Patents by Inventor Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT
Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT 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).
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Publication number: 20240246454Abstract: Technologies and techniques for electrically charging a drive battery for a vehicle at a charging station. The vehicle may include a refrigerant compressor for cooling the drive battery using a refrigerant; and a fan for cooling the refrigerant. A method may include the steps of cooling the drive battery using the refrigerant compressor during electric charging of the drive battery; and cooling the refrigerant using the fan during electric charging of the drive battery, wherein an upper charging noise level limit is provided and the operating mode of the refrigerant compressor and the operating mode of the fan are adjusted taking into consideration said upper charging noise level limit. A computer program product may be configured for carrying out a method according to the present disclosure.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2022Publication date: July 25, 2024Inventors: Jan-Christoph Albrecht, Jochen Westhäuser
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Patent number: 12024047Abstract: A method for controlling the charging process of an electrical energy storage device, at an electric charging device, wherein the charging device has a temperature control system and the energy storage device has a temperature control system, including at least the following steps: transfer of electrical energy between the charging device and the energy storage device, transfer of thermal energy between a temperature control system of the charging device and the temperature control system of the energy storage device, and transmission of at least one first item of information from a computing unit associated with the charging device to a computing unit associated with the energy storage device, and/or transmission of at least one second item of information from a computing unit associated with the energy storage device to a computing unit associated with the charging device.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2021Date of Patent: July 2, 2024Assignee: Volkswagen AktiengesellschaftInventors: Jan-Christoph Albrecht, Jochen Westhaeuser, Frank Juergen Engler, Carsten Wachsmuth, Arne-Christian Voigt
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Patent number: 11878571Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a climate-control system (12) for a vehicle (10). According to the invention, total energy efficiencies are determined for a group of operating strategies for the air-conditioning system (12) and an operating strategy with the greatest total efficiency that fulfills the heating output requirement (44) that has been determined, is selected.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2019Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jan-Christoph Albrecht, Jochen Westhäuser, Carsten Wachsmuth
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Patent number: 11772458Abstract: In order to provide a method for de-icing a heat exchanger of a motor vehicle, which prevents large amounts of melt water from a defrosting process running onto the floor or the road beneath the motor vehicle, freeze again and pose a risk of injury to pedestrians, in a method for defrosting a heat exchanger of a motor vehicle, in which, for a heat exchanger arranged in a motor vehicle, a defrosting process for removing a layer of frozen water or frost formed on a surface of the heat exchanger is carried out, the defrosting process comprising heating the surface, and melt water being produced, it is proposed that the amount of melt water discharged onto a local region of a floor beneath the motor vehicle is limited to a maximum value.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2021Date of Patent: October 3, 2023Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jochen Westhäuser, Jan-Christoph Albrecht
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Patent number: 11728495Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a combined cooling circuit for a motor vehicle that provides a method of cooling a fuel cell of a fuel cell system.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2019Date of Patent: August 15, 2023Assignees: AUDI AG, Volkswagen AGInventors: Jan-Christoph Albrecht, Jan-Philipp Brinkmeier, Oliver Berger, Frank Jürgen Engler, Carsten Wachsmuth
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Patent number: 11440542Abstract: The invention relates to a method for setting a driving speed of a motor vehicle on a route. A control device of the motor vehicle sets the driving speed depending on an operating position limited by two extreme positions of a pedal device of the motor vehicle, which may be operated by a driver, wherein the control device detects the operating position of the pedal device, and depending on the detected operating position, determines in at least one specified driving mode a target driving speed corresponding to the respective operating position, and the control device sets the driving speed corresponding to the respective target driving speed by means of a closed loop control as long as the respective operating position is detected. The setting in this case takes place independently of a current condition of the route. The invention also includes a motor vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2018Date of Patent: September 13, 2022Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jan-Christoph Albrecht, Alexander Wess, Hendrik Schröder
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Publication number: 20220258566Abstract: In order to provide a method for initiating a defrosting process of a heat exchanger of a heat pump of a motor vehicle, which method is insensitive to external parameters influencing the air flow through the evaporator, and with which method unnecessary defrosting processes can be avoided, wherein a fan is assigned to the heat exchanger, wherein a power consumption and/or a speed of the fan is monitored, a defrosting process is initiated when the power consumption and/or the speed exceeds and/or falls below a threshold value, and the threshold value is determined as a function of a parameter, wherein the parameter is an indicator of a current relative air speed of the ambient air in relation to the motor vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2022Publication date: August 18, 2022Applicant: Volkswagen AktiengesellschaftInventors: Jochen WESTHÄUSER, Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT, Sven TWENHÖVEL
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Publication number: 20220258567Abstract: In order to provide a method for initiating a defrosting process of a heat exchanger of a heat pump of a motor vehicle, which method is insensitive to external influences and can also be used in combination with other methods, wherein the heat exchanger and a coolant heat exchanger of a cooling circuit of the motor vehicle are arranged in a common air path, a coolant outlet temperature of a coolant from the coolant heat exchanger is determined, and a state of icing of the heat exchanger is determined using the coolant outlet temperature, and initiating a defrosting process of the heat exchanger if icing of the heat exchanger is determined.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2022Publication date: August 18, 2022Applicant: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jochen WESTHÄUSER, Jan-Christoph Albrecht, Sven Twenhovel
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Publication number: 20220185065Abstract: The invention relates to a method for defrosting an external-air heat exchanger of an electric vehicle. Contrary to the conventional principle of operating systems in an electric vehicle at the lowest possible output power, according to the invention, high output power is used for the defrosting process, to reduce the defrosting time and thus reduce heat loss.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2019Publication date: June 16, 2022Applicant: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT, Jochen WESTHÄUSER, Carsten WACHSMUTH
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Publication number: 20220055453Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a climate-control system (12) for a vehicle (10). According to the invention, total energy efficiencies are determined for a group of operating strategies for the air-conditioning system (12) and an operating strategy with the greatest total efficiency that fulfills the heating output requirement (44) that has been determined, is selected.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2019Publication date: February 24, 2022Applicant: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT, Jochen WESTHÄUSER, Carsten WACHSMUTH
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Publication number: 20210379966Abstract: In order to provide a method for de-icing a heat exchanger of a motor vehicle, which prevents large amounts of melt water from a defrosting process running onto the floor or the road beneath the motor vehicle, freeze again and pose a risk of injury to pedestrians, in a method for defrosting a heat exchanger of a motor vehicle, in which, for a heat exchanger arranged in a motor vehicle, a defrosting process for removing a layer of frozen water or frost formed on a surface of the heat exchanger is carried out, the defrosting process comprising heating the surface, and melt water being produced, it is proposed that the amount of melt water discharged onto a local region of a floor beneath the motor vehicle is limited to a maximum value.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2021Publication date: December 9, 2021Applicant: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jochen WESTHÄUSER, Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT
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Publication number: 20210265853Abstract: A method for controlling the charging process of an electrical energy storage device, at an electric charging device, wherein the charging device has a temperature control system and the energy storage device has a temperature control system, including at least the following steps: transfer of electrical energy between the charging device and the energy storage device, transfer of thermal energy between a temperature control system of the charging device and the temperature control system of the energy storage device, obtaining charging progress information, and closed-loop or open-loop control of at least a first temperature of a cooling medium in the temperature control system of the charging device and/or of the energy storage device as a function of the charging progress information.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2021Publication date: August 26, 2021Applicant: Volkswagen AktiengesellschaftInventors: Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT, Jochen WESTHAEUSER, Frank Juergen ENGLER, Carsten WACHSMUTH, Arne-Christian VOIGT
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Publication number: 20210265642Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a combined cooling circuit for a motor vehicle that provides a method of cooling a fuel cell of a fuel cell system.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2019Publication date: August 26, 2021Inventors: Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT, Jan-Philipp BRINKMEIER, Oliver BERGER, Frank Jürgen ENGLER, Carsten WACHSMUTH
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Publication number: 20210265852Abstract: A method for controlling the charging process of an electrical energy storage device, at an electric charging device, wherein the charging device has a temperature control system and the energy storage device has a temperature control system, including at least the following steps: transfer of electrical energy between the charging device and the energy storage device, transfer of thermal energy between a temperature control system of the charging device and the temperature control system of the energy storage device, and transmission of at least one first item of information from a computing unit associated with the charging device to a computing unit associated with the energy storage device, and/or transmission of at least one second item of information from a computing unit associated with the energy storage device to a computing unit associated with the charging device.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2021Publication date: August 26, 2021Applicant: Volkswagen AktiengesellschaftInventors: Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT, Jochen WESTHAEUSER, Frank Juergen ENGLER, Carsten WACHSMUTH, Arne-Christian VOIGT
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Patent number: 11059387Abstract: In a method for cooling a traction battery of an electrically drivable vehicle, a refrigerant is used as cooling medium, and in a mass flow of specified magnitude is led along the traction battery through at least one channel. The at least one channel is in heat-conducting connection with the traction battery. It is proposed that an available cooling power (PV) for cooling the traction battery is determined, wherein as a function of the available cooling power (PV), the magnitude of the mass flow of the refrigerant is regulated in such a way that either no cooling power (Pactual) is delivered to the traction battery, or the delivered cooling power (Pactual) in each case assumes one of multiple cooling power stages (I, II) as a function of the available cooling power (PV).Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2019Date of Patent: July 13, 2021Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jan-Christoph Albrecht, Carsten Wachsmuth, Bastian Schaar
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Publication number: 20200369272Abstract: The invention relates to a method for setting a driving speed of a motor vehicle on a route. A control device of the motor vehicle sets the driving speed depending on an operating position limited by two extreme positions of a pedal device of the motor vehicle, which may be operated by a driver, wherein the control device detects the operating position of the pedal device, and depending on the detected operating position, determines in at least one specified driving mode a target driving speed corresponding to the respective operating position, and the control device sets the driving speed corresponding to the respective target driving speed by means of a closed loop control as long as the respective operating position is detected. The setting in this case takes place independently of a current condition of the route. The invention also includes a motor vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2018Publication date: November 26, 2020Applicant: Volkswagen AktiengesellschaftInventors: Jan-Christoph Albrecht, Alexander Wess, Hendrik Schröder
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Publication number: 20190275911Abstract: In a method for cooling a traction battery of an electrically drivable vehicle, a refrigerant is used as cooling medium, and in a mass flow of specified magnitude is led along the traction battery through at least one channel. The at least one channel is in heat-conducting connection with the traction battery. It is proposed that an available cooling power (PV) for cooling the traction battery is determined, wherein as a function of the available cooling power (PV), the magnitude of the mass flow of the refrigerant is regulated in such a way that either no cooling power (Pactual) is delivered to the traction battery, or the delivered cooling power (Pactual) in each case assumes one of multiple cooling power stages (I, II) as a function of the available cooling power (PV).Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2019Publication date: September 12, 2019Applicant: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT, Carsten WACHSMUTH, Bastian SCHAAR
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Publication number: 20160303945Abstract: The invention relates to an air-conditioning system for a motor vehicle, comprising a refrigerant circuit having at least one evaporator (16) configured as a refrigerant-air heat exchanger by means of which cooling air can be blown into an interior space of the motor vehicle by means of an air flow generating unit (12). The invention is characterized in that the evaporator (16) can be operated at a working temperature of less than 0° C.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2014Publication date: October 20, 2016Inventors: Jan-Christoph ALBRECHT, Cartsten WACHSMUTH, Nils VRIELINK, Michael DOBMANN