Patents by Inventor Horst Eckert

Horst Eckert 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: 6913328
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling brake actuation energy in electronically controlled brake systems of tractor and trailer vehicle combinations. The temperatures of the brakes of the tractor and trailer vehicle parts are determined and compared with one another and with a preset temperature limit value. If the determined temperatures differ by at least a preset value and the temperatures of the brakes of at least one vehicle part reach the temperature limit, less brake actuation energy is provided to the brakes of the vehicle part having the higher temperatures, while more brake actuation energy is provided to the brakes of the vehicle part having the lower temperatures, and coupling force control is deactivated or programmed to adjust a coupling force which is not zero but the magnitude of which depends on the temperature induced changes of the brake actuation energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: WABCO GmbH & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Horst Eckert, Arnd Gaulke
  • Publication number: 20050017577
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling brake-application energy in a tractor-trailer vehicle combination, the tractor vehicle having an electronic braking system (EBS), wherein, during braking, a set deceleration value is determined and compared with an actual deceleration value, and a current brake-application energy reference value (kappa) is determined from the comparison. To effect automatic load-dependent brake-force control for the trailer vehicle and to realize rapid adaptation of the control system to driving and load conditions, set brake-application energy values for each of the tractor and trailer vehicles are determined from the set deceleration value, from a value depending on kappa, and from brake-application energy levels for each of the tractor and trailer vehicles, using sets of performance characteristics resident in the EBS to describe the dependencies of the brake-application energy levels for the tractor and trailer vehicles on kappa and/or on the axle-load ratio of the tractor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Horst Eckert, Arnd Gaulke
  • Patent number: 6804598
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling brake actuation energy in electronically controlled brake systems (EBSs) of vehicles having front and rear axles. To prevent undesired overheating of brakes during braking, the temperatures of the brakes of the wheels of the front and rear axles are determined and compared with one another and with a preset limit value. If the limit value is reached during braking, (i) less brake actuation energy is provided to the brakes with the higher temperatures, while more brake actuation energy is provided to the brakes with the lower temperatures, (ii) the differential slip threshold for the light braking brake lining wear control range of the EBS is raised and/or (iii) the driver's set brake signal for the transition from the light braking brake lining wear control range to the heavy braking adhesion control range of the EBS is raised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: WABCO GmbH & Co oHG
    Inventors: Horst Eckert, Arnd Gaulke
  • Publication number: 20040041464
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling brake actuation energy in electronically controlled brake systems of tractor and trailer vehicle combinations. The temperatures of the brakes of the tractor and trailer vehicle parts are determined and compared with one another and with a preset temperature limit value. If the determined temperatures differ by at least a preset value and the temperatures of the brakes of at least one vehicle part reach the temperature limit, less brake actuation energy is provided to the brakes of the vehicle part having the higher temperatures, while more brake actuation energy is provided to the brakes of the vehicle part having the lower temperatures, and coupling force control is deactivated or programmed to adjust a coupling force which is not zero but the magnitude of which depends on the temperature induced changes of the brake actuation energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Publication date: March 4, 2004
    Inventors: Horst Eckert, Arnd Gaulke
  • Publication number: 20040015283
    Abstract: A system and method for overload monitoring of vehicle brakes of electronically controlled brake systems of vehicles and of vehicle combinations. The temperatures of the wheel brakes of the vehicle or vehicle train parts of the vehicle combination are determined and compared with a preset temperature limit value, and a first warning signal is output to the driver if the temperature of the wheel brakes on one axle of the vehicle or of a vehicle train part reaches the temperature limit value. A second warning signal is output to the driver if the determined temperatures of the wheel brakes on more than one axle of the vehicle or of at least one vehicle train part or all vehicle train parts of the vehicle combination reach the temperature limit value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Publication date: January 22, 2004
    Inventors: Horst Eckert, Arnd Gaulke
  • Publication number: 20030216849
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling brake actuation energy in electronically controlled brake systems (EBSs) of vehicles having front and rear axles. To prevent undesired overheating of brakes during braking, the temperatures of the brakes of the wheels of the front and rear axles are determined and compared with one another and with a preset limit value. If the limit value is reached during braking, (i) less brake actuation energy is provided to the brakes with the higher temperatures, while more brake actuation energy is provided to the brakes with the lower temperatures, (ii) the differential slip threshold for the light braking brake lining wear control range of the EBS is raised and/or (iii) the driver's set brake signal for the transition from the light braking brake lining wear control range to the heavy braking adhesion control range of the EBS is raised.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2003
    Publication date: November 20, 2003
    Inventors: Horst Eckert, Arnd Gaulke
  • Patent number: 6099085
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for braking a vehicle ensures the correct braking deceleration for every deceleration demand of the driver, without the need for a load sensor. The load condition of the vehicle is represented by a predetermined linking signal, which is stored in an electronic control system. The control system evaluates the deceleration demand of the driver with respect to the actual braking deceleration, and determines the dimensioning of braking energy as a function of the linking signal and the deceleration demand. An actual-deceleration feedback signal is monitored by the control system, in order to enable it to equalize the deceleration demand and the actual vehicle deceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: WABCO GmbH
    Inventor: Horst Eckert
  • Patent number: 5496097
    Abstract: A process and system for attaining a desired braking value is disclosed. The actual braking value is adjusted until the desired braking value is attained. Conventionally the braking hysteresis worsens the response of a brake and, thereby, worsens the quality of the regulation of a braking system with regulated braking value. Known processes reduce the brake application energy in steps if the actual braking value is too great until the braking hysteresis has been overcome and the desired braking value has been attained. Whereas, the present invention decreases the brake application energy ZS by a value (HyS+W) consisting of the braking hysteresis HyS associated with the desired braking value and a effect drop-off W. This decrease occurs in the case of excessive actual braking value BI. The process accelerates the attainment of the desired braking value BS. The preferred area of application for the invention are braking systems in the automotive industry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1996
    Assignee: WABCO Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH
    Inventor: Horst Eckert
  • Patent number: 5195771
    Abstract: The axial load of the mechanically spring-supported drive axle of a lifting axle structure aggregate is defined by a compression of a respective suspension spring and the pressure of the lifting bellows. A two-dimensional contour is disposed at a signal body which determines for each disposition of the rotary angle the position of a first end piece of a tappet, which position of the end piece of the tappet represents a value corresponding to the axial load signal to be obtained. The two-dimensional contour is employed to engage the tappet and deliver a distanace signal. The tappet is shiftable in a direction disposed parallel to its axis based on the contour curve of the cam. The tappet is also shiftable based on the spring support. The setting of the position of the a second end piece (26) of the tappet (22, 24, 26) is superposed to a setting of the position depending on the tappet length by the contour (20, 21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1993
    Inventor: Horst Eckert
  • Patent number: 5180185
    Abstract: The axial load of the mechanically spring-supported drive axle of a lifting axle structure aggregate is defined by the compression of the suspension spring and the pressure of the lifting bellows. A two-dimensional contour of a signal body is employed to engage a signal pin. The signal pin is axially shiftable based on the pressure and rotatable based on the spring support. A two-dimensional contour (20, 21) is disposed at the signal body. The shiftability of the stator (25) of the distance path sensor (24) is provided depending on the pressure of the lifting bellows (1). The pressure-dependent setting of the immersion depth is superposed to the setting of the immersion depth of the signal pin (22) by the contour (20, 21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: WABCO Westinghouse Fahrzeugbremsen GmbH
    Inventor: Horst Eckert
  • Patent number: 4888997
    Abstract: The present invention teaches a control input device particularly suited to a number of applications on a motor vehicle. The device can be activated by the foot of an operator to transmit an electrical output signal which is a function of load or displacement. Such control input device includes a leaf spring mounted such that it can be bent in response to an application of a foot force. Attached to the leaf spring is a sensor which measures the bowing of the leaf spring and transmits a corresponding electrical output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1989
    Assignee: WABCO Westinghouse Fahrzeugbremsen GmbH
    Inventors: Horst Eckert, Joachim Feldmann, Gerhard Warendorf