Patents by Inventor Michael Huelsen

Michael Huelsen 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: 20230192193
    Abstract: A vehicle roof having a roof skin arrangement which may have at least one cover element and the vehicle roof having at least one sensor module having at least one environment sensor for detecting a vehicle environment which is at least partially covered by the cover element, the cover element being limited by an edge gap via which air, in particular cooling air, for the sensor module flows under the cover element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Freddy GEERAERDS
  • Publication number: 20230182829
    Abstract: A roof module for forming a vehicle roof on a motor vehicle may have a panel component whose outer surface at least partially forms a roof skin of the vehicle roof; at least one environment sensor configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals for detecting the vehicle environment and disposed at least partially below the roof skin formed by the panel component; and a cooling feature configured to discharge waste heat emitted by the environment sensor and/or externally introduced heat from the environment sensor. The cooling feature may have at least one cooling channel in which at least two cooling fans are disposed, the cooling fans being connected to at least one controller of the cooling feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2022
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Juraj LEHOTSKY, Markus GEY, Maximilian EHRMANN
  • Publication number: 20230158966
    Abstract: Sensor module for mounting on a motor vehicle panel component having a sensor housing, at least one environment sensor, at least part of which is disposed in the sensor housing, and which is configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals to thus detect a vehicle environment, and a kinematic system having a drive configured to move the sensor housing from a retracted position into at least one deployed position. The kinematic system is configured to move the sensor housing into a first deployed position, which activates the at least one environment sensor to detect the vehicle environment in a portion of its field of view, and to move the sensor housing into a second deployed position, which activates the at least one environment sensor to detect the vehicle environment in its entire field of view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2022
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Inventors: Magnus SVIBERG, Michael HUELSEN
  • Publication number: 20230144240
    Abstract: The invention relates to a roof module for forming a vehicle roof (100) on a motor vehicle, the roof module comprising a panel component (12) which at least partially forms a roof skin (14) of the vehicle roof (100) and serves as an outer sealing surface of the roof module (10), at least one sensor module (15) comprising a controller (27) and at least one environment sensor (16) configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals through a see-through area (20) in order to detect a vehicle environment, and at least one cleaning device (23) comprising at least one cleaning nozzle (24) configured to clean the see-through area (20). The at least one environment sensor (16) is configured to detect at least one object (28) moving toward the see-through area (20) in the form of image data, and the controller (27) is configured to generate at least one object information from the image data and to prompt the at least one cleaning nozzle (24) to discharge a cleaning fluid based thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventor: Michael HUELSEN
  • Publication number: 20230138674
    Abstract: A roof module for forming a vehicle roof on a motor vehicle, the roof module may have a panel component whose outer surface at least partially forms the roof skin of the vehicle roof, the roof module having at least one environment sensor configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals for detecting the vehicle environment. At least one reflector element at which the electromagnetic signals can be reflected is associated with the environment sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Craig T. MARX
  • Publication number: 20230123315
    Abstract: A motor vehicle roof module having a panel component whose outer surface at least partially forms the roof skin of the vehicle roof and serves as an outer sealing surface of the roof module, and at least one environmental sensor by means of which a vehicle environment can be detected during autonomous or semi-autonomous driving of the motor vehicle. The roof module has a kinematic system having a drive and configured to move the at least one environmental sensor from a retracted position into a deployed position, in which the at least one environmental sensor protrudes beyond the roof skin to detect the vehicle environment, and to fix the at least one environmental sensor at least in the deployed position in such a manner that the at least one environmental sensor cannot be moved by an external force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Cedric LANGLAIS, Maximilian EHRMAN, Juray LEHOTSKY, Heinrich WÜLLRICH, Thomas PODOLSKI, Nikolaus LINNER
  • Publication number: 20230073687
    Abstract: A roof module for a motor vehicle, in particular for a passenger car, the roof module comprising a roof skin disposed on a roof substructure and a sensor system comprising at least one sensor module having at least one environment sensor for detecting the vehicle environment. The roof skin covers an air-conditioning mechanism having a thermal channel arrangement via which a cooling and/or heating fluid flows to the sensor module and/or an electrical feature of the roof module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas LINDNER, Andreas STRAßER, Michael HUELSEN
  • Publication number: 20230055797
    Abstract: A vehicle roof having a support on the vehicle body shell, a roof module disposed on the support and having a roof skin, and a sensor system having at least one sensor module having at least one environment sensor for detecting a vehicle environment, the environment sensor being disposed in a lateral edge area of the roof module associated with a lateral roof edge and being covered by the roof skin, the roof skin having a sensor see-through area for the environment sensor, the sensor see-through area being oriented in the transverse roof direction and being situated higher than the associated roof edge or an adjacent area of the associated roof edge and/or being located above the associated roof edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Engelbert HIRSCHVOGEL
  • Publication number: 20230033972
    Abstract: A roof for a motor vehicle, in particular for a passenger car, having a roof skin, a support structure, over which the roof skin engages, and at least one sensor module having at least one environment sensor for detecting the vehicle environment. The sensor module is mounted on the support structure and a tolerance-compensating element, which defines a relative position between the support structure and the sensor module, is disposed between the support structure and the sensor module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2021
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Cedric LANGLAIS, Michael MAILHAMER, Juraj LEHOTSKY
  • Publication number: 20230026815
    Abstract: A motor vehicle, in particular for a passenger car, having a support structure, a roof skin, which is disposed on the support structure, and at least one sensor module having at least one environment sensor for detecting a vehicle environment and having at least one housing for accommodating the environment sensor. The housing of the sensor module is disposed on the support structure and has a construction which collapses or is deformed when defined external forces are applied such that deformation forces, which are exerted by the sensor module on the support structure or on another roof module component, are reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Inventor: Michael HUELSEN
  • Publication number: 20220348149
    Abstract: A roof for a motor vehicle, in particular for a passenger car, the roof having a support structure, a roof skin at least partially covering the support structure, roof side beams which are part of a vehicle body, and at least one sensor module having an environment sensor for detecting a vehicle environment. The sensor module may be disposed on the support structure and is for a large part located below a reference roof indentation plane which is in tangential contact with one of the roof side beams and inclined relative to a horizontal plane by a first angle (?) in the transverse direction of the roof and by a second angle (?) in the longitudinal direction of the roof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventor: Michael HUELSEN
  • Publication number: 20220289301
    Abstract: A roof module for forming a vehicle roof on a motor vehicle has a panel component whose outer surface at least partially forms the roof skin of the vehicle roof, the roof module has at least one environment sensor, and the environment sensor being configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals for detecting the vehicle environment, and the panel component being made of a material which is impermeable to the electromagnetic signals of the environment sensor. The panel component has at least one cutout through which the electromagnetic signals of the environment sensor can pass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Cèdric LANGLAIS, Michael MAILHAMER, Juraj LEHOTSKY, Dirk LEGLER, Michael DEPPE, Max HUBER
  • Publication number: 20220289006
    Abstract: A roof module for connection to a motor vehicle having a transparent solid roof portion, which forms a see-through roof area and which is immobile relative to the vehicle body when the roof module is in the installed position, and/or a roof opening system having a mobile lid element, by means of which a roof opening can be opened or closed at will, and a closed roof skin, which forms the see-through roof area and/or is adjacent to the roof opening and forms a roof cover outside of the see-through roof area and/or the roof opening. At least one sensor module can be provided having at least one environment sensor for detecting a vehicle environment and is disposed outside of the see-through roof area and/or the roof opening and is covered by the roof skin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Dirk LEGLER, Michael DEPPE, Johannes THANNHEIMER, Thomas RUDOLPH, Thomas LINDNER
  • Publication number: 20220289146
    Abstract: A roof module for a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car, is proposed, the roof module having a roof cladding, which forms an outer visible surface of the roof module, and at least one sensor module having an environment sensor for sensing a vehicle environment during an autonomous or partially autonomous operation of the motor vehicle. A viewing area can be formed in the roof cladding for the environment sensor and the viewing area can be provided with a cleaning element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Johannes THANNHEIMER, Max HUBER
  • Publication number: 20220285831
    Abstract: A roof module for forming at least a part of the vehicle roof on a motor vehicle, the roof module having a panel component whose outer surface at least partially forms the roof skin of the vehicle roof, the roof module having at least one environment sensor configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals for detecting the vehicle surroundings. The roof module has at least one antenna module configured to receive and/or send radio signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Oliver HEISEL, Andreas STRASSER, Thomas LINDNER, Max HUBER
  • Publication number: 20220283263
    Abstract: A roof module for forming a motor vehicle roof, the roof module having a panel component whose outer surface at least partially forms a roof skin of the vehicle roof, the roof module having at least one environment sensor configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals for detecting the vehicle environment. The environment sensor is disposed below the roof skin formed by the panel component, the roof module having a cooler configured to discharge exhaust heat emitted by the environment sensor and/or heat introduced from outside from the environment sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Harald BACHMANN, Achim HOLZWARTH, Cédric LANGLAIS, Michael MAILHAMER, Juraj LEHOTSKY
  • Publication number: 20220266917
    Abstract: A roof module of a motor vehicle having a roof substructure, a roof cladding, which forms an outer visible surface of the roof module, and at least one sensor module having an environment sensor for sensing a vehicle environment, the roof cladding having a central section having a curved surface and at least one edge section, which adjoins the central section and whose incline is larger than the incline of the central section and which is transparent to the environment sensor at least in the area of a signal cone of the environment sensor. The environment sensor being at least partially disposed below a roof surface defined by the roof cladding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Dirk LEGLER, Max HUBER, Thomas LINDNER
  • Publication number: 20220266763
    Abstract: A roof module for forming a vehicle roof on a motor vehicle, the roof module having a panel component whose outer surface at least partially forms the roof skin of the vehicle roof, the roof module having at least one environment sensor configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals for detecting the vehicle surroundings. The environment sensor can be disposed below the roof skin formed by the panel component, the roof module having at least one support module, and at least two environment sensors being jointly mounted on the support module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Cédric LANGLAIS, Michael MAILHAMER, Juraj LEHOTSKY
  • Publication number: 20220169314
    Abstract: A roof module for a motor vehicle may have a roof skin, a roof frame on a vehicle body and have at least one transverse frame part extending in the transverse roof direction and a longitudinal frame part extending in the longitudinal roof direction on either side of a longitudinal center roof plane, and a roof opening system having a lid element configured to be displaced on guide rails, which are part of the longitudinal frame parts of the roof frame, in the longitudinal roof direction relative to the roof frame, and/or a solid roof element having a transparent see-through portion and being rigidly connected to the roof frame, having a sensor system comprising at least one sensor module which has at least one environmental sensor and is located outside of the roof opening and/or outside of the transparent see-through portions and is covered by a cover element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Inventors: Michael HUELSEN, Johannes THANNHEIMER, Dirk LEGLER, Max HUBER, Thomas LINDNER, Michael DEPPE, Thomas RUDOLPH, Cedric LANGLAIS, Michael MAILHAMER, Juraj LEHOTSKY, Achim HOLZWARTH, Michael RESPONDEK
  • Patent number: D951849
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: WEBASTO SE
    Inventors: Michael Huelsen, Dirk Legler, Thomas Rudolph