Patents Examined by Lori L. Lyjak
  • Patent number: 11208160
    Abstract: An adjustable airfoil system for a vehicle includes a first airfoil shaft, a first airfoil having a first end mounted on the first airfoil shaft, and a first airfoil support structured for mounting to a portion of a vehicle and for rotatably supporting a portion of the first airfoil shaft at a location spaced apart from a first end of the first airfoil shaft. The system also includes a second airfoil shaft, a second airfoil having a first end mounted on the second airfoil shaft, and a second airfoil support structured for mounting to a portion of a vehicle and for rotatably supporting a portion of the second airfoil shaft spaced apart from a first end of the second airfoil shaft. A shaft end support is rigidly coupled to the first airfoil support and the second airfoil support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Aisin Technical Center of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Welter, Eric Archambeau, Andres Garza
  • Patent number: 11180194
    Abstract: Provided are a vehicle body and a vehicle. The vehicle body includes: two A pillars; a front impact beam; two front longitudinal beams having front ends connected to the front impact beam, and each of the front longitudinal beams being connected to the A-pillar at the same side therewith by means of a plurality of force transmission paths; a dash panel having lower portion provided with a dash centre aisle and connected to the two A-pillars; an dash upper cross member provided at an upper portion of the dash panel; a dash lower vertical member having an upper end connected to the dash upper cross member and a lower end extending to the dash centre aisle; and two front floor longitudinal beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: GREAT WALL MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Changyi Wang, Zengshou Liu, Lu Zhang, Hui Zong, Xiaoying Li, Siyuan Dong, Xiaoxu Han, Wei Wei, Haopeng Guo
  • Patent number: 11180195
    Abstract: A lower structure of a vehicle includes front side frames, a vehicle body strength member, a floor panel, and a power supply unit, in which the front side frames are formed to have cross-sectional shapes that open upward at least at rear sections thereof, the power supply unit is disposed below a floor panel, the floor panel includes a pair of reinforcing panel portions which are respectively joined to the rear sections of the front side frames and cover the rear sections from above, and a floor panel main body portion which constitutes a portion other than the reinforcing panel portions, and the reinforcing panel portions are formed to have higher strength than the floor panel main body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoo Watanabe, Kanji Kaneko, Akira Haga, Shungo Chino, Keisuke Gonda
  • Patent number: 11180198
    Abstract: A vehicle structural assembly includes at least a first member and a second member each having overlapping area. The overlapping area of the first member overlays the overlapping area of the second member where the first member and second member are welded to one another. The overlapping area of the first member defines an overlap extension and the overlapping area of the second member define another overlap extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Patrick Grattan, Nicholas Bulski
  • Patent number: 11180005
    Abstract: A system such as a vehicle may have windows. A window may have a structural window layer such as a structural window layer formed from laminated glass layers. A thin chemically strengthened glass layer may be coupled to an inwardly facing surface of the structural window layer. A guest-host liquid crystal light modulator layer or other electrically adjustable optical component layer may be interposed between the chemically strengthened glass layer and the structural window layer. An infrared light-blocking coating may be formed on an inwardly facing surface of one of the pair of laminated glass layers. The inwardly facing surface of the thin chemically strengthened glass layer may be provided with a coating that includes a low emissivity layer to block heat and that serves as an antireflection coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Peter F. Masschelein, Martin Melcher, Derek C. Scott, David E. Kingman
  • Patent number: 11173846
    Abstract: A water barrier wall is disposed along the boundary between a tray and a console box so as to extend in the vehicle width direction and so as to project further upward than the rear end portion of the tray. The water barrier wall has a cutout whose bottom surface is positioned lower than the upper end of the water barrier wall. The cutout penetrates the water barrier wall in the front-back direction. The cutout is positioned displaced from an electrical component in the vehicle width direction. The bottom surface of the cutout is positioned higher than the upper end of the console box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Jun Yumura
  • Patent number: 11167805
    Abstract: A vehicle front structure having an upper member joined to a damper base and being capable of absorbing a larger load when a vehicle is in full-lap collision or offset collision and comprises a pair of left and right upper members disposed respectively on left and right sides of the vehicle a pair of left and right damper bases in each of which a damper is fitted, wherein each of the upper members includes a main upper member portion having a cross section in a rectangular shape that is perpendicular to an axis thereof, the left and right damper bases are joined respectively to the left and right upper members at upper portions of the main upper member portions, and each of the main upper member portions includes a lower portion having a pair of indented portions formed at both corner portions in a vehicle width direction of the lower portion of and a step portion formed to extend in the vehicle width direction and connect the pair of the indented portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akira Haga, Takayuki Sekiya
  • Patent number: 11167801
    Abstract: A front body for a vehicle includes: a front dash cross member disposed under a dash panel and having first and second ends respectively connected to front side members; a front lower cross member extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle; a front center support member extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and located under an engine room of the vehicle; and a center member having a front end connected to the front dash cross member, and extending rearward along a floor of the vehicle. In particular, the front center support member have a front end connected to the front lower cross member and a rear end connected to the front dash cross member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Do Hoi Kim
  • Patent number: 11167800
    Abstract: A vehicle having a reinforcement brace includes, among other things, an aft structure, a passenger side strut, a driver side strut, a passenger side load transfer frame coupling the aft structure to the passenger side strut and being configured to transfer a load applied to the aft structure from a rear of a vehicle to the passenger side strut, and a driver side load transfer frame coupling the aft structure to the driver side strut and being configured to transfer a load applied to the aft structure from the rear of the vehicle to the driver side strut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Peyman Aghssa, Nikhil Mone, Framroz Meheryar Bharucha, John Michael McGuckin, Sean Timothy Ryan, Bin Zhang
  • Patent number: 11161553
    Abstract: A vehicle body front structure includes a damper housing and a cross member. The cross member is connected to the damper housing to form a closed cross section with the damper housing and the cross member. The closed cross section extends in a vertical direction across a front side frame and an upper member. The cross member has a first attachment portion. A mounting member supporting a drive source of a vehicle is attached to the first attachment portion. The cross member is formed such that a distance dimension from the damper housing decreases downward from the first attachment portion in the closed cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takehiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 11161549
    Abstract: A vehicle body rear structure includes: left and right rear side frames extending in a fore-and-aft direction in a rear part of a vehicle; a rear subframe attached to the rear side frames; left and right rear wheels supported by the rear subframe via respective suspensions; and a driving source mounted to the rear subframe. The driving source is arranged such that a center of gravity thereof is positioned more rearward than a rotation axis of the rear wheels. The rear subframe includes left and right rear subframe longitudinal members extending in the fore-and-aft direction and a rear subframe cross member extending laterally and joined to the rear subframe longitudinal members. The rear subframe cross member includes a protrusion that protrudes rearward at a laterally central part thereof. A rear end of the protrusion is positioned more rearward than a rear end of the driving source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Sakai, Kanji Kaneko, Takashi Yamada, Tadashi Hirakawa, Seiichi Kato
  • Patent number: 11161558
    Abstract: An air guide device for a motor vehicle body of a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle body has a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, and a vertical axis. The air guide device includes: an air guide element, which is received in the motor vehicle body so as to be movable with the aid of an adjusting device, and which is movable into at least a first position and a second position. In order to effect a reduced coefficient of air resistance and an increased downforce, the air guide element has a guide element, which is configured to be movable and which is received movably on a wing top surface of the air guide element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: DR. ING. H.C. F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Tobias Posch, Joachim Paul, Riccardo Bauer
  • Patent number: 11155219
    Abstract: There is provided a door trim including: an armrest; an ornament member coupled to the armrest; and a planar heater configured to warm the armrest or the ornament member. The planar heater is disposed between a resin core member and a surface member which form the armrest or the ornament member, and includes a nonwoven fabric and a heating wire fixed to the nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric includes first and second bonded parts and a connection part connecting between the first and second bonded parts. The second bonded part is routed to be disposed on the back surface side of the armrest (the back surface side of the ornament member) by the connection part being inserted into an interface gap between the armrest and the ornament member. A thermostat is mounted on the second bonded part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: KASAI KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Oishi
  • Patent number: 11148622
    Abstract: A bumper beam is made of at least one rolled formed steel sheet containing an upper beam and a lower beam extending in a transversal direction, the upper beam and the lower beam each having a closed cross-section defined by a front wall, a rear wall, an upper wall and a lower wall, the upper wall and the lower wall joining the front wall to the rear wall, each of the front walls of the upper beam and of the lower beam containing a front rib extending transversally and towards the interior of the bumper beam. At least one of the upper wall of the upper beam, the lower wall of the lower beam, the rear wall of the upper beam and the rear wall of the lower beam further containing a rib extending transversally and towards the interior of the bumper beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: ARCELORMITTAL
    Inventors: Gilles Brun, Damien Herisson, Jimmy Lam, Dan Hasenpouth, Elie Gibeau, Ivan Viaux
  • Patent number: 11148729
    Abstract: A lower structure of a vehicle includes front side frames, a vehicle body strength member, a floor panel, and a power supply unit, in which the front side frames are formed to have cross-sectional shapes that open upward at least at rear sections thereof, the power supply unit is disposed below a floor panel, the floor panel includes a pair of reinforcing panel portions which are respectively joined to the rear sections of the front side frames and cover the rear sections from above, and a floor panel main body portion which constitutes a portion other than the reinforcing panel portions, and the reinforcing panel portions are formed to have higher strength than the floor panel main body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoo Watanabe, Kanji Kaneko, Akira Haga, Shungo Chino, Keisuke Gonda
  • Patent number: 11148617
    Abstract: A sound insulating member includes a mass section and spring sections. The mass section is disposed so as to have a gap with respect to an outer panel which divides an internal space of a vehicle body and outside thereof, and includes at least a part which has a planar shaped form. The plurality of spring sections are disposed on the mass section at a side of the mass section facing an outer panel. Each of the spring sections has a hollow film member having airtightness and flexibility, and a gas sealed inside the film member. The film member has a first stepped section and a second stepped section that are formed in a stepped shape in an arrangement direction of the outer panel and the mass section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignees: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., National University Corporation Gunma University
    Inventors: Ikumi Kurihara, Takashi Kondo, Yoshihiro Noguchi, Yuma Tsuboi, Takao Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11142139
    Abstract: A vehicle trim structure includes a flange provided at a vehicle trim and configured to contact a counterpart member, wherein an end portion of the flange that is configured to contact the counterpart member is formed from a soft material, and a contact face of the end portion is configured with a circular arc-shaped cross-section profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: NIFCO INC.
    Inventors: Masaru Sakai, Kentaro Ahiko, Kimiharu Mishima
  • Patent number: 11142048
    Abstract: An operator cab is mounted on a chassis of a mobile work vehicle. The cab includes a back panel, a pair of opposing side panels, and a roof panel. The side panels and the roof panel each have a first edge proximate the back panel and a second edge opposite the first edge, the second edges defining a door opening. A door is proximate the door opening and movable to a closed position defining a front barrier or an open position alongside the cab. A drive system is connected to the door to move the door about a pivot point near the door opening to an open position from the closed position to allow for an operator to ingress and egress through the door opening. The door when in the open position being secured between a boom arm of the mobile work vehicle and alongside the at least one of the side panel of the cab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventor: Sachin Ballewar
  • Patent number: 11142136
    Abstract: A vehicle cargo area assembly includes a cargo area structure, a tailgate structure and a flexible cover assembly. The tailgate structure is supported to the cargo bed structure for pivotal movement with respect thereto between a closed orientation and an open orientation. The flexible cover assembly has a first end attached to the cargo area structure and a second end attached to the tailgate structure. The flexible cover assembly covers a gap defined between the cargo area structure and the tailgate structure with the tailgate structure in the open orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Neelamkumar R Deshpande
  • Patent number: 11136076
    Abstract: An undercover structure for guiding air flow includes a body part having a planar-plate shape and mounted on a lower surface of a vehicle. A through hole is formed in the body part to allow air flowing above the body part to be directed to a region under the body part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Nam-Ho Park