Patents by Inventor Manfred Ruffer

Manfred Ruffer 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: 8714941
    Abstract: Disclosed is a motor-pump assembly (1) for a brake actuating device of a motor vehicle brake system with a pneumatic brake booster. An electric motor (3) drives a double diaphragm pump (2) with two working diaphragms (4) which are located opposite one another. Air expelled from the working spaces (7) is directed into an interior space (22) surrounding a crank drive (8) of the pump housing (5). An air outlet unit (23, 53) has a filter housing (32, 54), a filter (33, 59), an air outlet cover (34, 56), a valve holding element (38, 70) and a valve body (31). A partition wall (37, 55) deflects the air emerging from the interior space (22) in the air outlet unit (23, 53 between the filter housing (32, 54) and the air outlet cover (34, 56), with an integrally molded valve holding element (38, 70).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG
    Inventors: Manfred Rüffer, Jens Bacher, Heinrich Kreh, Lazar Milisic, Karlheinz Seitz, Harald König, Michael Kollers, Jose Gonzalez, Michael Jürging, Marcel Niepenberg, Stephan Krebs
  • Publication number: 20140119961
    Abstract: A motor-pump assembly for providing pressure for a motor vehicle brake system actuation device with a pneumatic brake booster, including a pump and an electric motor driving the pump. The pump is a double diaphragm pump with two opposing working diaphragms each clamped between a pump housing and a working chamber cover to delimit a working chamber and which are movable by a crank drive having an eccentric and connecting rods. The connecting rods each have a connecting rod shank and a connecting rod eye and are mounted movably on the eccentrics by roller bearings. To provide a motor-pump assembly which meets requirements relating to acoustic comfort, a resilient decoupling is provided between each connecting rod eye and the roller bearing, which damps transmission of vibrations to the roller bearing in the connecting rod shank which occur on a force direction change on the rotation of the crank drive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG
    Inventors: Harald König, Stefan Steiner, Manfred Rüffer, Marcel Niepenberg, Jose Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 8702180
    Abstract: A motor and pump assembly for providing pressure to a brake actuating device of a motor vehicle brake system is described herein. The assembly comprises an electric motor and a double diaphragm pump. The pump includes a pump housing, two opposed working diaphragms, and crank drives each being coupled between the electric motor and a respective diaphragm for moving the diaphragm. A working chamber is defined between the pump housing and a working chamber cover. Each working chamber including an inlet channel, an inlet valve associated with the inlet channel, an outlet channel, and an outlet valve associated with the outlet channel, wherein the outlet channels are defined in the covers of the working chamber and in the pump housing to direct air displaced from the working chambers into an inside space of the pump housing. An air outlet unit is provided for exhausting the air from the inside space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Manfred Rüffer, Wolfgang Ritter, Karlheinz Seitz, Stefan Drumm, Jose Gonzalez, Michael Jürging, Daniela Gude, Oliver Volkering, Jürgen Schonlau
  • Patent number: 8585372
    Abstract: A motor/pump assembly for a motor vehicle brake system including a pump and a motor driving the pump, the pump having opposite working diaphragms which are, in each case, mounted between a pump casing and a cover and thereby delimit a space and which can be moved by a crank drive, the space being assigned, in each case, an inlet duct with an inlet valve and an outlet duct with an outlet valve. The outlet ducts are arranged in the covers and in the pump casing such that air displaced out of the spaces is conducted into an inner space surrounding the crank drive of the pump casing and that an air outlet unit be provided, which allows a low-noise blow-out of the air from the inner space as a result of the deflection of the air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Jens Bacher, Lazar Milisic, Wolfgang Ritter, Karlheinz Seitz, Manfred Rüffer, Jose Gonzalez, Thomas Stahl, Michael Jürging, Yuejun Qian
  • Publication number: 20130247557
    Abstract: A device for monitoring the position and movement of a brake pedal for motor vehicles, including a power assist brake actuating unit. The brake actuating unit having a master cylinder fastened to the brake power assist unit, a housing and at least one piston displaceable in a linear manner in the master cylinder, and a position indicator for monitoring the position of the brake pedal. The position indicator transmits signals to a sensor element connected to an electronic control unit. The position indicator is provided on a support coupled to the movement of the control valve housing or to the movable wall that is supported by the control valve housing. The support is guided in a housing of a sensor element, and the housing of the sensor element penetrates in a vacuum-tight manner the power assist unit housing and the housing of the master cylinder having a first housing section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG
    Inventors: Harald König, Manfred Rüffer
  • Patent number: 8500222
    Abstract: In order to increase the operational safety of a device which is used in a brake system of the “brake-by-wire” type and has the purpose of activating and deactivating a pedal travel simulator, an articulated connection which permits an all around pivoting movement of a piston rod is provided between a piston and the piston rod which activates the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Jürgen Schonlau, Manfred Rüffer, Holger von Hayn, Thomas Sellinger, Lazar Milisic
  • Patent number: 8479608
    Abstract: A brake booster for a motor vehicle brake system of the brake-by-wire type, which can be activated both by means of a brake pedal and as a function of a driver's request, as well as independently of the driver's wish by means of an electronic control unit, wherein the coupling of the brake pedal, or of a force transmitting part which is permanently connected to the brake pedal, to an input member of the brake booster is embodied in such a way that the brake pedal or the force transmitting part can carry out a limited relative movement with respect to the input member. In order to minimize the friction which occurs between the force transmitting part and the input member when the brake booster is activated, the force transmitting part, and/or the input member of the brake booster are/is provided in the region of the relative movement of the two parts with respect to one another with means which reduce friction which occurs during the relative movement of the parts with respect to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Jürgen Schonlau, Manfred Rüffer, Holger von Hayn, Thomas Sellinger, Lazar Milisic
  • Publication number: 20130113271
    Abstract: Disclosed is a brake actuating unit for actuating a motor vehicle brake system of the ‘brake-by-wire’ type. The system includes a brake booster which is operable in response to the driver's wish both by a brake pedal and by an electronic control unit. A device is provided to decouple a force-transmitting connection between the brake pedal and the brake booster in the ‘brake-by-wire’ operating mode. A master brake cylinder connected downstream of the brake booster, a device to detect a deceleration request of the driver, and a pedal travel simulator which interacts with the brake pedal and due to which a resetting force acting on the brake pedal can be simulated in the ‘brake-by-wire’ operating mode independently of an actuation of the brake booster, and which can be enabled in the ‘brake-by-wire’ operating mode when the force-transmitting connection between the brake pedal and the brake booster is decoupled and can be disabled outside the ‘brake-by-wire’ operating mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Inventors: Holger von Hayn, Jürgen Schonlau, Manfred Rüffer, Wolfgang Ritter, Holger Kranlich, Jose Gonzalez, Thomas Sellinger, Milan Klimes, Torsten Queisser, Michael Haber
  • Patent number: 8392085
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes an electrohydraulic brake system with driving dynamics control, a master brake cylinder (1), wheel brakes (75-78), and at least one pressure fluid supply device (94, 95) actuated by an electronic control unit. The pressure can be applied to the wheel brakes (75, 76, 77, 78) of the vehicle which are also connectable to the master brake cylinder (1) by way of a closable hydraulic connection (73, 74). A device for detecting a brake application includes a magnet (35) as a signal transmitter and a sensor element (36). The sensor element (36), upon piston movement of the master cylinder (1), senses a change in the magnetic field and outputs a digital signal and an analog signal. The two signals are passed on to an electronic control unit and are evaluated in the electronic control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Jürgen Schonlau, Manfred Rüffer, Dieter Merkel, Oliver Kugland, Torsten Queisser, Thomas Voigtmann
  • Patent number: 8376475
    Abstract: A device for supplying pressure to an actuation unit of a vehicle brake system, in particular to a vehicle brake system of the ‘brake-by-wire’ type, including a pneumatic motor-and-pump assembly with a pump and a motor driving the pump, wherein the motor-and-pump assembly is controlled by an electronic control unit depending on a pressure level or pressure difference in a pneumatic brake booster of the actuation unit, with the pressure level in a chamber or a difference in pressure between two chambers of the brake booster being detected by a sensor. In order to maintain the availability of the service brake function as high as possible and to obtain a maximum possible redundancy, the control unit, used to control the motor-and-pump assembly includes a logic module and a power module, which are arranged separately of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & oHG
    Inventors: Manfred Rüffer, Georg Fachinger, Holger Wahl, Albrich von Albrichsfeld, Uwe Karl
  • Publication number: 20120269664
    Abstract: A motor-pump unit, for providing pressure for a brake actuating device having a pneumatic brake booster including a pump and an electric motor driving the pump, the pump being a dual diaphragm pump having two opposed working diaphragms, each of which is clamped between a pump casing and a working chamber cover and delimits a working chamber, and moveable by a crank drive having connecting rods and bearings, the working diaphragm connected firmly to a tappet and, together with the connecting rod, in each case forming a diaphragm unit. In order to provide a low-noise motor-pump unit which is more cost-effective and requires reduced expenditure on assembly, the connecting rods are made of plastic, wherein in each case one tappet and one bearing are encapsulated with the material of the connecting rod. Alternatively, the connecting rods can be formed in one piece with the tappet and provided as sintered components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG
    Inventors: Manfred Rüffer, Jens Bacher, Heinrich Kreh, Lazar Milisic, Michael Jürging, Marcel Niepenberg, Jose Gonzalez, Harald König
  • Patent number: 8231182
    Abstract: A method for creating low pressure in a brake activation device of a motor vehicle brake system, comprising a pneumatic brake force booster the interior of which is divided into at least one low-pressure chamber and one working chamber, a brake master cylinder and a pneumatic motor pump unit for creating the low pressure in the low-pressure chamber, which motor pump unit comprises a low-pressure pump and a motor driving the low-pressure pump, a low-pressure level in the low-pressure chamber or a pressure difference between the low-pressure chamber and the working chamber being detected by a sensor and the motor pump unit being activated by an electronic control unit if the pressure falls below a first predefined, lower low-pressure level Pe in the low-pressure chamber and being deactivated if a second predetermined, upper low-pressure level Pa is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Jürgen Schonlau, Manfred Rüffer, Horst Krämer, Michael Jürging
  • Publication number: 20110277464
    Abstract: Disclosed is a motor-pump assembly (1) for a brake actuating device of a motor vehicle brake system with a pneumatic brake booster. An electric motor (3) drives a double diaphragm pump (2) with two working diaphragms (4) which are located opposite one another. Air expelled from the working spaces (7) is directed into an interior space (22) surrounding a crank drive (8) of the pump housing (5). An air outlet unit (23, 53) has a filter housing (32, 54), a filter (33, 59), an air outlet cover (34, 56), a valve holding element (38, 70) and a valve body (31). A partition wall (37, 55) deflects the air emerging from the interior space (22) in the air outlet unit (23, 53 between the filter housing (32, 54) and the air outlet cover (34, 56), with an integrally molded valve holding element (38, 70).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: ONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG
    Inventors: Manfred Rüffer, Jens Bacher, Heinrich Kreh, Lazar Milisic, Karlheinz Seitz, Harald König, Michael Kollers, Jose Gonzalez, Michael Jürging, Marcel Niepenberg, Stephan Krebs
  • Publication number: 20110271670
    Abstract: Disclosed is a motor-pump assembly (1) for a brake actuating device of a motor vehicle brake system with a pneumatic brake booster. An electric motor (3) drives a double diaphragm pump (2) with two working diaphragms (4) which are located opposite one another. Air expelled from the working spaces (7) is directed into an interior space (22) surrounding a crank drive (8) of the pump housing (5). An air outlet unit (13) permits low-noise expulsion of the air from the interior space 22 by deflecting the air. In order to make available a low-noise, cost-reduced motor-pump assembly the eccentrics (9) each have an unbalance weight (25) integrally molded onto the eccentric (9).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. AG
    Inventors: Stephan Krebs, Manfred Rüffer, Jens Bacher, Heinrich Kreh, Lazar Milisic, Kartheinz Seitz, Harald König, Michael Kollers, Jose Gonzalez, Michael Jürging, Marcel Niepenberg
  • Patent number: 7909413
    Abstract: The brake actuation device of a motor vehicle brake system includes a pneumatic brake booster 1, the interior of which is subdivided into at least one vacuum chamber and one working chamber, a master brake cylinder 2 and a pneumatic motor-and-pump assembly 3 for providing the vacuum in the vacuum chamber, which has a vacuum pump 6 and a motor 7 driving the vacuum pump 6. A vacuum level in the vacuum chamber or a difference in pressure between the vacuum chamber and the working chamber is sensed using a sensor 9, and the motor-and-pump assembly 3 is enabled by an electronic control unit 12 when the vacuum falls below a first defined bottom vacuum level Pe in the vacuum chamber and is disabled when a second defined top vacuum level Pa is reached. The rotational speed np of the motor-and-pump assembly 3 is controlled depending on driving conditions of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co., OHG
    Inventors: Jürgen Schonlau, Manfred Rüffer, Jose Gonzales
  • Patent number: 7823986
    Abstract: A device for supplying pressure to an actuation unit of a vehicle brake system, in particular to a vehicle brake system of the ‘brake-by-wire’ type, comprising a pneumatic motor-and-pump assembly with a pump and a motor driving the pump, wherein the motor-and-pump assembly is controlled by an electronic control unit depending on a pressure level or pressure difference in a pneumatic brake booster of the actuation unit, with the pressure level in a chamber or a difference in pressure between two chambers of the brake booster being detected by means of a sensor. In order to maintain the availability of the service brake function as high as possible and to obtain a maximum possible redundancy, the control unit, used to control the motor-and-pump assembly comprises a logic module and a power module, which are arranged separately of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Manfred Rüffer, Georg Fachinger, Holger Wahl, Albrich von Albrichsfeld, Uwe Karl
  • Publication number: 20100269500
    Abstract: A device for supplying pressure to an actuation unit of a vehicle brake system, in particular to a vehicle brake system of the ‘brake-by-wire’ type, comprising a pneumatic motor-and-pump assembly with a pump and a motor driving the pump, wherein the motor-and-pump assembly is controlled by an electronic control unit depending on a pressure level or pressure difference in a pneumatic brake booster of the actuation unit, with the pressure level in a chamber or a difference in pressure between two chambers of the brake booster being detected by means of a sensor. In order to maintain the availability of the service brake function as high as possible and to obtain a maximum possible redundancy, the control unit, used to control the motor-and-pump assembly comprises a logic module and a power module, which are arranged separately of each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG
    Inventors: Manfred Rüffer, Georg Fachinger, Holger Wahl, Albrich von Albrichsfeld, Uwe Karl
  • Publication number: 20100242469
    Abstract: A brake actuating unit for motor vehicles includes a brake master cylinder, a booster stage which is connected in front of the brake master cylinder, and a drive unit for driving the booster stage. In order to make comfortable braking operations possible, there is provision for the transmission both of the actuating force and of the boosting force to the primary piston of the brake master cylinder to take place by a force transmission module which has at least one elastic element and is arranged in the primary piston.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: Continental Teves AG & Co.oHG
    Inventors: Johann Jungbecker, Steffen Linkenbach, Ronald Bayer, Jürgen Böhm, Wolfgang Ritter, Holger von Hayn, Jens Bacher, Uwe Bach, Michael Vogt, Manfred Rüffer
  • Publication number: 20100202893
    Abstract: A motor/pump assembly for a motor vehicle brake system including a pump and a motor driving the pump, the pump having opposite working diaphragms which are, in each case, mounted between a pump casing and a cover and thereby delimit a space and which can be moved by a crank drive, the space being assigned, in each case, an inlet duct with an inlet valve and an outlet duct with an outlet valve. The outlet ducts are arranged in the covers and in the pump casing such that air displaced out of the spaces is conducted into an inner space surrounding the crank drive of the pump casing and that an air outlet unit be provided, which allows a low-noise blow-out of the air from the inner space as a result of the deflection of the air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: Continental Tees AG & Co., oHG
    Inventors: Jens Bacher, Lazar Milisic, Wolfgang Ritter, Karlheinz Seitz, Manfred Rüffer, Jose Gonzalez, Thomas Stahl, Michael Jürging, Yuejun Qian
  • Patent number: 7770491
    Abstract: It is known in the art to apply a counterforce, which opposes the actuating force, onto an accelerator pedal of a vehicle in the event that the vehicle, with respect to a vehicle parameter, sufficiently deviates from the nominal value. The parameter can be the speed or the measured distance from vehicles driving ahead. The invention discloses a series of embodiments that satisfy especially easily and reliably the defined requirements for applying the counterforce to the pedal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Ritter, Holger von Hayn, Jürgen Schonlau, Torsten Queisser, Milan Klimes, Manfred Rüffer, Martin Haverkamp, Johannes Görlach, Wolfgang Kroll, Lothar Schiel