Patents by Inventor Timo Knecht

Timo Knecht 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: 20260147372
    Abstract: A pedal unit for actuating a vehicle function includes a pedal head, which has a pad support and a replaceable pedal pad releasably connected to the pad support for receiving an actuation force of a driver's foot. A housing cover and fastening assembly is movable along a vertical direction of the pedal unit. The housing cover has a hat-shaped connection cap on a face facing the pedal head, and the pad support has, on a face facing the housing cover, a receiving opening with a contour adapted to the connection cap. The fastening assembly includes at least one undercut on the connection cap and at least one retaining element on the pad support, which are arranged in the assembled state to form a releasable catch connection between the pad support and the housing cover, which prevents or at least impedes movement of the pad support in the direction of disassembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2025
    Publication date: May 28, 2026
    Inventors: Guenter Escher, Eduard Maiterth, Manfred Fischer, Simon Baumann, Stefan Weller, Tillmann Schatz, Timo Knecht
  • Patent number: 12623640
    Abstract: An actuation device for a motor vehicle, in particular for specifying a braking and/or acceleration request, with a first and a second housing portion is disclosed. The first housing portion includes an actuating surface on a top surface facing away from the second housing portion, or a cover with the actuating surface is arranged on the top surface. The housing portions are connected to each other by a hinge. An axis of rotation of the hinge is arranged laterally spaced apart from the actuating surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2026
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Guenter Escher, Bernd Lutz, Eduard Maiterth, Juergen Kissner, Manfred Fischer, Martin Baeuml, Martin Winkler, Stephan Knackert, Timo Knecht
  • Patent number: 12509030
    Abstract: A sensor arrangement for an actuation device of a motor vehicle is disclosed which has a force transfer element and which can be assigned or is assigned in particular to an actuating surface of the actuation device for transferring an actuating force applied to the actuation device, in particular on the actuating surface. The sensor arrangement further has a measuring head arranged in a printed circuit board. The measuring head has a measuring membrane. The measuring membrane has a force sensor element at one end and is assigned to the force transfer element at the other end, in particular abutting the force transfer element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2025
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Baumgartner, Bernd Lutz, Guenter Escher, Juergen Kissner, Manfred Fischer, Martin Baeuml, Masaya Eto, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20250326379
    Abstract: A pedal unit for controlling a vehicle function includes a pedal head, which receives an actuating force of a driver's foot, an outer housing which is open in the direction of the pedal head, an inner housing connected to the outer housing and which is open in the direction of the pedal head, a movable housing, and a sensor assembly. The movable housing is closed in the direction of the pedal head, arranged between the outer housing and the inner housing, mounted on the inner housing displaceably in the longitudinal extension of the inner housing with a small stroke against the force of a return spring, and is connected to the pedal head. The sensor assembly includes at least one measuring circuit having at least one sensor module arranged inside a sensor housing to detect a stroke movement of the movable housing caused by the actuating force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2025
    Publication date: October 23, 2025
    Inventors: Guenter Escher, Eduard Maiterth, Manfred Fischer, Simon Baumann, Stefan Weller, Tillmann Schatz, Timo Knecht
  • Patent number: 12443214
    Abstract: A pedal unit for controlling a vehicle function is disclosed. The pedal unit includes a tread plate that has a support surface configured to receive an actuating force of a driver's foot. The tread plate is connected to a housing cover that is movable via a small stroke along a vertical direction of the pedal unit. The housing cover is connected to a sensor housing in which at least one sensor arrangement is formed. At least one deflection device is included and designed to deflect a small stroke movement of the movable housing cover extending along a vertical direction of the pedal unit caused by the actuating force into a measuring movement extending along a longitudinal direction of the pedal unit. The at least one sensor arrangement is designed to detect the measuring movement based on the small stroke movement in a contactless manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2024
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2025
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Hruschka, Stephan Roeger, Andreas Baumgartner, Guenter Escher, Juergen Kissner, Manfred Fischer, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20250264903
    Abstract: An actuation device for a motor vehicle, in particular for specifying a braking and/or acceleration request is disclosed. The actuation device has a first housing portion and a second housing portion. The first housing portion is displaceably mounted on the second housing portion in the longitudinal extension of the second housing portion. The first housing portion has an actuating surface on a top surface facing away from the second housing portion, or a cover having an actuating surface is arranged on a top surface facing away from the second housing portion. The housing portions are each formed at least in sections in a cylindrical shape with a closed casing wall. The actuation device further has a first sliding element and a second sliding element arranged between the housing portions. The first sliding element and the second sliding element each abut axially against at least one of the housing portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2025
    Publication date: August 21, 2025
    Inventors: Guenter Escher, Eduard Maiterth, Manfred Fischer, Matthias Maidel, Simon Baumann, Stefan Weller, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20240377852
    Abstract: A pedal unit for controlling a vehicle function has a modularly constructed pedal head which includes a pad support and a replaceable pedal pad for receiving an actuation force of a driver's foot and connected to a small stroke movable housing cover along a vertical direction of the pedal unit. The pedal pad is releasably connected to the pad support. A fastening arrangement is configured to connect the pad support to the movable housing cover in a releasable and form-fit and/or friction-fit manner as well. A method for assembling such a pedal unit and a method for disassembling a pedal head from such a pedal unit is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2024
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Inventors: Guenter Escher, Eduard Maiterth, Juergen Kissner, Manfred Fischer, Martin Baeuml, Matthias Maidel, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20240353883
    Abstract: A pedal unit for controlling a vehicle function is disclosed. The pedal unit includes a tread plate that has a support surface configured to receive an actuating force of a driver's foot. The tread plate is connected to a housing cover that is movable via a small stroke along a vertical direction of the pedal unit. The housing cover is connected to a sensor housing in which at least one sensor arrangement is formed. At least one deflection device is included and designed to deflect a small stroke movement of the movable housing cover extending along a vertical direction of the pedal unit caused by the actuating force into a measuring movement extending along a longitudinal direction of the pedal unit. The at least one sensor arrangement is designed to detect the measuring movement based on the small stroke movement in a contactless manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2024
    Publication date: October 24, 2024
    Inventors: Martin Hruschka, Stephan Roeger, Andreas Baumgartner, Guenter Escher, Juergen Kissner, Manfred Fischer, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20240166174
    Abstract: A sensor arrangement for an actuation device of a motor vehicle is disclosed which has a force transfer element and which can be assigned or is assigned in particular to an actuating surface of the actuation device for transferring an actuating force applied to the actuation device, in particular on the actuating surface. The sensor arrangement further has a measuring head arranged in a printed circuit board. The measuring head has a measuring membrane. The measuring membrane has a force sensor element at one end and is assigned to the force transfer element at the other end, in particular abutting the force transfer element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2023
    Publication date: May 23, 2024
    Inventors: Andreas Baumgartner, Bernd Lutz, Guenter Escher, Juergen Kissner, Manfred Fischer, Martin Baeuml, Masaya Eto, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20240166173
    Abstract: An actuation device for a motor vehicle, in particular for specifying a braking and/or acceleration request, with a first and a second housing portion is disclosed. The first housing portion includes an actuating surface on a top surface facing away from the second housing portion, or a cover with the actuating surface is arranged on the top surface. The housing portions are connected to each other by a hinge. An axis of rotation of the hinge is arranged laterally spaced apart from the actuating surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2023
    Publication date: May 23, 2024
    Inventors: Guenter Escher, Bernd Lutz, Eduard Maiterth, Juergen Kissner, Manfred Fischer, Martin Baeuml, Martin Winkler, Stephan Knackert, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20240166044
    Abstract: An actuation device for a motor vehicle, in particular for specifying a braking and/or acceleration request, includes a first housing portion which is slidably mounted on a second housing portion in a vertical extension of the second housing portion. The first housing portion includes an actuating surface on a top surface facing away from the second housing portion, or a cover having the actuating surface is arranged on the top surface. The first housing portion includes a bar-shaped projection on an inner side facing the second housing portion. Further, the second housing portion includes a guide receptacle for the projection for the guided, slidable mounting of the first housing portion on the second housing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2023
    Publication date: May 23, 2024
    Inventors: Martin Baeuml, Guenter Escher, Andreas Baumgartner, Juergen Kissner, Manfred Fischer, Timo Knecht
  • Patent number: 11480665
    Abstract: A stabilized LiDAR system and a method for stabilization. The LiDAR system includes a laser, the laser being designed for emission of monochromatic LiDAR radiation within a wavelength working range; a thermocouple element configured to set the working temperature of the laser; a means for evaluation, designed to determine, from the radiation emitted by the laser, a measure for the deviation from an actual wavelength of the radiation to a setpoint wavelength within the wavelength working range of the laser; and a means for regulation, designed to control the thermocouple element on the basis of the measure of deviation determined by the means for evaluation, in such a way that the working temperature of the laser is set to a value, at which the emitted monochromatic LiDAR radiation corresponds to the setpoint radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Mirko Hattass, Timo Knecht
  • Patent number: 11373801
    Abstract: A device for contactless transmission of data and energy and for angle measurement, including a first disk-shaped unit and a second disk-shaped unit, which move in relation to one another around a shared rotational axis and are opposite to one another axially spaced apart with respect to the rotational axis. The first disk-shaped unit including a first annular disk-shaped recess, and the second disk-shaped unit including a first annular disk-shaped recess, which is opposite to the first annular disk-shaped recess of the first disk-shaped unit radially spaced apart with respect to the rotational axis. The first disk-shaped unit includes at least one second annular disk-shaped unit situated concentrically to the first annular disk-shaped recess of the first disk-shaped unit, and the second disk-shaped unit includes at least one second annular disk-shaped recess situated concentrically to the first annular disk-shaped recess of the second disk-shaped unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Jan Sparbert, Horst Beling, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20200294714
    Abstract: A device for contactless transmission of data and energy and for angle measurement, including a first disk-shaped unit and a second disk-shaped unit, which move in relation to one another around a shared rotational axis and are opposite to one another axially spaced apart with respect to the rotational axis. The first disk-shaped unit including a first annular disk-shaped recess, and the second disk-shaped unit including a first annular disk-shaped recess, which is opposite to the first annular disk-shaped recess of the first disk-shaped unit radially spaced apart with respect to the rotational axis. The first disk-shaped unit includes at least one second annular disk-shaped unit situated concentrically to the first annular disk-shaped recess of the first disk-shaped unit, and the second disk-shaped unit includes at least one second annular disk-shaped recess situated concentrically to the first annular disk-shaped recess of the second disk-shaped unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Jan Sparbert, Horst Beling, Timo Knecht
  • Patent number: 10754013
    Abstract: A method for controlling an emitted light output of a light source of an optical sensor system, in which a portion of the emitted light output is represented in an electrical signal, a characteristic variable of the signal representing a pulse energy of an emitted light pulse is determined, and a control signal for the light source is provided using the characteristic variable and a setpoint value of the characteristic variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Kai Worms, Ernst Kretzek, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20200033459
    Abstract: A stabilized LiDAR system and a method for stabilization. The LiDAR system includes a laser, the laser being designed for emission of monochromatic LiDAR radiation within a wavelength working range; a thermocouple element configured to set the working temperature of the laser; a means for evaluation, designed to determine, from the radiation emitted by the laser, a measure for the deviation from an actual wavelength of the radiation to a setpoint wavelength within the wavelength working range of the laser; and a means for regulation, designed to control the thermocouple element on the basis of the measure of deviation determined by the means for evaluation, in such a way that the working temperature of the laser is set to a value, at which the emitted monochromatic LiDAR radiation corresponds to the setpoint radiation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Mirko Hattass, Timo Knecht
  • Publication number: 20200033447
    Abstract: A method for controlling an emitted light output of a light source of an optical sensor system, in which a portion of the emitted light output is represented in an electrical signal, a characteristic variable of the signal representing a pulse energy of an emitted light pulse is determined, and a control signal for the light source is provided using the characteristic variable and a setpoint value of the characteristic variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Kai Worms, Ernst Kretzek, Timo Knecht