Patents by Inventor Ralf Bergholz

Ralf Bergholz 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: 8818622
    Abstract: The vehicle system, controlled by control inputs, provides functionalities in the motor vehicle (1) and has an interface (9) for acquiring the control inputs and outputting data as well as a control device (5) for controlling the functionalities in accordance with the acquired control inputs. A storage medium (7) on which instructions explaining the functionalities and/or operation are stored is linked to the control device (5). The control device (5) is designed to retrieve instructions from the storage medium (7) and output the same as part of the instructions via the interface (9). The vehicle system (3, 3?) can be operated in an assistance mode in which the user inputs are interpreted and evaluated as control inputs for the functionalities while instructions explaining the respective activated functionality and/or other operational options are additionally output at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Ralf Bergholz, Michael Daginnus, Gabriel Schwab, Yongmei Wu, Christoph Wāller, Lennart Bendewald, Thorsten Bohnenberger, Katja Lemke, Karl Rox, Stefan Schulz, Jörg Lilienthal
  • Publication number: 20100286867
    Abstract: The vehicle system, controlled by control inputs, provides functionalities in the motor vehicle (1) and has an interface (9) for acquiring the control inputs and outputting data as well as a control device (5) for controlling the functionalities in accordance with the acquired control inputs. A storage medium (7) on which instructions explaining the functionalities and/or operation are stored is linked to the control device (5). The control device (5) is designed to retrieve instructions from the storage medium (7) and output the same as part of the instructions via the interface (9). The vehicle system (3, 3?) can be operated in an assistance mode in which the user inputs are interpreted and evaluated as control inputs for the functionalities while instructions explaining the respective activated functionality and/or other operational options are additionally output at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Inventors: Ralf Bergholz, Michael Daginnus, Gabriel Schwar, Yongmei Wu, Christoph Wäller, Lennart Bendewald, Thorsten Bohnenberger, Katja Lemke, Karl Rox, Stefan Schulz, Jörg Lilienthal
  • Patent number: 6765494
    Abstract: A method for spacing control for a vehicle in which an intended vehicle spacing from a vehicle in front is determined as a function of at least the current vehicle speed by an arrangement for calculating the intended spacing. In order to increase the acceptability of the spacing control method by a vehicle driver, the control arrangement has a transfer function which is adaptable to an individual driving characteristic of the vehicle driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Ralf Bergholz, Hubert Weisser, Klaus Timm
  • Patent number: 6151539
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle and method for controlling it includes an input unit to receive one or more travel orders, a route planning unit containing at least one position finding device and digital street map, a vehicle path generating a unit, an array of sensors including at least one range sensor for detecting objects and at least one range sensor for detecting the condition features of the route, a collision avoidance unit, a vehicle condition data recognition unit, a vehicle control unit and a unit for controlling the vehicle actuator system based on the signals generated by the vehicle control unit, wherein the array of sensors includes at least two essentially horizontally directed range sensors at the front of the vehicle, at least one range sensor at the rear area of the vehicle, at least one trackable range sensor on the roof of the vehicle and directed at the roadway, ultrasonic sensors and/or microwave radar sensors arranged on each side of the vehicle, and at least one camera located in each of the f
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Ralf Bergholz, Klaus Timm, Hubert Weisser
  • Patent number: 6084508
    Abstract: A method and arrangement for emergency braking of a vehicle includes a detection system on the vehicle which detects obstacles located in or near the direction of motion of the vehicle and generates corresponding data, sensors on the vehicle which generate data representing characteristic parameters of the condition of the vehicle, and an evaluating unit which determines, from the data on the obstacles and the parameters of the condition of the vehicle, target values for controlling the motion of the vehicle and, only upon determining that an impending collision of the vehicle with an obstacle is no longer avoidable by any action on the vehicle by steering or braking, triggers an automatic emergency braking for rapid deceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Rudolf Mai, Ralf Bergholz, Ernst Lissel, Franciscus Van Meel
  • Patent number: 5997091
    Abstract: A headrest for a motor vehicle seat has pivoted lateral headrest elements which can be turned into a use position from a storage position is a headrest body. In order to comply with safety standards regarding support and freedom of vision and to satisfy multifunctional headrest requirements, the lateral headrest elements are integrated in the headrest body surface contour in the storage position and can be swung or pivoted out of the headrest body contour by a swinging or pivoting movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Bernd Rech, Ralf Bergholz
  • Patent number: 5988844
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for arranging or adapting a fuzzy controller or of a system of interlinked fuzzy controllers having at least two input variables and an output variable which controller or system has input membership functions with which truth values of linguistic values for the input variables are determined, and has a control mechanism in which truth values for the output variable are determined from the truth values for the input variable and has output membership functions with which the values of the output variable are determined from the truth values for the output variable. Pursuant to the method, value ranges are defined for the input variables and a number of classes are determined over the value ranges. Subsequently, in a learning phase, value combinations of the input variables and of the output variable are recorded data set by data set. The defined classes are altered, removed and/or new classes are generated as a function of the registered value combinations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Klaus Timm, Ralf Bergholz, Hubert Weisser
  • Patent number: 5969640
    Abstract: The specification discloses a method for spacing control for a motor vehicle, in which the current driving speed of the motor vehicle and the current spacing of the vehicle from an object in front of the vehicle are determined by sensor devices, and a spacing-dependent required acceleration is produced from the detected variables. For this purpose, a speed-dependent required acceleration is determined from a desired speed which is manually predetermined by the vehicle driver, and is compared with the spacing-dependent required acceleration. A manipulated variable for the driving engine and/or the braking system of the motor vehicle is then generated as a function of the required acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Klaus Timm, Hubert Weisser, Ralf Bergholz
  • Patent number: 5812067
    Abstract: A system for recognizing authorization of a person to use a vehicle includes an optical-electronic image processor arranged to identify an authorized user of the vehicle by recognizing a distinctive physical feature of the user. The image processor provides an output signal which controls locking functions relating to operation of the vehicle based on a comparison of detected information with stored information relating to distinctive individual features of authorized users so that only authorized persons are enabled to use the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Ralf Bergholz, Hubert Weisser, Thomas Zielke
  • Patent number: 4855919
    Abstract: In a method for the driving of driver stages for operations of automotive internal combustion engines, for instance for fuel injection, including the use of timer-controlled output signals of a microcontroller for the cylinder-selective driving and for the presetting of operational start and operational stop of the driving in order to achieve as simple as possible driving, which can be adapted without problems to engines with different numbers of cylinders it is provided that with the one edge of the output signals of a first microcontroller a first address counter for operational start addresses is driven and that an output memory is addressed by it, wherein with the other edge of the output signals the output memory is changed to a state of "operational start", and that with the one edge of the output signals of a second microcontroller output a second address counter for operational transmitting addresses is driven and an operational memory is addressed by it, wherein with the other edge of the output sign
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1986
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1989
    Inventor: Ralf Bergholz