Patents by Inventor Oliver Hetzel

Oliver Hetzel 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: 20230232511
    Abstract: An illumination device having a light-emitting diode field and an adjustable current source for each LED. The current source delivers a pulse width modulated current having a pulse height. An open-loop/closed-loop controller is provided for the open-loop/closed-loop control of the brightness of the LEDs. A setpoint value for the pulse height can be produced for the current source. A brightness value can be specified for each LED in accordance with the setpoint value, encoded in a video signal, and provided at a video signal output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Applicant: HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventors: Alberto ENCINAS GOMAR, Florian HEROLD, Oliver HETZEL, Ingo MOELLERS, Martin PLUEMPE, Florian TURKEWITSCH
  • Publication number: 20220119034
    Abstract: A steering system includes a steering rod mounted for longitudinal axial sliding in a housing and a steering motor acting on the steering rod via a ball screw drive, for which the steering rod forms a ball recirculation screw thread, which interacts with a transmission nut that can be driven by the steering motor. A transmission wheel of a flexible transmission, by means of which driving power of the steering motor is transmitted to the transmission nut, is untiltably connected to an inner ring of a rotary bearing. The transmission nut is pivotably mounted on the transmission wheel about an arbitrary pivot axis, which is oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the steering rod. The transmission nut, which is pivoted as a result of a flexural load on the steering rod, can be decoupled from the rotary bearing and from a tensile load on the transmission wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2019
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventor: Oliver Hetzel
  • Publication number: 20180111641
    Abstract: A ball screw drive includes a lead screw for converting an auxiliary torque produced by an electric motor into an auxiliary translational force acting on a steering rack in a steering system of a motor vehicle. One end of the lead screw and one end of the steering rack are each connected to a track rod via an axial link, and the ball screw drive has a ball nut mounted in a housing with a fixed bearing. In order to withstand strong lateral loads or lateral forces coming from the track rod or rods and acting in the radial direction there is provided between the end of the lead screw connected to the track rod and the ball screw drive a plain bearing element which supports the lead screw radially against the housing. The support is provided by an adjustable radial clearance, and the plain bearing element is a sleeve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: Oliver Hetzel, Michael Jueschke, Werner Bernhard
  • Publication number: 20180093699
    Abstract: A ball screw drive includes a lead screw for converting an auxiliary torque produced by an electric motor into an auxiliary translational force which acts on a steering rack in the steering system of a motor vehicle. One end of the lead screw and one end of the steering rack are each connected to a track rod via an axial link, and the ball screw drive has a ball nut mounted in a housing with a fixed bearing. In order to withstand lateral loads or lateral forces coming from the track rod or rods and acting in the radial direction, there is provided between an end of the lead screw connected to the track rod and the ball screw drive a plain bearing element which supports the lead screw radially against the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventors: Oliver Hetzel, Michael Jueschke, Werner Bernhard
  • Patent number: 7793753
    Abstract: In a power-assisted steering system or power steering system having an electric motor, which drives a worm gear mechanism that has a composite gear wheel in the form of a worm wheel, the worm wheel includes a ring gear connectible to a hub via a first disk, and an annular projection of the first disk axially engages with the ring gear. In order to improve the centering of the component parts of the composite gear wheel in the tangential direction, and in order to render the power transmission in the gear wheel uniform, the annular projection on the first disk is provided with one or more depressions in the axial direction to form tooth-like projections, which form a drive-type toothed section and engage with depressions on an axial side face of the ring gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Werner Bernhard, Oliver Hetzel, Joachim Fischer, Olaf Beutler, Achim Ottenstein, Richard Kaisser, Reinhold Schuster, Wolf-Ingo Ratzel
  • Patent number: 7753383
    Abstract: A device for exposing an opening in a housing part of a steering gear in a vehicle steering system has a closure element that closes the opening and a component that, when it comes into contact with a liquid, changes at least one of its properties such that, after the component cooperates with the closure element, the closure element exposes the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Bareis, Martin Budaker, Reiner Kunz, Wolfgang Reuter, Oliver Hetzel, John Hasenclever
  • Patent number: 7682086
    Abstract: A roller bearing assembly for supporting a shaft axially and radially in a rack includes a roller bearing with a carrier, a portion of which is supported at the rack with an element with elastomeric properties being interposed between a support for the rack and the portion of the carrier. In order to indicate a roller bearing, which supports the shaft axially and radially, and makes an inclined position of the shaft possible without causing straining of the system of shaft, roller bearing and rack, the element with elastomeric properties, viewed in the tangential (circumferential) direction of the roller bearing, has at least a first region, the stiffness of which is different from that of the remaining tangential (circumferential) region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: ZF Lenksystems GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Budaker, Michael Jueschke, Roland Winter, Oliver Hetzel, Michael Hauck, Manfred Weller
  • Publication number: 20090133485
    Abstract: A device for exposing an opening in a housing part of a steering gear in a vehicle steering system has a closure element that closes the opening and a component that, when it comes into contact with a liquid, changes at least one of its properties such that, after the component cooperates with the closure element, the closure element exposes the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2006
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Applicant: ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Bareis, Martin Budaker, Reiner Kunz, Wolfgang Reuter, Oliver Hetzel, John Hasenclever
  • Patent number: 7510045
    Abstract: A power-steering system, e.g., for a motor vehicle, having an electric motor, which transmits a steering-assist force via a belt transmission to a ball-screw transmission for displacing vehicle wheels, includes a cam, via which the ball-screw transmission and/or electric motor is supported in a steering-gear housing. The tension of a belt of the belt transmission is adjustable by rotating the cam in the steering-gear housing. The cam has at least one cutout on the circumference, and/or the steering-gear housing has at least one cutout in its inner wall. A locking element may be inserted into the cutout, in order to fix the cam in position with respect to the steering-gear housing. After being inserted, the locking element is operatively connected to the cam and the steering-gear housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Bareis, Martin Budaker, Oliver Hetzel, Michael Hauck
  • Publication number: 20080066992
    Abstract: A power steering system with a circulating ball spindle mechanism, an extending element of the circulating ball spindle mechanism being support rotatably over a bearing and the bearing of the element making possible a swiveling motion corresponding to the direction of action of interfering forces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Inventors: Helmut Bareis, Martin Budaker, Michael Jueschke, Roland Winter, Oliver Hetzel, Michael Hauck
  • Publication number: 20070221438
    Abstract: In a power-assisted steering system or power steering system having an electric motor, which drives a worm gear mechanism that has a composite gear wheel in the form of a worm wheel, the worm wheel includes a ring gear connectible to a hub via a first disk, and an annular projection of the first disk axially engages with the ring gear. In order to improve the centering of the component parts of the composite gear wheel in the tangential direction, and in order to render the power transmission in the gear wheel uniform, the annular projection on the first disk is provided with one or more depressions in the axial direction to form tooth-like projections, which form a drive-type toothed section and engage with depressions on an axial side face of the ring gear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2004
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Applicant: ZF LENKSYSTEME GMBH
    Inventors: Werner Bernhard, Oliver Hetzel, Joachim Fischer, Olaf Beutler, Achim Ottenstein, Richard Kaisser, Reinhold Schuster, Wolf-Ingo Ratzel
  • Publication number: 20070217725
    Abstract: A roller bearing assembly for supporting a shaft axially and radially in a rack includes a roller bearing with a carrier, a portion of which is supported at the rack with an element with elastomeric properties being interposed between a support for the rack and the portion of the carrier. In order to indicate a roller bearing, which supports the shaft axially and radially, and makes an inclined position of the shaft possible without causing straining of the system of shaft, roller bearing and rack, the element with elastomeric properties, viewed in the tangential (circumferential) direction of the roller bearing, has at least a first region, the stiffness of which is different from that of the remaining tangential (circumferential) region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Applicant: ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Budaker, Michael Jueschke, Roland Winter, Oliver Hetzel, Michael Hauck, Manfred Weller
  • Publication number: 20070204711
    Abstract: A ball bearing helical gearing for an electromechanical steering system of a vehicle includes a threaded spindle and a nut. The threaded spindle and nut are provided with ball bearing raceways for jointly accommodating load-transferring ball bearings inside the nut, and the nut has ball bearing routing parts for guiding out and introducing the ball bearings into the ball bearing raceways.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Inventors: Martin Budaker, Klaus-Dieter Leimbach, Walter Bulling, Oliver Hetzel
  • Publication number: 20070151378
    Abstract: A power-steering system, e.g., for a motor vehicle, having an electric motor, which transmits a steering-assist force via a belt transmission to a ball-screw transmission for displacing vehicle wheels, includes a cam, via which the ball-screw transmission and/or electric motor is supported in a steering-gear housing. The tension of a belt of the belt transmission is adjustable by rotating the cam in the steering-gear housing. The cam has at least one cutout on the circumference, and/or the steering-gear housing has at least one cutout in its inner wall. A locking element may be inserted into the cutout, in order to fix the cam in position with respect to the steering-gear housing. After being inserted, the locking element is operatively connected to the cam and the steering-gear housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Publication date: July 5, 2007
    Inventors: Helmut Bareis, Martin Budaker, Oliver Hetzel, Michael Hauck
  • Patent number: 7048088
    Abstract: An electric power assisted steering system for motor vehicles having a worm gear mechanism is operatively connected to a drive shaft of an electric drive motor. A radial load is applied to the worm by a prestressing device, the prestressing device being configured as a hydraulic pressure device. It is possible to connect the drive shaft to the worm by a coupling, and the worm is mounted in this region by a pivotable bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: ZF Lenksysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Werner Bernhard, Achim Schust, Oliver Hetzel, Joachim Fischer
  • Publication number: 20050150372
    Abstract: A thrust device, in particular for a roller cam mechanism in a steering system, includes a first mechanism member which is held on a frame in engagement with a second mechanism member. The thrust device comprises a pressure piece which is mounted on the frame so as to be displaceable along an axis and is acted on by a spring element for pressing the first and second mechanism members against one another. In order to construct the thrust device for compensating for wear and thermal expansion of the engagement of the mechanism members and to configure it to be inexpensive and quiet during operation, there is provision for the spring element to be formed from rolling bodies which are spring loaded approximately transversely with respect to the axis of the pressure piece, the rolling bodies being supported on oblique surfaces between the pressure piece and a frame part which is configured as a setting screw or cover. The pressure piece can additionally be spring loaded axially by a compression spring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2005
    Publication date: July 14, 2005
    Inventors: Danh Luan Nguyen, Marco Grau, Oliver Hetzel, Erich Berroth
  • Publication number: 20040222036
    Abstract: An electric power assisted steering system for motor vehicles having a worm gear mechanism is operatively connected to a drive shaft of an electric drive motor. A radial load is applied to the worm by a prestressing device, the prestressing device being configured as a hydraulic pressure device. It is possible to connect the drive shaft to the worm by means of a coupling, and the worm is mounted in this region by means of a pivotable bearing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Publication date: November 11, 2004
    Inventors: Werner Berhard, Achim Schust, Oliver Hetzel, Joachim Fischer