Patents by Inventor Peter Leu

Peter Leu 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: 6695217
    Abstract: A regulating valve for a heat-transferring medium has a valve member controllable primarily by an electrical actuating member, but in the event of failure of the electrical actuating member, a thermostatic actuating member, operating independently of the electrical actuating member and of electric power, is provided in order to prevent damage to the system by driving the valve member when a predetermined temperature is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Behr Thermot-Tronik GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Leu, Jörg Luckner
  • Patent number: 6595164
    Abstract: An improved unified cooling system for an internal combustion engine that generally includes a cylinder head and a cylinder block, in which the cylinder head and cylinder block are maintained at different operating temperatures despite using only a single coolant pump. The coolant pump pumps fresh coolant through the cylinder head and cylinder block. Coolant valves, which may be thermostatic valves or electrically actuable proportional valves, lie downstream of the cylinder head and cylinder block and individually control the amount of coolant flowing through the cylinder head and cylinder block so as to maintain a lower operating temperature for the cylinder head than for the cylinder block. Coolant is directed, in various configurations, through any or all of an oil cooler, a heat exchanger for a heater for a vehicle interior, and a coolant radiator, before being directed back to the coolant pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Behr Thermot-Tronik GmbH
    Inventors: Jürgen Kunze, Peter Leu, Petra Röser, Eike Willers
  • Publication number: 20020069839
    Abstract: An improved unified cooling system for an internal combustion engine that generally includes a cylinder head and a cylinder block, in which the cylinder head and cylinder block are maintained at different operating temperatures despite using only a single coolant pump. The coolant pump pumps fresh coolant through the cylinder head and cylinder block. Coolant valves, which may be thermostatic valves or electrically actuable proportional valves, lie downstream of the cylinder head and cylinder block and individually control the amount of coolant flowing through the cylinder head and cylinder block so as to maintain a lower operating temperature for the cylinder head than for the cylinder block. Coolant is directed, in various configurations, through any or all of an oil cooler, a heat exchanger for a heater for a vehicle interior, and a coolant radiator, before being directed back to the coolant pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Publication date: June 13, 2002
    Inventors: Jurgen Kunze, Peter Leu, Petra Roser, Eike Willers
  • Publication number: 20020047050
    Abstract: A regulating valve for a heat-transferring medium has a valve member controllable primarily by an electrical actuating member, but in the event of failure of the electrical actuating member, a thermostatic actuating member, operating independently of the electrical actuating member and of electric power, is provided in order to prevent damage to the system by driving the valve member when a predetermined temperature is exceeded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Inventors: Peter Leu, Jorg Luckner
  • Patent number: 6371059
    Abstract: A thermostatic valve arranged in the coolant circuit of an internal-combustion engine, has a main valve which is acted upon by cold coolant flow on the one side, and by hot coolant flow on the other side. The valve is actuated as a function of the coolant temperature by way of an expansion material element equipped with an electric heating device. To minimize the coldside influence onto the expansion material element, a capsule which stores the expansion material, has an end which limits the expansion material lower at the level of the closed main valve or on the mixing chamber side. At this end, a ring-shaped or sleeve-shaped heating element is arranged coaxially adjacent the control pin, or, individual heating elements are distributed along the circumference of the control pin in an adjacent manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignees: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, Behr Thermot-tronik GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Heinz Lemberger, Peter Leu, Manfred Kurz
  • Patent number: 6234399
    Abstract: To detect the capability to function of a thermostatic valve of a cooling system of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, the actual temperature of the internal combustion engine, the ambient temperature and the actual temperature at the outlet of a coolant radiator are measured and evaluated in such a way that a malfunction of the thermostatic valve can be detected thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Behr Thermotronik GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Peter Leu
  • Patent number: 6101987
    Abstract: A method of cooling coolant in a coolant circuit of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle includes: evaluating parameters of the internal combustion engine and the motor vehicle with a thermostatic valve control device; based on the evaluation of the parameters, controlling with the thermostatic valve control device adjustment of a thermostatic valve for controlling coolant flow from a radiator and coolant flow from a bypass line around the radiator into a combined coolant flow to the internal combustion engine; communicating a signal based on the evaluation of the parameters from the thermostatic valve control device to a fan control device which controls operation of a fan that cools coolant in the radiator to a target temperature; and setting the target temperature of the fan control device through the communication. Subsequently, the fan control device controls the cooling by the fan as a function of the target temperature set by the signal received from the thermostatic valve control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: Behr Thermot-Tronik GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Roland Saur, Peter Leu, Gunter Kalmbach
  • Patent number: 5866882
    Abstract: A thermostatic working element has a housing in which an electric resistance heating element is arranged whose electric connecting wires are sealingly guided to the outside. The resistance heating element contains a carrier body on which a resistance layer is mounted to which the connecting wires are soldered. A base is molded to the carrier body and is sealingly arranged in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Behr-Thomson-Dehnstoffregler GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Roland Saur, Peter Leu, Manfred Kurz
  • Patent number: 5775270
    Abstract: For a thermostatic valve in the coolant circulation system of an internal-combustion engine having an expansion material element penetrating the main valve for the cold-side stationary support and the hot-side driving connection with the valve disk of the main valve, it is provided for increasing the response characteristic of the thermostatic valve to act upon the expansion material element in the cold-side end section in addition by a hot coolant and/or to provide a metal film resistor as an electric heating device placed in the expansion material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Behr Thermot-Tronik GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Gerhart Huemer, Heinz Lemberger, Peter Leu, Manfred Kurz, Roland Saur
  • Patent number: 5617816
    Abstract: A cooling system and a method for controlling a cooling system for an internal-combustion engine of a motor vehicle having a thermostatic valve which can be switched over from a higher control level to a lower control level. A fan is provided which is assigned to a coolant radiator and which contains a fan control circuit with a temperature comparison step which compares the ACTUAL temperature of the coolant with a desired value. When the desired value is exceeded, a temperature signal is generated which is applied to an input of an AND-element. A switching signal for the switch-over of the thermostatic valve to the lower control level is applied to the other input of the AND-element which forms a switch-on signal for the fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignee: Behr-Thomson-Dehnstoffregler GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Roland Saur, Peter Leu
  • Patent number: 5555854
    Abstract: In the case of a cooling system for an internal-combustion engine of a motor vehicle comprising a radiator and a thermostatic valve by means of which the temperature of the coolant can be controlled in a warm-up operation, a mixed operation and a radiator operation. The thermostatic valve containing an expansion element can be electrically heated for reducing the coolant temperature, the expansion element being designed such that the coolant temperature is controlled without any heating of the expansion element in the warm-up operation and/or the mixed operation to an upper operating limit temperature. In addition, a temperature switch is provided which, as a function of the coolant temperature detected at the or near the radiator outlet, releases the heating of the expansion element as required in order to shift the method of operation of the cooling system toward the radiator operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1996
    Assignees: Behr-Thomson Dehnstoffregler GmbH, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
    Inventors: Gerhart Huemer, Heinz Lemberger, Peter Leu
  • Patent number: 5482010
    Abstract: In the case of a cooling system for an internal-combustion engine of a motor vehicle comprising a radiator and a thermostatic valve equipped with an electrically heatable expansion element, it is provided that, by means of three comparison stages which are connected in parallel, specifically a speed comparison stage, a load condition comparison stage and an intake air temperature comparison stage of a control, electric energy can be supplied to the expansion element of the thermostatic valve so that, depending on the demand, the temperature level of the coolant and thus of the internal-combustion engine switches from a high temperature level to a lower temperature level; that is, increases the cooling output depending on the demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 9, 1996
    Assignees: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, Behr-Thomson-Dehnstoffregler GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Heinz Lemberger, Gerhart Huemer, Peter Leu
  • Patent number: 5292064
    Abstract: A cover for a housed thermostat having a thermostat valve which is held on the cover, forms a main valve and a short-circuit valve and contains a thermostatic working element whose housing is connected with the main valve disk. The cover has a projection which surrounds the housing of the working element in a cage-type manner and is molded to the main valve disk which is manufactured as a molded plastic part. The end of the projection projects over the housing of the working element and forms part of the short-circuit valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 8, 1994
    Assignee: Behr-Thomson-Dehnstoffregler GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Roland Saur, Friedrich Bauer, Peter Leu
  • Patent number: 5046530
    Abstract: A force-balanced lifting valve for the control of a fluid, comprises a housing having paths for the fluid, an axially movable component in the form of a valve body provided on a shaft mounted so as to be axially movable in the housing, for the opening and closing a valve opening, and a sealing structure for sealing the axially movable component with respect to the housing. The valve body has associated therewith a force-balancing compensation area, which can be acted upon by pressure fluid by way of a subsidiary channel. The sealing structure comprises an elastic, axially effective sealing ring which sealingly engages the valve housing and the axially movable valve component, such that a radial portion of the ring rests axially and sealingly against at least one abutment shoulder on the axially movable valve component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1991
    Assignee: H. Kuhnke GmbH KG
    Inventors: Matthias Gossner, Joachim Trenkmann, Lutz Bungeroth, Uwe Thomsen, Peter Leu