Patents Represented by Attorney Gregory P. Brown, Esq.
  • Patent number: 6135726
    Abstract: An electro-hydraulic gear pump power pack (10), including a hydraulic pump disposed in a pump reservoir (12) and an electric motor disposed in a motor housing (14), are secured together to form a single assembly. The pump reservoir (12) and the motor housing (14) are secured together by a pair of mounting brackets (18) that also serve to attach the power pack (10) to a vehicle structure (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: James Richard Robertson, Timothy Matthew Staton, William L. Fisher
  • Patent number: 5696678
    Abstract: A method for preventing undesirable lowering of an air suspension system for a motor vehicle includes the steps of sensing vehicle speed of the motor vehicle, determining whether the sensed vehicle speed is equal to a predetermined speed, venting air from the air suspension system to lower a vehicle body of the motor vehicle if the sensed vehicle speed is equal to the predetermined speed, sensing height of corners of the vehicle body, calculating a height rate for the corners of the vehicle body based on the sensed height, determining whether a height rate of a corner of the vehicle body is greater than a predetermined rate, and disabling or halting venting of the air suspension system if the height rate of a corner of the vehicle body is greater than the predetermined rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph M. Raad, Steven J. Reimers, Ray Andrew Sackett, Ronald J. Collins
  • Patent number: 5632503
    Abstract: A method for allowing enhanced driver selection of suspension damping and steering efforts for a motor vehicle includes the steps of presenting to a driver of the motor vehicle a plurality of suspension damping modes and steering efforts modes for the motor vehicle, allowing the driver to select only predetermined combinations of the suspension damping modes and steering efforts modes, and adjusting the suspension damping and steering efforts of the motor vehicle based on the predetermined combination selected by the driver, and automatically adjusting the modes based on predetermined conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Joseph M. Raad, Steven J. Reimers, Ray A. Sackett, Ronald J. Collins, Christine L. Gordon
  • Patent number: 5570287
    Abstract: Vehicle speed is measured and used to calculate lateral acceleration of the vehicle and speed dependent thresholds to which the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is compared to determine when to change a controllable suspension system of the vehicle to improve operation of the suspension system. The controllable suspension system includes air springs and variable damping shock absorbers switchable between soft and firm damping rates. At speeds above a given speed, lateral accelerations exceeding first speed dependent thresholds will result in switching the shock absorbers to firm and/or closing gate valves which intercouple the left and right air springs to decrease vehicle roll. For slower speeds less than the given speed, the suspension system control is desensitized such that lateral accelerations of the same given magnitudes, for example due to entering a parking space or other low speed maneuver, do not alter the suspension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Douglas C. Campbell, Gary J. Gloceri, Daniel M. McCoy