Patents Examined by Jack Lavinder
  • Patent number: 6866347
    Abstract: In a distributed power railroad train, an apparatus for equalizing the equalizing reservoir pressure in the remote power unit and the brake pipe pressure. With these pressures equal, the remote unit cannot charge the brake pipe while the lead unit attempts to vent the brake pipe to command a brake application at the railcars of the train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eugene A. Smith, James Kiss
  • Patent number: 6854572
    Abstract: An electrically operated disc brake includes a ball/ramp mechanism operable to convert rotary motion of an electric motor to linear motion and transmit the linear motion to a piston so that the piston is advanced to urge a pair of friction pads against opposite sides of a disc rotor to produce a barking force. The disc brake also includes a pad wear adjusting mechanism operable to threadably move the piston relative to an axially movable member of the ball/ramp mechanism in response to the amount of pad wear. The axially movable member has a female thread along its full length. The piston includes a piston head and a piston rod joined to the piston head. The piston rod has a male thread or threaded section. The threaded section has a length such that the piston can safely be moved together and relative to the axially movable member. The piston also has a smooth section extending from the threaded section toward the disc rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Tokico Ltd.
    Inventor: Takuya Usui
  • Patent number: 6851526
    Abstract: A actuator for a brake ort clutch includes a support member which has a flange projecting radially therefrom. An annular piston is slidably and sealingly mounted on the support member on one side of the flange. A pair of disk springs are mounted on the support member on the other side of the flange. A hollow brake-engaging member surrounds the flange, the piston and the disk springs. A first end of the brake-engaging member is coupled to the piston. A second end of the brake-engaging member is coupled to the disk springs and is adapted to engage a wheel brake. The flange, support member, piston and brake-engaging member enclosing a piston chamber. The disk springs are biased to urge the second end of the brake-engaging member away from the flange. Fluid pressure in the piston chamber urges the second end towards the flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventor: Thomas George Ore
  • Patent number: 6851763
    Abstract: A hydraulic brake system for vehicles with a brake pressure generator unit which is operable by introducing an actuating force by way of an actuating device that includes a first hydraulic chamber having a volume which decreases when the brake pressure generator unit is actuated, out of which pressure fluid volume is displaced due to the volume decrease and to which wheel brakes are connected by way of a first hydraulic connection, wherein a pump is arranged which is capable of delivering the pressure fluid volume displaced out of the first hydraulic chamber due to the volume decrease into the wheel brakes. The first hydraulic chamber includes an elastic device by which a force/travel characteristic curve is determined in the actuating device when an actuating force is introduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co., OHG
    Inventor: Hans-Jörg Feigel
  • Patent number: 6843352
    Abstract: A shear mount assembly and a compression mount assembly are combined to control ride harshness of a shock absorber. The shock absorber includes a body and a shock rod having a hydraulically sealed portion within the body and a distally extending free portion. A mount assembly is connected at the free portion having both a compression mount and a shear mount therein. The shear mount absorbs low-input vertical loads transferred from the shock rod, and the compression mount limits vertical displacement of the shear mount and absorbs a medium-input vertical load. The shear mount and the compression mount are tuned by selecting the durometer, dimensions, and physical configuration of each mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignees: DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Trelleborg Corporation
    Inventors: Mark F Jacoby, Kelly J Reynolds, James M Stevens, Timothy S O'Bryan, Phillip C Boss
  • Patent number: 6824226
    Abstract: In a distributed power railroad train, an apparatus for equalizing the equalizing reservoir pressure in the remote power unit and the brake pipe pressure in response to airflow into the brake pipe from the remote locomotive. With these pressures equal, the remote unit cannot charge the brake pipe while the lead unit vents the brake pipe to command a brake application at the train railcars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eugene A. Smith, Jr., James M. Kiss, Jr., Robert C. Palanti
  • Patent number: 6817455
    Abstract: A retarder system for commercial vehicles is provided which consists of a transmission oil circuit (18) for lubrication of the transmission and of a retarder cooling circuit (4) which uses oil as operating fluid, both circuits being coupled via a connection (21) so that in the non-activated braking state of the retarder (1), for increasing the transmission oil flow rate through a radiator (3), oil can be branched off from the transmission oil circuit (18). In addition a retarder pump (12) is proposed which has a prime mover (25), preferably an electrical motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Ünal Gazyakan, Detlef Baasch, Roland Altvater
  • Patent number: 6811171
    Abstract: A vehicle is carried by a number of supporting members, such as wheels. Movement between the supporting members and the vehicle body is controlled by respective dampers. Several interrelationships between and among the dampers are disclosed. A flow regulator is provided to augment damping forces under a variety of operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kouji Sakai
  • Patent number: 6782979
    Abstract: Known shock-absorbing elements are provided with overflow throttles equipped with sealing disks. These overflow throttles have different opening characteristics for the two directions which cannot be changed. The aim of the invention is therefore to provide a novel overflow throttle that can be freely selected and changed. To this end, the overflow throttle consists of a first (13) and a second overflow throttle (13) that are spatially separate and that are allocated to respective pressure chambers (10, 11). Both overflow throttles are provided with sealing disks (23) and are oriented opposite to the sense of the direction of flow. Every overflow throttle (13) is linked with the other pressure chamber (10, 11) via at least one through bore (35) that evades the opposite overflow throttle (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: PNP Luftfeder systeme GmbH
    Inventors: Henning Gold, Stefan Beetz, Peter Kobs, Stephan Goebel, Patrik Braun
  • Patent number: 6780131
    Abstract: To prevent the neutral state from being formed in a change gear apparatus and allow the obtaining of an intended gear change appropriately during a servo malfunction. Hydraulic servos engage and disengage a plurality of friction engagement elements; a hydraulic pressure supply system supplies the hydraulic servo of a predetermined friction engagement element with hydraulic pressure; and an auxiliary hydraulic pressure supply systems supplies a predetermined hydraulic servo with another hydraulic pressure, in the case where the hydraulic pressure supply system is placed in a first unsupplied state where the hydraulic pressure supply system cannot supply the hydraulic servo of the predetermined friction engagement element with hydraulic pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignees: Aisin Aw Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Itou, Hideaki Ogasawara, Naoyuki Fukaya, Mikio Iwase, Kazuhisa Ozaki, Keizo Kobayashi, Hiromichi Kimura, Yoshihiro Iijima, Koichi Tanaka, Shigeki Hiramatsu, Kazuyuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6773079
    Abstract: A braking device, for a motor vehicle, comprising: a master cylinder (2), a primary piston (3) mounted to slide in the master cylinder, a manual-control member (4), a booster coupled to the manual-control member, an emergency assist valve (VA) comprising a reaction piston (17a) and a rapid piston (17b), and a ratio control (T) actuated by a plunger distributor (10) driven by the manual-control member (4). The reaction piston (17a) and the rapid piston (17b) form one and the same stepped piston (17) having a part (17a) of large cross section and a part (17b) of small cross section, the large-section part (17a) determining, with a first bore (18) of the primary piston (3), a variable-volume annular chamber (27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Jean-Marc Attard
  • Patent number: 6769744
    Abstract: A combined spring brake modulating relay valve integrates the functions of a relay valve and a modulating valve. The housing includes a valve assembly movable in response to air pressure provided to selected ports in the housing. A relay piston selectively communicates with a control port and a primary brake circuit port. A modulating piston includes surfaces selectively pressurized by the primary brake circuit port and a secondary brake circuit port. This modulates the pressure from the delivery port to thereby selectively apply the associated spring brakes if a failure is detected at the primary brake circuit port. The exhaust member selectively controls communication between the supply and delivery ports as necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Marsh, John Kemer, Charles Eberling, Dave Knight, Richard T. Ross
  • Patent number: 6763919
    Abstract: A dual mode drum brake device of this invention is subject to lightning and low-cost without over braking during the parking brake operation. Pistons 10, 11 in a cylinder device 9 push and rotate brake shoes 2, 3 to be separated apart around an abutment point with an anchor 8 during the service brake operation, thereby functioning as a leading trailing brake. An operation force W of the parking brake rotates a lever 14 in a counterclockwise direction around a pin 13, one end of the lever 14 rotates the brake shoe 3 outwardly around a protuberance 12a via the pin 13, and the other end of the lever 1 rotates the lever 12 in a clockwise direction via a strut 15 around the protuberance 12a to rotate the brake shoe 2 outwardly around the abutment point with the anchor 8 via the protuberance 12a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Nisshinbo Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Takashi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 6761253
    Abstract: A spring applied parking brake assembly for a railway vehicle is provided which automatically activates upon removal of a railway car from the pneumatic braking system of the railway vehicle. The spring applied parking brake assembly comprises a casing which is mounted on or within the braking system, typically alongside the air cylinder. This casing contains a spring member and a piston assembly, both of which are mounted for longitudinal movement within the casing upon the application and/or removal of pneumatic pressure within the casing. The piston assembly includes a piston rod which is associated with the force transfer lever of the braking system such that upon a removal of pneumatic pressure within the casing, longitudinal movement of the piston rod causes this force transfer lever to rotate and apply a force to at least one force transmitting member in the vehicle braking system to initiate a brake application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventors: Wajih Kanjo, Scott Natschke
  • Patent number: 6758536
    Abstract: A compressed air braking system for a railcar and railcar moving vehicle combination. The railcar moving vehicle comprises a modified semi-tractor configured to ride on railroad track and couple to a railcar. The railcar moving vehicle further includes means for producing compressed air at a desired pressure, means for transmitting the compressed air through an outlet conduit to the braking system of one or more coupled railcars, and brake actuation means whereby an operator may selectively release pressure in the outlet conduit to actuate the compressed air brakes of the railcar. The brake actuation means may comprise a plurality of electrically operated valves for selectively releasing pressure from the brake pipe of the connected railcar, and a multi-position electrical switch for activating the plurality of valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Inventor: Charles Jacob
  • Patent number: 6755402
    Abstract: An elastomer isolator mount that can provide both compressive support and shear support to enable the elastomer isolator mount to attenuate shock and vibration forces to an object carried by the elastomer isolator mount with the ratio of compressive support to shear support controllable by the diameter of a plurality of angled holes in relation to width of a top support surface and the dynamic response characteristics of the elastomer isolator mount further controllable by selecting the shape of the sidewalls of the elastomer isolator mount. A plurality of elastomer isolator mounts can be further arranged in a group to provide a support platform for an object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Trevor J. McCollough, Richard L. Cellini
  • Patent number: 6755571
    Abstract: A rotational structure and a bearing structure is provided wherein discomfort of people therearound is eliminated by suppressing noise due to movement (rattle) of a member in a rotational supporting point within small clearance. In a bearing structure for a seat-weight measuring apparatus, etc., sleeve members are inserted into insertion holes of an arm member and a bracket or bearing member while a pivot pin and a stopper pin or shaft member are inserted into insertion holes of sleeve members. The sleeve members are formed so that any of part of the insertion holes of the sleeve members always comes into contact with the pivot pin or the stopper pin so as not to allow the pivot pin or the stopper pin to run freely within the insertion holes of the sleeve members when the pivot pin or the stopper pin moves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Takata Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Kajiyama
  • Patent number: 6755488
    Abstract: A vehicle brakes traction control system and method of operation, for a vehicle having a drive axle with a differential operable between wheels at the two ends of the axle, and brakes for each respective wheel operable by a brake controller. The traction control system includes wheel speed sensors sensing the rotational speed of the wheels, an engine torque demand sensor and an engine torque output monitor. The brake system controller receives signals from the wheel speed sensors, the engine torque demand sensor and the engine torque output monitor to apply the brakes to equalize the rotational speed of the wheels if the engine torque output is less than a desired torque output for a given torque demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Land Rover
    Inventors: Paul Antony Fawkes, Simon Michael Dunning
  • Patent number: 6755298
    Abstract: A conveyor for moving items may move synchronously with a number of diversion segments for a section and the diversion segments can be individually extended and retracted across the direction of transport, in order to push an item (10) off the conveyor (12). The diversion segments (22) are guided individually in extendable and retractable manner side by side in a carriage (18) in the direction of transport and the carriage (18) can be moved to and fro in the direction of transport. The carriage (18) is generally controlled such that it runs for a section roughly synchronously with the conveyor (12), the length of the section along which the carriage (18) plus the minimum interval between the items. A rail (26) that can be moved across the direction of transport can be provided, with which the diversion segments (22) can optionally be individually coupled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Heuft Systemtechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Heuft, Hans-Ulrich Goller
  • Patent number: 6749045
    Abstract: A passive force element on the basis of electrorheological liquids includes a piston with a piston rod guided in a cylindrical housing, and a force introduction element connected with the piston rod. The piston forms, in the cylindrical housing, two variable-volume working chambers, which are filled with electrorheological liquids, and which are connected by a fluid connection including a valve arrangement with an electrorheological liquid valve for controlling the throughflow characteristic. A regulated damping characteristic can be adjustedly set and force peaks are avoided, because the force introduction is achieved via the force introduction element, and the piston is coupled onto the force introduction element via an elastic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignees: Carl Schenck AG, Bayerische Motorenwerke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Horst Rosenfeldt, Eckhard Wendt, Hans-Joachim Faulstroh, Frank Schroeter, Horst Scherk, Dorothea Adams