Patents by Inventor Joachim Heidel

Joachim Heidel 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: 10471982
    Abstract: A steering column for a motor vehicle may include a steering spindle and a cover. The steering spindle may include an input shaft configured to rotate with a steering wheel, an output shaft rotatably mounted in a steering gear housing, and a swivel joint arranged between the shaft and the output shaft. A portion of the steering spindle within a footwell of the vehicle may be covered by the cover. The cover may include a fastening device and an opening on a side facing away from the footwell. The opening of the cover may extend across a portion of the output shaft, the swivel joint, and a portion of the input shaft. The cover may be fastened to a portion of the steering gear housing by the fastening device so the cover does not rotate with the steering spindle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Kristian Tebbe, Dirk Sickert, Joachim Heidel, Jens Hohmann
  • Publication number: 20180292044
    Abstract: A protective cover for a steering shaft of a motor vehicle running through a footwell of the motor vehicle comprises a protective shell covering the steering shaft towards the footwell and being open at a back side facing away from the footwell, and securing elements for supporting the protective shell at a main body of a pedal unit located in front of the footwell in a rotatably fixed way. In circumferential direction around the steering shaft, the protective cover at its two back ends is configured for abutting against the main body or another motor vehicle part delimiting the footwell towards the front of the motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Joachim Heidel, Kristian Tebbe, Dave Wiechmann
  • Patent number: 9919728
    Abstract: A shaft comprises two parts. One of these two parts is tube-shaped, and the other is pushed into the tube-shaped part along a main axis. The two parts are fixed to each other for rotation about the main axis and connected to each other in a gliding way along the main axis, by a spline provided between the two parts. One of the two parts comprises a plurality of elongated teeth which are parallel to the main axis and whose cross-sections decrease from the first part towards the second part. Intermediate spaces between neighboring teeth are at least as broad as the teeth. The other of the two parts, at its circumference facing the first part, is made of plastically deformable plastic material, and a counter-profile into which the teeth engage is pressed in the plastic material by intrusion of the teeth during assembly of the two parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: FORD-WERKE GMBH
    Inventors: Markus Braun, Joachim Heidel
  • Publication number: 20170267274
    Abstract: A steering column for a motor vehicle may include a steering spindle and a cover. The steering spindle may include an input shaft configured to rotate with a steering wheel, an output shaft rotatably mounted in a steering gear housing, and a swivel joint arranged between the shaft and the output shaft. A portion of the steering spindle within a footwell of the vehicle may be covered by the cover. The cover may include a fastening device and an opening on a side facing away from the footwell. The opening of the cover may extend across a portion of the output shaft, the swivel joint, and a portion of the input shaft. The cover may be fastened to a portion of the steering gear housing by the fastening device so the cover does not rotate with the steering spindle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Kristian TEBBE, Dirk SICKERT, Joachim HEIDEL, Jens HOHMANN
  • Patent number: 9676407
    Abstract: A steering column for a motor vehicle may include a steering spindle and a cover. The steering spindle may include an input shaft configured to rotate with a steering wheel, an output shaft rotatably mounted in a steering gear housing, and a swivel joint arranged between the shaft and the output shaft. A portion of the steering spindle within a footwell of the vehicle may be covered by the cover. The cover may include a fastening device and an opening on a side facing away from the footwell. The opening of the cover may extend across a portion of the output shaft, the swivel joint, and a portion of the input shaft. The cover may be fastened to the steering gear housing by the fastening device so the cover does not rotate with the steering spindle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Kristian Tebbe, Dirk Sickert, Joachim Heidel, Jens Hohmann
  • Publication number: 20160207559
    Abstract: A shaft comprises two parts. One of these two parts is tube-shaped, and the other is pushed into the tube-shaped part along a main axis. The two parts are fixed to each other for rotation about the main axis and connected to each other in a gliding way along the main axis, by a spline provided between the two parts. One of the two parts comprises a plurality of elongated teeth which are parallel to the main axis and whose cross-sections decrease from the first part towards the second part. Intermediate spaces between neighboring teeth are at least as broad as the teeth. The other of the two parts, at its circumference facing the first part, is made of plastically deformable plastic material, and a counter-profile into which the teeth engage is pressed in the plastic material by intrusion of the teeth during assembly of the two parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Markus Braun, Joachim Heidel
  • Publication number: 20150151777
    Abstract: A steering column for a motor vehicle may include a steering spindle and a cover. The steering spindle may include an input shaft configured to rotate with a steering wheel, an output shaft rotatably mounted in a steering gear housing, and a swivel joint arranged between the shaft and the output shaft. A portion of the steering spindle within a footwell of the vehicle may be covered by the cover. The cover may include a fastening device and an opening on a side facing away from the footwell. The opening of the cover may extend across a portion of the output shaft, the swivel joint, and a portion of the input shaft. The cover may be fastened to the steering gear housing by the fastening device so the cover does not rotate with the steering spindle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Kristian TEBBE, Dirk SICKERT, Joachim HEIDEL, Jens HOHMANN
  • Patent number: 7918484
    Abstract: A seal system (9) for sealing an opening (4) which leads into an interior space of a motor vehicle that receives a steering housing (8). The seal system (9) has at least one guide channel (14) that opens into a receiving region (17) for receiving at least one lug (10) which is arranged on the steering housing (8), with the result that the seal system (9) can be connected in a frictionally locking manner to the steering housing (8) through a locking element (24) in the receiving region (17).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies
    Inventors: Markus Braun, Joachim Heidel, Birger Assmann, Dirk Sickert
  • Publication number: 20090001673
    Abstract: A seal system (9) for sealing an opening (4) which leads into an interior space of a motor vehicle that receives a steering housing (8). The seal system (9) has at least one guide channel (14) that opens into a receiving region (17) for receiving at least one lug (10) which is arranged on the steering housing (8), with the result that the seal system (9) can be connected in a frictionally locking manner to the steering housing (8) through a locking element (24) in the receiving region (17).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: Markus Braun, Joachim Heidel, Birger Assmann, Dirk Sickert
  • Publication number: 20060186164
    Abstract: An apparatus for guiding, conveying or treating a fiber cable 7, comprising several driven rollers 2, 3, 4.1, 4.2, the fiber cable being guided along the circumference of the rollers so as to partly wrap therearound. The rollers include a roller 2 for feeding the fiber cable and a roller 3 for discharging the fiber cable. The remaining rollers 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 are disposed relative to the feeding roller and the discharging roller in such a way that the fiber cable can be guided on the rollers at a respective angle of contact of >180°. In order to involve all rollers to the same extent, the feeding roller and the inlet of the fiber cable, as well as the discharging roller and the outlet of the fiber cable, are arranged relative to each other such that the fiber cable can be guided along the circumference of the feeding roller and along the circumference of the discharging roller so as to partly wrap therearound at a respective angle of contact of >180°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventors: Hans-Joachim Heidel, Arnd Grimm
  • Patent number: 6132308
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for making a forced ventilation apparatus (1) for equalizing a pressure difference between a passenger compartment and surroundings of a motor vehicle. The apparatus (1) includes a frame (2) made of hard plastics and delimiting an aperture (3), and a flat ventilation flap (7) made of an elastomer material and secured to the frame (2). A resilient restoring force counteracts opening movement of the ventilation flap (7) from a closed position in which the ventilation flap (7) rests on the frame (2) and closes the aperture (3) in the frame. The method comprises the step of injection-molding the ventilation flap (7) to the frame (2) in an opened position. To this end, the elastomer material is pressed from a free end of the ventilation flap (7) into a common contact area (8) of the ventilation flap (7) with the frame (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2000
    Assignee: Wegu-und Kunststoffwerke GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Michael Dietz, Thorsten Hildebrand, Joachim Heidel
  • Patent number: 4762287
    Abstract: A cable-laying device for synthetic fibrous cable, which places a spinning cable into individual containers spaced from each other includes a roof-shaped supporting organ which overlaps the space between two adjacent container and includes two cable-supporting plates which are pivotable relative to each other between a closed inoperative position and an open operative position. Clamping yokes for clamping the cable are positioned on the supporting plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1988
    Assignee: Neumunstersche Maschinen-Und Apparatebau GmbH
    Inventors: Werner Kruger-Hoiss, Hans-Joachim Heidel, Heinrich Troue