Patents Assigned to Ford Motor Co.
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Patent number: 7456137Abstract: There is provided a power transmitting fluid top treat composition including at least one carbodiimide. The top treat composition may be added to a power transmitting fluid comprising at least one carboxylic acid comprising about 2 to about 24 carbon atoms.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2004Date of Patent: November 25, 2008Assignees: Afton Chemical Corporation, Ford Motor Co.Inventors: Bruce Wilburn, Chintan Ved
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Publication number: 20030063477Abstract: An integrated light and accessory assembly for a vehicle is disclosed. The assembly includes at least one lamp for illumination of a vehicle, and also includes reflective, conductive and insulative portions inside a housing, and a module for controlling or accessorizing the assembly. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing the assembly. The method includes providing materials for molding or shaping the components of the assembly, selectively etching conductive materials, molding the materials into a desired configuration, connecting a lamp and an accessory module to the conductive portions, and enclosing the components in a housing. A portion of the module may be removed for emergency lighting.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2001Publication date: April 3, 2003Applicant: Ford Motor Co.Inventors: Walter Kuzma Stepanenko, Jay DeAvis Baker, Lawrence LeRoy Kneisel, Richard Keith McMillan, Brenda Joyce Nation, Cindy Maria Rutyna, Charles Frederick Schweitzer, Peter Langer
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Patent number: 6106030Abstract: A tubular coupling assembly is disclosed which includes a pair of identical coupling members secured together by a splined stud. A sleeve member is inserted between the identical members to provide a leak free fluid pathway between the coupling members.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 1998Date of Patent: August 22, 2000Assignee: Ford Motor Co.Inventors: Joseph Nader, Fred Georg Schroeder
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Patent number: 5979540Abstract: An apparatus for cooling electrical components contained inside an enclosed housing, which is positioned proximate to a dashboard of a vehicle, includes an inlet pipe which receives a forced air flow and an outlet pipe which expels air from the enclosed housing. The inlet pipe receives the forced air flow either from a fan or from an air intake mechanism which supplies filtered air to an intake manifold of the vehicle engine. The air intake mechanism also maintains the temperature of the vehicle battery at a predetermined temperature by use of heated air from the engine exhaust manifold.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 1995Date of Patent: November 9, 1999Assignees: Ford Motor Co., United Technologies Automotive, Inc.Inventors: Johnny Hugh Allison, Gerald Arthur Heath, David S. Wills, R. David Arndt, Mark Timothy Lecznar, Bruce Allen Williams
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Patent number: 5803052Abstract: A spring clip for retaining together a fuel injector and a fuel rail cup includes first and second parallel spaced side walls and a third side wall resiliently connecting the first and second side walls to form a generally U-shaped body with an open side. The first and second parallel spaced side walls include flanges extending inwardly toward one another from opposed lower edges of the side walls. The flanges are configured to coact with an exterior surface of an associated fuel injector to locate the injector axially relative to the clip. The first and second parallel spaced side walls also include slots arranged to receive a flanged portion of the fuel rail cup such that the clip is located axially relative to the cup, thereby locating said injector axially relative to said cup. An aperture in the third side wall receives both a radially protruding orientation key of the injector and a corresponding orientation key of the fuel rail cup to fix the injector against rotational motion in the cup.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 1997Date of Patent: September 8, 1998Assignees: Siemens Automotive Corporation, Ford Motor Co.Inventors: Jack R. Lorraine, Ronald G. Fly
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Patent number: 5715180Abstract: A method for determining a sample size W required for accelerated testing of a product includes the steps of selecting a Reliability Goal R as appropriate for the product, selecting a Confidence Level CL appropriate for the accuracy required from the results of the accelerated testing, selecting the number of testing cycles N.sub.t defining the accelerated testing period, calculating the Sample Size W for the accelerated testing as ##EQU1## and then testing the W product samples for the N.sub.t testing cycles to validate the required Reliability when no test failures are observed over the N.sub.t testing cycles. A method for determining the Number of Cycles N.sub.t required for accelerated testing of a product having a service lifetime is also described. In either of the above methods, if any failures are observed in the N.sub.t testing cycles/time, then the number of testing cycles/time may be extended to at least 2 N.sub.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 1995Date of Patent: February 3, 1998Assignee: Ford Motor Co.Inventor: Jun Ming Hu
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Patent number: 5503258Abstract: A hydraulic shock absorber having discrete damping levels in the rebound direction includes a piston that reciprocates within a pressure tube and divides the pressure tube into rebound and pressure chambers. A passage extends through the piston for establishing fluid communication between the rebound and pressure chambers. A one-way, pressure responsive valve normally closing the passage opens in response to fluid pressure of a predetermined magnitude in the rebound chamber when the piston moves in the rebound direction. The side wall of the pressure tube has bleed holes that lead to a bypass channel that is controlled by an electronically controlled or actuated solenoid valve that opens and closes the outlet of the bypass channel to change the damping characteristics in the rebound and jounce directions in response to suspension conditions.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 1994Date of Patent: April 2, 1996Assignees: Ford Motor Co., Sachs Automotive of AmericaInventors: William H. Clarke, Ray A. Sackett, Matthias Raulf, Rolf Wengenroth
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Patent number: 5309609Abstract: An improved spring clip retainer for a telescopic coupling such as the coupling between a fuel filter and a fuel line. The retainer comprises a first pair of opposed spring fingers which grasp and hold the male portion of the coupling and a second pair of opposed spring fingers which grasp and hold a longitudinally spaced portion of the female coupling element. The second set of fingers are longer than the first and are provided with a self-aiming, one-way latch which is readily operated by squeezing the longer fingers toward one another after association with the small diameter female fuel line coupling component. Through this operation the retainer can be effectively permanently associated with a fuel line subassembly which is joined to the fuel filter in a subsequent operation.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1993Date of Patent: May 10, 1994Assignees: Industrial Machine Products, Ford Motor Co.Inventors: Joseph L. Janiszewski, John E. Kajander
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Patent number: 5267466Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for calibrating a suspension control module of a vehicle to within a preselected tolerance of a predetermined ride height, the vehicle having at least one adjustable suspension unit interposed between the sprung and unsprung vehicle mass. The apparatus includes a first device for measuring a first distance corresponding to an actual ride height of a vehicle and for generating a first signal representative thereof and a second device for measuring a second distance between the vehicle sprung and unsprung mass and for generating a second signal representative thereof. The apparatus also includes a processor operatively associated with the first and second measuring devices for comparing the first and second signals and calculating a deviation between the signals, the processor being operative to generate a third signal corresponding to the deviation and store this deviation in the suspension control module.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 1991Date of Patent: December 7, 1993Assignee: Ford Motor Co.Inventor: Peter T. Morris
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Patent number: 4969543Abstract: A hydrokinetic torque converter and lockup clutch assembly comprising an impeller housing and a clutch construction situated within the housing comprising a clutch plate in the form of a piston having formed thereon an annular friction surface, a friction disc located between the friction surface on the clutch plate and an adjacent wall of the impeller housing and having an inner margin secured to the impeller housing at a location radially inward of the friction surface, friction material formed on the friction disc and flow passage means for establishing a circuitous cooling oil flow path across the dynamic friction surfaces of the clutch to establish cooling and for eliminating wear as the pressure in the clutch control pressure chamber is modulated to effect a continuous slipping of the clutch surfaces during operation of the converter, the friction disc providing a shield that minimizes heat transfer to the impeller housing and for providing maximum compliance of the face of the friction surface with resType: GrantFiled: July 10, 1989Date of Patent: November 13, 1990Assignee: Ford Motor Co.Inventor: Fraser J. Macdonald
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Patent number: 4560023Abstract: A rack and pinion steering gear mechanism for a wheeled vehicle comprising an input shaft, a rotary fluid pressure control valve and a drive pinion for a rack wherein the pinion is located between the input shaft and the valve and wherein the pinion has a central opening for receiving therethrough a valve actuator rod and a torsion bar that connects the input shaft to the pinion.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 1984Date of Patent: December 24, 1985Assignee: Ford Motor Co.Inventor: Ian G. Kirby
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Patent number: 4148354Abstract: A rotary regenerator construction comprising a ceramic core adapted to rotate upon its central axis and a ring gear surrounding the periphery of the core for purposes of driving the core rotatably and a yieldable compliant ring sandwiched between the ring gear and the periphery of the core to prevent stresses in the core caused by differential rates of expansion of the core and the ring during operation of the regenerator in a gas turbine engine and during processing of the regenerator and the regenerator drive ring.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 1977Date of Patent: April 10, 1979Assignee: Ford Motor Co.Inventor: V. Durga Nageswar Rao
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Patent number: 4135436Abstract: A power steering pump flow and pressure control valve comprising a valve spool located on the high pressure side of the pump and on the upstream side of the vehicle steering gear. The valve includes a spool slidably situated in a valve chamber and a metering pin that is moved relative to the spool to either a first operating position or a second operating position. The metering pin registers with a flow control orifice located at one end of the valve chamber to provide a high flow or a low flow depending upon its operating position.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1977Date of Patent: January 23, 1979Assignee: Ford Motor Co.Inventor: James J. Duffy