Patents by Inventor Ralf Brod

Ralf Brod 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).

  • Method for actuating headlights of a motor vehicle
    Patent number: 7625107
    Abstract: A method is provided for actuating the headlights of a motor vehicle with a manual mode, in which the headlights can be transferred into a first illuminating state by manually actuating a selector lever in a first actuating direction and by actuating the selector lever in a second actuating direction can be transferred into a second illuminating state, and with an automatic mode, in which an external lighting situation is detected by sensors and evaluated by an evaluation device so that, according to the results of the evaluation, the headlights are automatically displaced into the first or into the second illuminating state. In the automatic mode, an override possibility is provided so that, independently of the results of the evaluation, the headlights can be transferred into the respective illuminating state by manually actuating the selector lever in the first or the second actuating direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Ralf Brod
  • Method for Actuating Headlights of a Motor Vehicle
    Publication number: 20070276551
    Abstract: A method is provided for actuating the headlights of a motor vehicle with a manual mode, in which the headlights can be transferred into a first illuminating state by manually actuating a selector lever in a first actuating direction and by actuating the selector lever in a second actuating direction can be transferred into a second illuminating state, and with an automatic mode, in which an external lighting situation is detected by sensors and evaluated by an evaluation device so that, according to the results of the evaluation, the headlights are automatically displaced into the first or into the second illuminating state. In the automatic mode, an override possibility is provided so that, independently of the results of the evaluation, the headlights can be transferred into the respective illuminating state by manually actuating the selector lever in the first or the second actuating direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Applicant: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Ralf BROD