Patents by Inventor Thomas Dieckmann

Thomas Dieckmann 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: 20230087332
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a vehicle system for a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle, that includes an electronically controllable pneumatic braking system, and an electronically controllable steering device. The electronically controllable pneumatic braking system has a redundant control unit, which controls the brake circuits in the event of a failure of an electronic stability control of the braking system during travel. In the event of the failure of the electronic stability control during travel, the redundant control unit performs axle-wise control of the front axle with a front axle redundancy brake pressure and/or of the rear axle with a rear axle redundancy brake pressure and the electronically controllable steering device carries out laterally stabilizing steering interventions in order to keep the vehicle in a tolerance corridor of a predefined target trajectory of the vehicle. The disclosure also relates to a vehicle and a method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Ralph-Carsten Lülfing, Arne Michaelsen, Tobias Munko, Robert Otremba, Julian van Thiel
  • Publication number: 20230068079
    Abstract: A method for braking a vehicle, including checking whether a trigger criterion for braking the vehicle is present, and if the trigger criterion is satisfied, causing a conditioning braking pulse through brief pulsed braking such that passengers experience brief braking of the vehicle, and immediately thereafter initiating a braking phase in which the vehicle is braked in at least two partial braking regions by an actual ego deceleration that varies with respect to time, wherein each partial braking region is extended over a partial braking interval and merge into one another without the actual ego deceleration changing abruptly, and the actual ego deceleration in at least one of the partial braking regions is changed continuously over the respective partial braking interval such that a different actual jerk is obtained in each partial braking region, and wherein the actual jerk behaves degressively over at least some partial braking regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: Richard Matthaei, Thomas Dieckmann, Waldemar Kamischke, Janik Ricke
  • Patent number: 11595228
    Abstract: A data system of a towing vehicle and/or trailer vehicle includes a control device, a sensor system configured to record and process sensor data, and a BUS system configured to transfer the sensor data between the control device and the sensor system. The BUS system has a first BUS device in the form of a CAN BUS and a second BUS device in the form of an ETHERNET BUS, and the BUS system further has a first interface configured to transfer the sensor data to a second interface of a second BUS system of a second data system of a second towing vehicle and/or trailer vehicle. The data system additionally includes an intelligent switch, coupled to the control device and/or to the first interface, the intelligent switch being configured to couple the first towing vehicle and/or trailer vehicle to the second towing vehicle and/or trailer vehicle in a coordinated manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Andreas Goers, Sebastian Kuehne, Ralph-Carsten Luelfing, Marco Michel, Thomas Wolf, Oliver Wulf
  • Publication number: 20220414927
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for determining object information relating to an object in an environment of a multi-part vehicle having at least one towing vehicle and at least one trailer and a control unit and vehicle associated with it, with at least one trailer camera being arranged on the trailer, having at least the following steps: capturing the environment with a trailer camera from a first position and, in dependence thereon, creating a first image having first pixels; changing the position of the trailer camera; capturing the environment with the trailer camera from a second position and creating a second image having second pixels; and, determining object information relating to an object in the captured environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: Janik Ricke, Tobias Klinger, Thomas Dieckmann
  • Publication number: 20220398852
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for determining object information relating to an abject in an environment of a vehicle having a camera. The method includes: capturing the environment with the camera from a first position; changing the position of the camera; capturing the environment with the camera from a second position; determining object information relating to an object by selecting at least one first pixel in the first image and at least one second pixel in the second image, by selecting the first pixel and the second pixel such that they are assigned to the same object point of the object, and determining object coordinates of the assigned object point by triangulation. Changing the position of the camera is brought about by controlling an active actuator system in the vehicle. The actuator system adjusts the camera by an adjustment distance without changing a driving condition of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Tobias Klinger, Janik Ricke
  • Publication number: 20220379887
    Abstract: A method for controlling a subject vehicle with a braking system, a drive system and a distance control system, wherein the distance control system is configured to control an actual following distance between the subject vehicle and a vehicle ahead to a predetermined target following distance, wherein the target following distance is predetermined as a function of an activated operating mode of the distance control system, including performing a plausibility check by checking whether V2X data is exchanged or can be exchanged between the vehicle ahead and the subject vehicle over a V2X connection, and activating, if no V2X data is exchanged or can be exchanged between the vehicle ahead and the subject vehicle over the V2X connection, a first operating mode in which a first target following distance is predetermined as a function of a reaction time of a driver of the subject vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Inventor: Thomas Dieckmann
  • Publication number: 20220363276
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for controlling a vehicle with an autonomous vehicle system which comprises an autonomous operating driving system which is configured to perform a dynamic driving task during fault-free operation of the autonomous operating driving system, and a redundancy driving system which is configured to carry out a reduced driving task. The autonomous operating driving system carries out trajectory planning and provides a planned trajectory for the reduced driving task to the redundancy driving system. If a fault of the operating driving system is detected, the redundancy driving system controls at least one vehicle actuator to perform the reduced driving task using the planned trajectory. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to an autonomous vehicle system and a vehicle with an autonomous vehicle system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Oliver Wulf, Andreas Goers, Thomas Dieckmann
  • Publication number: 20220315004
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a method for slip control of a vehicle wheel driven via an electric drive. The method including at least the following steps: driving the electric drive of the vehicle wheel using an actual drive torque in a torque control in a torque control step, determining a wheel speed and a wheel slip of the vehicle wheel and evaluating the wheel slip by way of an instability criterion as to whether an instability exists, upon recognizing an instability, direct or indirect transition in a slip control of the wheel slip to a setpoint slip by driving the electric drive, determining whether an end criterion for ending the slip control is satisfied; and, if the end criterion is satisfied, returning to the torque control in the torque control step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Uwe Bensch, Thomas Dieckmann, Johannes Heseding, Christoph Moritz, Gerd Schünemann
  • Publication number: 20220297655
    Abstract: A parking brake valve assembly for an electronically controllable pneumatic braking system of a vehicle is disclosed. The parking brake valve assembly includes: a first compressed air path which receives a supply pressure and has a first monostable valve unit for providing a first parking brake pressure, a second compressed air path which receives supply pressure and has a second monostable valve unit for providing a second parking brake pressure, and a first shuttle valve having a first shuttle valve port with the first compressed air path and receiving the first parking brake pressure, a second shuttle valve port with the second compressed air path and receiving the second parking brake pressure, and a third shuttle valve port connectable to a spring brake cylinder. The first shuttle valve outputs the higher of the first parking brake pressure and of the second parking brake pressure to the third shuttle valve port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Ralph-Carsten Lülfing, Julian van Thiel, Oliver Wulf
  • Publication number: 20220297647
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a method for controlling the deceleration of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a central control unit, a first brake circuit for a rear axle and a second brake circuit for a front axle. In the method, in the event of an electronically requested deceleration request below a predefined deceleration threshold value, only the brake circuit for the axle, from the rear axle and the front axle, that allows the finest gradation in the pressure change for substantially continuous, jolt-free manipulation of the deceleration is activated by the central control unit and remains activated as long as the predefined deceleration threshold value is not exceeded by the deceleration request. The disclosure is also directed to a braking system and to a vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Florian Schwagmeyer
  • Patent number: 11407408
    Abstract: A method for performing an evasive maneuver with a commercial vehicle-trailer combination includes ascertaining that a collision between the commercial vehicle-trailer combination and a collision object is impending. The method further includes determining an evasion trajectory by which the commercial vehicle-trailer combination can evade the collision object without coming into contact with the collision object, determining a desired steering angle based on the evasion trajectory and activating an active steering system of the commercial vehicle-trailer combination in dependence on the determined desired steering angle such that the commercial vehicle-trailer combination moves along the evasion trajectory from a starting traffic lane to a target traffic lane so as to perform the evasive maneuver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
    Inventors: Christoph Barth, Thomas Dieckmann, Stephan Kallenbach, Ralph-Carsten Luelfing, Klaus Plaehn
  • Patent number: 11405460
    Abstract: A vehicle network for a plurality of interconnected vehicles is disclosed. The network is in the form of a WLAN and has at least two access points. The access points are interconnected in a wireless manner, i.e., without using a wired backbone. Each access point uses the same radio network ID, so all access points form only one single visible network for WLAN clients. A method for establishing the vehicle network is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Andelko Glavinic, Sören Hübner, Sebastian Kühne, Ulf Laude, Thomas Wolf
  • Patent number: 11391329
    Abstract: A transmission mechanism for actuating a friction clutch, which can be disengaged against a spring force and is arranged between an internal combustion engine and a manual transmission, includes two lockable elements that are movable toward one another longitudinally to automatically change the length and compensate for clutch wear. The first element consists of a spindle which is coupled to a non-rotatable component of a disengagement mechanism of the friction clutch in a rotationally fixed and axially displaceable manner and has a steep-pitch external thread. The second element consists of a nut having a steep-pitch internal thread into which the spindle can be screwed, the pitch of the steep-pitch thread being dimensioned in such a way that no self-locking can occur between the two elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: ZF CV Systems Hannover GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Gerd Schünemann, Robin Gucia
  • Publication number: 20220194327
    Abstract: A cleaning device for dispensing a gaseous medium and/or a medium mixture includes a mixing element having a first feed connection in a main medium feed line, a second feed connection in a medium feed branch line, and a dispensing connection configured to dispense the gaseous medium and/or the medium mixture. The cleaning device further includes a pressure chamber on the main medium feed line and a switching valve arranged in the main medium feed line, downstream or and/or at the pressure chamber. The switching valve is configured to prevent passage of the gaseous medium through the mixing element in a first switching state and to allow passage of the gaseous medium in a second switching state. The cleaning device optionally additionally includes a regulating device arranged in the medium feed branch line and configured to regulate a feed of the liquid medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Jan Fiebrandt, Gerd Schuenemann, Jan Cohrs
  • Patent number: 11364886
    Abstract: A method for determining the overall-deceleration values is attainable by actuation of wheel brakes, of a utility vehicle or of a vehicle combination with several axles. For the purpose of implementing a deceleration request in the course of partial brake applications, a braking-force distribution with braking forces distributed unequally to brake units with the wheel brakes of one or more axles is undertaken. In each instance one of the brake units is selected and a larger braking force is imposed via this selected brake unit than via the other brake units. A current deceleration of the utility vehicle or of the vehicle combination is measured or ascertained and is assigned as partial-deceleration value to the respectively selected brake unit and stored and the attainable overall-deceleration values are determined as the sum of the partial-deceleration values of all the brake units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Stephan Kallenbach, Torsten Wallbaum, Christian Wiehen
  • Patent number: 11318940
    Abstract: A method for determining a dynamic vehicle distance between a following vehicle and a preceding vehicle of a platoon, wherein a V2V signal is configured to be transmitted in a wireless manner between the following vehicle and the preceding vehicle, includes determining a current maximum following vehicle deceleration of the following vehicle, determining a current transmission time for transmitting information from the preceding vehicle to the following vehicle, determining a current maximum preceding vehicle deceleration of the preceding vehicle, and determining the dynamic vehicle distance comprising a transmission distance and a braking distance difference. The transmission distance indicates a distance traveled by the following vehicle between the preceding vehicle initiating an emergency braking procedure and the following vehicle initiating an emergency braking procedure. The transmission distance is dependent upon the current transmission time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
    Inventors: Niklas Broll, Thomas Dieckmann, Thomas Wolf
  • Publication number: 20220034372
    Abstract: A transmission mechanism (1) for actuating a friction clutch, which can be disengaged against a spring force and is arranged between an internal combustion engine and a manual transmission, includes two lockable elements (11, 16) that are movable toward one another longitudinally to automatically change the length and compensate for clutch wear. The first element (16) consists of a spindle (16) which is coupled to a non-rotatable component of a disengagement mechanism of the friction clutch in a rotationally fixed and axially displaceable manner and has a steep-pitch external thread (19). second element (11) consists of a nut (11) having a steep-pitch internal thread (15) which is complementary thereto and into which the spindle (16) can be screwed, the pitch of the steep-pitch thread (15, 19) being dimensioned in such a way that no self-locking can occur between the two elements (11, 16).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Gerd Schünemann, Robin Gucia
  • Patent number: 11198417
    Abstract: A method for specifying switching parameters of a solenoid control valve in a braking system of a vehicle includes stipulating a test vehicle acceleration and ascertaining at least two test pulse sequences. The test pulse sequences are each ascertained on the basis of the stipulated test vehicle acceleration and on the basis of switching parameter default values for the respective solenoid control valve, and the test pulse sequences have actuation pulses and adjoining nonactuation pulses. During an actuation pulse an activation of the respective solenoid control valve and during a nonactuation pulse a deactivation of the respective solenoid control valve takes place. The method further includes actuating the respective solenoid control valve using the at least two test pulse sequences in order to cause at least two test braking operations, wherein the respective test pulse sequence causes an alteration of a braking pressure at a service brake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Sebastian Kuehne, Andreas Goers, Ralph-Carsten Luelfing, Oliver Wulf
  • Publication number: 20210291818
    Abstract: A method for performing an evasive maneuver with a commercial vehicle-trailer combination includes ascertaining that a collision between the commercial vehicle-trailer combination and a collision object is impending. The method further includes determining an evasion trajectory by which the commercial vehicle-trailer combination can evade the collision object without coming into contact with the collision object, determining a desired steering angle based on the evasion trajectory and activating an active steering system of the commercial vehicle-trailer combination in dependence on the determined desired steering angle such that the commercial vehicle-trailer combination moves along the evasion trajectory from a starting traffic lane to a target traffic lane so as to perform the evasive maneuver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: Christoph Barth, Thomas Dieckmann, Stephan Kallenbach, Ralph-Carsten Luelfing, Klaus Plaehn
  • Publication number: 20210232157
    Abstract: A method for setting a vehicle deceleration of a first vehicle travelling in a platoon includes setting, in the presence of a platooning mode, (i) a predetermined target distance between the first vehicle as a guide vehicle and a second vehicle following immediately behind the first vehicle and/or (ii) a predetermined target distance between the first vehicle as a following vehicle and a third vehicle travelling immediately in front of the first vehicle and at least one further vehicle following immediately behind the first vehicle. The method further includes limiting the vehicle deceleration of the first vehicle as the guide vehicle or as the following vehicle to a limit deceleration when a limitation criterion is met.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas Dieckmann, Ralph-Carsten Luelfing, Stephan Kallenbach