Patents Examined by Kelly E Darby
  • Patent number: 8812200
    Abstract: A method of determining an operating state of a form-locking shift element of a transmission apparatus that, at least for changing one operating state between a disengaged operating state and an engaged operating state, is pressurized with an actuating pressure by a pressure-conducting region of the transmission apparatus. The pressure of the pressure-conducting region is monitored. Depending on the progression of the pressure of the pressure-conducting region, while pressurizing the form-locking shift element with the actuating pressure for changing the operating state, checking whether the form-locking shift element has the requested operating state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventor: Rainer Novak
  • Patent number: 8781677
    Abstract: High centering bases for hospital gurneys are disclosed. An example hospital gurney includes a sensor to detect a position of a foot pedal of the hospital gurney. The example high centering base includes a processor responsive to the sensor to create a movement instruction based on the position of the foot pedal. The example high centering base includes an actuator to move a first wheel based on the movement instruction, the first wheel located between a first end of the hospital gurney and a second end of the hospital gurney.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Hospital Therapy Products
    Inventors: Timothy Roberts, Daniel Stout
  • Patent number: 8744687
    Abstract: A vehicle steering apparatus in which a mechanical coupling between a steering member and steered wheels is uncoupled, includes a steering actuator for driving a steered mechanism and a control unit for drive-controlling the steering actuator. The control unit reduces steering-stiffness using a PID control portion for drive-controlling the steering actuator according to a deviation between a target steered angle and a steered-angle detected by the steered angle sensor. A gain setting portion sets gains of the PID control portion to be relatively low when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Jtekt Corporation
    Inventors: Ryouhei Hayama, Tomoyasu Kada, Shingo Maeda, Shuuji Kimura
  • Patent number: 8688292
    Abstract: A pendular motion determination unit of a motion stabilizer for a tractor includes a parameter computation unit configured to compute a determination parameter PA indicative of a quantity of change in an actual yaw rate Y, a threshold value setting unit configured to compute a threshold value PAth for the determination parameter PA, and a determination unit configured to determine that a pendular motion caused by swaying motion of a trailer is imparted, if the determination parameter PA is greater than the threshold value PAth. At least one of PAth and PA is changed based upon a correlation of a value related to a lateral acceleration based yaw rate Yg with a value related to the standard yaw rate Ys and a correlation of a value related to the actual yaw rate Y with a value related to the standard yaw rate Ys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Nissin Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Miyata, Takeshi Kojima, Tomoyuki Futamura
  • Patent number: 8649947
    Abstract: A powertrain for a vehicle is provided having an engine, a transmission, a torque transfer mechanism, a hydraulic fluid circuit, and a transmission control module. The torque transfer mechanism includes a hydraulic fluid pump and is drivingly connected to an output member of the engine and an output member of the torque transfer mechanism is drivingly connected to the input member of the transmission. The hydraulic fluid circuit has a hydraulic valve in communication with the first fluid port of the hydraulic fluid pump. The transmission control module include a control logic for operating the powertrain during a vehicle launch event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: John C. Schultz, Hamid Vahabzadeh, Vijay A. Neelakantan, Daryl A. Wilton