Patents Examined by Keith J Frisby
  • Dual direction locking mechanism for telescoping steering column
    Patent number: 10494011
    Abstract: A locking mechanism for a telescoping steering column includes an energy absorption strap having a plurality of teeth disposed therealong. Also included is a clamp bolt rotatably driven by an adjustment lever. Further included is an actuator body coupled to the clamp bolt and rotated therewith. Yet further included is a first lock cam coupled to the actuator body and engageable with the teeth of the energy absorption strap to lock the telescoping steering column in a first direction. Also included is a second lock cam coupled to the actuator body and engageable with the teeth of the energy absorption strap to lock the telescoping steering column in a second direction different than the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Michael P. Anspaugh, Donald A. Buzzard, Michael W. Clark, Melvin L. Tinnin
  • Extendable and retractable steering device for a vehicle
    Patent number: 10494010
    Abstract: A steering device of a two-track vehicle has a retaining element and a steering handle for the driver that is rotatably mounted therein, and has a guide device for the retaining element, along which the retaining element can be moved between an extended use position, toward the driver in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a retracted rest position, further away from the driver. The guide device extends in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Henri Freiherr von Freyberg, Victor Kuehn, Sebastian Kroes, Nico Daun, Marek Mitula
  • Door mounted airbag assembly with concave surface
    Patent number: 10493941
    Abstract: An airbag includes folds with each fold having an apex and limbs. The limbs extend from the apex to the limbs of an adjacent fold. A fastener is fixed to the folds and releasably connects the folds to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Hubert Szawarski, Manoharprasad K. Rao, Mark A. Cuddihy
  • Stop control device
    Patent number: 10486661
    Abstract: A stop control device includes: a stop intention detection unit 170 that detects a stop intention of a driver; an unable-to-drive state detection unit 172 that detects that the driver is in an unable-to-drive state; a stop control unit 176 that performs automatic stop control in which a vehicle is decelerated and stopped, based on whether the stop intention is detected by the stop intention detection unit and/or whether the unable-to-drive state is detected by the unable-to-drive state detection unit; and a state display unit 174 that shows, on a display 144, information on whether it has been determined to activate the automatic stop control, a state of the control, and/or whether it has been determined to cancel the control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yukinori Kurahashi, Kei Oshida, Masayuki Nakatsuka
  • Steering system
    Patent number: 10479396
    Abstract: A second toothed member is configured to change its position between a meshing position where first teeth mesh with second teeth and a meshing releasing position where the first teeth do not mesh with the second teeth. A first toothed member and a facing member move together with an upper jacket. The second toothed member located at the meshing position receives an impact from the first toothed member so as to collide against an impact absorbing member after rupture of a guide shaft and deform the impact absorbing member. The second toothed member located at the meshing releasing position receives an impact from the facing member so as to cause rupture of the guide shaft and deformation of the impact absorbing member to occur concurrently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Rika Kagawa, Kiyoto Takei, Akihiro Takami, Tomoki Arai, Hideyoshi Hanai, Tsuyoshi Kojima, Hiroshi Obata
  • Steering device of vehicle
    Patent number: 10479393
    Abstract: A steering device of a vehicle, the steering device includes: a column housing supported by a vehicle body; a column tube supported to be movable with respect to the column housing in an axial direction; and a pressing mechanism interposed between the column tube and the column housing to press the column tube. The pressing mechanism includes: an abutment member that abuts against an outer surface of the column tube; a biasing member that is interposed between the abutment member and the column housing so as to bias the abutment member in a direction toward the column tube; and a shim member that is interposed between the biasing member and the abutment member and includes a supporting portion abutting against the biasing member, and a pressing portion abutting against the abutment member in a region shifted from the supporting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sakayanagi, Yoshinori Ishibashi
  • Active suspension with structural actuator
    Patent number: 10471798
    Abstract: An active suspension system is configured in a strut arrangement. The active suspension system comprises a hydraulic actuator and a hydraulic pump/electric motor assembly, wherein the actuator movement is preferably in lockstep with the hydraulic motor-pump and electric motor-generator combination. Torque in the electric motor is instantaneously controlled by a controller to create an immediate force change on the hydraulic actuator. The hydraulic actuator is configured so that it can be used as a strut whereby the actuator has sufficient structural rigidity to carry the applied suspension loads while capable of supplying damper forces in at least three quadrants of the force velocity graph of the suspension actuator operation. Embodiments disclosed include low cost active suspension systems for a MacPherson strut application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: ClearMotion, Inc.
    Inventors: Clive Tucker, Zackary Martin Anderson, David Michael Lewis, Ross J. Wendell, Alexander Apostolos Alexandridis
  • Occupant protection apparatus
    Patent number: 10471918
    Abstract: An occupant protection apparatus includes: an airbag configured to be stored in a head rest or a seat back of a vehicle seat, and the airbag being formed as a single bag that is configured to cover a head of an occupant and including a front inflating part and a right and left pair of lateral inflating parts; a three-point seat belt device including webbing equipped with a lap belt and a shoulder belt, and a belt take-up mechanism, and the belt take-up mechanism applying tension to the webbing; and a control unit that, in the event that an impact to the vehicle has been predicted or detected, activates the belt take-up mechanism before inflating and deploying the airbag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuki Sugie, Masanobu Ohmi, Seiji Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Matsumura, Kosuke Sakakibara, Misato Kinoshita
  • Energy-absorbing knee bolster frame for a vehicle
    Patent number: 10464516
    Abstract: An energy-absorbing knee bolster frame (10) for a vehicle (1) comprises a longitudinal knee contact member (20), a first energy-absorbing transverse bracket member (30) and a second energy-absorbing transverse bracket member (40). The first energy-absorbing transverse bracket member (30) and the second energy-absorbing transverse bracket member (40) extend in a transverse direction (Y) and are spaced apart on the longitudinal knee contact member (20). The longitudinal knee contact member (20) has a knee contact surface (22) for receiving a part of a knee (80) of an occupant (P) upon a collision. The first energy-absorbing transverse bracket member (30) has a cross section defining an open profile, and is adapted at one end (32) to engage with a vehicle interior component (100), and includes a plurality of first deformation segments (34A-N) configured for absorbing energy generated by a knee impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Ningbo Geely Automobile Research & Development Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Christer Gewert, Henrik Hellekant
  • Suspension structure of utility vehicle
    Patent number: 10464386
    Abstract: A suspension structure of a utility vehicle includes a frame, a wheel, and a trailing arm including an arm extending anteroposteriorly and supported by the frame, a knuckle rotatably supporting the wheel, and a rotary shaft configured to angularly displace the knuckle in a vehicle width direction with respect to the arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazumasa Hisada, Gary Bozych, Nobuyuki Nishiguchi, Takeru Ohshima, Yusuke Nakashima
  • Airbag device for a front passenger seat
    Patent number: 10457244
    Abstract: An airbag includes on the rear plane a passenger protection portion for protecting a front seat passenger. The passenger protection portion includes a front-collision arresting plane for protecting a head of the passenger as he moves forward in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle and an oblique-collision arresting plane that is disposed at least either on the left or on the right of the front-collision arresting plane in such a manner as to protrude rearward out of the front-collision arresting plane for protecting the head of the passenger as he moves diagonally forward in the event of an oblique or offset collision of the vehicle. The passenger protection portion further includes an arresting recess that is disposed between the front-collision arresting plane and oblique-collision arresting plane in such a manner as to be sunken forward for receiving and arresting the head of the passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ikuo Yamada, Takanori Komatsu
  • Offset washer for adjusting camber angle
    Patent number: 10450005
    Abstract: An offset washer for adjusting the camber angle in a vehicle is disclosed. The offset washer includes a body having an upper surface and a lower surface, an aperture extending through the body, and a protrusion having a longitudinal width different than the body thickness. The protrusion is configured to be inserted into a receiving aperture on a flange of a vehicle suspension system. The protrusion is defined by a formed upset defining a step in the material along a portion of the edge of the aperture, which is formed by upsetting the portion of the edge of the aperture when forming the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: NIWOT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jesse Aaron Weifenbach, Raymond Puckett
  • Pivoting latch plate for seatbelt
    Patent number: 10442393
    Abstract: A seatbelt latch plate assembly includes a latch plate, a D-ring, and a pivot stop. The D-ring is pivotably connected to the latch plate. The pivot stop is disposed between and rotatably fixes the latch plate to the D-ring. The pivot stop includes a deformable element. The deformable element is deformable at a predetermined pivot torque between the D-ring and the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Dean M. Jaradi, Mohammad Omar Faruque, S. M. Iskander Farooq, James Chih Cheng
  • Hollow stabilizer
    Patent number: 10442269
    Abstract: A hollow stabilizer has a tubular shape and is provided with a torsion section that is provided to a vehicle and that extends in the vehicle width direction; an arm section that extends in the front-back direction of the vehicle; and bent sections that connect the torsion section and the arm section. The hardness of the outer surface of the bent inner sides of the bent sections of the hollow stabilizer is 70% or more with respect to the hardness of the outer surface of the arm section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Wakabayashi, Ken Takahashi, Masato Sugawara, Hideki Okada
  • Load-limiting seatbelt assembly
    Patent number: 10427640
    Abstract: A seatbelt assembly includes a seatbelt retractor, a support spaced from the seatbelt retractor, and a webbing retractably engaged with the seatbelt retractor. The webbing is moveable relative to the support. The seatbelt assembly includes a magnet and a conductive material adjacent the magnet. One of the magnet and the conductive material is fixed to the support, and the other of the magnet and the conductive material is moveable by the webbing relative to the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Tien Vo, Brian Robert Spahn, Benjamin Yilma
  • Modular shift assembly
    Patent number: 10422425
    Abstract: A steering column assembly includes a jacket assembly and a modular shift assembly that is operatively connected to the jacket assembly. The modular shift assembly includes a shift bracket, a shaft, and a shift clevis. The shift bracket has a first shift bracket portion that defines a shift bracket first opening and a second shift bracket portion. The second shift bracket portion defines a shift bracket second opening. The shaft has a first shaft portion and a second shaft portion. The second shaft portion is at least partially received within the shift bracket opening. The shift clevis extends at least partially through the first shaft opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Michael C. Vermeersch, Arthur W. Nellett, Robert W. Dubay, Robert D. Bueche
  • Energy-absorbing steering column assembly
    Patent number: 10421477
    Abstract: One steering column assembly includes a bracket connectable to a vehicle, a jacket with an aperture and a wall thickness at the aperture, a steering shaft supported by the jacket, a locking assembly, a bending strap having jacket and rack portions, and an engaging body irrotatably positioned at least partially inside the aperture. The steering shaft is rotatable relative to the jacket about a longitudinal axis of the steering shaft, and the rack portion overlays and is separated from the jacket portion. The engaging body is coupled to or forms part of the bending strap jacket portion and thereby couples the bending strap rack portion to the jacket. The engaging body has a thickness that extends toward the longitudinal axis past the jacket wall thickness at the aperture. The locking assembly is configured to selectively restrict the rack portion from moving relative to the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignees: THYSSENKRUPP PRESTA AG, THYSSENKRUPP AG
    Inventor: Sascha Fricke
  • Occupant protection device for a vehicle, and corresponding vehicle
    Patent number: 10421425
    Abstract: An occupant protection device for a vehicle, including an airbag system which, for protecting an occupant, includes at least one first airbag whose expansion movement in the vehicle longitudinal direction extends toward the occupant and in the vehicle vertical direction extends from bottom to top, and a second airbag whose expansion movement in the vehicle longitudinal direction extends toward the occupant and in the vehicle vertical direction extends from top to bottom, at least one sensor system that detects collision-relevant and/or occupant-relevant information, and an evaluation and control unit that evaluates the collision-relevant and/or occupant-relevant information and controls the airbag system as a function of the evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Johannes Ludwig Foltin
  • Active system for damping motion of a steering wheel
    Patent number: 10422399
    Abstract: A system 300 for controlling vibratory motion in a vehicle steering wheel 20 prone to oscillate in a given direction due to extraneous inputs at one or more frequencies. The system 300 has a steering wheel 20 of the type exhibiting a vibratory motion along a defined axis at one or more frequencies, at least one sensor for sensing the acceleration of the steering wheel 20 along the defined axis and an active control mechanism responsive to the output of the at least one sensor. The sensor is an accelerometer having a movable first mass 70 and a solenoid coil 56 which when activated moves the mass 70 in a direction opposite to the motion of the steering wheel 20 and at the frequency of motion of the steering wheel 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Byron Spencer, Michael Jendrowski
  • Suspension for wheeled vehicle
    Patent number: 10414232
    Abstract: Suspension for a wheeled vehicle provided with at least one wheel and a frame, having at least one elastic element functionally combinable between the wheel and frame is disclosed. The suspension has at least one hydro-pneumatic spring functionally combined in series with the elastic element so that the equivalent spring modulus (Keq) of the elastic element and hydro-pneumatic spring is variable as a function of the distance between the frame and wheel. The hydro-pneumatic spring is shaped and sized to behave also as an energy dissipator in series to the elastic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Inventors: Federico Giuliani, Gabriele Bellani