Patents Examined by Rodney Bonck
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Patent number: 8678156Abstract: The invention relates to a shiftable friction clutch (1a, 1b) for actuation with a pressure medium. Clutches of this type can be used, for example, to drive auxiliary assemblies such as fans (22) in vehicle construction. An especially compact construction is achieved through the use of a disk spring (6). A production method is furthermore proposed.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2010Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Kendrion Linnig GmbHInventor: Manfred Gebhart
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Patent number: 8677598Abstract: A clutch assembly for a torque converter, including: a cover; a piston plate including a hole; and a rivet in the hole. The rivet includes a rivet head. Prior to applying pressure to the rivet to fix the rivet to the piston plate, the rivet head is clamped between the piston plate and the cover. A clutch assembly for a torque converter, including: a cover; a piston plate with a hole; a leaf spring with a first end fixedly attached to the cover and a second end; and a rivet connecting the second end of the leaf spring to the piston plate. The rivet includes: a head disposed between the leaf spring second end and the cover; and a shaft in the piston plate hole. The piston plate or the cover is deflectable to clamp the rivet head between the cover and the piston plate before the shaft is expanded.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2010Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KGInventors: Patrick Lindemann, Vural Ari, Alfredo Jimenez
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Patent number: 8672110Abstract: A torque overload clutch comprises outer and inner members. A recess is formed in the outer member and a radial opening is formed in the inner member. A driving member is slideably captured in the opening to move between an extended, engaged position with the recess and a retracted, disengaged position. An actuator ring is urged by a spring into engagement with the driving member to bias the driving member toward the engaged position. An end of the driving member may engage the recess to define an engagement angle that is approximately between thirty-four and seventy degrees relative to a radially oriented reference. The driving member may be slideably captured in a liner seated in the opening, and one or both may be impregnated with a lubricant. A bearing may be positioned between the inner and outer members to inhibit relative movement along the clutch axis.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2011Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Actuant CorporationInventor: Daryl J. Jaeger
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Patent number: 8672112Abstract: A drive system for a vehicle includes an engine, a transmission, a clutch mechanism including first and second clutch portions, the clutch mechanism being switchable between connected and disconnected states, and a clutch operation mechanism switching the clutch mechanism between the connected and disconnected states, the clutch operation mechanism including a clutch drum forming a drum chamber, a piston dividing the drum chamber into a spring chamber and a pressurizing chamber, a control valve, a biasing member arranged in the spring chamber and exerting a biasing force in a direction in which the first and second clutch portions are engaged with each other, and a bore formed in the clutch drum, the bore discharging oil of the spring chamber to an outer side of the spring chamber in a state where a counteracting force against a centrifugal force acting in the pressurizing chamber is generated in the spring chamber.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2011Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Minoru Ikeda, Shinichi Ito
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Patent number: 8672114Abstract: A release bearing assembly for an automotive clutch connecting an engine with a transmission is provided. The release bearing assembly can have a front slinger with a main body with a generally radial planar portion that at least partially covers an annular spacing between the bearing inner and outer races of the release bearing assembly. A rear slinger is provided which contacts an outer race of the bearing and forms an annular groove portion adjacent the annular spacing between the inner and outer races.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2011Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Eaton CorporationInventors: Chad Louis Davis, Mahesh Shashidhar Nesari, Daniel Vern Gochenour
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Patent number: 8668067Abstract: A vehicle parking lock device having a parking rod; a tapered parking cam disposed at a leading end portion of the parking rod; and a cam guiding device that guides the parking cam moved together with the parking rod in association with a projection of the parking rod toward the leading end portion to move a parking lock pole with the parking cam to a position of engagement with a parking lock gear rotated together with a transmission output member, the cam guiding device including a first guiding member in a cylindrical shape and a second guiding member in a half cylindrical shape that is disposed subsequently to the first guiding member, the second guiding member having a tapered guiding concave surface that guides the parking cam toward the parking lock pole in association with the projection of the parking rod toward the leading end portion.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2009Date of Patent: March 11, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kunio Morisawa, Shigetsugu Iwata, Takuya Kodama, Takafumi Koshida
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Patent number: 8668066Abstract: A sintered coupling ring (1) is described, comprising a ring of coupling teeth (2) which comprise relieved flanks (4) extending from wedge-shaped end faces (3) and, on the side opposite the wedge-shaped end faces (3), a stop (5) that protrudes radially beyond the tooth tip (6). In order to provide advantageous constructional conditions it is proposed that the stops (5) have a greater density than the remaining tooth tip (6).Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2010Date of Patent: March 11, 2014Assignee: Miba Sinter Austria GmbHInventors: Christian Kronberger, Horst Roessler, Christian Sandner
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Patent number: 8662275Abstract: A synchronizing ring for a synchronizing device of a motor vehicle gearing with a ring body. The ring body has a plurality of recesses, and frictional elements are arranged in the recesses.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2007Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KGInventors: Thomas Karais, Josef Schwuger, Marcus Spoerl
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Patent number: 8657094Abstract: A clutch device for a vehicle includes an input shaft, an output shaft coaxially arranged with a rotational axis of the input shaft, first clutch plates, second clutch plates, a piston fitted to a cylindrical portion integrally formed with the output shaft or the input shaft, an elastic member arranged between the piston and the cylindrical portion, a hydraulic chamber defined by the cylindrical portion and the piston, a canceller chamber defined by the cylindrical portion and the piston to connect to an outer side of the cylindrical portion via a discharge hole formed at a portion of the cylindrical portion, the portion being located at a predetermined radial distance from the rotational axis, and a throttle hole formed in a portion of the piston to connect the hydraulic chamber to the canceller chamber, the portion being located at a radially inward side of the portion of the cylindrical portion.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2011Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keiichiro Kawashima, Yoshikazu Akahoshi
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Patent number: 8657088Abstract: Disclosed is a lock-up clutch operative to uniform temperatures on a multiple number of friction surfaces, thereby improving accuracy of a lock-up control and to prevent shudders of a vehicle from being generated. The lock-up clutch includes a front cover, a lock-up piston, a plurality of torque transmitting plates, and a plurality of friction materials formed on the torque transmitting plates and having three or more friction surfaces. The friction materials are constituted by a first friction material frictionally contactable with the front cover, a second friction material frictionally contactable with the lock-up piston, and third friction materials frictionally contactable with at least one of the plates. Three or more friction surfaces are constituted by outside friction surfaces formed on the first and second friction materials and each having a small area, and inside friction surfaces formed on the third friction materials and each having a large area.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2010Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Toshiya Yamashita
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Patent number: 8657093Abstract: A PTO clutch assembly is directed to marine environment usage with a propeller drive shaft. The PTO clutch assembly can be operated at 7 degrees of axial tilt. A clutch friction disc has a recessed area that reduces the need for initial break-in.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2011Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: Logan Clutch CorporationInventors: Robert M. Kalinsky, Scott W. Stevens, Stefan Vinca
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Patent number: 8657089Abstract: The present invention relates to a clutch actuated by torque capable of controlling a clutch device to perform operations of coupling or disengaging with the driving torque, characterized in that a relay transmission structure assembly (104) is installed between a rotary prime motive end (101) and an output-end clutch structure (1052), the relay transmission structure assembly (104) is installed with a relay coupling structure (204) having an active side of relay coupling structure and a passive side of relay coupling structure, a limit-torque sliding damping device (106) is installed between the relay transmission structure assembly (104) and the static housing (107).Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2010Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Inventor: Tai-Her Yang
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Patent number: 8646587Abstract: A strut for a controllable one-way clutch wherein a projecting leg portion on the strut provides an attachment location for a free end of a rod which reciprocates. The strut includes a member-engaging first end surface. The strut further includes a member-engaging second end surface diametrically opposite the first end surface. The strut still further includes a main body portion between the end surfaces. The projecting leg portion extends from the main body portion.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2012Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Means Industries, Inc.Inventor: John W. Kimes
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Patent number: 8636127Abstract: The invention relates to a fan drive device (1) for driving at least one fan impeller (2), comprising at least one first drivable coolable housing element (9, 10) with at least one output disc (13) which can be connected to the at least one drivable coolable housing element (9, 10) in such a way as to be capable of transmitting torque by fluid friction, wherein at least one fluid can be admitted to at least one torque-transmitting space, and the mass flow of said fluid can be regulated by means of a valve element (30), wherein the valve element (30) can be actuated by at least one actuator (26, 27), and at least a section of the actuator (26, 27) is arranged in at least one retaining element (33) for fastening to a motor unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2007Date of Patent: January 28, 2014Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Co. KGInventors: Gerold Schultheiss, Rudolf Stoklossa, Roman Woiterski
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Patent number: 8631717Abstract: One aspect of the instant disclosure is to provide a sensorless adaptive safety actuator. The safety actuator comprises a driving unit, a transmission unit coupled to the driving unit, and an output unit coupled to the transmission unit. The transmission unit comprises a load-adaptable retracting mechanism. When the output unit experiences a mechanical load exceeding a critical value, the load-adaptable retracting mechanism causes the transmission unit to decouple from the driving unit. Thus, responding to an accident where the impact on the output unit causes a force/torque overload, the instant safety actuator is capable of effectively stopping the force/torque transmission to the work output device without the use of active sensors.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2011Date of Patent: January 21, 2014Assignee: National Taiwan UniversityInventors: Ren C. Luo, Yi-Wen Perng, Jing Wen Chen
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Patent number: 8622185Abstract: A sealing arrangement for a pressurizing-agent-operable control device of a clutch arrangement, for sealing a chamber which is pressurizable with a pressurizing agent, assigned to the clutch arrangement, from the interior space of the clutch arrangement; comprising at least one elastic sealing device. The sealing device is guided on at least one sheet metal element, which is attached to an element that delimits the chamber which is pressurizable with a pressurizing agent. A double clutch arrangement having a sealing arrangement.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2008Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KGInventors: Manuel Metzinger, Ivo Agner, Oliver Noehl
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Patent number: 8622184Abstract: A one-way clutch includes an outer race, an inner race which is spaced from the outer race in an inside diameter direction and arranged concentrically so as to be relatively rotatable, a plurality of engaging members which are arranged between the outer race and the inner race to transmit a torque, and a cage which retains the engaging members. The one-way clutch is provided with volute springs which urge the engaging members in the direction in which the engaging members engage with a cam face of the outer race or the inner race.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2010Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: NSK-Warner K.K.Inventors: Masaki Sakai, Takashi Kurita
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Patent number: 8616357Abstract: A viscous fan drive with a front-mounted fan and electrical actuation without a tethered harness. The mechanical package includes an inverted viscous clutch, a drive pulley and a split electromagnetic actuator with the electrical portion mounted to a stationary mounting member. An axially moveable valve member controls the flow of viscous fluid.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2013Date of Patent: December 31, 2013Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.Inventor: Rick L. Boyer
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Patent number: 8613353Abstract: A parking lock device is mounted on a transmission of a vehicle. The transmission includes a housing and an output shaft. The park lock device includes a parking pawl including a pawl portion, a first coupling member coupled to a rear end portion of the output shaft of the transmission, and a second coupling member coupled directly to the first coupling member, the second coupling member being supported by the housing of the transmission through a bearing and being provided with an extended shaft portion formed in a same shape as the rear end portion of the output shaft of the transmission, and a coupling coupled to the extended shaft portion of the second coupling member.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2007Date of Patent: December 24, 2013Assignee: Isuzu Motors LimitedInventors: Haruhiko Yamada, Hidetaka Koga, Masahiko Hayashi, Hidetoshi Uji
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Patent number: 8613351Abstract: A centrifugal clutch including a drive hub having a rotational axis, a drum coaxial with the driver, a plurality of shoes engaging the drive hub so as to rotate with the driver, each shoe having an aperture therethrough in the axial direction, the shoes being radially movable between a radially outward position in which the shoes contact a surface of the drum and a radially inward position in which the shoes are spaced apart from the drum, and a plurality of springs urging the shoes toward the radially inward position, each spring being located in the aperture of a corresponding shoe, each spring having a radially inward end engaging one of the shoes and an opposite radially outward end engaging the driver.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2011Date of Patent: December 24, 2013Assignee: The Hilliard CorporationInventors: David C. Ochab, Scott C. Schneider, Steven M. Averill