Patents Assigned to Global Technologies LLC
  • Metal-infiltrated titanium—silicon-carbide and titanium—aluminum-carbide bodies
    Patent number: 8863816
    Abstract: Densified composites of a metal such as copper or aluminum with a titanium-silicon-carbide or titanium-aluminum-carbide ceramic material are prepared by forming the ceramic material into a body, and infiltrating the body with the molten metal. The metal is able to rapidly penetrate into void spaces, between grain boundaries and even into the crystal structure of the ceramic grains to form a composite. The starting ceramic material may be previously densified, in which case various types of gradient structures can be produced easily. The process can be operated at low pressures, and so the hot pressing methods that normally must be used to densify these ceramic materials can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Aleksander J. Pyzik, Nicholas M. Shinkel, Robert A. Newman, Clifford S. Todd, Amy Wetzel
  • Vehicle trim panel having beverage retainer and method
    Patent number: 8863367
    Abstract: A vehicle trim panel assembly is provided having a beverage retainer formed in a storage compartment on the door of an automotive vehicle. The trim panel assembly includes a storage receptacle and a trim panel arranged to define at least a portion of the storage receptacle. The trim panel includes a base portion connected to a beverage retainer portion via a living hinge. The beverage retainer portion is pivoted about the living hinge into position within the storage receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Kim Langenbacher, Steve Dreher, Scott H. Dunham, Ammad Bhatti
  • Vehicle speed control apparatus and method
    Patent number: 8868312
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems and methods for controlling the speed of a vehicle comprising: during a pulse phase of cruise control, applying engine torque to raise speed, the amount and duration of which being responsive to engine speed; and during a glide phase of cruise control, discontinuing engine combustion. In this way cruise control may maintain a mean speed equivalent to a desired, threshold speed while reducing fuel consumption, and NVH effects felt by the end user compared to traditional cruise control methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Chris Edward Pedlar, Chris Connelly, David Hesketh, Themi Philemon Petridis
  • Yoke assembly for power steering rack and pinion gear set
    Patent number: 8863599
    Abstract: A power steering apparatus including a rack gear and a pinion gear that are disposed within a housing and preloaded by a yoke assembly. The yoke assembly includes a bushing that is biased into engagement with the rack. A yoke plug extends through a yoke opening to provide a gear mesh load on the rack through the bushing assembly. The yoke body is axially assembled through a rack gear bore in the housing of the steering gear and a yoke assembly is inserted through a yoke bore to apply mesh preload to the bushing assembly. A method of making the yoke assembly by forming leaf springs that are over-molded to form a yoke body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John Crossman
  • Sulfonic acid monomer based compositions
    Patent number: 8865827
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a composition comprising a water-soluble dispersant comprising structural units of a sulfonic acid monomer or a salt thereof and a co-monomer. The dispersant of the present invention addresses a need in the art by providing a way to improve the hiding efficiency of coatings compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignees: Dow Global Technologies, LLC, Rohm and Haas Company
    Inventors: Kevin J. Henderson, Thomas H. Kalantar, Lidaris San Miguel Rivera, Anurima Singh, Antony K. Van Dyk
  • Plasma coatings and method of making the same
    Patent number: 8865264
    Abstract: A method of coating a substrate surface. The method includes plasma spraying a direct-spray component onto a substrate surface, and plasma spraying an over-spray component onto the substrate surface. The direct-spray and over-spray components form a plasma coating surface contacting at least a portion of the substrate surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Larry P. Haack, Ann Marie Straccia
  • Seatbelt buckle height adjustment mechanism
    Patent number: 8864172
    Abstract: A telescoping seatbelt buckle design that improves seatbelt buckle accessibility and comfort by telescopingly adjusting the length of the seatbelt buckle assembly to maintain an optimal relationship between the seatbelt buckle position and the vehicle seat cushion position, wherein the telescoping seatbelt buckle assembly is adapted to maintain the optimal position of the seatbelt buckle relative to the vehicle seat cushion over a full range of seat height and seat track travels. Particularly, on a power seat, the telescoping seatbelt buckle assembly adjustment occurs passively as a vehicle occupant moves or adjusts the vehicle seat height or tilt using the seat controller switches, as the telescoping seatbelt buckle assembly is coupled to a motor used to adjust the vehicle seat position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Benjamin Yilma
  • Method for controlling a transmission coupled to an engine that may be automatically stopped
    Patent number: 8864623
    Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling a transmission coupled to an engine during an engine start are presented. In one example, a method adjusts a transmission tie-up force in response to an indication of transmission slip. The method may improve vehicle launch for stop/start vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Doering, Steve Michael Cicala, Alex O'Connor Gibson, Felix Nedorezov, Eric Frank Banners, Hong Jiang, Donald G. Levens
  • Electric power assist steering motor sensor redundancy
    Patent number: 8868298
    Abstract: An electric power assist steering motor sensor redundancy system is disclosed comprising a brushless motor selectively providing a first predetermined level of steering assistance for a vehicle. A first sensor and second sensor provide position information of the brushless motor to a motor controller. An alternative sensing system for the brushless motor may be selectively utilized to provide position information of the brushless motor to the controller when at least one of the first sensor or the second sensor fails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Kirt L. Eschtruth, William J. Bouse
  • Integrated starter generator and input clutch assembly for hybrid electric vehicle
    Patent number: 8863926
    Abstract: An apparatus for transmitting power to a transmission input includes first and second sources of rotary power, first and second transmission input shafts, a clutch hub driveably connected to the first and second power sources, and first and second clutches secured to the clutch hub, for alternately closing and opening a drive connection between the first and second transmission input shafts and the clutch hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Shaun G. Knowles
  • Method and system to prevent vehicle driveaway during battery charging
    Patent number: 8863870
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for preventing driveaway or roll away of a plug-in electric vehicle when it is being charged or is coupled to an external power supply cord. When it is detected based on at least one of the following conditions: a current is flowing to the battery charger, a voltage source is coupled to the battery charger, an access door allowing access to the receptacle on board the vehicle is open and/or a plug detect switch indicates that a plug is coupled with the receptacle, a mechanical restraint on the driveline is prevented from being released. The mechanical restraint may be a parking brake. Alternatively, the mechanical restraint may include preventing the gear shift selector from being moved out of the park position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas M. Gwozdek, James A. Lathrop, Karin Lovett, Jerry Mils
  • Mechanical gas pocket preventer/breaker
    Patent number: 8864880
    Abstract: Described is an apparatus useful for mechanically delaying formation of or breaking a pocket and a method of delaying formation of or breaking a gas pocket employing the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Kishore K. Kar, Madan Somasi, Richard F. Cope, James J. Pressler, David J. Adrian
  • Liquid-cooled internal combustion engine and method for operating an internal combustion engine of said type
    Patent number: 8863704
    Abstract: A liquid-cooling engine system is described with a coolant control device having an adjustable control element capable of independently controlling the flow of coolant through a cylinder head and cylinder block. The device contains a rotatable drum that can be rotated along its longitudinal axis to expose holes and thereby allows coolant circulation based on a temperature within the engine system. The coolant control device has three positions but may also be fine-tuned within each position to control the flow of coolant through the cylinder head and cylinder block in order to adjust the amount of heat extracted according to demand, which serves to control the liquid-type cooling circuit in a demand-dependent manner that accounts for the operating modes of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jan Mehring, Hans Guenter Quix
  • Halogen-free, flame retardant TPU composite
    Patent number: 8865808
    Abstract: Halogen-free TPU compositions comprise in weight percent based on the weight of the composition: A. 1 to 99% thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), B. 1 to 50% tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate (TBEP), C. 1 to 70% metal hydrate, and D. 1 to 70% organic phosphate ester other than tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate. These compositions exhibit better smoke suppression as compared with conventional organic phosphate flame retardant TPU compositions such as those based on resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate) (RDP) and bisphenol-A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BPADP) in the absence of TBEP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Xiangyang Tai, Given Jing Chen, Yurong Cao, Li Qiang Fan
  • Time-based vehicle battery balancing system and method
    Patent number: 8868279
    Abstract: A power system for a vehicle may include at least one controller and a battery having a plurality of cells. The at least one controller may, for each of the cells, determine a voltage of the cell, determine a discharge time to reduce the voltage to a value approximately equal to a minimum of the determined voltages, and cause the cell to discharge for the discharge time to balance the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Carvell Blakemore, Allan Roy Gale, Larry Dean Elie
  • Hardeners for thermosettable resin compositions
    Patent number: 8865917
    Abstract: A multifunctional aromatic amine hardener composition including the reaction condensation product of (a) at least one aniline and (b) at least one non-aromatic cyclic dicarboxaldehyde; and a reactive thermosettable resin composition including (i) at least one multifunctional aromatic amine hardener composition curing agent, (ii) at least one thermoset resin, and optionally (c) at least one catalyst; and a process for preparing a thermoset product from the thermosettable composition. The hardener composition above and a thermoset resin may be used to prepare a thermoset product with improved thermo-mechanical behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Mark B. Wilson, Stephanie L. Potisek, Ashwin Bharadwaj, Michael J. Mullins, Steven J. Guillaudeu
  • System and method for a human machine interface
    Patent number: 8866604
    Abstract: A vehicle computer system comprising a wireless transceiver configured to send a nomadic device human machine interface to a nomadic device in a web browser format. The vehicle computer system further comprises a vehicle server utilizing a contextual data aggregator that utilizes vehicle data and off-board data to generate a dynamic human machine interface, the server further configured to generate an in-vehicle human machine interface for output on a vehicle display and generate the nomadic device human machine interface for the nomadic device to display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: James Stewart Rankin, Basavaraj Tonshal, Pietro Buttolo, Yifan Chen, Gary Steven Strumolo, Jeffrey Allen Greenberg, Dimitar Petrov Filev, Krishnaswamy Venkatesh Prasad
  • METHOD OF CONTROLLING AN ENGINE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE
    Publication number: 20140309910
    Abstract: A method of controlling an engine of a stop-start enabled motor vehicle is disclosed in which the conditions used to determine whether to stop or start the engine are changed based upon whether maximum driver comfort or maximum fuel economy are requested by a driver of the motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David HESKETH, Themi Philemon PETRIDIS, Ian HALLERON, Christopher Edward PEDLAR
  • INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE WITH A CYLINDER HEAD HAVING AN INTEGRATED DRAINAGE CHANNEL AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION
    Publication number: 20140305122
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine is provided. The engine includes a cylinder head having a cylinder having an exhaust valve opening and an intake valve opening, an intake port in fluidic communication with the intake valve opening and configured to flow intake air to the cylinder through the intake valve opening, and a condensate drainage channel extending into a wall of the intake port and including an inlet positioned downstream of an outlet, the inlet positioned vertically above the outlet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Moritz Klaus Springer, Peter Bohn, Guenter Bartsch
  • ENGINE BEARING BLOCK ASSEMBLY
    Publication number: 20140305399
    Abstract: A bearing block assembly in an engine is provided. The bearing block assembly includes at least one bearing block to rotatably support an oil lubricated shaft and fastening apparatus to attach the at least one bearing block to a flat mounting surface on a large engine component and a thermal barrier positioned between the shaft and the flat mounting surface configured to reduce the loss of heat to the large engine component from oil used to lubricate the shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian Graham Pegg, Robert Helle-Lorentzen, Nigel Philip Harold Fawcett, Roland Paul Stark