Patents Examined by Justin Krause
  • Patent number: 8978501
    Abstract: A composite gear part for a gear arrangement includes a shaft part adapted to be rotationally mounted in the gear arrangement, an inner part made from a first material, and an outer part made from a second material. The outer part is fixed circumferentially to the inner part, and the outer part has a plurality of gear teeth formed therein. The outer part must be made from a material which is sufficiently durable and hard to fulfill requirements for gear teeth, but the material of the inner part need not fulfill such requirements. The inner part includes recesses or apertures arranged so that the inner part supports the outer part in an asymmetric manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
    Inventor: Jens Demtröder
  • Patent number: 8978505
    Abstract: In the case of a gear shift fork (1) for the axial shifting of a clutch sleeve rotating around an axis in a gear box, which gear shift fork possesses two fork arm sections (4, 5) which lie opposite to each other and by their connection to each other are aligned and span an essentially semi-circular inner side (6), the fork arm sections (4, 5) and the forked interlock device section (3) shall possess a link structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Koki Technik Transmission Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Bernd Schulze, Wofram Mulitze
  • Patent number: 8978502
    Abstract: The invention relates to a transmission drive unit (10; 40; 50; 70) having an adapter element made of plastic (22; 22a; 53; 73) via which a torque is initiated by an input element (29) and a drive element (12; 12a; 51; 72) made of metal for forwarding the torque, wherein the adapter element (22; 22a; 53; 73) and the drive element (12; 12a; 51; 72) are directly coupled to one another and rigidly connected, wherein the adapter element (22; 22a; 53; 73) is an injection molded part which is formed by at least partial overmolding of the drive element (12; 12a; 51; 72) and wherein the drive element (12; 12a; 51; 72) serves as a bearing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Susanne Albrecht, Frank Braunegger, Robert Heitz, Peter Steuer, Siegfried Reichmann
  • Patent number: 8978496
    Abstract: Disclosed is a step actuator. The step actuator includes a housing; a stator installed in the housing; a rotor positioned radially inward from the stator, the rotor rotating and protruding from one side of the housing; a bearing installed at one side of the housing so as to be coupled with the rotor; a bearing cover coupled with one side of the housing to restrain movement of the bearing; a screw member coupled with the rotor to linearly move according to rotation of the rotor; and a mounting member coupled to the bearing cover to support the screw member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: LG Innotek Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hong Kon Lee
  • Patent number: 8979128
    Abstract: A collapsible steering column assembly includes a bracket, the bracket having a front portion and a back portion, the front portion comprising a pair of spaced arms, each arm having an inner surface that opposes the inner surface of the other and an opposed outer surface; a steering column having a longitudinal axis and comprising an inner jacket that is slidably disposed within an inner surface of the outer jacket, an outer surface of the outer jacket located within the inner surface of the spaced arms; and a locking device that passes through and is coupled to the spaced arms and the outer jacket, the locking device movable to lock or unlock the slidable disposition of the inner jacket within the outer jacket by respective application or release of a predetermined clamping force to the outer surface of the arm, outer bracket and inner bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Jason R. Ridgway, Malgorzata Renata Szeliga
  • Patent number: 8978509
    Abstract: A robot arm assembly includes a main base, a joint and at least one arm. The main base includes a main body, and the main body includes a mounting portion and a limiting post on a side of the mounting portion. The joint is rotatably mounted on the mounting portion and includes a limit piece corresponding to the limiting post. The at least one arm is fixed to the joint, when the arm rotates relative to the main base to a predetermined extent of rotation, the limit piece abuts against the limiting post to stop the rotation of the arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiao-Peng Pan, Chao-Qiang Liu
  • Patent number: 8978504
    Abstract: In a shift lever device, operation of a shift lever to a “P” shift position is allowed when electric-power is not supplied to a solenoid in a state where the shift lever has been operated to a shift position other than the “P” shift position. Moreover, operation of the shift lever from the “P” shift position is regulated when electric-power is not supplied to a lock solenoid in a state where the shift lever has been operated to the “P” shift position. Therefore, in a case where the shift position of the shift lever is other than the “P” shift position when electric-power is not supplied to the solenoid and the lock solenoid, operation of the shift lever from the “P” shift position can be regulated by operating the shift lever to the “P” shift position, and the shift lever can be placed in the “P” shift position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventor: Kunihiro Morimura
  • Patent number: 8973459
    Abstract: A parallel link robot includes a first arm including a first joint portion; a second arm including a second joint portion swingably engaging with the first joint portion, the second arm being connected to the first arm to make up a link mechanism; and a biasing mechanism unit which biases the second joint portion toward the first joint portion. The biasing mechanism unit includes a connection member attached to the second arm and the connection member includes a locking portion configured to lock the connection member to the second arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Fukudome, Nobuhiko Mihara
  • Patent number: 8973457
    Abstract: A gear mechanism may include a first gear, a second gear engaged with the first gear, and a stopper part formed in the second gear. The stopper part may be engaged with the first gear to prevent turning of the first gear. The stopper part is a part where a tooth is not formed in an outer peripheral part of the second gear. The stopper part includes a protruded part protruded to an outer side in a radial direction with respect to a tooth tip circle of a tooth part of the second gear, and a recessed part recessed to an inner side in the radial direction with respect to the protruded part and adjacent to the protruded part in a circumferential direction and, when turning of the first gear is stopped, a tip end side of the tooth part of the first gear is abutted with the recessed part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Nidec Sankyo Corporation
    Inventor: Mamoru Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 8967014
    Abstract: A manual control device includes an actuation member which is supported on a switching rod for pivoting about at least one actuation member pivot axis which extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the switching rod. Furthermore, the switching rod is movably supported relative to a base member of the manual control device about or along a plurality of switching rod movement axes, there being provided restoring means, by means of which the actuation member which has been redirected out of a rest position about the actuation member pivot axis can be restored to the rest position. The restoring means have at least two resilient elements which are active counter to redirection of the actuation member from the rest position about the actuation member pivot axis and which are arranged radially opposite each other relative to the longitudinal axis of the switching rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: W. Gessmann GmbH
    Inventors: Gerhard Schulein, Alwin Ehrensperger
  • Patent number: 8968136
    Abstract: A dual clutch transmission (500) having a plurality of forward gears and at least one reverse gear (582) where the first gear is operatively engaged by a one-way clutch (594). A pair of actuator control valves (270, 272) is employed to move actuators to engage selective ones of the forward gear sets. A multiplex valve (284) is disposed in fluid communication between the pair of actuator control valves (270, 272) and the actuators associated with the forward gears of the transmission and is adapted to selectively provide fluid communication to the actuators to thereby select the forward gear ratios. A manual valve (185) is operatively connected to the gear shift selector (187) to control the actuator associated with reverse gear (582).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventors: Melissa Koenig, Mark Buchanan
  • Patent number: 8967003
    Abstract: An engine starter includes a motor that comprises a drive shaft; and a unidirectional rotation clutch system that is helical-splined to the drive shaft. The clutch system includes a clutch inner; a clutch outer; a clutch roller that is interposed between the clutch outer and the clutch inner; and a spring that urges the clutch roller, wherein a compound film is formed on a surface of the clutch roller or surfaces of the clutch outer and the clutch inner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ono, Tomohiko Ikemori, Shigeyuki Enkaku, Chihiro Horikoshi, Shinya Saito, Shigehiro Kanbe
  • Patent number: 8967007
    Abstract: A transmission utilizing oscillating torque to vary the mechanical power transmitted to a load was previously patented by this inventor (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,062,096, 6,044,718, and 7,481,127). The transmission has a rotatable input member and a rotatable mass. The transmission also has a member with an eccentric offset, with the rotatable mass rotatably coupled to the offset and being eccentric with respect to the offset. The present invention provides several improvements to the previous patents including belt or chain for the rotating masses to improve load carrying capacity and improvements to the control system using inertia control. FIG. 1 shows the fully assembled transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Inventor: William Terry Lester
  • Patent number: 8960361
    Abstract: A control device for a motor vehicle has a manually controllable drive position selector element and a control element for controlling secondary functions of the motor vehicle. The drive position selector element and the control element for the secondary functions are attached to a common base body which is movable relative to an interior lining part of the motor vehicle. The drive position selector element is designed such that it can be used as a hand rest for the control element for the secondary functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Jacques Helot, Ulrich Beierlein, Wouter Kets, Imanuel Merk
  • Patent number: 8960035
    Abstract: A rack shaft supporting device includes a support yoke, a plug, an intermediate component, a torque generation spring, and rolling elements. The plug has a plug end portion and plug cam faces formed in the plug end portion. The intermediate component is arranged between the plug and the support yoke in a state where the intermediate component is rotatable relative to the rack housing and movable relative to the rack housing in a pushing direction. The intermediate component has an intermediate opposed portion opposed to the plug end portion and intermediate cam faces opposed to the plug cam faces. The rolling elements are arranged between the plug cam faces and the intermediate cam faces, and make contact with each of the plug cam faces and the intermediate cam faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventor: Kensaku Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8960042
    Abstract: A robot arm assembly includes a supporting arm, first and second mechanical arms, a first driving member, a second driving member, a first transmission mechanism between the first mechanical arm and the first driving member, and a second transmission mechanism between the second mechanical arm and the second driving member. The first driving member drives the first transmission mechanism to rotate the first mechanical arm. The second driving member drives the second transmission mechanism to rotate the second mechanical arm. The first driving member and the second driving member are both carried in the supporting arm and are arranged side by side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Zhen-Xing Liu
  • Patent number: 8960039
    Abstract: A mouse AT lever includes a pair of A/B buttons generating control signals when being pressed and an operation dial turning to implement P, R, N, D, and M shift ranges, and can implement a basic function of outputting operation signals for the positions of the selected shift ranges and implementing operation feeling according to the shifting in various ways using the pressing time of A/B buttons, a function of preventing mis-operation in the shifting by using H-MATIC functions, a shift-lock function that prevents the ranges from being switched under a predetermined condition, a function of starting the engine by using a button, a customer-directional safety control function that is set by the customer, and an interface function for communicating with an DIS (Driver Information System) controlling the devices mounted in the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Eunsik Kim
  • Patent number: 8960040
    Abstract: A latching shifter mated with a shift-by-wire transmission in which the gear cam includes a momentary shift lever position which is spring biased toward the drive gear notch. A driver is enabled to shift the transmission into a desired gear by passing the shift lever into and out of the momentary shift lever position in the event of autonomous shifting by the transmission or to otherwise provide a selected gear of the transmission. Preferably a dynamically changeable gear shift display is provided, the indicia of which is responsive to the gear status of the transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Orson S. Wang
  • Patent number: 8950281
    Abstract: A worm-gear assembly including a worm screw having at least one groove and a wheel having a plurality of rotatable pins along its periphery for engaging the worm screw. The pins are able to rotate in a direction other than a direction of wheel rotation. At least one raceway is provided for contacting pins that are not engaged with the worm screw during operation of the assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: SpinControl Gearing LLC
    Inventors: Eric D. Carrier, David O. Carrier
  • Patent number: 8943920
    Abstract: The roller screw mechanism is provided with a screw comprising an external thread, with a nut arranged around and coaxial with the said screw, the nut comprising an internal thread, and with a plurality of rollers interposed between the screw and the nut and comprising flanks interacting with the said threads. The value of the opening angle ? of the flanks of the external thread of the screw is greater than the value of the opening angle of the flanks of the rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Aktiebolaget SKF
    Inventors: Gerard Buvril, Philipp Krebs, Jean-Paul Giraudeau, Sebastien Lecluse