Patents Examined by Faye M. Fleming
  • Patent number: 12168376
    Abstract: In a truck crane, in a state where an air suspension is in an exhaust state and a locking member is not in a locked position, a control unit restricts a movement of a front outrigger and a rear outrigger to a ground contact position, and in a state where the air suspension is in the exhaust state and the locking member is in the locked position, the control unit allows the movement of the front outrigger and the rear outrigger to the ground contact position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: TADANO LTD.
    Inventor: Takahiro Yamashina
  • Patent number: 12168414
    Abstract: An airbag device includes a far-side airbag and a first deployment controller configured to control deployment of the far-side airbag. The far-side airbag is provided in a seat backrest of the seat at a location adjacent to a center console, and includes shoulder and head protection air chambers configured to protect respectively a shoulder and a head, of an occupant. The shoulder protection air chamber includes air chamber elements configured to deploy in a vertical tubular shape. The head protection air chamber is configured to deploy in a semicircular shape. A base fabric of the far-side airbag in a deployed state is longer at a side adjacent to the center console than at a side adjacent to the seat. The shoulder protection air chamber is provided with a restraining tether configured to squeeze the shoulder protection air chamber toward the seat when the shoulder protection air chamber is deployed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Isamu Nagasawa
  • Patent number: 12162531
    Abstract: A vehicle steering device comprises an upper tube having a steering shaft rotatably coupled to an inside thereof, a lower column having the upper tube inserted thereinto and having a recess formed in an outer surface of distance portions disposed to face each other with a cut hole axially formed in an outer circumference disposed therebetween, a mounting bracket coupled to respective outer surfaces of the distance portions and having tilt slots formed in two opposite sides thereof, a fixed gear member provided on an outer surface of one side of the mounting bracket and having a communication hole communicating with the tilt slot, and a movable gear member movably coupled to the fixed gear member and positioned in the recess through the communication hole and the tilt slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: HL MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hanbin Cho
  • Patent number: 12157429
    Abstract: An active vehicle restraint system an airbag inflator configured to expel an inflator gas in response to an airbag trigger control signal, an airbag cushion having a pusher chamber wherein the airbag cushion is configured such that the inflator gas is directed towards the pusher chamber such that the pusher chamber is pressurized before a remainder of an airbag cushion chamber, a vehicle trim piece affixed to a vehicle body with a retention element such that the vehicle trim piece covers a portion of the airbag cushion, wherein the retention element is configured such that the retention element is detached from the vehicle body by the pusher chamber and wherein the retention element maintains a structural integrity during a detachment process from the vehicle body, and an electronic control unit for generating the airbag trigger control signal in response to the sensor control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Changhan Lee, Junbum Lee
  • Patent number: 12157344
    Abstract: A load introduction element (3) for a chassis component (1) of a chassis, having a receiving opening (5) for receiving a joint arrangement (6) and a spline (8) with teeth (9A, 9B) extending substantially axially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the load introduction element (3), The load introduction element (3) is made from a fiber-reinforced plastic semifinished product, and has flat blanks (13, 14, 15) of the plastic semifinished product which are arranged one above the other in layers in an assembly direction (AR) and form a base body (11) of the load introduction element (3), wherein the blanks (13, 14, 15) of the base body (11) have at least two different geometries with different preferential fiber directions (20, 21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Andre Stieglitz, Ingolf Müller, Eva Sophie Jurgeleit, Paul Niemöller
  • Patent number: 12151553
    Abstract: In a utility vehicle, a differential mechanism is provided with a cylindrical portion and a connection portion, respectively on a first end portion and a second end portion of the differential mechanism in a front-rear direction of a body of the utility vehicle. A vehicle fame is provided with a first holder for allowing the vehicle frame to hold the cylindrical portion and a second holder for allowing the vehicle frame to hold the connection portion. The first holder has a through hole receiving the cylindrical portion and is configured to lock the cylindrical portion by the through hole. The second holder includes a first attachment piece and a second attachment piece. The second holder is configured to, with the connection portion between the first and second attachment pieces, connect the connection portion to the first and second attachment pieces by a connection bolt extending in a vehicle width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2024
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Yasuda, Yuki Monde, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Akihiro Takami
  • Patent number: 12151747
    Abstract: A work vehicle includes a parking brake lever, right and left braking arms, and an intermediate link mechanism configured to couple the parking brake lever and each of the braking arms. The intermediate link mechanism includes a support shaft configured to rotate, left and right coupling units that are coupled to the support shaft and configured to rotate each of the braking arms in response to a rotational movement of the support shaft, and a cable mechanism having a control cable. The cable mechanism is configured to rotate the support shaft via the control cable in response to a rotational movement of the parking brake lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: YANMAR HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masafumi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 12151636
    Abstract: An assembly includes a vehicle seat including a seat bottom and a seat back, and an airbag attached to the vehicle seat at a first anchor point and a second anchor point. The first anchor point is located on the seat bottom and fixed relative to the seat bottom, and the second anchor point is located on the seat back and movable along a length of the seat back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Dean M. Jaradi, Mohammad Omar Faruque
  • Patent number: 12145528
    Abstract: A hinge device is provided for a front hood of a motor vehicle. The front hood can be opened and closed by way of the hinge device, and the front hood can be adjusted from a normal position into a protective position in the event of a collision. The hinge device has a single front hood control link and a force introducing element which are connected in a rotatable manner relative to each other. The front hood control link and the force introducing element are arranged relative to each other in the protective position such that a first connection line from the first to the second rotational point and a second connection line from the first to the third rotational point form an angle which ranges from 150 degrees to 180 degrees in order to minimize vibrations of the front hood produced by the movement from the normal position into the protective position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Marcus Knechtel
  • Patent number: 12139099
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor includes a housing including a pair of side walls facing each other, a winding drum configured to wind up a webbing, a locking base prevented from being rotated in the pull-out direction, in an emergency of a vehicle, an impact energy absorbing member including a first end side coupled to the winding drum and a second end side coupled to the locking base, the impact energy absorbing member connecting the winding drum and the locking base so as to be integrally rotatable, in a normal state, at least one impact energy absorbing wire housed in at least one slot that is provided in the winding drum, and a stopper member configured to define an allowable amount of relative rotation between the winding drum and the locking base in a case where the impact energy absorbing member absorbs the impact energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2024
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: ASHIMORI INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taro Yokoyama, Satoshi Suminaka, Takayoshi Ijiri, Noriko Kurauchi, Eri Fujiwara, Daiki Hijikata
  • Patent number: 12139189
    Abstract: A spindle device has a spindle rod and a spindle nut, wherein an internal thread of the spindle nut interacts with an external thread of the spindle rod, and the spindle rod and/or the spindle nut can be rotated about a longitudinal axis of the spindle rod. At least one bearing device is provided, in which the spindle rod or the spindle nut is mounted. The bearing device allows compensating movements, which are oriented at least radially to the longitudinal axis, for the spindle rod and/or the spindle nut. To compensate for tolerances of the spindle rod and/or the spindle nut, while at the same time intending to ensure a high degree of stiffness in the axial direction of the longitudinal axis, the bearing device has a plurality of elastically deformable bars for realizing the compensating movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: ZF AUTOMOTIVE GERMANY GMBH
    Inventors: Andreas Scholz, Sebastian Frasch
  • Patent number: 12139224
    Abstract: An arrangement of the column (1) neutralising transient forces (C1, EA1) generated by a jolt to which the column (1) is subjected, by an automatic decoupling between two coaxial sections (1a, 1b) of the column (1). This decoupling is caused by angular movement of a coupling link (5) between the sections (1a, 1b), preventing transmission of the forces (C1, EA1) by a distal section (1a) to a proximal section (1b) of the column (1). Simultaneously with the decoupling, a compression is also caused of a prestressed elastic mounting region (6a) between the sections (1a, 1b), the jolt then no longer being absorbed by the driver but by the compression of the elastic region. The decoupling is followed by an automatic re-coupling between the two sections (1a, 1b) under the effect of the relaxing of the elastic region (6a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: CKP Engineering
    Inventor: Julien Ferrazzo
  • Patent number: 12140469
    Abstract: Axle load detection system for a commercial vehicle includes a force transmission element and a sensor unit, wherein the sensor unit includes at least one sensor, wherein the force transmission element includes a first assembly area and a second assembly area, wherein the first assembly area is fixed or can be fixed indirectly and/or directly to a vehicle frame of a vehicle of a commercial vehicle, wherein an air spring and/or a control arm is arranged and/or configured to be arranged on the second assembly area, wherein the sensor unit is configured to determine and/or detect a force transmitted via the force transmission element between the first assembly area and the second assembly area in a supporting direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: SAF-HOLLAND GmbH
    Inventor: Tobias Zeis
  • Patent number: 12139098
    Abstract: A fluid damper for modulating a retaining force of a seat belt is provided. The fluid damper includes an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder. The inner cylinder encloses an inner space. The fluid damper includes a piston shiftable in the inner space. The fluid damper includes a duct. The duct conductively connects a front fluid chamber disposed in front of the piston to a rear fluid chamber disposed behind the piston and/or a reservoir for the damping fluid. The duct includes an outer duct portion and an inner duct portion. The inner cylinder is deflectable from a rest position by a force acting on the piston so that the deflection of the inner cylinder causes an adjustment of an overlap of the outer duct portion and the inner duct portion depending on the magnitude of the force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: STABILUS GmbH
    Inventors: Lars Löhken, Raphael Piroth, Markus Müller, Ulrich Probst, Christian Junghans
  • Patent number: 12128841
    Abstract: An airbag deployment apparatus includes: an active sensor detecting information of a collision object to a vehicle; a pressure sensor detecting pressure applied to the vehicle during a collision of the vehicle; an inertia sensor detecting acceleration of the vehicle; a first collision determination part determining whether a vehicle collision occurs or not by information of the active sensor; a second collision determination part additionally determining whether a vehicle collision occurs or not by information of the pressure sensor and a result of the first collision determination part; a third collision determination part additionally determining whether a vehicle collision occurs or not by information of the inertia sensor and results of the first and second collision determination parts; and an airbag deployment determination part determining whether an airbag is deployed or not by a result of the third collision determination part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Choong Ryung Lee
  • Patent number: 12122208
    Abstract: A Modular and Expandable Air Suspension Control System utilizes three basic units, a suspension control module, one or more pneumatic control modules, and an end cap usable across a variety of applications with different quantities of air springs, including 1-Corner, 2-Corner, 3-Corner, 4-Corner and more than 4-Corner systems. The invention is field expandable, with multiple sensing options as each pneumatic control module has an integrated air spring pressure sensor plus an electrical plug to connect with an electronic height sensor. This capability allows the system to level based on air spring pressure or air spring height depending on the customer use case. The sleek and compact design is piconet-enabled which gives the system connectivity to smartphone apps and dedicated piconet devices for user interface, and allows for over-the-air updating of the firmware inside of the suspension control module and pneumatic control modules to enhance functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Wheel Pros LLC
    Inventors: Reno Heon, Dustin Heon
  • Patent number: 12122316
    Abstract: A side airbag device having an airbag cushion that restrains an occupant by expanding and deploying and an inflator disposed on an inner side of the seat frame that supplies expansion gas to the airbag cushion; and a holding part that holds the airbag cushion. The airbag cushion includes an inner expanding portion internally containing the inflator and an outer expanding portion connected to the inner expanding portion and is disposed on an outer side of the seat frame by being folded back at a front edge portion of the seat frame. The outer expanding portion includes a folded portion of the airbag cushion. A forward portion of the holding part contacts an outer surface of the folded portion of the outer expanding portion, and a rearward portion is connected to the seat frame. Furthermore, the holding part is configured to cover a part of the outer expanding portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Yuto Kobayashi, Takaki Shibuya
  • Patent number: 12122457
    Abstract: A transition connection for a space frame can comprise a connection pad defining a first end of the transition connection, a node defining a second end of the transition connection opposite the first end, a pair of ribs on opposite sides, a first concave portion on a first side of one of the ribs, and a second concave portion on a second side of the one of ribs. In a side elevational view of the transition connection, an acute angle is formed on a same side as the first and second concave portions. The transition connection, which can be a casting, can be part of a pair or set of transition connections separate and distinct from each other. The pair of transition connections can be mirror images of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: David O. Zalanka, Timothy D. Harman
  • Patent number: 12122207
    Abstract: A method for coupling a semi-trailer with a top plate to a truck tractor with a coupling plate includes: importing a reference height profile assigning a reference gradient to different actual values for the relative height of the chassis to the rear axle of the truck-tractor; changing the relative height such that the coupling plate approaches the top plate; continuously determining actual height values and height gradients while changing the relative height, wherein an actual height value is assigned the currently determined actual height gradient; checking a coupling criterion by comparing a currently determined actual height gradient with the reference gradient, wherein the reference gradient which in the imported reference height profile is assigned to the same actual height value as the currently determined actual height gradient is applied; and, maintaining the relative height when the currently determined actual height gradient deviates from the reference gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: ZF CV Systems Global GmbH
    Inventor: Dennis Sabelhaus
  • Patent number: 12115920
    Abstract: A work vehicle includes a vehicle body, a positioning unit that detects a position of the vehicle body based on a signal sent from a positioning satellite, a support configuration portion installed on the vehicle body, an installing stay to which the positioning unit is fixed, and a base stay fixed to the support configuration portion. One of the installing stay and the base stay has a protruding piece portion. Another of the installing stay and the base stay has a hole portion into and with which the protruding piece portion is inserted and engaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: YANMAR HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Ishino, Yohei Nakagawa