Patents by Inventor Jan Schmäling

Jan Schmäling 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: 20240116468
    Abstract: A component assembly for power electronics, having at least one power module, at least one separate connection module, a separate control circuit carrier, and a housing. The at least one power module, the at least one connection module, and the separate control circuit carrier are arranged in a specified manner in the housing. The at least one power module is connected via first electrical signal lines to the at least one connection module and the at least one connection module is connected to the control circuit carrier via second electrical signal lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2023
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Applicant: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Samy ARNAOUT, Jan SCHMAELING, Oliver RANG
  • Patent number: 11712993
    Abstract: A method for monitoring, from a traction vehicle, a lighting system of a trailer with first lights having at least one brake light, at least one right tail light, at least one left tail light, at least one rear fog light and/or at least one reversing light, wherein the first lights are supplied with electricity from the traction vehicle via electric circuits, and wherein during the monitoring of the lighting system of the trailer, each of the first lights is periodically checked with a first waiting time, the check determining whether the electric circuit having the first light to be checked is closed or not, wherein the first waiting time between two checks of one of the first lights is extended incrementally starting from an initial value for each individual first light if the electric circuit through this first light is not interrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Felix Caesar, Matthias Deichsel, Jan Schmaeling
  • Publication number: 20230132671
    Abstract: A method, by a control device, to activate an active discharge circuit to discharge a capacitive energy storage of at least one electrical consumer of an on-board power supply for a motor vehicle. An energy source for the on-board power supply can be coupled to the on-board power supply and be disconnected from the on-board power supply by a switching device. The control device receives a signal (S) for activating the active discharge circuit, examines, after receiving the signal (S), if the energy source is disconnected from the on-board power supply according to at least one first criterion, and activates the active discharge circuit only upon satisfaction of a condition that the energy source has been disconnected from the on-board power supply according to the at least one first criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicants: AUDI AG, VOLKSWAGEN AG
    Inventors: Tobias GRASSL, Jan SCHMÄLING, Samy ARNAOUT, Marko KERTES, Markus NOVOTNY, Tobias KNOKE
  • Publication number: 20230095450
    Abstract: A control unit has an input with a positive and negative connectors. The control unit also includes an output and with an electronic switch. The switch has a first connector, a second connector and a control connector, and has an on-state resistance between its first and second connector that depends on a control voltage at the control connector of the switch. The first connector is connected to the connector for the positive potential of the input, the second connector is connected to the connector for the positive potential of the output, and the control connector is connected to a trigger circuit. A second controllable switch is also included with a first connector connected to the second connector of the first switch, a second connector connected to the control connector of the first switch, and a control connector connected to the connector for the negative potential of the input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Inventors: Jan Frederik Buthke, Jan Schmaeling, Martin Strauch
  • Publication number: 20220271699
    Abstract: A method for driving electric motors using a pulse-width-modulated signal, wherein the pulse-width-modulated signal is a square-wave pulse consisting of successive pulses whose impulse duration is adjustable, as a result of which it is possible to change a duty cycle, which is the ratio of the impulse duration and the period of the square-wave pulse, wherein the reciprocal of the period of the square-wave pulse is the PWM frequency at which the impulses follow one another, wherein, during operation of the electric motor, the PWM frequency within a frequency band, without the duty cycle changing, is changed repeatedly and in accordance with a predefined scheme or randomly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Applicant: Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Manfred FUISTING, Jan SCHMAELING
  • Patent number: 11254260
    Abstract: A method for trailer lighting recognition by a control unit for trailer lighting control of a towing vehicle, in particular for trailer lighting recognition during or after the coupling of the trailer to the towing vehicle, wherein the control unit has, for each light of the trailer lighting system, a voltage supply connection that is connected by an actuator to a voltage supply of the towing vehicle in order to switch on the light of the trailer associated with the voltage supply connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Matthias Deichsel, Jan Schmaeling, Felix Caesar
  • Publication number: 20210268852
    Abstract: A system for determining a support load that rests on a towing hitch having a motor for moving a hook of the towing hitch includes: a first electronic device mountable in or on the towing hitch, and a second electronic device mountable in a towing vehicle and connectable to a network of the towing vehicle. The first electronic device includes an input for receiving an electrical value of the motor from a motor sensor that measures the electrical value of the motor, and a unit for determining the support load as a function of the measured electrical value. The first and second electronic devices have an interface for a communication therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Jan SCHMÄLING, Erwin BOELEN, Ruud HARTVELD
  • Publication number: 20210129746
    Abstract: A method for trailer lighting recognition by a control unit for trailer lighting control of a towing vehicle, in particular for trailer lighting recognition during or after the coupling of the trailer to the towing vehicle, wherein the control unit has, for each light of the trailer lighting system, a voltage supply connection that is connected by an actuator to a voltage supply of the towing vehicle in order to switch on the light of the trailer associated with the voltage supply connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Applicant: HELLA GMBH & CO. KGAA
    Inventors: Matthias DEICHSEL, Jan SCHMAELING, Felix CAESAR
  • Publication number: 20210061172
    Abstract: A method for monitoring, from a traction vehicle, a lighting system of a trailer with first lights having at least one brake light, at least one right tail light, at least one left tail light, at least one rear fog light and/or at least one reversing light, wherein the first lights are supplied with electricity from the traction vehicle via electric circuits, and wherein during the monitoring of the lighting system of the trailer, each of the first lights is periodically checked with a first waiting time, the check determining whether the electric circuit having the first light to be checked is closed or not, wherein the first waiting time between two checks of one of the first lights is extended incrementally starting from an initial value for each individual first light if the electric circuit through this first light is not interrupted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: HELLA GMBH & CO. KGAA
    Inventors: Felix CAESAR, Matthias DEICHSEL, Jan SCHMAELING
  • Patent number: 9817049
    Abstract: A device for the monitoring of a trailer connection box of a vehicle to which the electrical system of a trailer can be connected. The device may include a circuit having a first connection (VBB) for the connection with a positive potential of a voltage of an electric system of the vehicle. The device may include second connections (Brkl, POSLL, POS LR, TurnSL, TurnSR, RevL, FogL) for the connection with contacts of the trailer connection box. The device may include a current and/or voltage sensor (SI), with first controllable switches (S11, . . . , S17), being connected in series to one of the second connections (Brkl, POSLL, POS LR, TurnSL, TurnSR, RevL, FogL) each. In a closed state of the first switch (S11, . . . , S17) is connected in series to the second connection (Brkl, POSLL, POS LR, TurnSL, TurnSR, RevL, FogL), each of the second connections (Brkl, POSLL, POS LR, TurnSL, TurnSR, RevL, FogL) is connected via this first switch (S11, . . . , S17) with a first node (K).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Co.
    Inventors: Juri Dome, Jan Schmäling