Patents by Inventor Johann Märkl

Johann Märkl 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: 10288155
    Abstract: A dual clutch transmission as a speed-change transmission for motor vehicles, includes two coaxially arranged input shafts, each being activatable via a clutch, an output shaft and gearwheel sets that are mounted on the shafts and can be shifted by means of shifting clutches to allow a plurality of forward gears and a reverse gear, the gearwheel sets being subdivided into a sub-transmission having the one input shaft and a sub-transmission having the other input shaft. To achieve a wider gear-ratio spread in a structurally compact construction, a shifting unit that can be shifted between two gear ratio stages is mounted upstream of the sub-transmission having the hollow input shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Johann Märkl, Axel Heitmann, Steffen Hummel, Frank Vollmer
  • Patent number: 9714698
    Abstract: A shifting device for a dual clutch transmission as a speed-change transmission for motor vehicles, including two coaxially arranged input shafts, each being activatable via a clutch, an axially parallel output shaft and gearwheel sets that are mounted on the shafts and can be shifted by means of shifting clutches to allow a plurality of forward gears and a reverse gear, the gearwheel sets being subdivided into a sub-transmission having the one input shaft and a sub-transmission having the other input shaft. To achieve a wider gear-ratio spread in a structurally compact construction, a planetary gear train that can be shifted between two gear ratio stages is mounted upstream of the sub-transmission having the hollow input shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Johann Märkl, Axel Heitmann, Steffen Hummel, Frank Vollmer, Alexander Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9664257
    Abstract: A change-speed transmission for motor vehicles, in particular manual transmission, having a plurality of forward gears and, optionally, one reverse gear, includes at least one input shaft, an output shaft and, optionally, a layshaft, between which the idler gears, which can be shifted via synchronous clutches, and the fixed gears of the gearwheel sets are arranged. At least one of the has a two-part design and is mounted in the transmission housing with mutually different axes of rotation, an annular gear stage is functionally provided between the sub-shafts and includes a internally-toothed annular gear and an externally-toothed spur gear that meshes therewith, the sub-shaft which has the larger axial distance to the other shaft bearing gearwheels of the lower forward gears and, optionally, of the reverse gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Christian Meixner, Johann Märkl
  • Patent number: 9533562
    Abstract: A drive device for a change-speed transmission for motor vehicles, has at least one transmission input shaft, at least one axially parallel output shaft, having a plurality of gearwheel sets which are arranged on the shafts with fixed gearwheels and idler gears which can be switched via synchronizer clutches in order to form forward gears, and having at least one separating clutch. A planetary transmission which can be switched over into two transmission stages is connected upstream of the gearwheel sets of the forward gears, which planetary transmission has a driven input element, an output element which outputs to the input shaft, and a transmission element which can be braked or coupled in order to switch over the transmission stages, wherein the transmission element can be coupled to an electric machine, by means of which the transmission element can be fixed or can be driven in both rotational directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Johann Märkl, Axel Heitmann
  • Patent number: 9255633
    Abstract: In a drive arrangement for wheels of a motor vehicle which are driven by an electric machine via a differential, an electric machine which has a ring shaped rotor drives a drive element of the differential, whose output shafts output to the wheels of the motor vehicle. The ring shaped rotor of the electric machine outputs to the input element of the differential via a gear mechanism and the differential is integrated in the rotor thereby allowing for a structurally compact construction and enabling favorable transmission ratios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventor: Johann Märkl
  • Publication number: 20150300470
    Abstract: A dual clutch transmission as a speed-change transmission for motor vehicles, includes two coaxially arranged input shafts, each being activatable via a clutch, an output shaft and gearwheel sets that are mounted on the shafts and can be shifted by means of shifting clutches to allow a plurality of forward gears and a reverse gear, the gearwheel sets being subdivided into a sub-transmission having the one input shaft and a sub-transmission having the other input shaft. To achieve a wider gear-ratio spread in a structurally compact construction, a shifting unit that can be shifted between two gear ratio stages is mounted upstream of the sub-transmission having the hollow input shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: AUDI AG
    Inventors: JOHANN MÄRKL, AXEL HEITMANN, STEFFEN HUMMEL, FRANK VOLLMER
  • Publication number: 20150298536
    Abstract: A drive device for a change-speed transmission for motor vehicles, has at least one transmission input shaft, at least one axially parallel output shaft, having a plurality of gearwheel sets which are arranged on the shafts with fixed gearwheels and idler gears which can be switched via synchronizer clutches in order to form forward gears, and having at least one separating clutch. A planetary transmission which can be switched over into two transmission stages is connected upstream of the gearwheel sets of the forward gears, which planetary transmission has a driven input element, an output element which outputs to the input shaft, and a transmission element which can be braked or coupled in order to switch over the transmission stages, wherein the transmission element can be coupled to an electric machine, by means of which the transmission element can be fixed or can be driven in both rotational directions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: Audi AG
    Inventors: JOHANN MÄRKL, AXEL HEITMANN
  • Publication number: 20150285353
    Abstract: A shifting device for a dual clutch transmission as a speed-change transmission for motor vehicles, including two coaxially arranged input shafts, each being activatable via a clutch, an axially parallel output shaft and gearwheel sets that are mounted on the shafts and can be shifted by means of shifting clutches to allow a plurality of forward gears and a reverse gear, the gearwheel sets being subdivided into a sub-transmission having the one input shaft and a sub-transmission having the other input shaft. To achieve a wider gear-ratio spread in a structurally compact construction, a planetary gear train that can be shifted between two gear ratio stages is mounted upstream of the sub-transmission having the hollow input shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Johann Märkl, Axel Heitmann, Steffen Hummel, Frank Vollmer, Alexander Schmidt
  • Publication number: 20150252876
    Abstract: A change-speed transmission for motor vehicles, in particular manual transmission, having a plurality of forward gears and, optionally, one reverse gear, includes at least one input shaft, an output shaft and, optionally, a layshaft, between which the idler gears, which can be shifted via synchronous clutches, and the fixed gears of the gearwheel sets are arranged. At least one of the has a two-part design and is mounted in the transmission housing with mutually different axes of rotation, an annular gear stage is functionally provided between the sub-shafts and includes a internally-toothed annular gear and an externally-toothed spur gear that meshes therewith, the sub-shaft which has the larger axial distance to the other shaft bearing gearwheels of the lower forward gears and, optionally, of the reverse gear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Publication date: September 10, 2015
    Applicant: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Christian Meixner, Johann Märkl
  • Patent number: 9011285
    Abstract: In a drive arrangement for wheels of a motor vehicle which are driven by means of an electric machine via a differential, the electric machine includes a rotor and a stator and drives a drive element of the differential whose output shafts output to the wheels of the motor vehicle. In order to achieve a structurally compact construction which enables favorable transmission ratios the rotor outputs to the drive element of the differential and that by interposing a gear mechanism, the drive element and/or the output shafts are supported offset to the rotation axis of the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Johann Märkl
  • Patent number: 8746096
    Abstract: A drive arrangement for a motor vehicle includes two driven axles, wherein at least one of the axles can be connected and disconnected, with a variable speed transmission having at least one input shaft, two driven shafts, each driven shaft driving a respective axle, and several forward gears and optionally one reverse gear which can be switched via gear wheels and synchronous couplings. The drive arrangement can be easily switched between different drive modes by dividing the variable speed transmission into two sub-transmissions, of which one sub-transmission drives exclusively a first axle via a portion of the forward gears and the one driven shaft and the second sub-transmission drives both driven shafts via the remaining portion of the forward gears and optionally the reverse gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Johann Märkl
  • Patent number: 8727093
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for suppressing transmission noise from automatic transmissions, in particular for motor vehicles, the transmission having at least two alternating multi-disk clutches that control a power flow via a gearing mechanism through which oil flows to cool the clutches and to reduce wear and tear on them. To create a method and a device that are of simple design and that can operate without wear and tear, it is proposed that under defined operating conditions of the transmission, the throughput amount of oil is increased in such a way that a defined drag torque occurs at the multi-disk clutch that is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Johann Maerkl, Alexander Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8631719
    Abstract: An arrangement of position transmitters on a selector rod for automatic speed change transmissions in motor vehicles, which interact with housing-mounted position sensors of an electrical speed detection circuit, at least one selector rod on its end regions being movably supported in cross walls of the housing of the transmissions and being actuated by means of a preferably electrohydraulically controlled speed selection unit where the selector rod projects through a through an opening in a cross wall of the transmission, which wall separates the oil compartment into the gear chamber which holds at least the speed selection unit and the position sensors, and the position transmitters are attached directly to the selector rod such that the selector rod with the position transmitters can be mounted through the through the opening as a mounting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Christian Meixner, Mario Schenker, Johann Märkl
  • Patent number: 8627736
    Abstract: A variable speed transmission for motor vehicles includes multiple drive gears which are switchable by means of at least one gear changing device, in particular by means of synchronous shifting clutches, in particular multiple forward gears and a reverse gear. The variable speed transmission is subdivided or divided into at least two part-transmissions each with multiple gears, by at least one shifting device in particular least one shifting clutch in such a manner that at least one of the part-transmissions is engaged and at least one of the part-transmissions is disengaged as a function of one of the drive gears as selected by the gear changing device and/or as a function of defined shifting states of the shifting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Johann Maerkl
  • Patent number: 8464600
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for shifting changes in the transmission ratio of a vehicle transmission. The device comprises at least one axially movable and/or rotabale shifting element and an electrical position identification of the shifting element. At least one magnet which generates position signals in combination with a stationary sensor is disposed on the shifting element. In order to create a device that is advantageous regarding production and design, the magnet is formed directly by a magnetic area on the shifting element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Johann Maerkl
  • Publication number: 20130123057
    Abstract: In a drive arrangement for wheels of a motor vehicle which are driven by means of an electric machine via a differential, the electric machine includes a rotor and a stator and drives a drive element of the differential whose output shafts output to the wheels of the motor vehicle. In order to achieve a structurally compact construction which enables favorable transmission ratios the rotor outputs to the drive element of the differential and that by interposing a gear mechanism, the drive element and/or the output shafts are supported offset to the rotation axis of the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: Audi AG
    Inventor: Johann MÄRKL
  • Publication number: 20130123058
    Abstract: In a drive arrangement for wheels of a motor vehicle which are driven by an electric machine via a differential, an electric machine which has a ring shaped rotor drives a drive element of the differential, whose output shafts output to the wheels of the motor vehicle. The ring shaped rotor of the electric machine outputs to the input element of the differential via a gear mechanism and the differential is integrated in the rotor thereby allowing for a structurally compact construction and enabling favorable transmission ratios.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2012
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: Audi AG
    Inventor: Johann Märkl
  • Patent number: 8419577
    Abstract: The invention relates to a propulsion system for all-wheel drive motor vehicles, having a device for propulsion distribution to the front and the rear differential which transmit the drive output to the wheels assigned at the time, and with a device for coupled, variable distribution of the propulsion forces in the transverse and longitudinal directions of the vehicle depending on the operating situation of the vehicle for influencing the driving behavior, especially for improving the driving agility and driving stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Tim Christopher Meissner, Johann Fuchs, Ralf Schwarz, Johann Maerkl, Christian Meixner
  • Patent number: 8292773
    Abstract: A power train for a vehicle comprising an engine with an output shaft; a transmission disposed on a centerline having a drive input disposed laterally on a first side of the centerline and a drive output disposed laterally on a second side of the centerline opposite of such first side; a first differential having an input shaft aligned with and connected to the drive output of the transmission, a first output shaft projecting through an opening in the transmission and a second output shaft; a first transversely disposed axle having a second differential; a second transversely disposed axle having a third differential; a first drive train interconnecting the engine output shaft and the transmission drive input; a second drive train interconnecting the first output shaft of the first differential and the second differential; and a third drive train interconnecting the second output shaft of the first differential and the third differential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Audi, AG
    Inventors: Torsten Scheffel, Christian Meixner, Johann Märkl
  • Publication number: 20120240699
    Abstract: A drive arrangement for a motor vehicle includes two driven axles, wherein at least one of the axles can be connected and disconnected, with a variable speed transmission having at least one input shaft, two driven shafts, each driven shaft driving a respective axle, and several forward gears and optionally one reverse gear which can be switched via gear wheels and synchronous couplings. The drive arrangement can be easily switched between different drive modes by dividing the variable speed transmission into two sub-transmissions, of which one sub-transmission drives exclusively a first axle via a portion of the forward gears and the one driven shaft and the second sub-transmission drives both driven shafts via the remaining portion of the forward gears and optionally the reverse gear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: Audi AG
    Inventor: Johann Märkl