Patents Examined by Karen Beck
  • Patent number: 11198479
    Abstract: A tilting pump apparatus includes a pump operation unit arranged between a mudguard, which is configured to obstruct foreign objects entering from a front side, and a tilting pump, which is configured to be rotated for generating hydraulic pressure to transmit movement of the mudguard generated by depressing the mudguard as rotational force for rotating the tilting pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Young-Shin Kim
  • Patent number: 11186249
    Abstract: An airbag for a front passenger seat, comprising: an inlet port for inflation gas; a main body, formed of at least one panel of fabric, and comprising a retainer (3) adapted for mounting the airbag to a vehicle, and a passenger contact region; and at least one tether (4) located inside the main body and connecting the retainer (3) to the passenger contact region so as to restrain inflation of at least a portion of the passenger contact region, wherein the tether (4) is attached to the fabric panel along a generally vertical line by stitches (7) which pass through stitch holes which are located inside the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Bernd Kippschull
  • Patent number: 11180105
    Abstract: In a method of folding a curtain-type side airbag (10) into an elongate airbag package (12) defining a longitudinal direction (L), wherein the side airbag (10) at one longitudinal end includes an elongate inflatable extension (14) having a free end (34), in a first folding step the extension (14) is folded over at a first folding line (30) enclosing an angle (?) <90°, especially between 30° and 60°, with the longitudinal direction (L), and in a second subsequent folding step the free end (34) of the extension (14) is folded over at a second folding line (36), the second folding line (36) enclosing an angle (?) of 0 to 45°, especially 0°, with the longitudinal direction (L).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: TRW AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Jürgen Heigl, Max Sadwornych
  • Patent number: 11173866
    Abstract: An airbag assembly includes an airbag having a knee chamber and an upper chamber. A wall fluidly isolates the knee chamber and the upper chamber. A sleeve extends from the knee chamber through the wall to the upper chamber and fluidly communicates the knee chamber and the upper chamber. A one-way vent is in the sleeve. The one-way vent allows for the knee chamber and the upper chamber to be maintained at different relative pressures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Zhibing Deng, Tzu-Chen Weng, Deepak Patel
  • Patent number: 11155232
    Abstract: A folding method of a far-side airbag apparatus may include: a first folding step of folding an upper portion of an airbag sheet toward an inboard side; a second folding step of folding both widthwise sides of the airbag sheet toward an outboard side; a third folding step of folding the upper portion of the airbag sheet toward the inboard side; and a fourth folding step of roll-folding the airbag sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Geon Woong Moon
  • Patent number: 11148495
    Abstract: An air spring system for a vehicle axle includes a link element which can be pivotably arranged on a vehicle frame for mounting the vehicle axle, an air spring which can be arranged on the link element and has a piston, and an additional reservoir, the link element having an upper side which faces the vehicle frame and a lower side which faces away from the vehicle frame, the additional reservoir being configured to be mounted on the lower side of the link element, and the air spring being configured to be mounted on the upper side of the link element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: SAF-HOLLAND GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Fäth, Stefan Wallmeier, Stephan Dehlwes
  • Patent number: 11124232
    Abstract: A road transport system of a header of a harvesting machine includes two pairs of wheels and two wheel frames. Each wheel frame is connected to a pair of wheels. The two wheel frames are rotatable between a field operation position and a road transport position. A header of a harvesting machine includes two pairs of wheels and two wheel frames. Each wheel frame is connected to a pair of wheels. The two wheel frames are rotatable between a field operation position and a road transport position. A method of converting a header of a harvesting machine from a field operation mode to a road transport mode includes: releasing wheel frames of the header from the header; rotating the wheel frames from a field operation position to a road transport position; and enabling kingpin steering connections between at least one of the wheel frames and a pair of wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Jixin Chen, Michael L. Vandeven
  • Patent number: 11110771
    Abstract: There is described a wheel axle for an agricultural vehicle such as a combine harvester. The wheel axle has at least one wheel suspension (32a) arranged to maintain a wheel axle parallel to the supporting surface, through use of a linkage arrangement (36, 38, 40) which is pivotally coupled to the axle frame (30). The configuration of the wheel suspension allows for the wheel axis to passively follow the surface profile, as any loads transmitted through the wheel carrier act to level out the wheel suspension to align with the underlying surface. As the wheel axle is adjusted to lie parallel with the underlying surface, accordingly the ground-contacting surface area of the associated wheels is maximised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: AGCO Corporation
    Inventor: Frederic Ducroquet
  • Patent number: 11111120
    Abstract: A lift device includes a chassis having a first end and an opposing second end, a first actuator coupled to the first end, a second actuator coupled to the first end, a third actuator coupled to the opposing second end; and a fourth actuator coupled to the opposing second end. The first actuator and the second actuator are selectively engageable to facilitate providing active control of a first pitch adjustment and a first roll adjustment of the first end of the chassis. The third actuator and the fourth actuator are (i) selectively fluidly couplable to facilitate providing passive control of a second pitch adjustment and a second roll adjustment of the opposing second end of the chassis and (ii) selectively fluidly decouplable to facilitate providing active control of the second pitch adjustment and the second roll adjustment of the opposing second end of the chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
    Inventors: JiHong Hao, Ignacy Puszkiewicz
  • Patent number: 11104288
    Abstract: Objective: To provide a side airbag apparatus that can protect a head portion and chest portion by an appropriate restraining force, while favorably inflating and expanding even a cushion that protects a head portion and chest portion with a small inflator, and that can ensure high OOP performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Makoto Fuma, Yuto Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11104386
    Abstract: A support rigidity of a torque rod with respect to a vehicle body is adequately increased. In addition to an upper bracket (52) and a lower bracket (54) for retaining the torque rod (66), the torque rod mounting structure includes a stay bracket (56) attached to the lower bracket (54) and the damper housing (24). The damper housing (24), the lower bracket (54) and the stay bracket (56) jointly form a closed cross section structure (58), and a retaining portion of the lower bracket (54) retaining the rear end (66A) of the torque rod (66) includes a part of the lower bracket (54) forming the closed cross section structure (58).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takehiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 11097613
    Abstract: A vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle may include a hydraulic system. The vehicle may include a sway bar. The sway bar may be positioned rearward of a hydraulic pump of the hydraulic system. A console having a first hydraulic input may be provided in an operator area of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Polaris Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Hurd, Richard D. Ripley, Anthony J. Kinsman, Matthew S. Kmecik, Brent A. Erspamer, Ryan D. Carlson
  • Patent number: 11084324
    Abstract: A semi-trailer wheel restraint system having at least one bearing or swivel, or a combination of bearing(s) and swivel(s), and one or more cable sections and one or more hub cab attachments for receipt into one or more wheel assemblies and through a hollow core of the trailer's axle. During a wheel bearing failure, the wheel restraint system keeps the loose wheel assembly near the end of the axle by anchoring it to the opposite-end's hub cap, thereby preventing a run-away wheel assembly and providing an operator of the truck an opportunity to safely stop the rig.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Tether Tech Safety, LLC
    Inventor: William Turner
  • Patent number: 11059341
    Abstract: An air spring includes a closing member, a rolling piston, and an air spring bellows connected to the rolling piston and the closing member to form a fluid-filled pressure chamber. A level control system for supplying and/or discharging fluid may be integrated into the pressure chamber to control level position based on air spring stroke. The level control system may have a control valve and an actuator connected to the control valve. The actuator may include a guide tube coupled to the rolling piston or closing member, and movably arranged within the pressure chamber. An actuating member may include a pin member and may operate the control valve. A compression spring may have a central spring and a biasing spring, and the guide tube may include a control flange coupled to the pin member, and the biasing spring may be supported to press the pin member against the control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Vibracoustic CV Air Springs GmbH
    Inventor: Michael Weber
  • Patent number: 11052859
    Abstract: A roof airbag apparatus including: a first cushion disposed on one side of a panoramic sunroof in a width direction of the panoramic sunroof and connected to an inflator; a second cushion disposed on the other side of the panoramic sunroof in the width direction and connected to the inflator; a first wire connected to the second cushion and connected to the first cushion to pull the second cushion toward the first cushion when the first cushion is deployed; a second wire connected to the first cushion and connected to the second cushion to pull the first cushion toward the second cushion when the second cushion is deployed; and guide anchors on which the first wire and the second wire are movably supported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: You Hoe Koo
  • Patent number: 11046134
    Abstract: A suspension group for a motor vehicle, wherein said suspension group includes: a wheel guide, which extends along a longitudinal axis, which includes a wheel attachment for connection to a rotation pin of a wheel having a rotation axis orthogonal to said longitudinal axis, wherein the wheel guide extends between a first end and a second end, opposite the first end, a support arm functionally connected to the wheel guide respectively by means of: a first crank rotatably connected at said second end to the wheel guide and to the support arm; a second crank rotatably connected at said first end to the wheel guide and to the support arm, wherein the wheel guide elements, the support arm and the first and second crank define a suspension quadrilateral, wherein, between at least two of said elements chosen between the wheel guide, the support arm, the first and the second crank, a shock absorber group is interconnected in such a way that the shock absorber group varies its extension as the movement of the suspensi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: PIAGGIO & C. S.P.A.
    Inventor: Andrea Raffaelli
  • Patent number: 11040746
    Abstract: Provided is a moving body capable of transmitting driving force of a drive unit to a spherical wheel without a separation between the spherical wheel and the drive unit even in the case where the moving body receives impact due to the road surface condition or the like. The moving body (10) is a self-sustained mobile robot. The moving body (10) includes a spherical wheel (21), a drive unit (22) which is in contact with the spherical wheel (21) to give a rotational driving force to the spherical wheel (21), a support (31) which supports the drive unit (22), and a biasing mechanism (41) which is suspended from the support (31) and abuts on the spherical wheel (21) to bias the spherical wheel (21) in a direction toward the support (31).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hironori Waita, Tetsuaki Kurebayashi
  • Patent number: 11034324
    Abstract: An airbag device includes an airbag accommodated in the accommodation part in a state where a wrapping material is wrapped around a folding completion body formed by folding the air bag. A region of the wrapping material configured to cover an upper of the folding completion body has a double structure of an outer part and an inner part. The outer part has slits that are intermittently formed substantially along an axial direction of the folding completion body. The inner part is configured to cover a lower of the slits and is configured so that a terminal, which is an edge side distant from a region configuring the outer part of the wrapping material, is located below a central line extending substantially in a horizontal direction from a sectional center of the folding completion body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Ozeki, Takashi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11033799
    Abstract: Devices and methods of transport are disclosed. Various embodiments include structural aspects related to steering and changing the direction of conveyances including features which utilize leaning or shifting of weight as part of turning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Leverage Design Ltd.
    Inventor: Mark Timothy Kortschot
  • Patent number: 11021128
    Abstract: One general aspect includes a deployable containment system for a vehicle roof panel, the system including: a pair of guide channels proximate to an opening through the vehicle roof panel, each guide channel of the pair having a first end and a second end; a housing mounted to the first end of the pair of guide channels. The deployable containment system also includes a shield configured to deploy from the housing and travel along the pair of guide channels so as to cover at least a portion of the opening. The deployable containment system also includes an actuator disposed proximate to the pair of guide channels, the actuator configured to deploy the shield from the housing after a deployment event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Sadanand N. Raikar, Jeffrey J. Schultz, Jeffrey W. Ronne, Stephen J. Cassatta, Louis S. Campbell, Mukesh Amin