Patents Examined by Frank B Vanaman
  • Patent number: 11607955
    Abstract: A tractor according includes a running vehicle body, a floor provided on the running vehicle body and serving as a floor surface of an operation part in which a driver is located, a floor bracket configured to support the floor, a fuel tank provided below the floor, and a pedal configured to move the running vehicle body forward or backward and having pivot shafts provided on the floor bracket between the floor and the fuel tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: ISEKI & CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Eiji Tomioka
  • Patent number: 11607941
    Abstract: A propulsion drive system for a mobile machine includes an electric motor having a first range, in which a torque is constant as a rotational speed rises, and a second range, in which a power is constant as the rotational speed rises. The propulsion drive system further includes a transmission operatively connected mechanically to the electric motor. The propulsion drive system is configured to be transferred, via the transmission, from a state for relatively low driving speeds into a state for relatively high driving speeds of the mobile machine. The electric motor and the transmission are adapted to one another in such a way that the electric motor can be operated in the state for relatively low driving speeds exclusively in the first and second range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Rico Gloeckner, Migen Bebeti, Jan Doering, Juergen Legner
  • Patent number: 11602953
    Abstract: A housing unit for use in an axle end assembly including first and second housing parts, wherein one of the first and the second housing parts are disposed to be mutually rotatable and define a housing interior space, wherein the first housing part for establishing on a hub has a flange, wherein the second housing part for safeguarding against rotation in relation to a stator of a wheel suspension has an engagement portion, wherein a gear wheel assembly is disposed in the housing interior space to transmit a torque of a driveshaft to the first housing part, wherein one of the first and the second housing parts, when dismantling the housing unit from the wheel suspension, are mutually established that the housing interior space remains closed such that at least 70% of the outwardly protruding faces of the housing unit are closed in a fluid-tight manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: SAF-HOLLAND GmbH
    Inventor: Olaf Drewes
  • Patent number: 11603062
    Abstract: A protection system for a motor vehicle having a sensor for determining an angle of inclination of the motor vehicle about its longitudinal axis. An airbag attached on an outside of the motor vehicle. A processing device designed to detect a risk that the motor vehicle may tip over, on the basis of the inclination angle determined, and in that case activates the airbag. The airbag can be pivoted in the vertical direction from an area close to the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: ZF Automotive Germany GmbH
    Inventor: Marc Schieß
  • Patent number: 11597451
    Abstract: In accordance with the disclosure provision is made for a vehicle. The vehicle is characterized in that a vehicle chassis of this vehicle includes a roughly tubular frame, a gearbox housing and underbody paneling. The frame, the gearbox housing and the underbody paneling are connected in such a manner that they form the vehicle chassis and hence a load-bearing frame for engine, bodywork and/or payload.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: SYN TRAC GMBH
    Inventor: Stefan Putz
  • Patent number: 11597249
    Abstract: A damper assembly has a longitudinal axis and includes a damper housing with a side wall portion and an end wall portion defining a damping chamber containing a quantity of damping fluid. A photon source and a photon receptor are operatively disposed in optical communication with the non-gaseous damping fluid in the damping chamber. The photon source is operable to direct a photon through the non-gaseous damping fluid toward an associated target surface. The photon receptor is operable to receive the photon reflected off the associated target surface through the non-gaseous damping fluid. A sensor suitable for such use as well as spring and damper assemblies and suspension systems are also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC
    Inventors: Samuel N. Mbugua, Graham R. Brookes, Brian S. DeBruler
  • Patent number: 11584211
    Abstract: An electric vehicle comprises: a main battery which is disposed under the floor of a vehicle interior; a front seat which is provided for a front part of the vehicle interior; a front housing chamber which is formed under a seating surface of the front seat; and an air-suspension device including an air spring which is made to expand and contract by air pressure, an air compressor which compresses air, and one or more first surge tanks which store high-pressure air or low-pressure air, in which the first surge tanks and the air compressor are disposed in a front housing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryo Hattori, Yuchi Yamanouchi, Masaki Shitara
  • Patent number: 11584473
    Abstract: A suspension control device is provided for a human-powered vehicle. The suspension control device includes a sensor and an electronic controller. The sensor is configured to detect information relating to a ground contact condition. The electronic controller is configured to selectively control a suspension of the human-powered vehicle in accordance with the information detected by the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Tsuchizawa, Takuya Katsuki, Kenji Kamada
  • Patent number: 11577766
    Abstract: A folding wagon comprising a collapsible wagon basket, a folding wagon frame comprising folding ends and folding sides, wherein the folding ends and the folding sides connect at four corners, each corner comprising a vertical frame element, wherein the vertical frame elements are extendable to enable the folding the wagon to transform from an extended configuration to a collapsed configuration, a folding base formed by a plurality of base support elements that are hingedly attached to the vertical frame elements and hingedly attached to a central base element, wherein the hinged attachments of the base support elements to the vertical frame elements are multi-directional hinges allowing multiple degrees of freedom in the movement of the base support elements when the folding wagon is transformed from the extended configuration to the collapsed configuration, a handle attached to the first folding end, and a plurality of wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventor: Brian Horowitz
  • Patent number: 11560052
    Abstract: A multipurpose vehicle includes an engine, a travel transmission device, a continuously variable transmission device, and a spacer housing capable of becoming attached to and detached from the engine, the continuously variable transmission device, and the travel transmission device. The spacer housing contains an engine output shaft, a transmission device input shaft of the continuously variable transmission device, a first connecting portion connecting the engine output shaft with the transmission device input shaft in an interlocking manner, a transmission device output shaft of the continuously variable transmission device, a transmission input shaft of the travel transmission device, and a second connecting portion connecting the transmission device output shaft with the transmission input shaft in an interlocking manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Yasuda, Takashi Kuramoto, Kensuke Okabe, Hiroshi Takagi
  • Patent number: 11548553
    Abstract: A vehicle underbody structure includes a pair of rockers that are provided on both vehicle width direction sides of a vehicle underbody and extend in a vehicle front-rear direction, a battery that is disposed centrally in a vehicle width direction center between the pair of rockers and is disposed above a vehicle floor and on the lower side of a seat, a fuel tank that is disposed in the vehicle width direction center between the pair of rockers and is disposed under the vehicle floor and further toward a rear side of the vehicle than the battery, and a waste pipe that is coupled to a drive unit provided at a vehicle front side of the battery and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction between the battery and one of the rockers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoshi Ajisaka
  • Patent number: 11524662
    Abstract: Systems and methods for manipulating the pitch and/or tilt of a trailer relative to a supporting surface. A trailer leveling system includes one or more telescopically adjustable support assemblies that are constructed to be pivotably connected to a frame of a trailer. Each support assembly includes a post that is pivotably connected to a trailer frame. A rack is formed along at least one side of the post. A tube slideably cooperates with the post and supports a pawl that cooperates with the rack to allow translation of the tube relative to the post in a first direction and selectively prevent translation of the tube relative to the post in the opposing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Inventor: Steve Fischer
  • Patent number: 11524612
    Abstract: An electric bus exhibiting a seat arrangement. The electric bus includes a side wall, a wheel with an electric engine disposed in the rim, a seat with a seat base and a leg area. The leg area is below the seat base and vertically level with the wheel. The electric bus also includes an electric energy storing device powering the electric engine of the wheel and arranged transversally between the side wall and the leg area of the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: ALPHA EC INDUSTRIES
    Inventor: Jørgen Hallundbæk
  • Patent number: 11524723
    Abstract: A subframe for a vehicle, which comprises a first and second longitudinal member, wherein the longitudinal members extend in a longitudinal direction (x) and are relatively offset in a transverse direction (y) of the subframe, a transverse front member connectable to the first and second longitudinal member at a front section of the subframe, a transverse rear member connectable to the first and second longitudinal member at a rear section of the subframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventor: Johan Eklund
  • Patent number: 11518207
    Abstract: Included are an electromagnetic actuator which generates drive forces for a damping operation and a telescopic operation; an information acquirer which acquires information about the drive forces of, and control mode selection information about, the electromagnetic actuator; a drive force arithmetic part which sets a predetermined control mode based on the control mode selection information about the electromagnetic actuator, and sets a target damping force and a target telescopic force of the electromagnetic actuator based on setting information about the control mode; and a drive controller which controls drive of the electromagnetic actuator using a target drive force based on the target damping and telescopic forces set by the drive force arithmetic part. The drive force arithmetic part performs an operation of switching a setting of the predetermined control mode from one to another while a driving force of the electromagnetic actuator is within a predetermined force range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Ohno, Atsuhiko Yoneda
  • Patent number: 11518467
    Abstract: To be able to compactly dispose an airbag device at a front portion of a saddled vehicle. An airbag device for a saddled vehicle including: an inflator; an airbag adapted to be expanded by gas discharged from the inflator; and, a retainer accommodating the airbag, the airbag being deployed upward from an opening of the retainer, in which the retainer is disposed between a meter provided in front of a handle for steering and a headlight provided in front of the meter in a side view of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Sato
  • Patent number: 11511181
    Abstract: A wearable device configured to selectively provide roller transportation, the wearable device including a shoe, a plurality of wheel assemblies, each wheel assembly being configured to selectively roll relative to a ground surface about an associated axis of rotation, and a frame connected between the wheel assemblies, the frame comprising a trunk and a plurality of branches extending from the trunk, each of the branches being configured for connection to at least one of the plurality of wheel assemblies, wherein at least a portion of the shoe is located vertically higher than at least a portion of the frame when at least one of the wheel assemblies is in contact with the ground surface and the at least one of the wheel assemblies is positioned to selectively roll relative to the ground surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: V.N.O. LLC
    Inventor: Roger R. Adams
  • Patent number: 11511591
    Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment system includes: a cylinder housing part having an inner space configured to receive working fluid; a piston part positioned in the cylinder housing part, the piston part configured to move linearly, in response to a working fluid, in a moving direction along the cylinder housing part; and a rotation suppressing bracket coupled to the cylinder housing part and connected to a side surface of the piston part, the rotation suppressing bracket configured to suppress rotational movement with respect to the moving direction of the piston part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kyung Ryul Park
  • Patent number: 11511589
    Abstract: An adjustable suspension mount assembly includes a bracket coupled to a suspension mounting component and coupled to a frame component of the vehicle. The assembly also includes a vertical adjustment assembly operatively coupled to the bracket. The assembly further includes an electric motor operatively coupled to the vertical adjustment assembly to adjust the vertical position of the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Inventors: Anthony Berlingieri, José Guadalupe Ruiz Juárez, Aaron N. Johnson, Ramón Heberto Diego Guedea, James N. Zeimet, Juan Jose Wong
  • Patent number: 11511694
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a frame, and at least one front and rear wheel. The total number of front and rear wheels is at least three. The vehicle includes a mechanism for driving at least one of the front and rear wheels, a seat for a driver, and at least one fall prevention element to prevent, in a closed position of the fall prevention element, a driver from falling off the seat. In an open position of the fall prevention element, a driver can freely take a seat from the outer side of the vehicle via the space which, in the closed position, is occupied by the fall prevention element, or can step out of the vehicle; the fall prevention element slides between the open and closed positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: PEETERS LANDBOUWMACHINES B.V.
    Inventor: Daniel Petrus Marie Peeters