Patents Examined by Charles A. Fox
  • Patent number: 11536365
    Abstract: A malfunction part sensing device for an automatic transmission for a vehicle which is arranged to attain a plurality of shift stages by selectively engaging a plurality of frictional engagement elements, the malfunction part sensing device includes: a shift stage monitoring section configured to monitor the shift stages before and after the shift of the automatic transmission; a malfunction sensing section configured to sense the malfunction mode from a behavior of the vehicle which is generated in accordance with the malfunction; and a malfunction part limiting section configured to limit the one of the frictional engagement elements in which the malfunction is generated, based on the malfunction mode and a shift manner by a combination of the shift stages before and after the shift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: JATCO LTD, NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Tooyama, Fumitaka Nagashima, Takateru Kawaguchi, Hideharu Yamamoto, Masahiro Hamano
  • Patent number: 11512810
    Abstract: An automatic lubricator for lubricating an object comprises a housing with a coupling section configured to couple with a lubricant container containing a lubricant. The lubricant container comprises a rotatable shaft with a piston to dispense the lubricant from an output of the lubricant container. The lubricator further comprises an electric motor configured to drive the rotatable shaft of the lubricant container during at least one lubrication action, such that at least a part of the lubricant is dispensable from the lubricant container during the at least one lubrication action, and a control circuitry for controlling the electric motor. The control circuitry is configured to determine a back electromotive force (BEMF) generated by the electric motor during at least a part of the at least one lubrication action, and to determine, based on the determined BEMF, at least one lubrication parameter indicative of the at least one lubrication action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Dodge Industrial, Inc.
    Inventors: Grzegorz Wawrzola, Daniel Lewandowski, Eric Lambert, Piotr Ryba, Greg Hewitt, Artur Rdzanek
  • Patent number: 11505069
    Abstract: An information processing device that is capable of executing processing corresponding to execution of replacement of an energy supply unit at a facility. A control server is provided with a control server control unit for acquiring device-related information on a driving device in which a mounted energy supply unit serving as an energy supply unit for supplying energy to a power source is replaceably mounted, and selecting a facility recommended to perform replacement of the energy supply unit out of facilities that store stored energy supply units serving as energy supply units replaceable with the mounted energy supply unit, and that are able to replace the mounted energy supply unit with one of the stored energy supply units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Wakitani, Satoshi Haneda
  • Patent number: 11492235
    Abstract: A measuring device for load sensing in a lifting-cable-based hoist, in particular a crane, having at least one pulley for deflecting the lifting cable of the hoist, a fastening means in the form of a cable loop, at the end of which the pulley is mounted so as to be rotatable about its roller axis, and at least one measuring element for sensing a force applied to the pulley.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: LIEBHERR-WERK EHINGEN GMBH
    Inventors: Julian Wehrstedt, Stefan Windbacher, Oliver Ruoss, Uwe Frommelt
  • Patent number: 11446997
    Abstract: A hybrid powertrain that includes a combustion engine (4) and a gearbox (2) with an input shaft (8) and an output shaft (20); a first planetary gear (10) connected to the input shaft (8); a second planetary gear (12) connected to the first planetary gear (10); a first electrical machine (14) connected to the first planetary gear (10); a second electrical machine (16) connected to the second planetary gear (12); at least one gear pair (G1, 60, 72) connected to the first planetary gear (10) and to the output shaft (20); and at least one gear pair (G2, 66, 78) connected to the second planetary gear (12) and to the output shaft (20), a countershaft (18) provided between the combustion engine (4) and the gearbox (2) so that the engine (4) can be disconnected from the gearbox (2). Also disclosed is a method for controlling the disclosed hybrid powertrain (3). Also a vehicle (1) includes such a gearbox (2), and a method to control such a gearbox (2). Also a computer program (P) to control a gearbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Scania CV AB
    Inventors: Mathias Björkman, Niklas Pettersson, Johan Lindström, Mikael Bergquist
  • Patent number: 11427359
    Abstract: The invention discloses a tensioner comprising a belt shaft, a first bracket and a second bracket, a belt shaft hole is provided at a front end of the first bracket, the belt shaft passes through the hole and is hinged with the first bracket; a surface of the belt shaft is provided with a ratchet fixedly connected thereto and gaskets provided on two sides of the ratchet; one end of the second bracket is provided with a clamping portion, the clamping portion clamps two ends of the belt shaft and protrudes outwardly to form an accommodating cavity, balls are provided inside the accommodation cavity, and the balls are installed on an outer gasket of the belt shaft. The plastic gaskets greatly reduce the friction between the ratchet and the bracket, the balls provide a certain degree of freedom for the belt shaft to prevent the belt shaft from jamming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Zhangjiagang Jinbao Hardware Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jinhui Zhang
  • Patent number: 11407620
    Abstract: A lifting beam and a lifting device are provided according to the embodiments of the present application. The lifting beam includes a beam body, a lifting lug adjusting member and lifting lugs, wherein the beam body extends in a first direction; the lifting lug adjusting member includes a lifting member and an adjusting member connected with each other, the lifting member is movably fitted over the beam body, and a position of the lifting member with respect to the beam body in the first direction can be adjusted by the adjusting member; and the lifting lugs are arranged on the lifting member and are located above the beam body. The lifting device includes the lifting beam. In the embodiments of the present application, the position of the lifting lugs can be adjusted according to the lifting requirements at any time, to ensure the stability of the lifting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: JIANGSU GOLDWIND SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhongyuan Ge, Jing Fang
  • Patent number: 11383603
    Abstract: A driveline assembly including a pair of reducers each having a sun gear fixed about a primary shaft. A plurality of planet gears are meshed with and rotatable about the sun gear. A ring is positioned about and meshed with the planet gears. A planet carrier is connected to a center of each of the planet gears and fixed to a wheel output. A low gear clutch is moveable between an engaged position fixing the ring to a ground in the engaged position, and a disengaged position disconnecting the ring from the ground. An upshift clutch is moveable between a contact position fixing the primary axle to the wheel output, and a released position disconnecting the primary axle from direct connection with the wheel output. A controller selectively shifts the center clutch, the low gear clutch and the upshift clutch. Methods of using the driveline assembly are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Neapco Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Donald Remboski, Jacqueline Dedo
  • Patent number: 11377330
    Abstract: A remote controlled lift assembly includes a pair of supports is each mountable to a respective outrigger of scaffolding. A winch unit is positionable on the supports when the supports are mounted on the scaffolding and the winch unit has a cable extending downwardly therefrom. The cable is lowered or lifted when the winch is actuated. A receiver is coupled to the winch unit and the receiver is in electrical communication with the winch unit. A remote control is provided that is carried by a user and the remote control is in wireless electrical communication with the receiver. In this way the user can remotely lift and lower the cable for lifting and lowering cargo.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventor: Charles Jackson
  • Patent number: 11346419
    Abstract: A clutch assembly for a motor vehicle drivetrain for coupling coupling elements for conjoint rotation includes a clutch unit, a brake unit and at least one permanent magnet between the clutch unit and the brake unit. The clutch unit is shiftable into a coupling state in which the coupling elements are coupled to one another by shifting the clutch unit from a first position in which the coupling elements are decoupled into a second position in which the coupling elements are coupled. First and second electrically energizable coils are electrically energizable to move the permanent magnet from the first position into the second position or vice versa. A holding plate is located adjacent to the at least one permanent magnet to suppress magnetic flux from the at least one permanent magnet to the brake unit. A motor vehicle drivetrain containing at least one clutch assembly is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Sebastian Liebert, Ulrich Ohnemus
  • Patent number: 11345331
    Abstract: A heavy duty power distribution system is provided that includes an electric vehicle control module and a cable interface coupled with the electric vehicle control module. The electric vehicle control module includes an electric vehicle frame assembly and a power distribution component coupled with the electric vehicle control module frame assembly. The electric vehicle control module frame assembly is configured to support components of the electric vehicle control module on a vehicle frame rail, e.g., behind a cab thereof. A cowling is disposed around the power distribution component. The cable interface has a first junction and a second junction which are configured to connect the power distribution component with a power source and a load respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Hexagon Purus North America Holdings Inc.
    Inventors: Ethan J. McKibben, Aaron Heffelfinger, Todd F. Sloan, Eric M. Coupal-Sikes, Jordan Foster, Benjamin Parker
  • Patent number: 11339835
    Abstract: A drive force transfer device includes a multi-plate clutch that transfers a drive force using a friction force generated between a plurality of clutch plates; a housing that houses the multi-plate clutch; a piston that presses the multi-plate clutch using a hydraulic pressure of operating oil supplied to a hydraulic chamber provided in the housing; a hydraulic unit configured to supply the operating oil to the hydraulic chamber; and a control device configured to control the hydraulic unit, the control device being configured to correct a control amount for the hydraulic unit based on a result of a temperature estimation based on operation of the hydraulic unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koudai Sakazaki
  • Patent number: 11339833
    Abstract: An electric drive axle includes an idler shaft having an input gear and an output gear rotatably mounted thereon. The output gear includes a plurality of first clutch teeth formed thereon. A clutch assembly is also disposed on the idler shaft between the input and output gears. The clutch assembly includes a clutch member having a plurality of second clutch teeth formed thereon, wherein the second clutch teeth are selectively engageable with the first clutch teeth of the output gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: DANA AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS GROUP, LLC
    Inventor: Eric M. Engerman
  • Patent number: 11326657
    Abstract: A method for operating an electrohydraulic transmission clutch of a motor vehicle, wherein, for a clutch operation, a hydraulic pressure is set by way of a regulating device of a controller as a function of a clutch signal, and, through the pressure, a disengagement element of the transmission clutch is moved through a soft region into a rigid region via a rigid point, or vice versa. The soft region is to be compensated for. Further, as a function of the clutch signal, the regulating device generates a preliminary target value signal for the pressure and a time derivative of the preliminary target value signal is generated as a movement signal, and a pilot control generates a pilot control signal as a function of the movement signal, and the preliminary target value signal and the pilot control signal are combined to give a final actuating value signal for the pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventor: Michael Jonuscheit
  • Patent number: 11320004
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an overrunning clutch, comprising a torque-introducing clutch element, a torque-receiving clutch element and switching element, which is forced from an engagement position into a freewheeling position or from a freewheeling position into an engagement position in dependence on the direction of a sufficient change in the rotational angle position between the torque-introducing clutch element and the torque-receiving clutch element by means of an actuating force applied to the switching element by an actuator. According to the disclosure, the actuating force is a friction-induced actuating force, which is induced by means of a friction-force pairing between the actuator and a component of the overrunning clutch that is in frictional contact with the actuator and the actuator forms an interlockingly acting actuating stop, by means of which the actuating force acts on the switching element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: GKN Automotive Ltd.
    Inventors: Wolfgang Beigang, Thomas Weckerling, Maximilian Werkhausen, Jan Haupt, Dirk Güth
  • Patent number: 11305630
    Abstract: A transmission for an electric vehicle may include a first planetary gear set; a first motor configured to input power to a first rotation element of the first planetary gear set; a differential configured to receive power output from a second rotation element of the first planetary gear set; a second motor configured to selectively provide power to a third rotation element of the first planetary gear set; a second planetary gear set including a first rotation element which is directly connected to the differential, and a second rotation element which is configured to selectively receive power from the second motor; and a third planetary gear set including a third rotation element which is directly connected to a third rotation element of the second planetary gear set, a second rotation element which is fixed, and a first rotation element which is directly connected to a selected output shaft of the differential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jae Joon Lee, Jin Young Hwang, Jin Ho Kim, Jong Sung Kim, Sung Whan Min, Jong Sool Park, Wook Jin Jang, Jin Hyung Kong
  • Patent number: 11306791
    Abstract: A driving apparatus 100 includes a motor 20 that generates drive power and power transmission units 30, 40, and 50 that transmit drive power of the motor 20 to an output shaft 60. The power transmission units 30, 40, and 50 include a clutch mechanism 30 that switches between a state where the motor 20 and the output shaft 60 are connected and a state where the motor 20 and the output shaft 60 are disconnected, and a brake mechanism 40 that brakes rotation of the output shaft 60, and the clutch mechanism 30 is arranged so as to overlap the brake mechanism 40 in a radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Matsunaga, Tsuyoshi Yoshigasaki, Kenta Kohigashi
  • Patent number: 11306792
    Abstract: An automatic transmission is provided, which includes a transmission case having a vertical wall part, a clutch disposed on a first side of the vertical wall part in an axial direction, a given component disposed on the second side of the vertical wall part, and a sleeve having a cylindrical body and a flange part coupled to the second side of the vertical wall part and disposed radially inward of the given component. The hydraulic fluid is supplied to the clutch from radially inward of the clutch through the vertical wall part. An oil supply passage is configured to supply the hydraulic fluid to the radially inward of the clutch through a first oil passage extending in the axial direction via a coupling part between the vertical wall part and the flange part, a second oil passage inside the flange part, and a third oil passage inside the cylindrical body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Tomotaka Ishizaka, Norio Iwashita, Kensuke Ueda, Masanori Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11307042
    Abstract: Systems including one or more sensors, coupled to a vehicle, may detect sensor information and provide the sensor information to another computing device for processing. The processing may include analyzing the sensor information to identify one or more risk objects, such as animals, pedestrians, potholes, etc. The processing may further include generating a three-dimensional (3D) risk map, which may be displayed to a passenger in the vehicle. The 3D risk map may illustrate the one or more risk objects as one or more point clouds, respectively, within a virtual world representation of the vehicle's surroundings. Such a display may be used to alert drivers to possible risks while driving. In case of an accident, the 3D risk map may also be leveraged by insurance providers to process insurance claims and to notify customers that an insurance claim has been established.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company
    Inventor: Mark Slusar
  • Patent number: 11301693
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and systems to manage traffic density in a transportation system, and by doing so, maintain, in one embodiment, traffic flows near optimum levels to maximize road capacity and minimize travel times. The method includes, in one embodiment, a mechanism for vehicles to request road access from a centralized control, a queuing system that allows road access to be granted to individual vehicles over an extended period of time in a fair and organized fashion, a measurement system that allows traffic flow and density throughout the system to be determined in real-time, and an enforcement and fraud prevention mechanism to ensure that the rules and permissions imposed by the system are followed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Inventor: Marc R. Hannah