Patents by Inventor Steffen Heyn

Steffen Heyn 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: 8181757
    Abstract: An adjustable damping valve including an actuator, which exerts an actuating force on a valve body against the force of a spring to influence the throttle cross section which determines the damping force, where an emergency valve is connected in parallel with the throttle cross section with respect to the flow direction of the damping medium, where the two control surfaces of the valve body move in the axial direction and can thus can come to rest alternately on the two valve seating surfaces, and where the valve body is divided into two parts in the longitudinal direction, and each valve body assembly has its own control surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Steffen Heyn, Bernd Zeissner
  • Patent number: 8113324
    Abstract: A damping valve for a vibration damper includes a guide sleeve which slides on the piston rod of a vibration damper. An annular damping valve body which is provided with at least one through-opening is fixed axially by positive engagement on the guide sleeve, and the through-opening is covered at least partly by at least one valve disk which is biased by at least one closing spring which is supported at its end at a spring plate connected to the guide sleeve. The damping valve body and a spring plate which is constructed separate from the guide sleeve form a compression chain between two axially spaced stops of the guide sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: ZF Freidrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Helmut Baalmann, Steffen Heyn, Thomas Thein, Michael Hegmann
  • Publication number: 20110226572
    Abstract: A vibration damper with stroke-dependent damping force includes a cylinder in which a piston rod with a piston is axially movable. The piston divides the cylinder into two work spaces filled with damping medium. A bypass between the work spaces is opened or closed depending on the piston position. The piston has a damping valve for at least one through-flow direction formed by a valve body that partially covers a through-flow channel in the damping valve. The valve body has first and second pressure-actuated surfaces on opposite sides of the valve body. The action of the second pressure-actuated surface depends on the position of the piston in relation to the bypass. The first pressure-actuated surface exerts a lifting force and the second pressure-actuated surface exerts a closing force on the valve disk. The second pressure-actuated surface is connected to a control space and a connection channel that overlaps with the bypass depending on the stroke position of the piston.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Steffen HEYN, Bernd ZEISSNER
  • Publication number: 20110168935
    Abstract: Adjustable damping valve for a vibration damper having a valve body having a pressure-loaded surface that acts in the lifting direction of the valve body and is impinged by an incident flow of damping medium from an opening inside a cross section limited by valve seat surface, and a surface operative in the closing direction is formed by a rear side of the valve body. A resulting force including a force of at least one valve spring and an actuating force of an actuator acts on the valve body. An additional surface of the valve body is pressure-loaded by damping medium by incident flow on the valve body in the closing direction of the valve body, or the valve body has a first pressure-loaded surface acting in the lifting direction, and a second pressure-loaded surface that acts in the lifting direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2009
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Inventors: Steffen Heyn, Lothar Callies
  • Publication number: 20090127039
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration damper comprising a cylinder in which a piston rod is guided in an axially movable manner. A first piston (7) is mounted stationarily on the piston rod while a second piston (23) that is equipped with at least one valve disk biased by a spring assembly is mounted on the piston rod so as to be axially movable counter to the force of at least one support spring. The spring assembly is provided with at least one spring plate (39, 41) on which the spring assembly (33, 35) rests. The second piston (23) forms a structural unit along with a fixing sleeve (37) and the at least one spring plate for the spring assembly. The at least one spring plate is mounted in an axially movable manner relative to the fixing sleeve (37) and can be fixed in the desired axial position in order to adjust the bias of the spring assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDCHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Bernd Zeissner, Andreas Foerster, Frank Gundermann, Steffen Heyn, Anton Krawczyk, Uwe Boecker, Thomas Thein, Wolfgang Breun, Herbert Bies, Holger Beyer, Ludwig Gampl, Heinz-Joachim Gilsdorf, Klaus Sauer
  • Publication number: 20090038898
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration damper comprising a cylinder in which a piston rod is guided in an axially movable manner. A first piston is mounted stationarily on the piston rod while a second piston that is equipped with at least one valve disk biased by a spring assembly is mounted on the piston rod so as to be axially movable counter to a force of at least one support spring. The spring assembly is provided with at least one spring plate on which the spring assembly rests. The second piston is retained by a fixing sleeve which supports the at least one spring plate. The structural unit encompassing the fixing sleeve and the at least one spring plate is fitted with an axially effective separating joint for a locking connection inside the structural unit. The entire structural unit can be axially displaced towards the at least one support spring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Bernd Zeissner, Andreas Foerster, Frank Gundermann, Steffen Heyn, Anton Krawczyk, Uwe Boecker, Thomas Thein, Wolfgang Breun, Herbert Bies, Holger Beyer, Ludwig Gampl, Heinz-Joachim Gilsdorf, Klaus Sauer
  • Publication number: 20080296526
    Abstract: A damping valve for a vibration damper includes a guide sleeve which slides on the piston rod of a vibration damper. An annular damping valve body which is provided with at least one through-opening is fixed axially by positive engagement on the guide sleeve, and the through-opening is covered at least partly by at least one valve disk which is biased by at least one closing spring which is supported at its end at a spring plate connected to the guide sleeve. The damping valve body and a spring plate which is constructed separate from the guide sleeve form a compression chain between two axially spaced stops of the guide sleeve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Helmut Baalmann, Steffen Heyn, Thomas Thein, Michael Hegmann
  • Publication number: 20080116024
    Abstract: A vibration damper with adjustable damping force, including a valve body and an actuator. The actuator causes the valve body to move toward a valve seating surface against a nonlinear elastic force, thereby creating a characteristic curve, which describes the function “open valve cross section-versus-energy input to the actuator” and which has at least two ranges with different slopes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Steffen Heyn, Thomas Manger, Andreas Sieber, Bernd Zeissner
  • Publication number: 20080078634
    Abstract: An adjustable damping valve including an actuator, which exerts an actuating force on a valve body against the force of a spring to influence the throttle cross section which determines the damping force, where an emergency valve is connected in parallel with the throttle cross section with respect to the flow direction of the damping medium, where the two control surfaces of the valve body move in the axial direction and can thus can come to rest alternately on the two valve seating surfaces, and where the valve body is divided into two parts in the longitudinal direction, and each valve body assembly has its own control surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Steffen Heyn, Bernd Zeissner
  • Patent number: 7104369
    Abstract: A piston rod with a piston is installed with freedom of axial movement in a damping medium-filled cylinder, where, as a function of the stroke position of the piston, a bypass connects the two working spaces separated from each other by the piston. The piston has at least one through-channel for at least one flow direction, which channel is at least partially covered on the outlet side by at least one valve disk, so that a first pressure-actuated surface to which pressure can be applied in the opening direction is present on the valve disk. In addition to the first pressure-actuated surface, the valve disk has a second pressure-actuated surface, which is separated from the first when the valve disk is closed and which can be actuated via the bypass, in which case the effects of the two pressure-actuated surfaces are additive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Steffen Heyn, Frank Gundermann, Christian Böhm, Bernd Zeissner, Manfred Grundei
  • Publication number: 20050061592
    Abstract: A piston rod with a piston is installed with freedom of axial movement in a damping medium-filled cylinder, where, as a function of the stroke position of the piston, a bypass connects the two working spaces separated from each other by the piston. The piston has at least one through-channel for at least one flow direction, which channel is at least partially covered on the outlet side by at least one valve disk, so that a first pressure-actuated surface to which pressure can be applied in the opening direction is present on the valve disk. In addition to the first pressure-actuated surface, the valve disk has a second pressure-actuated surface, which is separated from the first when the valve disk is closed and which can be actuated via the bypass, in which case the effects of the two pressure-actuated surfaces are additive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Publication date: March 24, 2005
    Inventors: Steffen Heyn, Frank Gundermann, Christian Bohm, Bernd Zeissner, Manfred Grundei
  • Patent number: 6581734
    Abstract: Damping valve comprising a damping valve body with at least one flow-through channel, the outlet of which is covered at least by an elastic valve disk, which is pretensioned against the damping valve body at least indirectly by a spring, where at least one support disk of smaller diameter is provided on the elastic valve disk, facing the spring, this support disk not executing any elastic movement, the spring exerting its force in the area radially outside the support disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Steffen Heyn, Andreas Sieber, Robert Moller, Alfred Memmel
  • Patent number: 6561720
    Abstract: An open end of a hollow cylindrical body receives part of a cylindrical component, where the hollow cylindrical body and the cylindrical component each having a groove, the grooves being aligned when the cylindrical component is in its intended final position with respect to the hollow cylindrical body, so that a locking ring is captured by the two grooves. The cylindrical component works together with the hollow cylindrical body to form a ring-shaped space, which extends from one of the two grooves toward the open end of the hollow cylindrical body, thus offering access for a tool to move the locking ring into its intended final position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventors: Alfred Wirth, Andreas Keidel, Steffen Heyn
  • Publication number: 20020175033
    Abstract: Damping valve comprising a damping valve body with at least one flow-through channel, the outlet of which is covered at least by an elastic valve disk, which is pretensioned against the damping valve body at least indirectly by a spring, where at least one support disk of smaller diameter is provided on the elastic valve disk, facing the spring, this support disk not executing any elastic movement, the spring exerting its force in the area radially outside the support disk.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2002
    Publication date: November 28, 2002
    Applicant: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Steffen Heyn, Andreas Sieber, Robert Moller, Alfred Memmel
  • Patent number: 6364332
    Abstract: An adjustable vibration damper, having a displacer in a cylinder, a damping medium exerting a damping force via an adjustable damping valve. The adjustable damping valve is activated by a control pressure of a pneumatic spring A safety device is provided which, in the event of a control pressure reduced as a result of damage to the pneumatic spring, provides a sufficiently high damping force of the vibration damper. At least two pneumatic springs are connected to the safety device, which is constructed from a pneumatic circuit functioning as a pressure balance between the pneumatic springs which releases the higher control pressure of a pneumatic spring in the pneumatic circuit. The adjustable vibration dampers which belong to the pneumatic springs are connected via at least one pressure outlet connection of the pneumatic circuit and are activated by the highest control pressure of the pneumatic springs involved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventors: Thomas Kutsche, Norbert Heinz, Thomas Manger, Joachim Kühnel, Thorsten Asshoff, Steffen Heyn
  • Publication number: 20010038771
    Abstract: An open end of a hollow cylindrical body receives part of a cylindrical component, where the hollow cylindrical body and the cylindrical component each having a groove, the grooves being aligned when the cylindrical component is in its intended final position with respect to the hollow cylindrical body, so that a locking ring is captured by the two grooves. The cylindrical component works together with the hollow cylindrical body to form a ring-shaped space, which extends from one of the two grooves toward the open end of the hollow cylindrical body, thus offering access for a tool to move the locking ring into its intended final position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Publication date: November 8, 2001
    Inventors: Alfred Wirth, Andreas Keidel, Steffen Heyn
  • Patent number: 6305512
    Abstract: A pressure operated valve is provided including an adjusting device, a spring and a vent connection. The adjusting device is axially movably arranged in a pressure chamber defined in the valve and comprises a valve body and a pressure intensifier. A space between the valve body and valve face defines a valve passage cross section. The spring is operatively arranged for holding the pressure intensifier in a floating arrangement in the pressure chamber. The pressure intensifier has a first side exposed to a pressure in the pressure connection opening and a second side facing away from the pressure connection opening. The second side of the pressure intensifier and the adjusting device define a low pressure chamber within the pressure chamber. The vent connection is an inflow restrictor arranged between the lower pressure chamber and a space having a lower pressure than the low pressure chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventors: Norbert Heinz, Joachim Kühnel, Thomas Kutsche, Thomas Manger, Thorsten Assiioff, Steffen Heyn, Alfred Wirth
  • Patent number: 5431260
    Abstract: A shock absorber for motor vehicles having at least one end thereof fastened by means of rubber gaskets to a fastening part. To achieve a fastening which is economical, elastic, and has a high degree of insulation and a long useful life, each rubber gasket of the fastening, around the circumference and on the end surfaces thereof, has elevations and/or depressions which run toward or opposite to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignees: Fichtel & Sachs AG, Boge GmbH
    Inventors: Josef Gross, Heinz Sydekum, Steffen Heyn, Kilian Gobel