Patents by Inventor Rainer Hofkirchner

Rainer Hofkirchner 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: 20220037953
    Abstract: An electric drive system comprising an electric machine, a transmission connected to the electric machine, and an inverter. The electric drive system further comprising an at least two-part housing. The electric drive system having two mutually separate cooling circuits for the inverter and the electric machine, wherein the two cooling circuits are thermally connected via a heat exchanger that is installed, between the inverter and the electric machine, in the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Gerhard SEIDL, Rainer HOFKIRCHNER, Martin KOENIGSECKER, Elvis VREVIC
  • Patent number: 10107396
    Abstract: A locking arrangement for a transmission of a motor vehicle, comprising a locking toothing; a locking pawl, wherein the locking pawl is pivotable about a first rotary axis; a control element, wherein the locking pawl can be brought optionally into engagement with the locking toothing via the control element; a drive unit, wherein the control element can be brought by means of the drive unit into a release position and a locking position; a holding mechanism, wherein the control element can be held by means of the holding mechanism in the release position and in the locking position; and a safety mechanism comprising an electromagnet, an actuator and a first elastic element, wherein the actuator is pretensioned in a first actuator position by the first elastic element and can be held in a second actuator position by the electromagnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: MAGNA POWERTRAIN GMBH & CO KG
    Inventors: Rainer Hofkirchner, Stefan Merz, Christian Reisinger, Michael Schaffenberger, Bernhard Steiner, Andreas Schmidhofer, Christoph Ă–berseder
  • Publication number: 20170234427
    Abstract: A locking arrangement for a transmission of a motor vehicle, comprising a locking toothing; a locking pawl, wherein the locking pawl is pivotable about a first rotary axis; a control element, wherein the locking pawl can be brought optionally into engagement with the locking toothing via the control element; a drive unit, wherein the control element can be brought by means of the drive unit into a release position and a locking position; a holding mechanism, wherein the control element can be held by means of the holding mechanism in the release position and in the locking position; and a safety mechanism comprising an electromagnet, an actuator and a first elastic element, wherein the actuator is pretensioned in a first actuator position by the first elastic element and can be held in a second actuator position by the electromagnet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: Rainer HOFKIRCHNER, Stefan MERZ, Christian REISINGER, Michael SCHAFFENBERGER, Bernhard STEINER, Andreas SCHMIDHOFER, Christoph Ă–BERSEDER
  • Patent number: 8896166
    Abstract: An electric drive unit includes an electric motor, which has a stator and a rotor, a gearbox, an electric circuit and a housing. The housing forms a motor compartment in which the electric motor is arranged and a gearbox chamber in which at least a part of the gearbox is arranged. The electric drive unit also includes a lubricating circuit in which a lubricating fluid is conveyed in order to lubricate and cool the gearbox and the rotor of the electric motor, the lubricating fluid circulating between the motor compartment and the gearbox chamber. The drive unit further includes a cooling circuit in which a cooling fluid is conveyed in order to cool the electric circuit and also the stator of the electric motor. The cooling fluid of the cooling circuit is connected to the lubricating fluid of the lubricating circuit in such a manner as to be able to exchange heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: MAGNA Powertrain AG
    Inventors: Rainer Hofkirchner, Daniel Prix
  • Publication number: 20130119793
    Abstract: An electric drive unit includes an electric motor, which has a stator and a rotor, a gearbox, an electric circuit and a housing. The housing forms a motor compartment in which the electric motor is arranged and a gearbox chamber in which at least a part of the gearbox is arranged. The electric drive unit also includes a lubricating circuit in which a lubricating fluid is conveyed in order to lubricate and cool the gearbox and the rotor of the electric motor, the lubricating fluid circulating between the motor compartment and the gearbox chamber. The drive unit further includes a cooling circuit in which a cooling fluid is conveyed in order to cool the electric circuit and also the stator of the electric motor. The cooling fluid of the cooling circuit is connected to the lubricating fluid of the lubricating circuit in such a manner as to be able to exchange heat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: MAGNA Powertrain AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Rainer Hofkirchner, Daniel Prix