Patents by Inventor Paul Granderath

Paul Granderath 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: 7967713
    Abstract: A planetary gear set lubricating unit which supplies oil from inside a component adjacent the planetary gear set, via a radial bore and an oil catcher, axially through a bore of a planetary gear bolt to planetary gear bearings. The oil catcher forms a ring-shaped chamber, which can be filled with lubricant, and is arranged beside the planetary carrier approximately over the reference diameter of the planetary bolt. The oil catcher has outlet pipes extending axially to direct oil in the chamber. The oil catcher has ovular radial protrusions arranged such that a maximum radial dimension is close to the bolts and a minimum radial dimension is arranged between adjacent planetary bolts. The radially inner edge of the axial bore of the planetary bolts is radially located between the minimum and maximum dimensions of the protrusions. The chamber is delimited by a cover plate and a gasket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Josef Haupt, Paul Granderath, Hagen Dopfert, Christian Ruhl
  • Publication number: 20090247348
    Abstract: A planetary gear set lubricating unit which supplies oil from inside a component adjacent the planetary gear set, via a radial bore and an oil catcher, axially through a bore of a planetary gear bolt to planetary gear bearings. The oil catcher forms a ring-shaped chamber, which can be filled with lubricant, and is arranged beside the planetary carrier approximately over the reference diameter of the planetary bolt. The oil catcher has outlet pipes extending axially to direct oil in the chamber. The oil catcher has ovular radial protrusions arranged such that a maximum radial dimension is close to the bolts and a minimum radial dimension is arranged between adjacent planetary bolts. The radially inner edge of the axial bore of the planetary bolts is radially located between the minimum and maximum dimensions of the protrusions. The chamber is delimited by a cover plate and a gasket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Josef HAUPT, Paul GRANDERATH, Hagen DOPFERT, Christian RUHL
  • Patent number: 7000747
    Abstract: A hydrokinetic torque converter with a built-in bypass clutch is provided with an arrangement which regulates the cooling of the clutch at a rate dependent upon the slip between the coaxial driving and driven parts of the clutch, and hence upon the quantity of generated friction heat. The cooling unit for the driving and/or driven part of the clutch can employ, for example, one or more pumps; a supply of a substance which changes its aggregate state from liquid to gaseous or from solid to flowable in response to heating, and vice versa in response to cooling; one or more porous washers in the path for the flow of hydraulic fluid between the customary plenum chambers provided in the housing of the torque converter to move a piston of the driven part of the clutch into and from frictional engagement with the housing; and/or a system of recesses, grooves, channels and/or other passages serving to convey fluid between the chambers at a rate which is higher or highest when the clutch operates with maximum slip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
    Inventors: Gunnar Back, Hubert Friedmann, Paul Granderath, Jean-Francois Heller, Stephan Maienschein, Marc Meisner, Bruno Müller, Wolfgang Reik
  • Publication number: 20050126874
    Abstract: A hydrokinetic torque converter with a built-in bypass clutch is provided with an arrangement which regulates the cooling of the clutch at a rate dependent upon the slip between the coaxial driving and driven parts of the clutch, and hence upon the quantity of generated friction heat. The cooling unit for the driving and/or driven part of the clutch can employ, for example, one or more pumps; a supply of a substance which changes its aggregate state from liquid to gaseous or from solid to flowable in response to heating, and vice versa in response to cooling; one or more porous washers in the path for the flow of hydraulic fluid between the customary plenum chambers provided in the housing of the torque converter to move a piston of the driven part of the clutch into and from frictional engagement with the housing; and/or a system of recesses, grooves, channels and/or other passages serving to convey fluid between the chambers at a rate which is higher or highest when the clutch operates with maximum slip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Inventors: Gunnar Back, Hubert Friedmann, Paul Granderath, Jean-Francois Heller, Stephan Maienschein, Marc Meisner, Bruno Muller, Wolfgang Reik
  • Patent number: 6851532
    Abstract: A hydrokinetic torque converter with a built-in bypass clutch is provided with an arrangement which regulates the cooling of the clutch at a rate dependent upon the slip between the coaxial driving and driven parts of the clutch, and hence upon the quantity of generated friction heat. The cooling unit for the driving and/or driven part of the clutch can employ, for example, one or more pumps; a supply of a substance which changes its aggregate state from liquid to gaseous or from solid to flowable in response to heating, and vice versa in response to cooling; one or more porous washers in the path for the flow of hydraulic fluid between the customary plenum chambers provided in the housing of the torque converter to move a piston of the driven part of the clutch into and from frictional engagement with the housing; and/or a system of recesses, grooves, channels and/or other passages serving to convey fluid between the chambers at a rate which is higher or highest when the clutch operates with maximum slip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau GmbH
    Inventors: Gunnar Back, Hubert Friedmann, Paul Granderath, Jean-Francois Heller, Stephan Maienschein, Marc Meisner, Bruno Müller, Wolfgang Reik
  • Patent number: 6776272
    Abstract: A slipping friction clutch which has at least on a pair of wet-running friction areas, especially a slipping converter bridging clutch for the hydrodynamic torque of a motor vehicle automatic transmission. In the state under the action of pressure, the two friction areas seal off the radially outward lying high pressure chamber against the radially inward lying lower pressure chamber, whereby at least one of the friction areas has oil-conducting depressions whose ends spaced from one another are directly hydraulically connected with the one of the two pressure chambers and which are configured such that, with a slipping friction coupling, the friction area sliding peripherally exerts a drag action owing to which an oil through flow is induced as a function of the slippage rotational speed which cools the friction area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Paul Granderath
  • Publication number: 20040050639
    Abstract: A hydrokinetic torque converter with a built-in bypass clutch is provided with an arrangement which regulates the cooling of the clutch at a rate dependent upon the slip between the coaxial driving and driven parts of the clutch, and hence upon the quantity of generated friction heat. The cooling unit for the driving and/or driven part of the clutch can employ, for example, one or more pumps; a supply of a substance which changes its aggregate state from liquid to gaseous or from solid to flowable in response to heating, and vice versa in response to cooling; one or more porous washers in the path for the flow of hydraulic fluid between the customary plenum chambers provided in the housing of the torque converter to move a piston of the driven part of the clutch into and from frictional engagement with the housing; and/or a system of recesses, grooves, channels and/or other passages serving to convey fluid between the chambers at a rate which is higher or highest when the clutch operates with maximum slip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Inventors: Gunnar Back, Hubert Friedmann, Paul Granderath, Jean-Francois Heller, Stephan Maienschein, Marc Meisner, Bruno Muller, Wolfgang Reik
  • Publication number: 20030010589
    Abstract: A slipping friction clutch which has at least on a pair of wet-running friction areas, especially a slipping converter bridging clutch for the hydrodynamic torque of a motor vehicle automatic transmission. In the state under the action of pressure, the two friction areas seal off the radially outward lying high pressure chamber against the radially inward lying lower pressure chamber, whereby at least one of the friction areas has oil-conducting depressions whose ends spaced from one another are directly hydraulically connected with the one of the two pressure chambers and which are configured such that, with a slipping friction coupling, the friction area sliding peripherally exerts a drag action owing to which an oil through flow is induced as a function of the slippage rotational speed which cools the friction area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2002
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Inventor: Paul Granderath
  • Publication number: 20020027053
    Abstract: A hydrokinetic torque converter with a built-in bypass clutch is provided with an arrangement which regulates the cooling of the clutch at a rate dependent upon the slip between the coaxial driving and driven parts of the clutch, and hence upon the quantity of generated friction heat. The cooling unit for the driving and/or driven part of the clutch can employ, for example, one or more pumps; a supply of a substance which changes its aggregate state from liquid to gaseous or from solid to flowable in response to heating, and vice versa in response to cooling; one or more porous washers in the path for the flow of hydraulic fluid between the customary plenum chambers provided in the housing of the torque converter to move a piston of the driven part of the clutch into and from frictional engagement with the housing; and/or a system of recesses, grooves, channels and/or other passages serving to convey fluid between the chambers at a rate which is higher or highest when the clutch operates with maximum slip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Applicant: LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau GmbH
    Inventors: Gunnar Back, Hubert Friedmann, Paul Granderath, Jean-Francois Heller, Stephan Maienschein, Marc Meisner, Bruno Muller, Wolfgang Reik
  • Patent number: 6085879
    Abstract: A hydrokinetic torque converter wherein the axially movable piston of the bypass clutch is adjacent a substantially radially extending wall of the rotary converter housing and engages such wall when the clutch is in use to transmit torque directly between the housing an a hollow rotary output shaft of the torque converter. The piston and the wall of the housing define a plenum chamber which can receive a hydraulic fluid from a pump or can be caused to discharge fluid by way of an axial passage in the output shaft. The path between the passage and the chamber is defined in part by a coaxial projection of the wall which extends toward or into the passage and cooperates with surfaces on the piston and on the output shaft to ensure a turbulence-free flow of fluid between the chamber and the passage and to prevent stagnation of fluid in the path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Luk Getriebe-Systeme GmbH
    Inventors: Gunter Ebinger, Paul Granderath