Patents Examined by David M. Fenstermacher
  • Patent number: 11353095
    Abstract: An actuator (100) comprising: a frame (20); a screw (2) mounted on the frame; a nut (4) co-operating with the screw (2); a motor (3) arranged to drive the screw (2) in rotation; a first cable strand (6.1) and a second cable strand (9.1) coupled to the nut (4) and extending on a first side (8.1) of a first plane (P1); a third cable strand (6.4) and a fourth cable strand (9.4) coupled to the nut (4) and extending on a second side (8.2) of the first plane (P1); the first cable strand (6.1) and the second cable strand (9.1) extending in a second plane (P2); the third cable strand (6.4) and the fourth cable strand (9.4) extending in a third plane (P3); and the second plane (P2) and the third plane (P3) being distinct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
    Inventors: Philippe Garrec, Benoit Perochon
  • Patent number: 11339599
    Abstract: A drive device for a pivoting vehicle flap, includes a first housing part (3), a second housing part (4), wherein the first housing part (3) and the second housing part (4) are designed to be movable toward each other in the direction of the axial extension (x) of the drive device (1), a spindle rod (12) rotatably arranged on one of the first housing part (3) and the second housing part (4) and a spindle nut (13) arranged in a rotatably fixed manner on the other of the first housing part (3) and the second housing part (4), a braking device (19), comprising a first brake element, which is connected to the spindle rod (12) in a rotatably fixed manner, a second brake element, which is connected to one of the first housing part (3) and the second housing part (4) in a rotatably fixed manner, wherein the first brake element can interact with the second brake element in order to generate a brake force, and a magnet arrangement for generating a magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: EDSCHA ENGINEERING GMBH
    Inventors: Andre Wirth, Jochen Bals
  • Patent number: 11333226
    Abstract: A toroidal continuously variable transmission includes: input and output discs; a power roller sandwiched between the input disc and the output disc so as to be tiltable; a trunnion supporting the power roller and configured to be tiltable about a tilt axis of the power roller and reciprocatable in a direction along the tilt axis; a piston attached to a shaft portion of the trunnion so as to be externally fitted to the shaft portion; and a cylinder forming a pressure chamber which makes the piston reciprocate in the direction along the tilt axis. An inside gap is formed between an outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion of the trunnion and an inner peripheral surface of the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideyuki Imai, Keigo Maehata, Kenichiro Tanaka, Kenji Komatsu
  • Patent number: 11333225
    Abstract: Provided is a pressing device for a toroidal continuously variable transmission that is capable of sufficiently supplying lubrication oil to all rollers inside a pocket, and is capable of suppressing the occurrence of fretting wear on the rolling surfaces of the rollers, a first cam surface and a second cam surface. An oil passage 28 is provided for supplying lubrication oil to the inside of each pocket 25 in the inside portion in the radial direction of a retainer 14 that holds a plurality of more than one roller 13 arranged in a row in the radial direction. The center axis O29 of a discharge port 29 that is provided on an end portion on the downstream side of the oil passage 28 and that opens to the inside surface in the radial direction of the pocket 25 is inclined toward the front side in the rotational direction of the retainer 14 with respect to the center axis of the pocket 25.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignees: NSK LTD., KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirofumi Itagaki, Masahiro Kita, Kippei Matsuda, Kenichiro Tanaka, Hideyuki Imai, Kenji Komatsu
  • Patent number: 11326689
    Abstract: A shifter abnormality diagnosis device for a shifter used in an automatic transmission having a manual mode, the shifter including a first switch for outputting a signal corresponding to the position of a select lever and a second switch for outputting a signal corresponding to the position of the select lever if the select lever is located in at least one of an upshift range or a downshift range, wherein the abnormality diagnosis device is configured to perform an abnormality diagnosis of the second switch on the basis of an output signal of the second switch and prohibit the abnormality diagnosis of the second switch if it is determined that the select lever is not located in any one of forward ranges including the upshift range and the downshift range on the basis of an output signal of the first switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignees: JATCO Ltd, NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keisuke Ichikawa, Tomoaki Kabe, Kosuke Abe
  • Patent number: 11326692
    Abstract: A rotational control assembly controls at least one locking element used to lock a race with respect to a housing. The rotational control assembly includes a speed sensor disposed adjacent the race. The speed sensor senses a rotational speed of the race and generating a rotational speed signal. A controller is electrically connected to the speed sensor for receiving the rotational speed signal. The controller includes a comparator to compare the rotational speed signal to a threshold speed level. A lockout switch is electrically connected to the controller. The lockout switch prevents activation of the at least one locking element when the rotational speed signal exceeds the threshold speed level. This assembly prevents attempts to synchronize or lock races when the speeds are too high. This assembly can also be used to facilitate park and hill-hold functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Sigma Powertrain, Inc.
    Inventors: John Kimes, Jeffrey Viola
  • Patent number: 11313460
    Abstract: A shift range control device controls switching of a shift range by controlling a drive of a motor, and includes a signal acquisition unit and a drive control unit. The signal acquisition unit acquires the rotation angle signal from the encoder that outputs rotation angle signals of three or more phases with different phases. The drive control unit controls the drive of the motor so that a rotational position of the motor becomes the target rotational position according to the target shift range. When an abnormality of the rotation angle signal is detected during switching of the shift range, the drive control unit performs fixed phase energization that continues energization to the same energized phase, and stops rotation of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koji Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 11312006
    Abstract: A robot drive unit is provided with: a housing; a shaft body that is relatively rotated with respect to the housing; rotating-body sealing members that is provided in the housing; a contact-surface member that is provided on the shaft body and that contact with the rotating-body sealing members; and a sealing member that seals a gap between the shaft body and the contact-surface member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki Mizukoshi, Kazutaka Nakayama
  • Patent number: 11303019
    Abstract: Disclosed by the present invention is a transmission device for an antenna phase shifter, comprising a transmission input portion, a shift selection portion, and a transmission output portion; the transmission input portion is fully separated from the shift selection portion, by means of the shift selection portion, the transmission input portion establishes transmission connection with any output terminal of the transmission output portion, thereby performing phase adjustment on a phase shifter that is connected to the output terminal. In the present invention, two motors are responsible for power input and selection output respectively so as to select to drive any number of phase shifters; furthermore, the structure is compact, and output terminals of the transmission output portions may be spread out flat, being beneficial for antenna layout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: ROSENBERGER TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD
    Inventors: Yongzhong Li, Zhonghao Zou
  • Patent number: 11293522
    Abstract: An electric power steering system with a worm gear includes a worm shaft and a worm wheel, wherein an electric motor is associated with the worm shaft, which is connected to the worm shaft in a force-transmitting manner. A bearing element, arranged on the worm shaft at the end of the worm shaft facing away from the electric motor, is received in a guide bush, wherein the guide bush has, on its circumferential side, a passage opening. It is provided a pre-tensioning device comprising a spring-loaded actuator element extending through the passage opening of the guide bush and acting on the worm shaft in the direction of the worm wheel with a defined pre-tensioning force (K), wherein the pre-tensioning device comprises a limiting device which is adapted to limit a pivoting movement that displaces the worm wheel away from the worm shaft. Furthermore, it is proposed a method for the production of steering systems and a test system for performing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: ZF Automotive Germany GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Kirschstein, Toni Müller
  • Patent number: 11293532
    Abstract: A screw jack assembly includes a first body defining a longitudinal axis and a screw drive disposed within the first body. The screw jack assembly also includes a second body movable relative to the first body and coupled to the screw drive, and a first gear coupled to the screw drive. The screw jack assembly further includes a handle assembly having a tube member coupled to the first body. The handle assembly also includes a second gear coupled to the first gear. The handle assembly further includes a handle member coupled to the second gear and adapted to rotate about a rotational axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The handle member is adapted to selectively rotate between an operating position and a stowed position about the longitudinal axis based, at least in part, on rotation of the tube member relative to the first body along the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventors: Cameron Eitel Graves, John Eron Jorgensen, Ryan Todd Thiesse
  • Patent number: 11292139
    Abstract: A gripper includes at least one first gripper finger adjustably mounted to a gripper main body by a gripping finger mount, at least one second gripper finger cooperating with the first gripper finger, and a motor-drivable transmission configured to adjust the at least one first gripper finger relative to the gripper main body and the at least one second gripper finger such that a clamping force is generated, whereby an article can be held in a clamped manner by the gripper. The transmission includes a first transmission member connected to the first gripper finger, and a second transmission member mounted on the gripper main body by a transmission-member bearing arrangement having a first transmission member bearing configured to absorb the transmission-bearing reaction force that acts in a direction of the clamping force. The transmission-member bearing arrangement includes a sensor configured to sense the transmission-bearing reaction force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: KUKA Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Sven Brudniok
  • Patent number: 11285062
    Abstract: A linear actuator (1) with a buffering mechanism includes an actuator main body (10), a quick release mechanism (30) and a buffering member (50). The actuator main body (10) includes a housing base (11), an outer tube (14) connected to the housing base (11) and an extendable tube (15) penetrating into the outer tube (14). The quick release mechanism (30) is installed on the actuator main body (10). The buffering member (50) is arranged at one side of the outer tube (14). One end of the buffering member (50) is connected to the outer tube (14) or the housing base (11), and another end of the buffering member (50) is connected to the extendable tube (15). Accordingly, the impact force generated during the rapid retraction of the extendable tube can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: TIMOTION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chou-Hsin Wu
  • Patent number: 11287035
    Abstract: A rotational angle sensor detects the rotational position of a motor and outputs a motor rotational angle signal corresponding to the rotational position of the motor. An output shaft sensor detects a change in the magnetic field of a target that rotates integrally with an output shaft to which the rotation of the motor is transmitted, and outputs an output shaft signal according to the rotational position of the output shaft. A shift range control unit includes a motor control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shigeru Kamio
  • Patent number: 11279048
    Abstract: A linear expansion mechanism includes: a plurality of linear-motion mechanisms assembled in series; a block train including a plurality of blocks coupled to each other in a row, a block at a leading end being connected to a linear-motion mechanism at a leading end; and a housing part that houses the block train. The housing part has a pair of arc-shaped rails and that being separately arranged on opposite sides of the block train, and a pair of projection bodies to be engaged with the pair of arc-shaped rails are provided on opposite side faces of each of the blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kousuke Imasaka, Kuniyasu Matsumoto, Wataru Amemiya, Moriaki Oonishi
  • Patent number: 11279286
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an actuator assembly for a mirror head. The actuator includes a tubular member, an inner carriage, an outer carriage, a helix drive shaft and a motor drive. The inner carriage includes one or more inner magnets. The outer carriage is coupled to the mirror head. The outer carriage includes one or more outer magnets magnetically coupled to the one or more inner magnets of the inner carriage. The helix drive shaft is drivably coupled to the inner carriage. The motor drive is configured to rotate the helix drive shaft relative to the tubular member. Upon rotation of the helix drive shaft by the motor drive, the inner carriage translates. The outer carriage also translates along with the inner carriage due to magnetic coupling between the one or more inner magnets and the one or more outer magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Motherson Innovations Company Limited
    Inventors: Douglas James Wilson, Kenneth Gira
  • Patent number: 11271454
    Abstract: An actuator producing an active movement between fastening elements of the actuator and damping a counter movement contains a main body having a first fastening element, an actuating body movable relative to the main body along an axial direction and having a second fastening element, and an electric motor for actively driving the actuating body exclusively in a driving direction along the axial direction and for passively damping a counter movement of the actuating body counter to the driving direction being brought about by external action on the fastening elements. An object assembly contains an object and the actuator in which the spring element is structurally separate from the rest of the actuator, and an interaction between the spring element and the rest of the actuator is achieved in an object to be operated by the actuator, at least in a correctly mounted state of the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Diehl Aviation Laupheim GmbH
    Inventor: Bjoern Mueller
  • Patent number: 11261948
    Abstract: An electromotive furniture drive includes a drive motor including an output shaft, a lift spindle arranged in a common plane with the output shaft, and a gear assembly configured to couple the output shaft of the drive motor to the lift spindle. The gear assembly includes an intermediate shaft which intersects the common plane between the lift spindle and the output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: DEWERTOKIN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD
    Inventor: Sven Müller
  • Patent number: 11255648
    Abstract: An elongate cylindrical projectile including processing circuitry, a head assembly, a tail section assembly, a mid body section positioned between the head assembly and tail assembly, and a wing assembly, the wing assembly including a deployable wing which is stored in a closed position entirely within the mid body section and is deployed, using an actuator, to outside the mid body section in an open position in response to a command from the processing circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: MBDA INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Hank O'Shea, Dave Madigan, Randy Berberea, Mike Hutchings, Peter Zeman, Rick Cappo, Chuck Ungermann, Lee Johnson
  • Patent number: 11248684
    Abstract: The invention relates to an actuator with an anti-backbend chain, a drive motor, and a worm which can be driven by the drive motor and which comprises a helical groove. The anti-backbend chain has engagement means and is guided along the worm, and the chain is in engagement with the worm by means of the engagement means and the helical groove to drive the anti-backbend chain. Such an actuator should have a more compact design and should optionally exhibit less wear. For this purpose, the core diameter of the worm is larger than twice the distance from the motor axis to the motor exterior along which the anti-backbend chain is guided, and the anti-backbend chain is guided at least partly along the drive motor by means of the engagement means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: IWIS Antriebssysteme GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Joel Tchaweu Tchatchoua, Orhan Sahin, Thomas Wolf, Frank Rasch, Abhijit Potdar, Toralf Teuber, Gerhard Hartinger