Patents by Inventor Stephan Pollmeyer

Stephan Pollmeyer 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: 20240051602
    Abstract: A trajectory planning system for a vehicle includes a sensor system for measuring an actual curvature on the basis of a respective current yaw rate, a memory containing a target trajectory with target curvatures, wherein the trajectory planning system determines target yaw rates from the target curvature, and a steering system that uses steering variables to obtain target curvatures in actual curvatures. The system determines a respective first actual derivative of the measured respective current actual yaw rate over time and a respective first target derivative of the respective current target yaw rate over time. A correlator determines a respective current delay on the basis of the respective first actual derivatives and the respective first target derivatives in a current yaw rate segment, and a parameter estimator recursively estimates the delay between the target yaw rate and the actual yaw rate on the basis of respective current delay inputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Michael Fleps-Dezasse, Julian King, Stephan Pollmeyer, Lothar Kiltz, Felix Mesmer
  • Publication number: 20230373527
    Abstract: A method for adjusting a planned trajectory of a vehicle, such as a vehicle for highly automated driving. A plurality of different limit data sets are produced for implementing the planned trajectory using at least one drive-dynamical characteristic value of the vehicle and an estimated value for a friction coefficient between the vehicle and a road. Each limit data set contains limit values for a kinematic driving condition of the vehicle. A data set having the lowest limit values with which the planned trajectory can be implemented is selected from the limit data sets produced. The planned trajectory is calculated as a function of current trajectory control data and as a function of the selected limit data set, where the trajectory control data comprise current environment data from an environment sensor of the vehicle and/or current position data from a position sensor of the vehicle. The planned trajectory is adjusted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Eckehard Münch, Stephan Pollmeyer, Katharina Hansen
  • Patent number: 9233602
    Abstract: A drive unit, for an electric vehicle, comprising an electric machine that can be arranged in the area of an end of a vehicle axle of the electric vehicle and also a transmission unit, which co-operates with the electric machine, for driving a wheel of the electric vehicle. The electric machine and the transmission unit can be arranged adjacent to the wheel. The electric machine is designed so that the electric machine can be arranged adjacent to a wheel at either of the two ends of the vehicle axle in the drive unit for driving the wheel concerned. The invention also concerns a vehicle axle incorporating the drive unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer, Martin Munster
  • Patent number: 9227506
    Abstract: A drive device located closely adjacent to the wheel for a single wheel of a motor vehicle. The drive device has an electric drive that has at least one driveshaft for the wheel. A gearing interacts with the at least one drive shaft for transmitting torque to drive the wheel and is connectable to the individual wheel. A locking mechanism is disposed to lock the wheel and is designed to block the gearing and/or the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer, Martin Munster
  • Patent number: 9132723
    Abstract: A drive device (11) for driving a wheel (7) of an electrically powered vehicle having an electric machine (12) and a transmission unit. The transmission unit has a spur gear transmission (14) and a planetary transmission (13) which, when viewed in the direction of the flow of force during a traction operation, is positioned on the output side of the electric machine (12) in the sequence of the planetary transmission (13) and then the spur gear transmission (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Martin Munster, Stephan Pollmeyer, Jens Heimann, Ulrich Mair
  • Patent number: 9045029
    Abstract: A vehicle axle, in particular a torsion beam axle for an electric vehicle, with at least one trailing arm on which is arranged a drive unit located close to a wheel, and the drive unit comprises an electric machine and a transmission unit. The drive unit, close to the wheel, has at least one supply line and at least one damper such that the drive unit, close to the wheel, is formed at least partially as a trailing arm and the damper is connected, on at least one side, to the drive unit at least in a single-shear manner and can be connected, on at least the other side, to a body of the electric vehicle. The at least one vehicle axle is utilized on a motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer, Martin Munster
  • Patent number: 9038707
    Abstract: A method of producing a trailing arm of a torsion beam axle in which an integrated drive unit of a wheel-adjacent electric drive has an electric machine and a transmission. By using the method, the trailing arm is produced in the form of a casting with a box profile. The contours for producing the area that accommodates the transmission, the connection point to the vehicle body, the bore that receives the cross-member which connects the two trailing arms to one another, the U-profile of the trailing arm, the box profile and the area that accommodates the electric machine, are modeled by cores such that the contours for producing the connection point of the trailing arm to the vehicle body, the bore that receives the cross-member and the U-profile of the trailing arm are modeled by one core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer
  • Publication number: 20140209266
    Abstract: A method of producing a trailing arm of a torsion beam axle in which an integrated drive unit of a wheel-adjacent electric drive has an electric machine and a transmission. By using the method, the trailing arm is produced in the form of a casting with a box profile. The contours for producing the area that accommodates the transmission, the connection point to the vehicle body, the bore that receives the cross-member which connects the two trailing arms to one another, the U-profile of the trailing arm, the box profile and the area that accommodates the electric machine, are modeled by cores such that the contours for producing the connection point of the trailing arm to the vehicle body, the bore that receives the cross-member and the U-profile of the trailing arm are modeled by one core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer
  • Publication number: 20140166378
    Abstract: A drive unit, for an electric vehicle, comprising an electric machine that can be arranged in the area of an end of a vehicle axle of the electric vehicle and also a transmission unit, which co-operates with the electric machine, for driving a wheel of the electric vehicle. The electric machine and the transmission unit can be arranged adjacent to the wheel. The electric machine is designed so that the electric machine can be arranged adjacent to a wheel at either of the two ends of the vehicle axle in the drive unit for driving the wheel concerned. The invention also concerns a vehicle axle incorporating the drive unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer, Martin Munster
  • Publication number: 20140144718
    Abstract: A drive device located closely adjacent to the wheel for a single wheel of a motor vehicle. The drive device has an electric drive that has at least one driveshaft for the wheel. A gearing interacts with the at least one drive shaft for transmitting torque to drive the wheel and is connectable to the individual wheel. A locking mechanism is disposed to lock the wheel and is designed to block the gearing and/or the drive shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2012
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer, Martin Munster
  • Publication number: 20140138171
    Abstract: A vehicle axle, in particular a torsion beam axle for an electric vehicle, with at least one trailing arm on which is arranged a drive unit located close to a wheel, and the drive unit comprises an electric machine and a transmission unit. The drive unit, close to the wheel, has at least one supply line and at least one damper such that the drive unit, close to the wheel, is formed at least partially as a trailing arm and the damper is connected, on at least one side, to the drive unit at least in a single-shear manner and can be connected, on at least the other side, to a body of the electric vehicle. The at least one vehicle axle is utilized on a motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer, Martin Munster
  • Publication number: 20140128194
    Abstract: A drive unit close to the wheel of an electric vehicle having an electric machine with a drive shaft and transmission unit that has at least a first transmission component with an output shaft. The transmission unit interacts with the driveshaft for transferring torque. The drive shaft has, as bearings, two drive shaft bearings and the output shaft has at least one output shaft bearing. At least one of the drive shaft bearings and output shaft bearings is a fixed bearing, and at least an additional drive shaft bearing and the output shaft bearing are loose bearings. The drive and the output shaft bearings are radial bearings. A vehicle can have additional drive units close to the wheel, a vehicle axle can have at least a drive unit close to the wheel and an application of a drive unit close to the wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Ulrich Mair, Stephan Pollmeyer, Martin Munster
  • Publication number: 20140011620
    Abstract: A drive device (1) for driving a wheel (2) of a spring strut axle for an electrically driven vehicle. The drive device has an electric machine (3) and a transmission unit, and the transmission unit has a spur gear transmission (5) and a planetary transmission (4) which, viewed in the direction of the flow of force in traction operation, is positioned at the output side of the electric machine (3) in the sequence of from the electric machine (3) to the planetary transmission (4) and then to the spur gear transmission (5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Martin Munster, Stephan Pollmeyer, Jens Heimann
  • Publication number: 20140000970
    Abstract: A drive device (11) for driving a wheel (7) of an electrically powered vehicle having an electric machine (12) and a transmission unit. The transmission unit has a spur gear transmission (14) and a planetary transmission (13) which, when viewed in the direction of the flow of force during a traction operation, is positioned on the output side of the electric machine (12) in the sequence of the planetary transmission (13) and then the spur gear transmission (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Martin Munster, Stephan Pollmeyer, Jens Heimann, Ulrich Mair
  • Patent number: 8556282
    Abstract: An axle for a motor vehicle comprises at least a transverse leaf spring (1) attached directly, or via an auxiliary support frame, to a body (9) of the motor vehicle by two first mountings (4), two control arms (2) and two wheel carriers (3). In each case, an end of the transverse leaf spring (1) facing toward a respective wheel (10) of the motor vehicle is rigidly connected to one of the two control arms (2), and both of the two control arms (2) are each orientated substantially in the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle. Each of the control arms (2) is connected by a second mounting (7) directly, or via an auxiliary support frame, to the body (9) and also connected, by at least one third mounting (5, 6), to one of the wheel carriers (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Stephan Pollmeyer, Volker Wagner, Gabriele Fruhmann
  • Patent number: 8523209
    Abstract: A semi-trailing arm axle for a motor vehicle which comprises a semi-trailing arm (1) for each wheel (4) of the axle. Each semi-trailing arm (1) is flexible about the vertical axis and is mounted to the body or on a support frame by at least one mounting (2, 3). Each wheel (4) of the axle is connected to its respective flexible semi-trailing arm (1) by way of at least one wheel bearing (5), and the flexible semi-trailing arm (1) is the sole wheel-guiding element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Stephan Pollmeyer, Volker Wagner, Gabriele Fruhmann
  • Publication number: 20110227310
    Abstract: A semi-trailing arm axle for a motor vehicle is proposed, which for each wheel (4) of the axle comprises a semi-trailing arm (1) which is flexible about the vertical axis, which is mounted on the body or on a support frame by at least one mounting (2, 3) whereas each wheel (4) of the axle is connected to its respective flexible semi-trailing arm (1) by means of at least one wheel bearing (5), whereby the flexible semi-trailing arm (1) is the sole wheel-guiding element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2009
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Stephan Pollmeyer, Volker Wagner, Gabriele Fruhmann