Patents by Inventor Thomas Bertelshofer

Thomas Bertelshofer 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: 7686717
    Abstract: A tensioner for a traction drive includes a cylinder arranged in a housing at a distance to a housing wall to thereby define an interior space which contains hydraulic fluid. A piston is received in the cylinder for back-and-forth movement and bounds a pressure chamber containing hydraulic fluid. The piston has a cylinder-distal end which is operatively connected to a spring-biased tension roller supported on a traction member. Formed between the piston and the cylinder is a leakage gap, and a reservoir for hydraulic fluid is provided in an area of the leakage gap to prevent ingress of air into the pressure chamber, when the traction drive is at a rest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: INA-Schaeffler KG
    Inventors: Arbogast Grunau, Thomas Bertelshofer, Eduard Kratz, Christian Schäfer, Harald Schäfer, Dietmar Jäger, Marco Orsi
  • Patent number: 7631624
    Abstract: Traction mechanism drive for an internal combustion engine, having a crankshaft gear wheel, at least one gear wheel which is arranged on a driven shaft, a wrap-around means and an electric machine which can be actuated in order to reduce rotational non-uniformities, the electric machine (9, 10) having a rotor (12) which is arranged on the or a camshaft (1, 11) and interacts with an immobile stator (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Schaeffler KG
    Inventors: Rainer Pflug, Tino Haensel, Peter Kelm, Rainer Baumueller, Thomas Bertelshofer, Martin Assel
  • Publication number: 20070232426
    Abstract: The invention relates to a wraparound drive for an internal combustion engine, having a wraparound means (2) which is configured as a belt or a chain and is guided over drive and output wheels (3, 5, 6) of the crankshaft (4) and at least one camshaft (7, 8) of the internal combustion engine and/or auxiliary assemblies which are to be driven. In order to ensure reliable balancing of the drive by elimination of oscillations and resonances, there is provision for at least one of the drive or output wheels (3, 5, 6) or a deflection wheel (9) to be of unround or eccentric configuration, and/or for at least two tensioning rollers (11, 13) to be provided, one of these tensioning rollers (13) being provided with a damping device (14), or both tensioning rollers (11, 13) being coupled to one another by a damping device (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Applicant: SCHAEFFLER KG
    Inventors: Rainer Pflug, Rainer Baumueller, Thomas Bertelshofer, Peter Kelm, Tino Haensel, Martin Assel
  • Publication number: 20070163529
    Abstract: Wraparound drive, in particular control drive, for an internal combustion engine, having at least one driving gearwheel and at least one driven gearwheel and a tensioning or deflecting roller and having a wraparound means (toothed belt or chain) which connects said gearwheels and rollers, wherein the driving and/or driven gearwheel is designed according to the ID2 system such that, during rotation, it imparts a nonuniformity to the drive with the aim of damping the drive, wherein at least one additional auxiliary unit is also driven, characterized in that the gearwheel (6, 6?, 6?) of the auxiliary unit is connected to the driving shaft thereof by means of a non-rigid clutch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2006
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Applicant: SCHAEFFLER KG
    Inventors: Bernd Hartmann, Tino Haensel, Thomas Bertelshofer, Rainer Pflug
  • Publication number: 20070017464
    Abstract: Traction mechanism drive for an internal combustion. engine, having a crankshaft gear wheel, at least one gear wheel which is arranged on a driven shaft, a wrap-around means and an electric machine which can be actuated in order to reduce rotational non-uniformities, the electric machine (9, 10) having a rotor (12) which is arranged on the or a camshaft (1, 11) and interacts with an immobile stator (15).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2006
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Applicant: Schaeffler KG
    Inventors: Rainer Pflug, Tino Haensel, Peter Kelm, Rainer Baumueller, Thomas Bertelshofer, Martin Assel
  • Publication number: 20050130777
    Abstract: A tensioner for a traction drive includes a cylinder arranged in a housing at a distance to a housing wall to thereby define an interior space which contains hydraulic fluid. A piston is received in the cylinder for back-and-forth movement and bounds a pressure chamber containing hydraulic fluid. The piston has a cylinder-distal end which is operatively connected to a spring-biased tension roller supported on a traction member. Formed between the piston and the cylinder is a leakage gap, and a reservoir for hydraulic fluid is provided in an area of the leakage gap to prevent ingress of air into the pressure chamber, when the traction drive is at a rest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Applicant: INA-SCHAEFFLER KG
    Inventors: Arbogast Grunau,, Thomas Bertelshofer, Eduard Kratz, Christian Schafer, Harald Schafer, Dietmar Jager, Marco Orsi
  • Patent number: 6857977
    Abstract: The invention relates to a tensioner (1) for a traction drive with a rotationally fixed housing (2) to a side of which a rotatable swivel arm (10), provided with a rotatable tension roller, is associated. A torsion spring (7) is placed between the housing (2) and the swivel arm (10) for loading the swivel arm (10) in the direction of an end position. Support of the tension spring (7) is realized by an insert (17a) placed in a circular ring shaped space (16) radially defined by a housing portion and the torsion spring (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: INA Wälzlager Schaeffler oHG
    Inventors: Thomas Bertelshofer, Alfred Strasser, Thomas Ebner, Andreas Lang
  • Patent number: 6640541
    Abstract: A master cylinder for use in the power train of a motor vehicle to actuate the brakes or the friction clutch is designed to avoid the generation of screeching noise and/or the transmission of stray movements to the piston rod in response to shifting of the piston relative to the housing and relative to the sealing element(s) between the piston and the housing. This can be accomplished by causing the piston to turn relative to the housing and the sealing element(s) during axial movement in the housing and/or by installing one or more dampers between the piston and the housing and/or between the piston and the piston rod. The dampers can constitute separately produced parts and/or specially configured and/or finished surfaces provided on the piston and contacting the housing and/or the sealing element(s). The invention also relates to improvements in the configuration and/or the material(s) of the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
    Inventors: Ludwig Winkelmann, Rainer Venz, Ulrich Helfmeier, Dieter Adler, Uwe Stratil, Thomas Bertelshofer, Karl-Ludwig Grell, Harald Peschke, Roland Welter
  • Patent number: 6619248
    Abstract: A device (1) for hydraulic rotational angle adjustment of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine including a drive unit (4) connected with the crankshaft and an output unit (5) non-rotatably connected with the camshaft. The drive unit (4) stands in power transmitting connection with the output unit (5) through at least two pressure chambers (6, 7) formed inside the device (1) which bring about, under action by pressure under continuous compensation for external pressure leakages, a relative rotation or a hydraulic clamping of the output unit (5) in relation to the drive unit (4). In addition, the device (1) has a coil spring (8) arranged outside the device which is provided for adaptation of its adjustment speeds in both adjustment directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: INA-Schaeffler KG
    Inventors: Thomas Bertelshofer, Gerd Wiessner, Jurgen Schwab, Thomas Kleiber
  • Publication number: 20030097928
    Abstract: A master cylinder for use in the power train of a motor vehicle to actuate the brakes or the friction clutch is designed to avoid the generation of screeching noise and/or the transmission of stray movements to the piston rod in response to shifting of the piston relative to the housing and relative to the sealing element(s) between the piston and the housing. This can be accomplished by causing the piston to turn relative to the housing and the sealing element(s) during axial movement in the housing and/or by installing one or more dampers between the piston and the housing and/or between the piston and the piston rod. The dampers can constitute separately produced parts and/or specially configured and/or finished surfaces provided on the piston and contacting the housing and/or the sealing element(s). The invention also relates to improvements in the configuration and/or the material(s) of the piston.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Applicant: LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
    Inventors: Ludwig Winkelmann, Rainer Venz, Ulrich Helfmeier, Dieter Adler, Uwe Stratil, Thomas Bertelshofer, Karl-Ludwig Grell, Harald Peschke, Roland Welter
  • Patent number: 6526868
    Abstract: A master cylinder for use in the power train of a motor vehicle to actuate the brakes or the friction clutch is designed to avoid the generation of screeching noise and/or the transmission of stray movements to the piston rod in response to shifting of the piston relative to the housing and relative to the sealing element(s) between the piston and the housing. This can be accomplished by causing the piston to turn relative to the housing and the sealing element(s) during axial movement in the housing and/or by installing one or more dampers between the piston and the housing and/or between the piston and the piston rod. The dampers can constitute separately produced parts and/or specially configured and/or finished surfaces provided on the piston and contacting the housing and/or the sealing element(s). The invention also relates to improvements in the configuration and/or the material(s) of the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Luk Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
    Inventors: Ludwig Winkelmann, Rainer Venz, Ulrich Helfmeier, Dieter Adler, Uwe Stratil, Thomas Bertelshofer, Karl-Ludwig Grell, Harald Peschke, Roland Welter
  • Patent number: 6446436
    Abstract: A master cylinder for use in the power train of a motor vehicle to actuate the brakes or the friction clutch is designed to avoid the generation of screeching noise and/or the transmission of stray movements to the piston rod in response to shifting of the piston relative to the housing and relative to the sealing element(s) between the piston and the housing. This can be accomplished by causing the piston to turn relative to the housing and the sealing element(s) during axial movement in the housing and/or by installing one or more dampers between the piston and the housing and/or between the piston and the piston rod. The dampers can constitute separately produced parts and/or specially configured and/or finished surfaces provided on the piston and contacting the housing and/or the sealing element(s). The invention also relates to improvements in the configuration and/or the material(s) of the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau GmbH
    Inventors: Ludwig Winkelmann, Rainer Venz, Ulrich Helfmeier, Dieter Adler, Uwe Stratil, Thomas Bertelshofer, Karl-Ludwig Grell, Harald Peschke, Roland Welter
  • Publication number: 20020116924
    Abstract: A master cylinder for use in the power train of a motor vehicle to actuate the brakes or the friction clutch is designed to avoid the generation of screeching noise and/or the transmission of stray movements to the piston rod in response to shifting of the piston relative to the housing and relative to the sealing element(s) between the piston and the housing. This can be accomplished by causing the piston to turn relative to the housing and the sealing element(s) during axial movement in the housing and/or by installing one or more dampers between the piston and the housing and/or between the piston and the piston rod. The dampers can constitute separately produced parts and/or specially configured and/or finished surfaces provided on the piston and contacting the housing and/or the sealing element(s). The invention also relates to improvements in the configuration and/or the material(s) of the piston.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2002
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Applicant: LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau GmbH
    Inventors: Ludwig Winkelmann, Rainer Venz, Ulrich Helfmeier, Dieter Adler, Uwe Stratil, Thomas Bertelshofer, Karl-Ludwig Grell, Harald Peschke, Roland Welter