Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Davis and Bujold
  • Patent number: 8069742
    Abstract: A motor vehicle transmission having at least two transmission groups and a method for operation of the transmission in which a mechanism is provided for maintaining traction force during gearshifts. A first friction clutch is an intermediate-gear clutch connected to a driveshaft of the motor and to a main transmission shaft which is connected with a transmission output shaft, the second friction clutch is a change-under-load clutch connected to the driveshaft and to a loose wheel of a second gear constant of a splitter group, and the third friction clutch is a change-under-load clutch connected with the driveshaft and with a loose wheel of a first gear constant of the splitter group. A direct connection can be formed in the transmission between the driveshaft and the main transmission shaft by way of the intermediate-gear clutch and the gear constants of the splitter group can be shifted, under load, by the change-under-load clutches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Alan Dittrich, Rayk Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 8071498
    Abstract: An exhaust gas purifying catalyst wherein the catalytic activity can be recovered over a wide temperature range is provided. Also provided are a method for recovering an exhaust gas purifying catalyst, and a catalyst system for exhaust gas purification. The exhaust gas purifying catalyst is characterized by containing an oxide A containing an oxide (A-1) containing an alkaline earth metal and/or a rare earth metal and an inorganic oxide (A-2), and a noble metal B supported by the oxide A. This exhaust gas purifying catalyst is also characterized in that the weight ratio of the oxide (A-1) containing an alkaline earth metal and/or a rare earth metal to the noble metal B is from 1:10 to 1:500.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Cataler Corporation
    Inventors: Norihiko Aono, Yoshinori Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8071502
    Abstract: An exhaust gas purifying catalyst is provided in which alloying of precious metals is prevented even at high temperatures so that degradation of catalyst can be inhibited. The exhaust gas purifying catalyst comprises a substrate serving as a passage of exhaust gas; and a catalyst coating layer formed on the internal surface of the through hole and including precious metals and a refractory inorganic oxide. The catalyst coating layer formed in the area A located on the upstream portion of the passage with respect to the flow direction of exhaust gas contains a precious metal, Rh. The weight ratio of Rh and the precious metal other than Rh is 1:0 to 0.5. The catalyst coating layer formed in the area B located on the downstream portion of the passage contains precious metal other than Rh. The weight of the precious metal other than Rh is larger than the weight of Rh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Cataler Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Shimizu, Michio Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8073603
    Abstract: An automatic transmission control method in which at least one of a starting clutch, a clutch coupling and transmission elements, for selection as well as engagement and disengagement of a gear step, are determined as a function of respectively existing variables representing the driving situation as well as the driver's wishes can be activated by actuators which are controlled by a control and regulation device. The method comprising the steps of collecting and normalizing the input variable into standard input variables; weighting with weighting factors and summarizing; converting the weighted input variables into intermediate variables; selecting a specific range of values which represents a specific shifting sequence; and implementing the shifting operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Norbert Wiencek, Andelko Vesenjak, Thomas Jäger, Mario Steinborn, Ramon Cordt, Peter Herter
  • Patent number: 8070142
    Abstract: A tray assembly is provided for improved gas/liquid contact when used in a large chemical process tower. Each tray has a downcomer wall of which the lower portion is a distributor. The distributor has discharge ports sized to control the rate of liquid flow at different positions across the distributor and flanges aligned individually to direct liquid flow from different discharge ports across different areas of the tray deck immediately below the downcomer. In combination, discharge ports and liquid flow directing flanges effect even liquid flow across the surface of the tray immediately below. Benefits of this invention are trays with better mass transfer efficiency and enhanced capacity compared with prior art trays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignees: AMT International, Inc., Petroliam Nasional Berhad
    Inventors: Adam T. Lee, Larry W. Burton, Zainab Kayat, Pau Kiew Huai
  • Patent number: 8070652
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for overcoming tooth butt conditions (ZaZ) when engaging gears in transmissions. A sensitive adjustment of the clutch to apply torque for rotating the drive shaft of the transmission in order to overcome tooth butt conditions has certain limits because of the proportion of the power required and desired for making said sensitive adjustment. This may cause unpleasant jerking of the vehicle or a clearly audible locking noise of the involved positively connected elements and undesired mechanical stress to said elements. The method according to the present invention provides a remedy due to the fact that during each shifting process, regardless of the occurrence of a tooth butt condition, the clutch is brought into a position allowing minimum predetermined torque transmission to the drive shaft of the transmission, and this torque is supported on a transmission brake, which is often already available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Bernd Doebele, Norbert Wiencek
  • Patent number: 8068964
    Abstract: A method for determining the driving resistance of a motor vehicle simultaneously with a shift of an automated shift transmission from a load gear to a target gear such that if a difference between a first driving resistance value F_fw_1 and a second driving resistance value F_fw_2 is large, the shift operation can be corrected. The second driving resistance value F_fw_2 is determined during the shift operation. a time interval ?t which contains the traction-force-free phase of the shift, a plurality of acceleration values a_i of the motor vehicle are measured to obtain the minimum acceleration a_min if the shift operation is a traction shift or the maximum acceleration a_max if it is thrust shift. With the mass m of the vehicle, the second driving resistance value F_fw_2 is calculated with one of the formula F_fw_2=?m*a_min or F_fw_2=?m*a_max.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Werner Wolfgang, Maik Würthner, Ingo Sauter
  • Patent number: 8067049
    Abstract: Roasted coffee beans are cooled and stored to a temperature of 0° C. or below before elapse of forty eight hours of holding time at room temperature or below after roasting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Nagoyaseiraku Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takayoshi Hibi
  • Patent number: 8066492
    Abstract: A drive device (2) for the oil pump (6) of a motor vehicle automatic transmission, in which the oil pump (6) on the one hand can be coupled to the drive motor by way of an overrunning clutch (34) and on the other hand is drivingly connected to an auxiliary electric motor (22), which is powered by the on-board power supply of the motor vehicle. The electric motor (22) is arranged outside of the pump housing (8) and is drivingly connected to a driven pump impeller wheel (ring gear 10) that is arranged in the pump housing via a non-rotatable connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Horst Rögner
  • Patent number: 8066606
    Abstract: A multi-group transmission of a vehicle is arranged in a drivetrain and includes traction force support during gearshift operations. A clutch mechanism, including a frictional clutch and two shifting clutches is arranged between a drive motor with a driveshaft and a transmission input shaft, such that the driveshaft can be connected to the transmission input shaft by one shifting clutch in a first shift position in combination with the frictional clutch or in a second shift position with bridging of the frictional clutch, such that the driveshaft can be directly connected to a main transmission shaft by the other shifting clutch in a shift position in active combination with the frictional clutch. In a method for operating the transmission, the frictional clutch is controlled and operated in combination with the first shifting clutch as a starting clutch and with the second shifting clutch as an intermediate-gear clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Alan Dittrich, Rayk Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 8066617
    Abstract: A method of controlling an automated step-down transmission, arranged in a drivetrain between an engine and a drive axle, which includes a multi-stage main transmission and a range group. The main transmission has an intermediate transmission style with a countershaft having a transmission brake and an input shaft connected, via a clutch, to the engine. The main transmission shifts, without being synchronized, and the range group shifts, after synchronization, such that the engaged gear ratio of the main transmission remains engaged during a range shift operation. The range shift is accomplished by firstly reducing drive engine torque; secondly, disengaging the existing gear ratio of the range group; thirdly, remotely synchronizing the target gear ratio in the range group; fourthly, engaging the target gear ratio in the range group; and fifthly, increasing the drive engine torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Mario Steinborn, Jochen Breuer
  • Patent number: 8065934
    Abstract: A transmission (8) having a transmission housing (26) having a region in which gear wheels (66, 68) rotate and a heat exchanger (30) which absorbs the heat generated in the transmission (8). This heat is transferred to a transmission lubricant and released to a coolant to transport the heat away from the transmission (8). A recess (56) is provided, in the transmission housing (26) outside of the region in which the gearwheels (66, 68) rotate, through which transmission lubricant flows and in which the heat exchanger (30) is arranged. The heat exchanger (30) has a bypass valve (48) which enables the heat exchanger (30) to be bypassed starting at a predefined low or excess pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Gerhard Fuhrer, Gerhard Horing
  • Patent number: 8062518
    Abstract: A water reaction tank for reacting water containing suspended solids with a flocculant includes a housing having an input, an output, and a water flow path between the input and the output. The flow path has a mixing section and a reaction section. Sealable flocculant ports are provided for inserting a flocculant into the mixing section of the housing. Each of the mixing section and the reaction section contains baffles. The mixing section baffles encourage turbulent flow to increase contact with the flocculant, and the reaction section baffles encourage turbulent flow and increase the length of the water flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Clearflow Enviro Systems Group Inc.
    Inventor: Jerry Hanna
  • Patent number: 8062164
    Abstract: Multi-stage transmission having six or seven forward gears and three reverse gears comprises three planetary gear sets (P1, P2, P3), six rotatable shafts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), as well as six shifting elements (03, 04, 13, 14, 15, 35, 36, 46), whereby the shaft (1) is permanently connected to input element (An) and to the sun gear of the second planetary gear set (P2), the shaft (2) is permanently connected to the output element (Ab) and the ring gear of the third planetary gear set (P3), the shaft (3) is permanently connected to the ring gear of the second planetary gear set (P2), the shaft (4) is permanently connected to the web of the third planetary gear set (P3), the shaft (5) is permanently connected to the ring gear of the first planetary gear set (P1), to the web of the second planetary gear set (P2), and to the sun gear of the third planetary gear set (P3), the shaft (6) is permanently connected to the web of the first planetary gear set (P1), whereby the sun gear of the first planetary gear set (P1) is
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Ralf Boss, Gerhard Gumpoltsberger, Hans-Peter Freudenreich
  • Patent number: 8062168
    Abstract: An arrangement of a planetary gearset (2) with an axially adjacent shift element in a housing (1) of a transmission of a vehicle. The planetary gearset (2) is connected to the shift element in a detachable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Peter Ziemer, Hermann Maier, Jörg Brockstieger
  • Patent number: 8062173
    Abstract: A method for controlling a hybrid drivetrain of a motor vehicle such that, during a thrust operation of the vehicle, a change takes place from a combustion-powered driving mode, in which the combustion engine is in a thrust operation, the separator clutch is engaged and the electric machine contributes no force, or from a combined driving mode in which the engine is in a thrust operation, the clutch is engaged and the electric machine operates as a generator, to an electric driving mode in which the engine is switched off, the clutch is disengaged and the electric machine operates as a generator. To efficiently change driving modes, the clutch is partially disengaged to a slip limit; the clutch is then completely disengaged; and when the clutch reaches the slip limit, the generator torque of the electric machine is increased inversely to the torque that can be transmitted by the clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Bernd Allgaier, Friedrich Tenbrock, Thomas Lemp, Michael Gromus
  • Patent number: 8062180
    Abstract: A method of automatically engaging a parking lock or an automatic or automated gearbox of a motor vehicle, which can be engaged depending on a drive position selected by the driver of the motor vehicle, by way of a selector device and depending on other operating parameters. In order to achieve as little restriction of the drivability of the motor vehicle as possible, without neglecting the safety of the driver and surroundings, two different complex embodiments of an Auto_P function for automatically engaging the parking lock are proposed, if the motor vehicle is at least approximately stopped and, at the same time, an ignition circuit acting on the drive motor of the motor vehicle is electrically interrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Armin Gierling, Walter Hecht
  • Patent number: 8064737
    Abstract: Spatial bandwidth imaging of the interior spaces and elements of a structure by transmission of low frequency, continuous-wave, narrow band signal or signals through the structure, measurement of the electric and magnetic components of the received signal received by narrow band Doppler or focused synthetic aperture methods over a range of signal paths extending from the transmitter and through the structure, and imaging of the effects of the interior space on the electric and magnetic components of the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Herrick Technology Labs Inc.
    Inventor: David L. Herrick
  • Patent number: 8062166
    Abstract: A planetary transmission with at least one planetary gearset including planetary gears supported on a planetary gear carrier. The planetary carrier has inner teeth, which engage outer teeth of a shaft to form a lock tooth array. To secure the planetary carrier axially on the shaft, the planetary carrier is placed with one axial end against a stop on the shaft and the opposite axial end is fixed axially with a circlip fit into a circlip groove in the shaft. At least one axially adjacent component is supported against the planetary carrier such that an axial bearing is arranged radially and axially adjacent to the circlip and includes a roller group guided in a cage and a first check-disk. A second check-disk is arranged radially opposite and at a distance from the circlip in such manner that when assembled, the circlip cannot escape from the circlip groove in the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Gabor Diosi, Josef Haupt, Martin Brehmer
  • Patent number: 8061231
    Abstract: A transmission shift device for a transmission having a range group transmission and a shift lever with a superimposed H-shaped shift pattern in which a shift and selector shaft is operatively connected at one end with the shift lever and at the other end with a shift mechanism. A blocking device, which is actuated by, prevents or makes inadvertent transmission gear shifts in a range group detectable to the driver so that the shift and selector shaft is independently shiftable from a first shift gate to a shift gate of the next two lower gears. The transmission shift device prevents undesired incorrect gearshifts in a range group shift as well as making it possible to downshift across several gearsets by making the force of displacing the shift and selector shaft changeable over the regulated distance to the shift gear of the next lower gears.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Dieter Fischer, Klaus Spaeth