Patents Examined by Keith Frisby
  • Patent number: 10005417
    Abstract: An occupant protection device configured as an integral bag body including an airbag, the airbag including: a frame duct that includes an upper duct inflated and deployed at a seat upper side of the head of an occupant with a seat front end of the upper duct reaching a seat front side of the head of the occupant in an inflated and deployed state; a front inflating portion that receives gas supplied from a portion of the frame duct that has reached in front of the head, and is that inflated and deployed at the seat front side of the head of the occupant; and a pair of lateral inflating portions that receive gas supplied from the frame duct or the front inflating portion, or both, and that are inflated and deployed at both seat width direction sides of the head of the occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Ohno, Yasushi Masuda, Shigeyuki Suzuki, Hiroshi Kato, Shinichi Ishida
  • Patent number: 10000177
    Abstract: An airbag module for protecting an occupant of a vehicle. The module includes an airbag and an inflator for providing inflation gas for the airbag. A diffuser is positioned in the airbag and configured to direct the flow of inflation gas into the airbag. The diffuser includes a main panel and a deflector panel connected together. The diffuser is configured to provide for first and second flow paths for inflation gas to exit diffuser and flow into the cushion. The main panel is folded along a fold line to create two folded portions and the deflector panel is located within the connected folded portions. The deflector panel is located in the first flow path and extends beyond the folded portions of the main panel. The extending portion of the deflector panel forces the inflation gas to change direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Acquisition LLC
    Inventor: Russell Joseph Mihm
  • Patent number: 9994191
    Abstract: A gas bag arrangement for a motor vehicle is provided. The gas bag arrangement contains a gas bag which can be deployed for the protection of a person present outside the motor vehicle along at least a section of the outside of the windshield or another portion of an outside of the motor vehicle, at least one pressure reducing device for reducing the internal pressure at least of a partial region of the at least partly inflated gas bag, and a means for moving at least a section of the at least partly inflated gas bag out of the field of view of a vehicle occupant of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: TAKATA AG
    Inventors: Ingo Kalliske, Dieter Markfort, Walter Kisler, Tobias Pausch, Norman Steinke
  • Patent number: 9994192
    Abstract: A vehicle pop-up hood device includes: a hinge base; a first arm that has a rear end portion coupled to the hinge base, and that has a front portion disposed offset toward the vehicle width direction inner side with respect to the rear end portion; a second arm that is coupled to the front portion of the first arm so as to be capable of swinging, and that moves the hood toward a vehicle upper side; an actuator that spans between the first arm and the second arm, and that lifts the hood from a closed position to a lifted position; and a link mechanism that includes a first link and a second link. A coupling location of the hinge base to the first link is disposed further to the vehicle width direction inner side than a coupling location of the hinge base to the first arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sotaro Narita, Yoshinori Uozumi
  • Patent number: 9944338
    Abstract: A collapsible electric scooter, including a base frame enclosing an electric power source, a front assembly rotatably secured to the base frame, where the front assembly includes at least one motorized wheel secured to a front riser with a handle bar, a seat assembly removably secured to the base frame; and a rear assembly rotatably secured to at least one axle of the base frame, where the rear assembly includes at least one rear wheel and at least one rear axle support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Inventor: Mayer Behar
  • Patent number: 9933008
    Abstract: A rack-and-pinion type steering device includes a ball joint for connecting a rack shaft and a tie rod. The ball joint includes a socket and a ball. The socket is provided with a regulated surface allowed to contact a regulating surface of a rack housing, and a screw projecting from the regulated surface to be connected to the rack shaft. The regulated surface includes an intermediate portion having a curved surface shape that recedes from a regulating surface in a longitudinal direction of the rack shaft toward the outer circumference, and the regulated surface has such a shape that a pointed portion toward the regulating surface is less likely to be formed on the regulated surface even if a processing error occurs in the processing for forming the regulated surface of the socket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Takahashi, Akihiro Toshima
  • Patent number: 9919728
    Abstract: A shaft comprises two parts. One of these two parts is tube-shaped, and the other is pushed into the tube-shaped part along a main axis. The two parts are fixed to each other for rotation about the main axis and connected to each other in a gliding way along the main axis, by a spline provided between the two parts. One of the two parts comprises a plurality of elongated teeth which are parallel to the main axis and whose cross-sections decrease from the first part towards the second part. Intermediate spaces between neighboring teeth are at least as broad as the teeth. The other of the two parts, at its circumference facing the first part, is made of plastically deformable plastic material, and a counter-profile into which the teeth engage is pressed in the plastic material by intrusion of the teeth during assembly of the two parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: FORD-WERKE GMBH
    Inventors: Markus Braun, Joachim Heidel
  • Patent number: 9914426
    Abstract: An airbag system for a motor vehicle includes an airbag arrangement with at least one airbag and a gas generator for filling the airbag arrangement. A base body includes two end regions, and an ignition element protrudes from the base body between the two end regions. The folded airbag arrangement in a packed state envelops at least one of the end regions in multiple layers on one part of its outer periphery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Carsten Glaser, Markus Fischer
  • Patent number: 9821833
    Abstract: An energy absorbing member is fixed to an outer periphery of an inner column, extends in a front-rear direction and is introduced into a slit of an outer column. During a secondary collision, a tightening rod is displaced forward together with the outer column, so that the energy absorbing member is vertically restrained to the tightening rod and the inner column from a up-down direction, is crushed by the tightening rod and generates impact absorption load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Ko Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9809080
    Abstract: A damper assembly for a vehicle suspension system includes a primary damper and a secondary damper. The secondary damper includes a housing having a wall that at least partially surrounds at least a portion of the primary damper, the volume between the wall and the primary damper defining a chamber, and the wall defines an aperture. The secondary damper also includes a piston positioned within the chamber, a conduit defining a flow path that includes the aperture, and a valve disposed along the flow path. The primary damper is configured to provide a base damping force and the secondary damper is configured to provide a supplemental damping force that varies based on the position of the piston within the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Oshkosh Defense, LLC
    Inventors: Erik S. Ellifson, Patrick S. Dillman, Jason J. Zuleger, Aaron J. Rositch, Robert K. Sollenskog
  • Patent number: 9738321
    Abstract: An arrangement and method are provided for enabling rotation movement between a tandem or caterpillar axle and a body of a vehicle. This type of vehicle includes at least one body part that is provided with a tandem or caterpillar axle. At least one body part includes a main body and an auxiliary body connected to it to rotate around the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or an essentially parallel axis thereto. The tandem or caterpillar axle is connected substantially rigidly to the main body, and the body part has at least one actuator for controlling the rotation movement between the main body and auxiliary body. In this way, changes in the position and motion status of the auxiliary body, especially in relation to the rotation around the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, are arranged to cause in the actuator a pushing or pulling motion that steers the auxiliary body to a rotation movement for the purpose of arranging the auxiliary body to a substantially horizontal position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: PONSSE OYJ
    Inventor: Pentti Hukkanen
  • Patent number: 9694842
    Abstract: A first plate of a stationary bracket has long holes which extend parallel to a column movement direction, and through which large-diameter portions of suspension bolts are passed. The inner circumferences of the long holes include: recessed curved surface portions of end portions in a direction opposite to the column movement direction; first inner edge portions which are on the side of a middle position between the long holes; and second inner edge portions. In a secondary collision, when the one suspension bolt slides over the first inner edge portion of the long hole, for example, a gap is formed between the other suspension bolt and the second inner edge portion of the long hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Eiji Tanaka, Susumu Imagaki, Atsushi Tano, Hiroshi Kawakami, Kenji Imamura
  • Patent number: 9669790
    Abstract: A roof headliner structure in which a curtain airbag for a vehicle is housed, includes the curtain airbag attached in a folded state along a roof side rail, a roof headliner, a pillar garnish including a clip seat, and a tether clip attached to the clip seat. The curtain airbag is covered from a vehicle cabin side with the roof headliner and the pillar garnish. The pillar garnish is attached to a pillar of the vehicle by the tether clip. The roof headliner has an extension portion extended so as to be positioned in the pillar garnish. The roof headliner is fitted at the extension portion to the clip seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shin Inami
  • Patent number: 9663061
    Abstract: A center side impact airbag module that is mountable to upper and lower locations of a vehicle seat includes an inflatable airbag cushion, a first tether, and a second tether. The first tether has a first end configured to connect to one of the airbag cushion, a mounting member and the vehicle seat at the upper location of the vehicle seat and a second end connected to a forward portion of the airbag cushion. The second tether has a first end configured to connect to one of the airbag cushion, the mounting member and the vehicle seat at the lower location of the vehicle seat and a second end connected to the forward portion of the airbag cushion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TK Holdings Inc.
    Inventor: Russell Joseph Mihm
  • Patent number: 9650079
    Abstract: A kart includes a chassis having a pair of substantially parallel tubular rails extending longitudinally and connected to one another at each end by at least one transverse tubular element. The kart chassis includes, in the front portion thereof, at least two substantially flared-U-shaped tubes positioned facing one another and assembled in the middle portion such as to form an X-shaped structure between the tubular rails, and at least two substantially rectilinear tubes disposed on each side of the X-shaped structure and each having a first end solidly connected to one of the tubular rails and another end solidly connected to a central portion of the X-shaped structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: SODIKART
    Inventor: William Gergaud
  • Patent number: 9643646
    Abstract: A vehicle steering knuckle includes a body part to which an axle is attached, an arm portion including one end integrally connected with an outer periphery of the body part and spreading outwardly from the body part along an extending axis, and a connecting portion configured to be connected with a vehicle component. The arm portion includes a first portion, a second portion, and a hollow portion. The first portion including a peripheral wall configured to enclose around the extending axis. The second portion including a peripheral wall including an opening partially opened around the extending axis. At a cross-section intersecting the extending axis, an end portion of the peripheral wall of the second portion on a side of the opening includes an enlarged portion which is enlarged in width as compared with side portions adjacent to the end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignees: HITACHI METALS AMERICA, LTD., HITACHI METALS, LTD.
    Inventors: Aaron Conner, Rick Bowen, Ronald Walker, Satoru Shiozawa
  • Patent number: 9643647
    Abstract: A vehicle steering knuckle includes a body part to which an axle is attached, an arm portion including one end integrally connected with an outer periphery of the body part and spreading outwardly from the body part along an extending axis, and a connecting portion configured to be connected with a vehicle component. The arm portion includes a first portion, a second portion, and a hollow portion. The first portion including a peripheral wall configured to enclose around the extending axis. The second portion including a peripheral wall including an opening partially opened around the extending axis. At a cross-section intersecting the extending axis, an end portion of the peripheral wall of the second portion on a side of the opening includes an enlarged portion which is enlarged in width as compared with thickness of side portions adjacent to the end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignees: HITACHI METALS AMERICA, LTD., HITACHI METALS, LTD.
    Inventors: Aaron Conner, Rick Bowen, Ronald Walker, Satoru Shiozawa
  • Patent number: 9637172
    Abstract: Upon a rear-end collision of a vehicle, an arm section(s) of a cross member of a rear suspension member on the rear side of the vehicle, which is(are) positioned in a low-strength region in a vehicle-body strength distribution, undergoes crush deformation together with a corresponding rear side member(s). Deformation of the part of the rear suspension member other than the arm sections, which is positioned in a high-strength region in the vehicle-body strength distribution, is suppressed, so that a high voltage component mounted in the high-strength region is protected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Sagara, Takeo Ehara
  • Patent number: 9637196
    Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment apparatus includes a spring, an adjustor, a storage chamber, a pump, and a flow path switching unit. The adjustor includes an accommodation chamber which accommodates liquid, and adjusts the length of the spring according to the amount of liquid in the accommodation chamber. The pump includes a cylinder. The flow path switching unit includes a first communication path through which the inside of the cylinder communicates with the storage chamber, a second communication path through which the inside of the cylinder communicates with the accommodation chamber, and a third communication path through which the accommodation chamber communicates with the storage chamber. The flow path switching unit switches the flow path of the liquid according to an amount of electric current supplied to the flow path switching unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yosuke Murakami
  • Patent number: 9623833
    Abstract: An airbag apparatus is provided with a shaped, out-of-position (OOP) flap configured to alter a trajectory of an inflatable air cushion during deployment. The apparatus includes an airbag module with an inflator assembly. The inflatable cushion is folded in a deflated arrangement with the airbag module, defining a major surface facing a direction of deployment. The OOP flap is shaped to cover only a partial region of the major surface. The OOP flap may include a first portion with a first end fixed to the airbag module or the inflatable cushion; and a second portion with a second end opposite the first end, remaining free from attachment. The second portion has at least one fold or cut-out at the second end and is positioned overlying the partial region of the major surface, thereby leaving at least a section of the major surface free from contact with the OOP flap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul J. Podzikowski