vehicle (1) and a tow bar (3) of the trailer (2), which is detected by an image sensor (5) detecting a movement of a locking element (8) associated with the trailer coupling (4). Thereupon a process of braking of the motor vehicle (1) is initiated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2005
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Inventors: Ottmar Gehring, Harro Heilmann, Frederic Holzmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Patent number: 6996462
    Abstract: In a method of controlling at least one autonomously driven vehicle, such a vehicle is driven on a restricted traffic surface. For this purpose, the autonomous vehicle has a driving device for implementing driving commands on the basis of fed signals. The driving commands relate to the driving direction as well as to the driving speed. The vehicle detects its actual position by means of a position indicating device, and transmits its position to an operations management center. In the operations management center, a route profile to be driven is determined from position signals by means of definable criteria and is transmitted to the driving device of the vehicle. Driving commands required for driving the route profile are generated in the vehicle by the driving device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Harro Heilmann, Rainer Konzmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann, Christof M. Weber
  • Publication number: 20050281436
    Abstract: Many day-to-day driving situations require that an operator of a motor vehicle guide the motor vehicle along a specific course and bring the vehicle to a stop at a specific location, for example in a parking bay or at a loading platform. To assist a vehicle operator in such situations, a method and a suitable device for implementing this method, include detecting the potential target objects in the image data of an image sensor and identifying the potential target objects as potential destinations in a multi-stage exclusionary method, whereupon a trajectory describing an optimized travel path is computed at least in relation to the most proximate destination. By using the multi-stage exclusionary method according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably identify potential destinations in complex image scenarios solely on the basis of their geometric form, even when the destinations have not been encoded by specific symbols.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Publication date: December 22, 2005
    Applicant: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Ottmar Gehring, Harro Heilmann, Frederic Holzmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20050231032
    Abstract: A control system for a vehicle having an electronically actuated drive train includes a coordination level which is assigned to a system control device, and in which setpoint values are generated from state variables (ZG) of the vehicle and from driver's requests. Actuation signals for actuating actuators are generated from the latter. An execution level, which is subordinate to the coordination level, has actuators for executing the actuation signals. An axle electronic module for activating at least one brake actuator which is assigned to the chassis is arranged in the region of the steerable vehicle axle. The axle electronic module is connected to the coordination level in order to receive transmittal setpoint values, and determines actuation signals for actuating the respective axle actuator from the setpoint values. The axle electronic module is connected to an electronically actuated steering system for transmitting the actuation signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Applicant: DaimlerChrysler
    Inventors: Gerhard Frey, Harro Heilmann, Klaus-Dieter Holloh, Eilert Martens, Christian Quinger, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20050179314
    Abstract: A braking system (1) of a trailer or semi-trailer comprises wheel braking devices for each axle, which are supplied with compressed air by electronically controllable valves (14-16), a valve (14-16) and a compressed-air reservoir (17-19) in each case being assigned to each axle (2-4). The braking pressure is individually adjustable for each axle (2-4), in which case, because of the compressed-air reservoirs (17-19), a high braking pressure can be applied to the wheel braking devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2004
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Bence Csak, Harro Heilmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20050162004
    Abstract: An axle arrangement of a trailer or semi-trailer comprises an axle modulator having an axle control unit in which one valve, respectively, is arranged for the service brake and for the air suspension. Such an integrated arrangement simplifies the construction and the mounting of the trailer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2004
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Inventors: Bence Csak, Harro Heilmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20050135909
    Abstract: A transport (1) or an associated trailer (2) with a loadable swap body (3, 4) having a support frame and support legs (5) attached to the frame and moveable between a resting position and a support position wherein that the swap body (3, 4) can be set on the ground without the transport/trailer. At least one support leg (5) is allocated an element (6, 16) for automatically moving the support leg (5) from the resting position into the support position and/or vice versa. A control device (8, 10, 11) disposed on the transport/trailer (1,2) transmits a control signal to an actuating element (17, 18, 19, 20), secured to the transport/trailer (1,2), that cooperates with the support leg (5) to move the leg into the support or resting position, and the control device (8, 10, 11) is connected to at least one further locking actuator for determining whether the swap body (3, 4) is secured to the transport during travel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2004
    Publication date: June 23, 2005
    Applicant: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Ottmar Gehring, Harro Heilmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20050114005
    Abstract: In a module for detecting the docking of a vehicle, changes of vehicle engine torque and rotational wheel speed of the vehicle are determined as a function of time. It is checked whether the change of the engine torque is >>0 and the change of the rotational wheel speed is <<0. If both of these conditions are met, docking is detected and the vehicle can be braked. The module may be implemented in the form of software.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Publication date: May 26, 2005
    Applicant: Daimler Chrysler AG
    Inventors: Ottmar Gehring, Carsten Haemmerling, Harro Heilmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20050022587
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle test stand including a device for fixing a motor vehicle on the test stand. A loading machine is adapted to be coupled to the drive train of the motor vehicle, whereby the loading machine can both drive and brake the drive train. In accordance with the invention, the loading machine is directly or indirectly connectable to a rim of a motor vehicle wheel in force-locking manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Applicant: Schenck Final Assembly Products GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Tentrup, Jan Schenk, Ottmar Gehring, Harro Heilmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Wolfgang Stahl, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20050000738
    Abstract: In a control system for a train composed of a towing vehicle and a trailer, the towing vehicle is equipped with an electronically actuatable drive train. A trailer steering angle actual value sensor determines a trailer actual steering angle of a wheel axle which steers the trailer. The driver of the vehicle can input a trailer setpoint steering angle via a trailer steering angle setpoint value sensor. A reversing device is provided which determines, from the trailer actual steering angle and the trailer setpoint steering angle, a modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle of a wheel axle which steers the towing vehicle. In the active state of the reversing device, the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle takes the place of the present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle in a modified movement vector; and when the train is moving, it changes the trailer actual steering angle into the trailer setpoint steering angle when the modified movement vector is processed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2005
    Inventors: Ottmar Gehring, Harro Heilmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann
  • Publication number: 20040199306
    Abstract: In a method of controlling at least one autonomously driven vehicle, such a vehicle is driven on a restricted traffic surface. For this purpose, the autonomous vehicle has a driving device for implementing driving commands on the basis of fed signals. The driving commands relate to the driving direction as well as to the driving speed. The vehicle detects its actual position by means of a position indicating device, and transmits its position to an operations management center. In the operations management center, a route profile to be driven is determined from position signals by means of definable criteria and is transmitted to the driving device of the vehicle. Driving commands required for driving the route profile are generated in the vehicle by the driving device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Publication date: October 7, 2004
    Inventors: Harro Heilmann, Rainer Konzmann, Andreas Schwarzhaupt, Gernot Spiegelberg, Armin Sulzmann, Christof M. Weber