Patents by Inventor Helmut Kokal

Helmut Kokal 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: 11852545
    Abstract: The invention relates to a measuring device for determining force and/or torque on a torque-transmitting shaft which is supported by a bearing device, in particular a machine, the output and/or input shaft of which is formed by the torque-transmitting shaft. The measuring device has at least two, preferably three or four, piezoelectric elements and a fixing device, wherein the fixing device supports the piezoelements and is designed in such a way that a force, in particular shear force, can be measured between the bearing device and a supporting device for supporting the bearing device by means of the piezoelements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Alexander Schricker, Patrick Falk, Franz Dreisiebner, Helmut Kokal, Mario Propst
  • Publication number: 20230133592
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for adjusting a piezoelectric torque sensor of a measuring apparatus, which can be part of a test bench, for determining a torque applied to a test piece due to a force flux, wherein the measuring apparatus comprises a piezoelectric torque sensor and a second torque sensor based on a different measuring principle which is designed to continuously detect static torques, wherein the measuring apparatus is configured such that both torque sensors measure torques in the force flux, whereby a target measurement signal of the piezoelectric torque sensor is determined on the basis of a torque measurement by the second torque sensor, and whereby the detected measurement signal of the piezoelectric torque sensor is adjusted and output on the basis of the determined target measurement signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventors: Helmut KOKAL, Alexander SCHRICKER, Gregor GRIESSER
  • Patent number: 11255749
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and to a method for controlling a test stand arrangement having a specimen and having a loading machine, which is connected to the specimen by a connecting shaft. An estimated value (TE,est) for for the internal torque (TE) of the specimen is determined and, from the estimated value (TE,est), while taking into account a natural frequency (f0) and a delay, a damping signal (TDamp) is determined and fed back into the control loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventor: Helmut Kokal
  • Publication number: 20210190609
    Abstract: The invention relates to a measuring system for determining a force and/or a torque on a torque-transmitting shaft, wherein: the measuring system has at least three, in particular at least four, piezoelectric elements each having a preferred direction and each being arranged at different positions about a rotational axis of the shaft in a force flow transmitted via the shaft, said arrangement being such that a force of the force flow acts, in particular exclusively, on the piezoelectric elements; the preferred directions each lie parallel to or in a single plane which is intersected by the rotational axis; and the preferred directions of at least two, in particular at least three, of the piezoelectric elements are oriented neither parallel nor antiparallel to one other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: Alexander SCHRICKER, Franz DREISIEBNER, Helmut KOKAL, Mario PROPST, Michael HIRSCHLER
  • Publication number: 20210116316
    Abstract: The invention relates to a measuring device for determining force and/or torque on a torque-transmitting shaft which is supported by a bearing device, in particular a machine, the output and/or input shaft of which is formed by the torque-transmitting shaft. The measuring device has at least two, preferably three or four, piezoelectric elements and a fixing device, wherein the fixing device supports the piezoelements and is designed in such a way that a force, in particular shear force, can be measured between the bearing device and a supporting device for supporting the bearing device by means of the piezoelements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Alexander SCHRICKER, Patrick FALK, Franz DREISIEBNER, Helmut KOKAL, Mario PROPST
  • Publication number: 20200228034
    Abstract: A method and a device for estimating the torque ripple TTR of an electric motor connected to a load. An ideal rotational speed ?ideal of the electric motor is determined from an actuating torque Tset_UUT for the electric motor. An output torque Tshaft is measured at the load and a moment of mass inertia J of the electric motor in the controlled system of a control circuit. The ideal rotational speed ?ideal is adjusted by a controller of the control circuit on the basis of the real rotational speed ?UUT measured at the electric motor in such a way that the current torque ripple TTR is generated as a manipulated variable of the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: HELMUT KOKAL, LUIGI GIORDANO, MARIO PROPST
  • Publication number: 20190383703
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and to a method for controlling a test stand arrangement having a specimen and having a loading machine, which is connected to the specimen by a connecting shaft. An estimated value (TE,est) for for the internal torque (TE) of the specimen is determined and, from the estimated value (TE,est), while taking into account a natural frequency (f0) and a delay, a damping signal (TDamp) is determined and fed back into the control loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2017
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventor: Helmut KOKAL
  • Publication number: 20180134269
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for testing a brake system (B) of a vehicle (F), wherein simulation results are used for the adaptation of a test on a test stand (P). The object of the invention is to provide a method for improving the test of the brake system (B). In accordance with the invention, this is achieved by creating a first flow simulation model (S1) of the vehicle (F) from geometric data (G) and by creating a second flow simulation model (S2) of the test stand (P), and a first simulation result is calculated with at least one first input variable by using the first flow simulation model (S1), and a change (?) of at least one second input variable in the second simulation model (S2) is carried out until a second simulation result of the second simulation model (S2) is achieved which corresponds essentially to the first simulation result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Applicant: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Martin Monschein, Helmut Kokal, Gorka Arce Alonso
  • Patent number: 9517761
    Abstract: An electric motor (2) of a drive train (1) of a hybrid vehicle is controlled by determining the shaft torque (TW) of a current work cycle (n) of an included internal combustion engine (3) and feeding the shaft torque (TW) to a compensation controller (K) which has stored the shaft torque (TW(n?1)) of a preceding work cycle (n?1) of the internal combustion engine, and calculating a compensated shaft torque (Tkomp) from the shaft torque (TW(n)) of the current work cycle (n), the shaft torque (TW(n?1)) of a previous work cycle (n?1), and the shaft torque of a previous work cycle (n?1) shifted by a system delay, which compensated shaft torque (Tkomp) is linked to a target torque (Tsoll) predefined by a higher-level control unit (15) to determine the controlling torque (Tstell) for the electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Kokal, Luigi Del Re
  • Patent number: 9513190
    Abstract: A hydrodynamic torque generator for test benches includes at least one inlet valve and at least one outlet valve, and a control device for valve positioning, the control device including an open-loop feed-forward controller and a closed-loop feedback controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas E. Passenbrunner, Mario Sassano, Hannes Trogmann, Luigi Del Re, Helmut Kokal, Martin Schmidt, Michael Paulweber
  • Patent number: 9453781
    Abstract: To enable testing of a starter motor on a test bench with an electrical dynamometer as a replacement for a real combustion engine, a simulation unit (20) is used in which a mathematical model of the combustion engine is implemented, and the simulation unit (20) determines a new load setpoint (ns, Ts) using the mathematical model from measured actual values (?i, ni, Ti) of the operation of the electrical dynamometer (3) at every scanning time point of a regulation, which new load setpoint (ns, Ts) is fed to the regulator (21) of the electrical dynamometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Helmut Kokal, Matthias Dank, Peter Holzhammer, Ronald Prettenthaler, Martin Stockreiter
  • Publication number: 20160055278
    Abstract: So as to make the co-simulation of subsystems of an overall system (1), which are reciprocally coupled by way of coupling variables (y1, y2), real-time capable, a mathematical model (M) of the subsystems (TS1, TS2) which is valid at the current operating point of the overall system (1) is ascertained from input variables (x1, x2) and/or measured variables (w1, w2) of the subsystems (TS1, TS2) based on a method of data-based model identification and, from this model (M), the coupling variables (y1, y2) are extrapolated for a subsequent coupling time step and made available to the subsystems (TS1, TS2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Applicant: Kompetenzzentrum - Das Virtuelle Fahrzeug Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
    Inventors: JOSEF ZEHETNER, MICHAEL PAULWEBER, HELMUT KOKAL, MARTIN BENEDIKT
  • Publication number: 20150344022
    Abstract: For a control of an electric motor (2) of a drive train (1) of a hybrid vehicle, which control can be implemented and carried out in a simple manner, it is proposed to detect the shaft torque (TW) of the engine shaft (11) of the current work cycle (n) of the internal combustion engine (3) and to feed it to a compensation controller (K), to store the shaft torque (TW(n?1)) of a preceding work cycle (n?1) of the internal combustion engine (3) in the compensation controller (K), and to calculate a compensated shaft torque (Tkomp) from the shaft torque (TW(n)) of the current work cycle (n), the shaft torque (TW(n?1)) of a previous work cycle (n?1) and the shaft torque of a previous work cycle (n?1) shifted by a system delay, which compensated shaft torque (Tkomp) is linked to a target torque (Tsoll) predefined by a higher-level control unit (15) to determine the controlling torque (Tstell).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: HELMUT KOKAL, LUIGI DEL RE
  • Patent number: 9134712
    Abstract: When arrangements with a repeating working cycle such as, for example, in the case of engine test benches, are being controlled, resonances which have to be damped by the control system are often excited by the test specimen (for example an internal combustion engine) in the working range of the arrangement. The invention proposes for this purpose a control concept in which a modified actual value rist—mod is determined from a current actual value rist—akt of the control system and from a predicted imminent system-delay-free actual value on the basis of the actual value of a previous working cycle, and said modified actual value rist—mod is fed to the control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Kokal, Josef Mayrhofer, Dirk Denger, Martin Schmidt, Luigi del Re
  • Publication number: 20140366616
    Abstract: To enable testing of a starter motor on a test beach with an electrical dynamometer as a replacement for the real combustion engine, a simulation unit (20) is provided in which a mathematical model of the combustion engine is implemented, and the simulation unit (20) determines a new load setpoint (ns, Ts) using the mathematical model from measured actual values (?i, ni, Ti) of the operation of the electrical dynamometer (3) at every scanning time point of the regulation, which new load setpoint (ns, Ts) is fed to the regulator (21).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Applicant: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Helmut Kokal, Matthias Dank, Peter Holzhammer, Ronald Prettenthaler, Martin Stockreiter
  • Publication number: 20140326059
    Abstract: A hydrodynamic torque generator (3) for test benches is provided with at least one inlet valve and at least one outlet valve and with at least one control device for valve positioning coupled to these valves. By implementing a control system, which consists of an open-loop feed-forward controller and a closed-loop feedback controller, in the control device, a machine of this kind can also be used in dynamic test benches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Publication date: November 6, 2014
    Applicant: AVL LIST GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas E. Passenbrunner, Mario Sassano, Hannes Trogmann, Luigi Delre, Helmut Kokal, Martin Schmidt, Michael Paulweber
  • Patent number: 8770019
    Abstract: A test rig for dynamic test assignments on internal combustion engines is equipped with a preferably electrical drive and/or loading device which is coupled to a control device for adapting and controlling setpoint values for a speed and a torque characteristic. For a test rig of this kind, in order to enable the setpoint values determined by a speed and a torque characteristic to be optimally adapted and controlled for the respective test assignment and so that they can be reproduced on the test rig in the best possible manner, the control device can be adapted in terms of adjusting the weighting of speed control to torque control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Engelbert Grünbacher, Helmut Kokal, Martin Schmidt, Luigi Del Re, Michael Paulweber
  • Patent number: 8434352
    Abstract: A test stand arrangement includes at least one electric motor (4) connected to a test specimen for driving and/or loading the test specimen, and a control arrangement for the or each electric motor. In order to be able to create the connection of the drive train and vehicle simulation with the real, vehicle-specific combustion and dynamic behavior of the engine, at least one model for a multi-mass flywheel is implemented in the control arrangement, from which model at least a part of the control requirement for the or each electric motor is calculated and which model contains at least the two masses of the primary and secondary side of the multi-mass flywheel and a substitute model for the or each bow spring, and an algorithm is implemented in the control arrangement that analyzes the model for a multi-mass flywheel by means of an integrated time step method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Dank, Helmut Kokal, Josef Mayrhofer, Stephen Jones, Dirk Denger, Martin Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8418542
    Abstract: A test stand assembly includes an electric machine (4) for driving and/or loading a test object (1), which is connected by a connecting shaft (2) having an adapter flange (3) to the electric machine (4). The assembly has a constant, predetermined moment of inertia, and the mass and the moment of inertia of the adapter flange (3) are selected in such a manner that the resonant frequency of the system formed of test object (1), adapter flange (3), connecting flange (2), and electric machine (4) for driving and/or loading the test object (1) lies between the idle frequency and the partial load frequency of the test object (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Josef Mayrhofer, Helmut Kokal, Stefan Dragaschnig, Joachim Schmidt, Gerald Hochmann, Dirk Denger, Martin Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20120285228
    Abstract: A test rig for dynamic test assignments on internal combustion engines is equipped with a preferably electrical drive and/or loading device which is coupled to a control device for adapting and controlling setpoint values for a speed and a torque characteristic. For a test rig of this kind, in order to enable the setpoint values determined by a speed and a torque characteristic to be optimally adapted and controlled for the respective test assignment and so that they can be reproduced on the test rig in the best possible manner, the control device can be adapted in terms of adjusting the weighting of speed control to torque control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Engelbert Grünbacher, Helmut Kokal, Martin Schmidt, Luigi Del Re, Michael Paulweber