Patents Examined by James J Triggs
  • Patent number: 11807095
    Abstract: A vehicle may include a propeller shaft that extends from a transmission toward a vehicle rear side and left and right battery units disposed below floor panels disposed on the left and right sides of a floor tunnel. The propeller shaft may include a first shaft portion connected to the transmission and a second shaft portion connected to the first shaft portion via a universal joint. The left and right battery units may have inner side surface portions that face the inner side in the vehicle width direction, respectively. Planar protectors that cover the portions of the inner side surface portions on the vehicle rear side of the universal joint may be mounted to the battery units, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shintaro Harugaichi, Sho Yoshida, Yosuke Sawada, Yasushi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11801741
    Abstract: An assembly includes a vehicle frame having a middle section, a front-section vehicle-forward of the middle section, and a rear section vehicle-rearward of the middle section. The middle section has frame rails spaced from each other and cross-beams extending from one frame rail toward the other frame rail. The frame rails each having a vehicle-forward end and a vehicle-rearward end. The assembly includes one or more electric-vehicle batteries. At least one of the batteries is in one of the cross-beams. The assembly includes two front nodes between and directly connected to the middle section and the front section and two rear nodes between and directly connected to the middle section and the rear section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Zandbergen, Rainer Souschek
  • Patent number: 11801743
    Abstract: A configurable, modular vehicle on common chassis platform, and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a configurable modular vehicle includes: a chassis, a power plant module configured to generate electrical energy, and a drive train module. The drive train module includes: at least one traction motor configured to receive electrical energy from the power plant module, a transmission configured to transfer torque from the traction motor to a drive axle, and the drive axle configured to transfer torque to drive wheels, and a control system module configured to control components of the power plant module and the drive train module. The interfaces of the power plant module and the drive train module are predefined, and different types of the power plant modules and the drive train modules are interchangeable within their respective predefined interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: PACCAR Inc.
    Inventors: Stanley W. DeLizo, Gerald Jay Angelo, Theodore Joseph Scherzinger, Brian J. Lindgren
  • Patent number: 11794576
    Abstract: A power take-off includes a housing including a mounting surface that is adapted to be secured to a source of rotational energy. The mounting surface has an opening therethrough. An input mechanism includes an input gear that has a portion that extends outwardly from the housing through the opening provided through the mounting surface and is adapted to extend within and be rotatably driven about an input gear rotational axis by a driving gear contained within the source of rotational energy. An output mechanism is disposed within the housing and includes a driven gear that is rotatably driven about an output gear rotational axis by the input gear of the input mechanism. The rotational axis of the input gear and the rotational axis of the driven gear are movable relative to one another so as to minimize the transmission of torque transients and other vibrations therethrough during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corporation
    Inventor: Derek E. Muff
  • Patent number: 11794563
    Abstract: An electric powered work vehicle is to be configured so that holding of the battery at the storage position can be carried out easily at the time of attachment of the battery. There is provided guide mechanism for movably guiding the battery while supporting it along a horizontal direction between a storage position and a detachment position located away from the storage position along the horizontal direction. There is provided a holding mechanism configured to be automatically operated to a holding state capable of holding the battery at the storage position when the battery is moved to the storage position along the guide mechanism. There is provided a releasing operational portion manually operable to render the holding mechanism to a releasing state for allowing movement of the battery to the detachment position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Yamada, Hirokazu Ito
  • Patent number: 11794564
    Abstract: A body structure for an electrically operated vehicle has an installation space for a traction battery which is downwardly open in the vehicle vertical direction and upwardly delimited by a floor sheet-metal part forming the vehicle floor. The traction battery is inserted into the installation space from below the vehicle. A free installation gap is formed between a battery ceiling wall and the floor sheet-metal part and a spacer is supported between the battery ceiling wall and the floor sheet-metal part. The spacer is formed in two parts, namely, a buffer made from an elastic, flexible, soft component and a base made of a component-stiff hard component. In an undeformed production state, the installation height of the spacer is greater than the gap size of the installation gap. In an installation position, the spacer is supported between the floor sheet-metal part and the battery ceiling wall, elastically deforming the buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Denis Dupper
  • Patent number: 11799392
    Abstract: The invention discloses a module energy store converter system (10) comprising the following: at least one converter arm (12) comprising a plurality of standard modules (14) connected in series, and at least one extra-low voltage module (ELV module) (40), wherein the standard modules (14) and the ELV module can be connected such that inputs (48) of a transducer (46) of the ELV module can be optionally connected to the storage element (26) of an adjacent standard module (14) serially and/or anti-serially, or the transducer (46) can be decoupled from the storage element (26), and/or the inputs (48) of the transducer (46) can be optionally connected to the storage element of an adjacent standard module (14) in parallel, or the transducer (46) can be decoupled from the storage element (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Universitaet der Bundeswehr Muenchen
    Inventors: Florian Helling, Thomas Weyh, Arthur Singer
  • Patent number: 11794812
    Abstract: An electric-vehicle frame includes a mid-section and an end section. The mid-section has first and second frame rails spaced from each other by a first distance along a cross-vehicle axis defining a battery compartment therebetween. The end-section has first and second frame rails spaced from each other by a second distance along the cross-vehicle axis smaller than the first distance. A first connector is fixed to the first frame rail of the mid-section and to the first frame rail of the end-section. A second connector is fixed to the second frame rail of the mid-section and to the second frame rail of the end-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ajay Kumar Gupta, Leonard Anthony Shaner, Yu Liu, John Wesley Stanley, Yu-Kan Hu, Fungtai Charles Ko, Petros Frantzeskakis
  • Patent number: 11794595
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to energy storage mounting system for an energy storage system of a vehicle, the mounting system comprising: a vehicle mounting member connectable to a longitudinal frame of the vehicle, the vehicle mounting member comprising an elongated portion arranged to, when the vehicle mounting member is attached to the longitudinal frame, extend away from the longitudinal frame, wherein the elongated portion comprises a recess at an outer end portion thereof; and a battery mounting member connectable to the energy storage system, the battery mounting member comprising a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion is movable between a disconnected state, in which the connecting portion is positioned at a distance from the elongated portion of the vehicle mounting member, and a connected state, in which the connecting portion is positioned in the recess for connecting the battery mounting member to the vehicle mounting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Sébastien Ragot, Jonatan Hörder
  • Patent number: 11794562
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle comprising a chassis having an upper frame plate and a lower frame plate. Between the upper frame plate and the lower frame plate there is provided a traction battery pack arrangement comprising one or more battery modules, and a hydrogen tank structure comprising one or more hydrogen tanks. The hydrogen tank structure is vertically tightened to the traction battery pack arrangement, so that one of the hydrogen tank structure and said traction battery pack arrangement is located on top of the other. At least one of the hydrogen tank structure and the traction battery pack arrangement is tightened to one of the upper and lower frame plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Jan Hendriks, Anders Olsson
  • Patent number: 11787677
    Abstract: A working machine including a machine body having an operator cab, a ground engaging propulsion structure to permit movement of the machine over the ground, a load handling apparatus coupled to the machine body and moveable by a movement actuator with respect to the machine body, and an electric energy storage unit for providing power to the working machine. The working machine includes a longitudinal axis, wherein the operator cab is positioned towards a first side of the working machine with respect to the longitudinal axis, and the electric energy storage unit is positioned towards a second side of the working machine with respect to the longitudinal axis, wherein the first and second sides are located opposite each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: J. C. Bamford Excavators Limited
    Inventors: Tom Rushton, Richard Brooks
  • Patent number: 11780310
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a traction battery module which has a hermetically sealed module housing in which at least one cell stack pair including a left-hand-side and a right-hand-side cell stack including, in each case, at least two battery cells is accommodated. The traction battery module is arranged in the vehicle floor and extends symmetrically in relation to the vehicle center (M) in the vehicle transverse direction (X). The traction battery module has a bottom wall in a horizontal plane. A gas space is formed in the module housing in the vehicle center (M) and between the left-hand-side cell stack and the right-hand-side cell stack with respect to the vehicle transverse direction (X). The module bottom wall has a degassing element centrally in the vehicle in the region of the gas space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Inventors: Philipp Kellner, Sascha Mostofi, Christopher Volkmer, Immanuel Vogel, Adrian Starczewski, Dieter Schiebel, Ralf Keller, Maximilian Müller
  • Patent number: 11772737
    Abstract: A battery attaching/detaching structure for a saddle-type vehicle including: a plurality of substantially rectangular parallelepiped batteries for supplying electric power to a power source of the saddle-type vehicle; a battery case in which the batteries are stored; battery-side terminals provided on lower surfaces of the batteries; and case-side terminals engaged with the battery-side terminals, comprises terminal holders that support the case-side terminals such that the case-side terminals are movable between a connected position where the case-side terminals are connected to the battery-side terminals and a retracted position where the case-side terminals are separated from the battery-side terminals. Between the case-side terminals and the terminal holders, springs for urging the case-side terminals in a direction of pressing the battery-side terminals are disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sadataka Okabe, Akira Sato, Shunichi Nakabayashi
  • Patent number: 11777168
    Abstract: A battery protection member includes a main body portion and a fixation portion, wherein the battery protection member is connected with a bottom portion of a vehicle via the fixation portion, and the battery protection member is disposed at a front-end side of a battery pack and to be apart from the battery pack. At least a part of a front-end portion of the battery pack is in a range with the fixation portion as a center and having a rotation radius of the battery protection member as a radius. An inclination surface is formed at the front-end side of the main body portion to extend from an upper side toward a rear side and a lower side, and when the inclination surface receives a collision, the angle between the inclination surface and a horizontal direction is decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zeming Chen, Kiyohiko Matsuoka, Chunlang Liang
  • Patent number: 11772192
    Abstract: A battery carrier for an electric vehicle that has a trough with a frame and/or struts running in the trough. The frame and/or the struts are produced from hollow profiles, such as extruded lightweight metal profiles, which are connected by means of materially bonded joining. At least one lightweight metal profile has been geometrically calibrated at one end portion, which has a chamfer on a top side, wherein the thermal joining seam is arranged in the chamfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: BENTELER AUTOMOBILTECHNIK GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Handing, Frode Paulsen
  • Patent number: 11766926
    Abstract: A battery pack case and a vehicle having the battery pack case are provided. The battery pack case includes a beam disposed in the battery pack case and a connection column connected to the beam. A first chamber extending in a length direction of the beam is disposed inside the beam, and the first chamber penetrates through the beam. The connection column penetrates through a side wall of the first chamber. In an extending direction of the first chamber, two sides of the first chamber located at the connection column are provided with blocking portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: CALB Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tiebo Ma
  • Patent number: 11766925
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a battery module support arrangement for supporting a battery module to a longitudinally extending frame rail of an electrified heavy vehicle; the battery module support arrangement comprising a pair of triangularly shaped support brackets spaced apart from each other, each of the triangularly shaped support brackets comprising a rail attachment portion for connecting the triangularly shaped support bracket to the longitudinally extending frame rail, and an angled portion extending downwardly between the rail attachment portion and a lower end portion of the triangularly shaped support bracket, wherein a first one of the triangularly shaped support brackets comprises at least one battery module support portion positioned along the angled portion of the first support bracket, and a second one of the triangularly shaped support brackets comprises a pair of battery module support portions positioned along the angled portion of the second support bracket, wherein the battery modu
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Sondre Landvik, Mikael Boisen, Guilherme Selbach, Krister Andersson
  • Patent number: 11760184
    Abstract: A pipe connection portion of a damper case has an opening opened toward the rear side. In an end surface around the opening in the pipe connection portion, a recess is formed in an inner diameter portion. The recess is recessed to the front side as compared to another portion of the end surface. In an end surface of a pipe member, a groove portion is formed in an outer diameter portion. The groove portion is recessed to the rear side as compared to another portion of the end surface. A first seal member and a second seal member are interposed between the end surface of the damper case and the end surface of the pipe member, and the damper case and the pipe member are sealed by the seal members in a liquid-tight manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Manabu Oshida, Hideaki Uchise, Yuya Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 11760181
    Abstract: An assembly for securing a vehicle battery on a body of a motor vehicle, includes a securing device releasably secured on a body part of the vehicle body and an adhesive material. The adhesive material is arranged between a housing of the vehicle battery and the securing device in order to connect the housing to the securing device by way of a material bond. The adhesive material is arranged over a retention element portion of a retention element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Semi Ben Salah, Josef Braun, Martin Spaeth
  • Patent number: 11760183
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a drive battery unit including a battery unit case, a pair of left and right battery side frames, and a plurality of fixing members. The drive battery unit is fixed to the vehicle. The battery unit case includes a left side wall and a right side wall. One of the pair of left and right battery side frames is disposed on a left side of the left side wall of the battery unit case. Another of the pair of left and right battery side frames is disposed on a right side of the right side wall of the battery unit case. Each of the fixing members is fixed to the pair of left and right battery side frames, and a length of each of the fixing members in the front-rear direction is longer than a length thereof in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wataru Yamamoto, Chihiro Sakurada, Ryo Fukuyama, Yuki Matsushima