Patents by Inventor Rolf Krouzilek

Rolf Krouzilek 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: 6571178
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method on a truck for railway vehicles to measure the curvature of a track and a method for configuring the steering orientation of an axle of a rail truck as a function of the curvature of the track, which axle is rotationally fastened to a truck frame. The curvature of the track is determined by dividing a yaw rate by a translation rate, and the wheels are oriented on the basis of a setpoint steering angle (&ggr;setpoint) which is calculated by multiplying the track curvature (&khgr;) by one-half the distance between the two axles of the truck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AB
    Inventors: Markus Koch, Frank Hentschel, Günther Himmelstein, Rolf Krouzilek
  • Patent number: 6508180
    Abstract: A method for positioning railroad freight cars at specified positions while using robust positioning devices. One end of a train is prepositioned inside a comparatively wide area and a buffer device is activated. The locomotive pulls the train in a direction of travel until the activated buffer engages with a counter-buffer. The locomotive then exerts an additional tractive force so that the train is lengthened, whereby the front end of the first car, thus of the car coupled to the locomotive, is arranged in the area of a second counter-buffer device. A second buffer device is subsequently activated in a similar manner. The locomotive now decreases the tractive force so that the train is drawn together and so that the second buffer engages the second counter-buffer. The described positioning can be effected in the same manner by applying a pressure pretension onto the train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Inventors: Hans-Jürgen Weidemann, Michael Baier, Klaus-Dieter Hilderbrandt, Rolf Krouzilek
  • Patent number: 6418858
    Abstract: A method for the drive coordination of a rail-guided vehicle with individual-wheel drive traveling on straight track, including the steps of determining a differential speed (&Dgr;n) of opposite track wheels and a control value (&Dgr;M) by a controller as a function of a set point, whereby the set point is ideally zero and the frequency and the damping of the control value (&Dgr;M) can be dynamically adjusted by controller parameters. The invention further comprises a method for the drive coordination of a rail-guided vehicle with individual-wheel drive, in particular when the vehicle is traveling over curves, in which at least one axle is fastened so that it can rotate with respect to the underbody, whereby the angular position (&ggr;st) of the axle with respect to the underbody is regulated so that the track wheels are tangential to the rail by setting the angular position (&ggr;sl) of the axle by means of the torque set points (MSet,l MSet,r) of the individual wheel drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Frank Hentschel, Markus Koch, Norbert Ott, Rolf Krouzilek
  • Patent number: 6038981
    Abstract: A two-wheeled running gear for a track-guided vehicle comprising a running gear frame; a wheel carrier; first and second wheels coupled to opposite sides of the wheel carrier; first and second vertical pivot pins, the first vertical pivot pin coupled to the first side of the wheel carrier and movably connected to the first side of the running gear frame, the second vertical pivot pin coupled to the second side of the wheel carrier and movably connected to the second side of the running gear frame, the first and second wheels located between the first and second vertical pins; and means for controlling a movement of the first pivot pin relative to the running gear frame such that, during a curved track drive, the first pivot pin can be held substantially in place relative to the running gear frame while the second pivot pin can move relative to the running gear frame so that the line connecting the centers of the wheels is maintained substantially parallel to the radius of curvature of the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignees: Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, ABB Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andreas Daberkow, Ralf Krause, Norbert Ott, Rolf Krouzilek