Patents by Inventor Thomas Waim

Thomas Waim 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: 20260009423
    Abstract: A bearing arrangement for a wheel head of a commercial vehicle drive axle has a bearing with an inner ring arranged on a first component that is located radially inwardly thereof. A second component is mounted on the first component and bas a foot with an inner profile on which the second component is guided in a rotationally fixed and axially displaceable manner on the outer profile of the first component, which is axially adjacent to the bearing location. The second component has an axially aligned abutment surface that abuts an end face of the inner ring, where the abutment surface is radially outward and axially recessed relative to an axial end. The foot of the second component protrudes into a recess on the side of the inner ring. The recess on the inner ring is radially inward of the end face of the inner ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2025
    Publication date: January 8, 2026
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Martin Lang, Thomas Waim
  • Publication number: 20250375980
    Abstract: A wheel hub (100) for a wheel head of a motor vehicle has a hub base body (10) extending axially to an axis of rotation (2) and a wheel flange (20) arranged on the hub base body (10). The wheel flange (20) extends radially to the axis of rotation (2). The hub base body (10) has a press fit contour (12) for forming a press fit connection with a sensor plate (30) for a speed sensor (40), where the press fit contour (12) has at least one contour interruption (14). A wheel head is provided for an axle of a motor vehicle having a wheel hub (100), where a sensor plate (30) has a detection ring extending conically with respect to an axis of rotation (2) of the wheel hub (100), and where a detection region (42) of a speed sensor (40) is aligned with the conical detection ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2025
    Publication date: December 11, 2025
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Martin Lang, Thomas Waim
  • Patent number: 12404912
    Abstract: A planetary gearset (9) has a planetary carrier (11) and a plurality of planetary gearwheel axles arranged axially offset relative to one another and on which planetary gearwheels (13) are mounted to rotate. A first carrier section (14) is arranged at a first axial end of the planetary gearwheel axles and a second carrier section (15) is arranged at a second axial end of the planetary gearwheel axles. The first carrier section (14) is in the form of a casting with the planetary gearwheel axles formed as axially projecting journals (17) made integrally with the first carrier section (14). The second carrier section (15) is attached as a separate component onto the journals (17), and the first carrier section (14) and the second carrier section (15) hold the journals (17) axially at both ends at fixed, unvarying axial distances apart from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2025
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas Bergmann, Thomas Waim, Stefan Renner, Martin Weiss
  • Publication number: 20250269709
    Abstract: An articulated rigid axle of a vehicle (1) with an axle bridge (2) has at least one electric machine as drive, where the at least one electric machine is connected via at least one gear ratio step to at least one drive output shaft (3, 4). A steered vehicle wheel (7, 8) is mounted to rotate is connected to each drive output shaft (3, 4). The gear ratio step is in the form of a bevel gear transmission stage (9, 10) for compensating an axis offset between a wheel axis (11) of the vehicle wheels (7, 8) and a drive axle (12) of the electric machine. In addition, a vehicle (1) with at least one rigid axle is proposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2025
    Publication date: August 28, 2025
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Thomas Waim
  • Patent number: 12344068
    Abstract: A connection bridge device is suggested for connecting a multipoint link to a vehicle axle, particularly a multipart vehicle axle. The connection bridge device comprises at least one base body for receiving and dissipating forces and/or torques transmitted between the vehicle axle and the multipoint link, at least one axle fastening unit for fastening the base body to the vehicle axle, and at least one link coupling unit for coupling the base body to the multipoint link, which link coupling unit is intersected by a main extension plane of the base body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Marco Di Sarno, Sören Knopp, Eike Helm, Paul Lenz, Thomas Bergmann, Karlheinz Hoher, Thomas Waim, Stefan Renner
  • Publication number: 20250100338
    Abstract: A connection bridge device is suggested for connecting a multipoint link to a vehicle axle, particularly a multipart vehicle axle. The connection bridge device comprises at least one base body for receiving and dissipating forces and/or torques transmitted between the vehicle axle and the multipoint link, at least one axle fastening unit for fastening the base body to the vehicle axle, and at least one link coupling unit for coupling the base body to the multipoint link, which link coupling unit is intersected by a main extension plane of the base body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Publication date: March 27, 2025
    Inventors: Marco DI SARNO, Sören KNOPP, Eike HELM, Paul LENZ, Thomas BERGMANN, Karlheinz HOHER, Thomas WAIM, Stefen RENNER
  • Publication number: 20250001801
    Abstract: A wheel hub for a utility vehicle drive axle includes a hollow section extending between a first axial end and a second axial end. The hollow section has centering sections defining a centering outer diameter of the hollow section for centering at least one wheel rim on the hollow section. The centering sections are separated from one another in the circumferential direction by intermediate sections, each of the intermediate sections being radially recessed relative to the centering sections. The intermediate sections are formed by machining the hollow section between the centering sections. The wheel hub has a flange section transitioning from the first axial end of the hollow section, the flange section projecting radially outwards relative to the hollow section, with the at least one wheel rim being couplable to the flange section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2024
    Publication date: January 2, 2025
    Inventors: Thomas Bergmann, Thomas Waim
  • Patent number: 12145436
    Abstract: A stub shaft assembly for an outer planetary axle (1) of a motor vehicle includes an inner shaft (9) and an outer shaft (10) comprising a helically toothed sun gear (4). A pair of toothings (11) with a first helical toothing and a second helical toothing is effective between the inner shaft (9) and the outer shaft (10). Also disclosed is an outer planetary axle (1) for a motor vehicle comprising at least one such stub shaft assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas Waim, Stefan Renner
  • Publication number: 20240376963
    Abstract: A planetary gearset (9) has a planetary carrier (11) and a plurality of planetary gearwheel axles arranged axially offset relative to one another and on which planetary gearwheels (13) are mounted to rotate. A first carrier section (14) is arranged at a first axial end of the planetary gearwheel axles and a second carrier section (15) is arranged at a second axial end of the planetary gearwheel axles. The first carrier section (14) is in the form of a casting with the planetary gearwheel axles formed as axially projecting journals (17) made integrally with the first carrier section (14). The second carrier section (15) is attached as a separate component onto the journals (17), and the first carrier section (14) and the second carrier section (15) hold the journals (17) axially at both ends at fixed, unvarying axial distances apart from one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2024
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas Bergmann, Thomas Waim, Stefan Renner, Martin Weiss
  • Publication number: 20230134790
    Abstract: A stub shaft assembly for an outer planetary axle (1) of a motor vehicle includes an inner shaft (9) and an outer shaft (10) comprising a helically toothed sun gear (4). A pair of toothings (11) with a first helical toothing and a second helical toothing is effective between the inner shaft (9) and the outer shaft (10). Also disclosed is an outer planetary axle (1) for a motor vehicle comprising at least one such stub shaft assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicant: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Thomas Waim, Stefan Renner