Patents Examined by Edwin A. Young
  • Patent number: 11761533
    Abstract: An automatic transmission of the present invention is provided with: a plurality of rotating shafts; a plurality of gears; a plurality of synchronizing mechanisms including an output-side synchronizing mechanism; a lubricating oil storage part that stores a lubricating oil which is drawn upward by rotation of the gears; a shift position detection unit that detects which of a plurality of shift positions, including a neutral position, has been selected; and a control unit which, if the neutral position has been detected by the shift position detection unit, causes a synchronizing mechanism other than the output-side synchronizing mechanism to operate, and brings a clutch into a connected state after coupling a rotating shaft other than an output shaft and a gear other than an output-side gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED
    Inventor: Takefumi Okamoto
  • Patent number: 11760204
    Abstract: The disclosed vehicle braking device controls a hydraulic brake system (2) and a regeneration brake system (3) mounted on a vehicle (1) in accordance with an acceleration value and a brake value, and includes a first divider (11), a second divider (12), and a controller (13). The first divider (11) divides a driver demand torque set according to the accelerator value into a target coast torque and a remaining torque. The second divider (12) divides a sum of a deceleration torque set according to the brake value and the target coast torque divided by the first divider (11) into a hydraulic-brake demand torque and a regeneration-brake demand torque. The controller (13) controls the hydraulic brake system (2), using the hydraulic-brake demand torque, and controls the regeneration brake system (3), using a total regeneration brake torque calculated from the remaining torque and the regeneration-brake demand torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki Miyamoto, Takanori Sugimoto, Norihiko Ikoma
  • Patent number: 11754175
    Abstract: The controller starts an output of an engagement instruction of the lockup clutch when a vehicle speed becomes a lockup start vehicle speed under a state where the lockup clutch is disengaged. When the vehicle speed, which is obtained a predetermined time after the output of the engagement instruction is started due to the vehicle speed becoming the lockup start vehicle speed, has reached a predetermined vehicle speed, the controller continues the output of the engagement instruction. When the vehicle speed has not reached the predetermined vehicle speed, the controller stops the output of the engagement instruction and restarts the output of the engagement instruction when the vehicle speed reaches a lockup restart vehicle speed which is set to a vehicle speed higher than the lockup start vehicle speed while the output is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignees: JATCO LTD, NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeaki Ishibashi, Ikuhiro Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 11746892
    Abstract: An apparatus of controlling a gear shifting of a vehicle, and a method thereof, to improving shift quality by minimizing the jerk generated in a shifting process of the vehicle, includes storage that stores a Gaussian process (GP) model on which machine learning is completed, and a controller that detects a change amount of engine torque and a change amount of an engagement-side clutch torque based on the GP model, and controls the gear shifting of the vehicle according to the change amount of the engine torque and the change amount of the engagement-side clutch torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Jin Sung Kim
  • Patent number: 11746896
    Abstract: A method of controlling a transmission of a vehicle, includes determining, by a controller, whether a shift prohibition condition for preventing overheating of the transmission of the vehicle in a terrain mode, which is a rough road driving mode of the vehicle, is satisfied; determining, by the controller, whether a shift operation of the transmission corresponding to a busy shift phenomenon of the transmission is detected when the shift prohibition condition is satisfied; and prohibiting, by the controller, shifting of the transmission when the shift operation of the transmission corresponding to the busy shift phenomenon of the transmission is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Jungho Park
  • Patent number: 11746837
    Abstract: A method for controlling a clutch unit for a drive train of a motor vehicle, wherein the clutch unit comprises a wet-running friction clutch for controllably transmitting torque from an input element to an output element of the clutch unit, wherein the clutch unit comprises oil for cooling the friction clutch, wherein heat inputs which contribute to heating the oil of the clutch unit are calculated, heat outflows which contribute to cooling the oil of the clutch unit are calculated and, as a function of the heat inputs and heat outflows, a maximum admissible clutch torque is calculated, and wherein the current clutch torque of the friction clutch is limited to the maximum admissible clutch torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: MAGNA POWERTRAIN GMBH & CO KG
    Inventors: Michael Kollmann, Jan Wiechmann
  • Patent number: 11746895
    Abstract: A shift range device switches a shift position. The shift range device includes a motor and an energizing unit. The motor functions as a power source for switching the shift position. The energizing unit energizes the motor. The shift range device monitors an abnormal state in which a magnetic field that causes a rotation of a rotor of the motor not to start or a holding magnetic field that stops the rotation generated in the rotor is incapable to be acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shoichi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11746838
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a driveline disconnect clutch of a hybrid vehicle are presented. In one example, a time duration of a boost phase of a driveline disconnect clutch closing sequence is adjusted in response to one or more error values. The error values may include pressure error, integrated pressure error, and electric machine speed error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Akshay Bichkar, Corey James Blue, Samuel Melville Glauber, Joseph F. Kucharski, Jason Meyer, Bradley Dean Riedle
  • Patent number: 11746855
    Abstract: A method of operating a dual bidirectional input to single bidirectional output transmission is disclosed. The method includes providing said transmission. The method includes activating a computer controller capable of receiving torque data signals from a first bidirectional torque input, a second bidirectional torque input, and a single bidirectional torque output. The method includes determining torque input from said first and second bidirectional torque input, and determining whether to transmit torque to said single bidirectional torque output. In cases where it is so determined, the method involves transmitting torque to said single bidirectional torque output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Loc Performance Products, LLC
    Inventor: Scott C Miller
  • Patent number: 11738737
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle having: an engine; a variator arranged downstream of the engine in a power transmission path connecting the engine and drive wheels; a mechanical oil pump that is driven by the engine and supplies hydraulic pressure to the variator; and an electric oil pump that supplies hydraulic pressure to the variator, wherein the control device for the vehicle has a controller that executes a low standby control which downshifts the variator by moving a belt of the variator in a radial direction during stopping of the vehicle. The controller limits an output of the engine and increases an amount of oil discharged by the electric oil pump when executing the low standby control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignees: JATCO LTD, NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hironori Miyaishi
  • Patent number: 11738752
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle having: an engine; and a variator arranged downstream of the engine in a power transmission path connecting the engine and drive wheels, wherein the control device for the vehicle has a controller that executes a low standby control which downshifts the variator by moving a belt of the variator in a vertical direction (radial direction) during stopping of the vehicle. After starting the low standby control, the controller releases an output limit of the engine based on an actual secondary pressure of the variator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignees: JATCO LTD, NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hironori Miyaishi
  • Patent number: 11739802
    Abstract: Clutch temperature management in a slip control method and arrangement for a drivetrain including a continuously variable transmission is described herein. The drivetrain includes a clutch that is so controlled as to slip when a torque higher than the usable torque attempts to pass through. The temperature data from the clutch is used to determine the usable torque. Accordingly, the clutch prevents the prime mover from stalling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Inventors: Jonathan Guérin, Jean-François Dionne, Daniel Girard, François Messier
  • Patent number: 11724711
    Abstract: A vehicle idling stop control device has switches that detect an operation of opening a driver's door and an unbuckling of a driver's seat belt as disembarkation operations by a driver. When a disembarkation operation performed by the driver is detected during an idling stop, the idling stop is cancelled and the engine is restarted upon detecting a disembarkation operation performed by a driver during the idling stop. Also, restarting of the idling stop is prevented due to ending of the disembarkation operation performed by the driver until after the vehicle starts traveling. Thus, unnecessary automatic stopping and automatic restarting of the engine are thereby avoided when the vehicle sets off without the driver actually exiting the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihiko Ootsuka
  • Patent number: 11725727
    Abstract: A shift device mounted on a vehicle includes a motor configured to drive, by electric power supplied from a power supply mounted on the vehicle, a shift switching member configured to switch shift positions, a cut-off unit configured to cut off conduction of a power supply line through which the electric power is supplied to the motor, and a drive circuit unit configured to output the electric power to the motor and including a driving switching element configured to execute a switching operation. The shift device is configured to determine an abnormality of the power supply line when a voltage of the power supply line is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, turn off the driving switching element, and cut off the conduction of the power supply line by the cut-off unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yosuke Yokoi, Yutaka Uchida
  • Patent number: 11718299
    Abstract: A number of illustrative variations may include a system and method of controlling vehicle slowing while implementing brake-to-steer functionality that may include providing a feed-forward gain on vehicle propulsion torque to achieve or maintain target longitudinal acceleration and replicate the behavior of a vehicle not using brake-to-steer. The system may manipulate propulsion of the vehicle to manage longitudinal acceleration disturbance and speed disturbance during brake-to-steer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignees: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc., Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph A. Labarbera, Clinton L. Schumann, Scott T. Sanford, Michael Wyciechowski, Emmanuel Garcia
  • Patent number: 11719333
    Abstract: A load drive system, capable of providing certainty about instructions transmitted from a load control device to a load drive device as well as suppressing an increase of processing load, includes an ECU, a drive device, a communication bus to which the ECU and the drive device are connected, and a third signal line different from the communication bus connecting the ECU and the drive device. The ECU generates a frame including a drive instruction message, and transmits the message to the drive device via the communication bus. The drive device receives the frame via the communication bus, and extracts the drive instruction message from data of data field in the received frame. The drive device converts the drive instruction message into a load drive signal, and notifies the converted load drive signal to the ECU via the third signal line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akito Ito, Yusuke Takahashi, Keisuke Atsumi
  • Patent number: 11719332
    Abstract: A motorcycle includes a transmission, a first measuring unit, a second measuring unit, and a controller. The transmission is configured to automatically shift gears between a driving shaft and a driven shaft to transmit power from the driving shaft to the driven shaft. The first measuring unit is configured to measure the magnitude of a roll angle of a vehicle body. The second measuring unit is configured to measure the angular velocity of the roll angle of the vehicle body. The controller is configured to inhibit the transmission from shifting gears, based on the magnitude and the angular velocity of the roll angle. This configuration provides a motorcycle that enables gear shift control with more detailed response to a situation of a vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dai Arai, Shinji Misawa, Yukio Yokogawa, Asuka Ito
  • Patent number: 11719330
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for controlling a transmission of a vehicle includes storage that stores a dual clutch transmission (DCT) dynamic model and a machine learning-based Gaussian process (GP) model, and a controller configured for determining a first engine torque used for optimal shifting according to the DCT dynamic model, determines an engine torque compensation value according to the machine learning-based GP model, and controls a shifting of the vehicle according to the first engine torque compensated by the engine torque compensation value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Jin Sung Kim
  • Patent number: 11713040
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for controlling braking of a vehicle (1) driving along a downhill portion of a road, the vehicle comprising a propulsion arrangement (2, 3), for the propulsion of the vehicle, the method comprising dividing the road portion into a plurality of sections (RS0-RS2), the sections comprising a first section (RS1), and a second section (RS2) following, in the direction of travel of the vehicle, immediately upon the first section (RS1), determining, for the road portion, a road portion control strategy, with a condition that braking on the road portion is done at least partly by means of the propulsion arrangement (2, 3), wherein determining the road portion control strategy comprises determining a speed (SD21), on the second section (RS2), with an aim to minimize the time travelled on the second section, and/or, where the propulsion arrangement comprises an internal combustion engine (2), and a gearbox (3), determining a gear selection (GS2) on the second section (RS2), with an aim t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Teodoro Bora, Johan Fries
  • Patent number: 11708078
    Abstract: A slip control method and arrangement for a drivetrain including a continuously variable transmission, forward-reverse clutch arrangement and an optional three-speed gearbox is described herein. The forward-reverse clutch arrangement includes a clutch that is so controlled as to slip when a torque higher than the usable torque attempts to pass through. Accordingly, the clutch prevents the prime mover from stalling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: TRANSMISSION CVTCORP INC.
    Inventors: Jean-Robert Desmeules, Jean-Philippe Parent