Patents by Inventor Helge Westerfeld

Helge Westerfeld 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: 8328295
    Abstract: The present invention provides a motorcycle braking device which can perform a control which does not give discomforts to a rider in a front and rear wheel interlocking brake control by taking a manipulation of the rider into consideration. In the motorcycle braking device according to the present invention, in a front and rear wheel interlocking brake control, an additional target pressure associated with a brake input pressure of one of a front wheel hydraulic circuit and a rear wheel hydraulic circuit is applied to another wheel driven by the front wheel hydraulic circuit or the rear wheel hydraulic circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Bosch Corporation
    Inventor: Helge Westerfeld
  • Patent number: 8290678
    Abstract: To further improve, in a brake control method and device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle that utilizes a wheel cylinder pressure as a parameter for predicting the potential for lifting of a rear wheel, the accuracy of predicting lifting of the rear wheel. A brake control method of the present invention comprises the steps of inputting a signal of an input sensor (step 100); detecting a front wheel cylinder pressure (step 102); detecting an amount of change in the front wheel cylinder pressure (step 104); determining whether or not the front wheel cylinder pressure and the amount of change in the front wheel cylinder pressure that have been detected correspond to a brake condition where lifting of a rear wheel can occur (step 106); and, when it is determined that the front wheel cylinder pressure and the amount of change in the front wheel cylinder pressure that have been detected correspond to the brake condition, reducing a pressure amplification gradient of the front wheel cylinder pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Bosch Corporation
    Inventors: Helge Westerfeld, Takahiro Ogawa, Markus Hamm
  • Patent number: 8186769
    Abstract: To enable, with respect to a vehicle whose vehicle body is easily lifted to a relatively large extent even in a relatively early stage when rear wheel lifting is detected, more rapid and reliable securement of the safety of the vehicle body with respect to that rear wheel lifting. When lifting of a rear wheel is detected, in contrast to what has conventionally been the case, pressure reduction of brake pressure of a front wheel is immediately started (S100, S102) regardless of whether or not there is occurrence of skidding of the front wheel, a stepwise reduction of brake pressure is performed while lifting of the rear wheel is being detected, and when the integrated amount of that amount of pressure reduction reaches a predetermined value, pressure reduction is ended even in a state where rear wheel lifting is being detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignees: Bosch Corporationm, Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld, Markus Hamm
  • Patent number: 8185286
    Abstract: To reliably prevent re-lifting of a rear wheel immediately after landing of the rear wheel. When it is determined that output of a detection signal corresponding to detection of lifting of a rear wheel has ended (S102), brake pressure—and specifically a pressure increase gradient of a wheel cylinder pressure of a front wheel—is reduced, and the pressure increase gradient that has been reduced is maintained until it is determined that vehicle body deceleration has fallen below a predetermined value K1 (S108, S110), whereby re-lifting of the rear wheel caused by an increase in brake pressure at a high pressure increase gradient after landing of the rear wheel can be reliably prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Bosch Corporation
    Inventors: Shunsaku Ono, Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld, Manabu Kanno
  • Patent number: 8150590
    Abstract: A two-wheeled motor vehicle brake control method and system which immediately reduces the brake pressure of the front wheel when rear wheel lifting is detected regardless of whether or not the front wheel is skidding. The reduction in brake pressure can be an amount which corresponds to the amount of lifting. The reduction in brake pressure can be performed in a stepwise manner until lifting is no longer being detected; it can be performed in a stepwise manner with a limit on the number of steps; or it can be performed in a stepwise manner until a total pressure reduction amount is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Bosch Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld, Manabu Kanno
  • Patent number: 8070237
    Abstract: To predictively determine the occurrence of rear wheel lifting before actual lifting of a rear wheel occurs and enable control of brake force. Vehicle body deceleration is computed on the basis of wheel velocities obtained by wheel velocity sensors 45 and 46 (S102), and when it is determined that that computed value exceeds a predetermined value K1 (S104), then the pressure of a front wheel cylinder 3 is reduced by a predetermined pressure and held at that reduced pressure (S106), and when it is determined that vehicle body deceleration has fallen below a value that is, for example, lower by a predetermined value ? than the predetermined value K1 (S108), then the state of holding of the pressure of the front wheel cylinder 3 is released (S110) and brake control returns to normal brake control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignees: Bosch Corporation, Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld, Markus Hamm
  • Publication number: 20110273005
    Abstract: The present invention provides a motorcycle braking device which can perform a control which does not give discomforts to a rider in a front and rear wheel interlocking brake control by taking a manipulation of the rider into consideration. In the motorcycle braking device according to the present invention, in a front and rear wheel interlocking brake control, an additional target pressure associated with a brake input pressure of one of a front wheel hydraulic circuit and a rear wheel hydraulic circuit is applied to another wheel driven by the front wheel hydraulic circuit or the rear wheel hydraulic circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: BOSCH CORPORATION
    Inventor: Helge Westerfeld
  • Publication number: 20100231032
    Abstract: To enable, with respect to a vehicle whose vehicle body is easily lifted to a relatively large extent even in a relatively early stage when rear wheel lifting is detected, more rapid and reliable securement of the safety of the vehicle body with respect to that rear wheel lifting. When lifting of a rear wheel is detected, in contrast to what has conventionally been the case, pressure reduction of brake pressure of a front wheel is immediately started (S100, S102) regardless of whether or not there is occurrence of skidding of the front wheel, a stepwise reduction of brake pressure is performed while lifting of the rear wheel is being detected, and when the integrated amount of that amount of pressure reduction reaches a predetermined value, pressure reduction is ended even in a state where rear wheel lifting is being detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Inventors: Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld, Markus Hamm
  • Publication number: 20100225158
    Abstract: To predictively determine the occurrence of rear wheel lifting before actual lifting of a rear wheel occurs and enable control of brake force. Vehicle body deceleration is computed on the basis of wheel velocities obtained by wheel velocity sensors 45 and 46 (S102), and when it is determined that that computed value exceeds a predetermined value K1 (S104), then the pressure of a front wheel cylinder 3 is reduced by a predetermined pressure and held at that reduced pressure (S106), and when it is determined that vehicle body deceleration has fallen below a value that is, for example, lower by a predetermined value ? than the predetermined value K1 (S108), then the state of holding of the pressure of the front wheel cylinder 3 is released (S110) and brake control returns to normal brake control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Inventors: Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld, Markus Hamm
  • Publication number: 20100138122
    Abstract: To further improve, in a brake control method and device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle that utilizes a wheel cylinder pressure as a parameter for predicting the potential for lifting of a rear wheel, the accuracy of predicting lifting of the rear wheel. A brake control method of the present invention comprises the steps of inputting a signal of an input sensor (step 100); detecting a front wheel cylinder pressure (step 102); detecting an amount of change in the front wheel cylinder pressure (step 104); determining whether or not the front wheel cylinder pressure and the amount of change in the front wheel cylinder pressure that have been detected correspond to a brake condition where lifting of a rear wheel can occur (step 106); and, when it is determined that the front wheel cylinder pressure and the amount of change in the front wheel cylinder pressure that have been detected correspond to the brake condition, reducing a pressure amplification gradient of the front wheel cylinder pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Inventors: Helge Westerfeld, Takahiro Ogawa, Markus Hamm
  • Publication number: 20100023237
    Abstract: The invention aims at providing a brake control device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle which can detect a hydraulic pressure of a wheel cylinder, determine release of a brake lever, and terminate an antilock brake system (ABS). The brake control device of the invention includes a brake lever 101, a master cylinder 103 connected to the brake lever, a wheel cylinder 115 to which the pressure of the master cylinder 103 is transmitted, a wheel speed sensor that detects the speed of the wheel, a pressure sensor 127 that detects the pressure of the wheel cylinder 115, a hydraulic unit 100 that is disposed between the master cylinder 103 and the wheel cylinder 115, and an ECU that actuates, on the basis of the wheel speed that the wheel speed sensor has detected, the hydraulic unit 100 at a time when there is a tendency for the wheel to lock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Inventors: Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld
  • Publication number: 20090055066
    Abstract: To reliably prevent re-lifting of a rear wheel immediately after landing of the rear wheel. When it is determined that output of a detection signal corresponding to detection of lifting of a rear wheel has ended (S102), brake pressure—and specifically a pressure increase gradient of a wheel cylinder pressure of a front wheel—is reduced, and the pressure increase gradient that has been reduced is maintained until it is determined that vehicle body deceleration has fallen below a predetermined value K1 (S108, S110), whereby re-lifting of the rear wheel caused by an increase in brake pressure at a high pressure increase gradient after landing of the rear wheel can be reliably prevented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2006
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: Shunsaku Ono, Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld, Manabu Kanno
  • Publication number: 20090048753
    Abstract: To reliably control and prevent rear wheel lifting caused by an abrupt brake operation. An amount of change in vehicle body deceleration is computed on the basis of detection signals of wheel velocity sensors 45 and 46 (S102), it is determined whether or not that computed value exceeds a predetermined value K1 (S104), and when it is determined that the computed value exceeds the predetermined value K1, then it is determined that there is the potential for rear wheel lifting, reduction of a pressure increase gradient of wheel cylinder pressure is performed (S106) until the amount of change in vehicle body deceleration falls below the predetermined value K1, and lifting of the rear wheel is reliably controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld
  • Publication number: 20090037063
    Abstract: To enable, with respect to a vehicle where lifting of the vehicle body easily occurs to a relatively large extent even in a relatively early stage when rear wheel lifting is detected, more rapid and reliable securement of the safety of the vehicle body with respect to that rear wheel lifting. When lifting of a rear wheel is detected, in contrast to what has conventionally been the case, the brake pressure of a front wheel is immediately reduced (S102) regardless of whether or not there is occurrence of skidding of the front wheel, so lifting of the entire vehicle body is rapidly and reliably controlled and prevented particularly in a vehicle whose entire vehicle body is easily lifted even by slight rear wheel lifting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2006
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: Takahiro Ogawa, Helge Westerfeld, Manabu Kanno