Patents Examined by Joseph Brown
  • Patent number: 11181178
    Abstract: A strain wave gear speed reducer unit includes: a casing extending in the axial direction; an internal gear disposed to be rotatable relative to the casing and having internal teeth on the inner circumference; a flexible external gear disposed to the inside of the internal gear in the radial direction, an end of which is fixed to the casing on one side in the axial direction, and which has external teeth on the outer circumference for meshing with the internal teeth; a cam disposed to the inside of the external gear in the radial direction and deforming the external gear in the radial direction by rotating together with a rotating shaft of a motor unit; a connecting part formed integrally with the cam and connected to the rotating shaft on the inside of the external gear; and a support connected to the casing and rotatably supporting the connecting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: NIDEC-SHIMPO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kikuo Okamura, Hitoshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 11173950
    Abstract: A reducer of an electric power-assisted steering apparatus includes: a second shaft that is gear-coupled to a worm wheel by a worm disposed on an outer circumference of the second shaft and is connected to a first shaft driven by a motor through a power transfer member; a bearing coupled to an inside of a gear housing so as to support rotation of the second shaft; and a ring-shaped fixing member that is coupled to the second shaft and supported by one side of the bearing, and provides support between the second shaft and the bearing, thereby preventing the second shaft from escaping from the power transfer member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jong Han Kim
  • Patent number: 11174918
    Abstract: A reduction gear includes an external gear, an internal gear which meshes with the external gear, a first member which synchronizes with a rotation of the external gear, a second member which synchronizes with a rotation of the internal gear, and a main bearing which is disposed between the first member and the second member, in which one of the first member and the second member is connected to a driven member and the other is fixed to an external member, and the first member, the second member, and the main bearing are formed of a material having a larger Young's modulus and larger specific gravity than those of a material constituting the external gear and the internal gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Tamura, Akira Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11168521
    Abstract: A harmonic gear drive includes an input shaft and an output shaft. The input shaft is mechanically coupled to a wave generator which has a varying diameter. The wave generator is positioned within a flex spline which includes external teeth. The external teeth of the flex spline engage with internal teeth of a fixed spline and an output spline when the major diameter of the wave generator is aligned therewith. The output spline has a different number of teeth from the input spline such that, as the wave generator is rotated and the flex spline rotates, the output spline is rotated relative to the fixed spline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: NABORS LUX 2 SARL
    Inventors: Siamak Shahipassand, Andrew Gorrara, Ola Stengel
  • Patent number: 11161259
    Abstract: An actuator module includes a drive unit for generating a rotational force, a deceleration unit connected to the drive unit to receive the rotational force therefrom for reducing a rotational speed transmitted thereto to increase the rotational force, a flexible unit connected to the deceleration unit to receive the rotational force therefrom and having a plurality of elastic members in a stacked form, the elastic members being variable by an external force, and an output unit connected to the flexible unit to receive the rotational force therefrom for outputting the transmitted rotational force to the outside, wherein the elastic members have the same elastic force or different elastic forces, and are selectively varied depending on the magnitude of the external force applied to the output unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: ROBOTIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hyoungchul Nam, Byoung Soo Kim, Ungkwon Yun
  • Patent number: 11156288
    Abstract: Transmission control mechanism 100 in a power transmission system of a vehicle a transmission shift lever 102, a shifter arm 106, an input ratchet shifting assembly 108, an input shift ratchet and cam assembly 110, a drive shaft 112, a plurality of keys 113, a driven shaft 114, a coupler 115, a driven shaft drive gear 116, a driven shaft driven gear 118, a plurality of rail shifting means 120, a plurality of bushes 121, a plurality of rail shifter support members 122, a plurality of pawl assemblies 124, a plurality of pawl kicker means 126, a lever position control valve assembly 136, an active detent control valve assembly 138, a detent control valve assembly 140, a clutch selection control valve assembly 142, a gear shift lever position valve lever 144 and a master clutch control valve assembly 100M.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: MAHINDRA AND MAHINDRA LIMITED
    Inventors: Raju Krishnam E.N.V, Devakumar Raja Janarthan, Srinivasa Rao K.V.V, Amit More, Kasiganesh P
  • Patent number: 11149828
    Abstract: A ball screw assembly for use in an actuator is provided. The ball to screw assembly may include a ball screw supported for rotation by the actuator. A ball nut may be provided around the ball screw and may be held against rotation with the ball screw by said actuator. A primary load path may be provided between the ball screw and the ball nut for operatively coupling the ball nut with the ball screw. A secondary load path may be provided between the ball screw and the ball nut, wherein the secondary load path can be disengaged during a normal operating mode of the ball screw assembly and the secondary load path can be engaged during a second operating mode of the ball screw assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
    Inventor: Tyler Q. Curtis
  • Patent number: 11137068
    Abstract: A shift device includes: a shift body that is operated so as to be rotated and to change a shift position; and a restriction member provided with a restriction portion, the restriction portion projecting in a rotation axial direction of the shift body, and the restriction member being moved in the rotation axial direction of the shift body so as to restrict rotation of the shift body at the restriction portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Hironori Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11131381
    Abstract: In a shift device, a changing mechanism displaces a carrier to thereby change a rotation stratum in which the carrier is disposed and change rotation paths with which detent pins of the carrier are engaged. For this reason, to change the rotation paths with which the detent pins are engaged, the changing mechanism needs only to displace the carrier, and so the configuration of the changing mechanism can be simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Kunihiro Morimura
  • Patent number: 11125308
    Abstract: In a ball screw apparatus, a ball train including a plurality of main balls is housed in a raceway between a ball track of a ball nut and a ball track of a ball screw shaft. A coil spring housed in the raceway includes a first end that engages with an end of the ball train and a second end supported by a stopper (a first recessed portion, a protruding portion, or the like) of the ball nut. A stopper ball having a diameter larger than the diameter of the main ball is interposed between the stopper and the second end of the coil spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gento Aramoto, Naoko Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 11098796
    Abstract: A harmonic drive is provided that comprises a wave generator, a flexible, externally toothed gear element that can be deformed by said wave generator, and at least one internally toothed gear component which meshes with the flexible, externally toothed gear element. The externally toothed element has, with respect to its mechanically unloaded state, a non-circular shape that deviates from an elliptical shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Rainer Ottersbach, Peter Zierer, Tobias Preuß
  • Patent number: 11098791
    Abstract: This invention is an all gear continuously variable transmission that is non-dependent on friction. It can me be used in high torque applications. It offers a steady and uniform output for a steady and uniform input. It allows a co-axial input and output thereby by using a planetary gear system the output can be made continuous from forward to reverse. This uses a “scotch-yoke” mechanism to convert rotational motion to a linear reciprocating motion. The linear distance of this reciprocating motion-“stroke” is changed by altering the crankpin location of the scotch-yoke mechanism. This reciprocating motion is converted to a rocking motion by using a “rack and pinion” and later converted to a unidirectional motion via a One-Way-Bearing. A set of non-circular gears are used to achieve a steady and uniform output. It employs a very simple mechanism to change the ratio between the input and output of the transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Inventors: Raja Ramanujam Rajendran, Prashanth Ram Rajendran
  • Patent number: 11077547
    Abstract: A parallel mechanism comprises legs with kinematically redundant actuation for a parallel mechanism. Each of these legs comprises a first sub-leg and a second sub-leg each with a proximal end and a distal end. A link has a proximal end and a distal end. A joint with a rotational degree of freedom (DOF) is between and common to the distal ends of the sub-legs, and the proximal end of the link. A joint provides two or more rotational DOFs at the distal end of the link and connects the distal end of the link to one end of the parallel mechanism. Joints in the sub-legs provide DOFs to the sub-legs and connect the proximal ends of the sub-legs to the other end of the parallel mechanism. A degree of actuation (DOA) is provided for each of the sub-legs to control movement of the link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: UNIVERSITE LAVAL
    Inventor: Clement Gosselin
  • Patent number: 11054007
    Abstract: A lead screw structure comprises a screw shaft having a thread on an outer circumferential surface thereof, a nut unit coupled to the screw shaft such that and a thread formed on an inner circumferential surface of the nut unit is engaged with the thread of the screw shaft, and a first elastic member disposed on a portion of the nut portion, in a direction of the screw shaft, to provide an elastic force to the nut portion in the screw shaft, thereby compensating for a gap between the thread of the outer circumferential surface of the screw shaft and the thread of the inner circumferential surface of the nut unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kyung Sub Shin, Han Sang Chae
  • Patent number: 11054008
    Abstract: A range-shift transmission has a range input shaft, on which gear wheels of gear pairs of at least two range groups are arranged coaxially. The range input shaft is drivingly connected to a range output shaft via a gearwheel pair of a range group. The range-shift transmission has a second input shaft arranged coaxially and rotatably relative to the range input shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: David Mueller, Rainer Gugel, Andrew K. Rekow
  • Patent number: 11040457
    Abstract: A system and devices for guiding flexible corrugated hoses in industrial and robotic applications, where it is common to require tubing and electrical cables to be routed to various locations. A device for guiding such flexible hoses is described, comprising a rigid tube for containing a length of flexible corrugated hose and a spring element. A first end of the spring is fixed to an end of the tube, and a second end of the spring is fixed to an end of the flexible corrugated hose. The flexible corrugated hose may be drawn out of the tube against the force of the spring element, the spring element urging the flexible hose to return to a home position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: DROSSBACH NORTH AMERICA INCORPORATED
    Inventor: David A. Carruthers
  • Patent number: 11013566
    Abstract: A force transmission mechanism for a surgical instrument includes a worm drive, a lever arm, and an actuation element. The lever arm may include a follower member at a first end of the lever arm. The follower member engages the worm drive and is configured to be driven by the worm drive. The actuation element is connected the lever arm. The actuation element is configured to transmit force to actuate an end effector of the surgical instrument. Rotational movement of the worm drive imparts translational movement to the actuation element via the lever arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark A. Diel, Bram Gilbert Antoon Lambrecht
  • Patent number: 11009109
    Abstract: An assembly for converting motion comprises a first arm and a second arm rotatable about first and second fixed pivots; a third arm pivotably connected to the second arm; a first connecting arm pivotably connected to and extending between the first arm and the third arm; a second connecting arm pivotably connected to and extending between the first arm and the second arm; and a locking assembly comprising a first locking member and a second locking member, the first locking member connected to one of the arms and engaging with the second locking member at one or more positions from the retracted position to the extended position. The assembly may comprise the guide assembly comprising a guide member and an engagement member moveably engageable with the guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Inventor: David Martyn
  • Patent number: 11007028
    Abstract: According to an aspect, a device may include a first member, a second member, and a wrist mechanism disposed between the first member and the second member. The wrist mechanism may include a first cylinder portion coupled to the first member, and a second cylinder portion coupled to the second member. The first cylinder portion may be rollably engaged with the second cylinder portion such that movement of the first cylinder portion with respect to the second cylinder portion is configured to cause the first member to move in at least two directions with respect to the second member. The second cylinder portion may be positioned with respect to the first cylinder portion such that a longitudinal axis of the second cylinder portion is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the first cylinder portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian D. Jensen, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby, Bryce Edmondson, Jordan Tanner, Clayton Grames
  • Patent number: 11000946
    Abstract: In the link operating device, a distal-end-side link hub is connected to a proximal-end-side link hub so as to be changeable in position relative thereto via at least three link mechanisms. Each link mechanism includes a proximal-side end link member, a distal-side end link member, and a center link member. Position-controlling actuators and speed reduction mechanisms are provided to two or more of the link mechanisms. The proximal-side end link member includes a bent portion and a pair of rotational connection bodies disposed at one end of the bent portion. The speed reduction mechanism is disposed between the pair of rotational connection bodies, and includes an output shaft fixed to one of the rotational connection bodies, and an input shaft rotatably supported by the other one of the rotational connection bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenzou Nose, Hiroshi Isobe, Seigo Sakata