Continental Honors Engineers Who Received Patents
- Several Awarded Patents and Invention Disclosures in 2004 -
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 27 -- Continental recognized the efforts and accomplishments of its engineers who received patents and submitted invention disclosures in 2004, at a celebratory dinner Tuesday evening, April 26.
Now in its fourth year, the annual dinner pays tribute and recognizes the importance of ideas and contributions made by individuals who help ensure the company's position as a technological leader in the automotive industry.
Patents were awarded to:
Fritz Dilger
(Steering Wheel Angle Determination)
An algorithm supplying power to a controller after ignition-off and
saves the steering wheel angle value in the controller's non-volatile
memory.
(Calibration Procedure for a Permanently Powered Relative Steering Wheel
Angle Sensor with Power-Loss Indication)
A relative steering wheel angle sensor receiving power directly from the
vehicle's battery and interacts with the vehicle's car area network.
Geoffrey Bauer
(Regulating Manual Control of a Vehicle in a Sliding Condition)
The electronic stability control system will adjust if the vehicle is
manually controllable in a sliding condition. If the vehicle is not
controllable, the system will activate.
(Mitigate Vehicle Roll Oscillations by Limiting the Rate of Recovery of
the Lateral Component of the Tire Force Vector)
A stability control system decreasing the propensity for rollover and
preventing rapid body roll movement.
Vinh Tran
(Road Recognition System)
An apparatus detecting road condition data through a temperature sensor,
an ultrasonic sensor and a camera.
Philip Headley and Vinh Tran
(Tire Inflation Monitoring System)
A sensor mounted to the wheel rim and adapted to transmit a distance
signal indicative of a measured distance from the wheel rim to the
inside surface of the tire adjacent to the riding surface.
Dale May, Miguel Saygan and Dennis Downen
(Brake Fluid Reservoir Cap Assembly Design)
An improved brake fluid reservoir cap including a cylindrical skirt for
surrounding an opening of the reservoir body.
Craig Belevender
(Brake Booster Sensor)
A sensor, preferably of a capacitance type, that detects various
conditions of a brake booster and the braking system.
Kurt Lehmann
(Object Detection System Providing Driver Information through Sound)
A detection system that audibly conveys to the vehicle operator the
direction of the detected object relative to the vehicle through the
vehicle's audio system.
Neale Jesse and Geoffrey Bauer
(Improve Estimation of Vehicle Longitudinal Velocity)
Determining whether a vehicle has a lateral acceleration greater than a
predetermined value, and then setting the estimate of longitudinal
velocity based on the velocity of the wheel.
The following Continental employees were recognized for submitting invention disclosures in 2004:
Vinh Tran Rick Jackson Curtis Coates Nicholas Cekola Y. Nakayasu Steven Ragge Charles Giudici Robert Kostadina Kurt Psotka Stefan Wirth Olaf Kriese Hassane El-Khoury William Smith Kurt Lehmann Timothy Hayden Chris Deyer Keith Vosburgh Ryan Greene David Agnew J. Hoffman Adam Girardin Amit Kapoor Michael Vetter Dennis Granowicz
With 2004 sales of approximately $15.6 billion (US), Continental AG is a major supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical rubber products. Continental Automotive Systems' North American operation is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich. and is a leading global supplier of quality automotive systems that contribute to driver safety, comfort and peace-of-mind. For additional information, visit our media website http://www.contitevesna.com/index2.htm