Patents Examined by Pamela Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11702047
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for carrying out a cleaning operation for at least one braking device of a braking system in a motor vehicle, said method having the following steps: setting a braking pressure by components of the braking device in accordance with a predefined braking pressure curve, wherein the braking pressure curve, during the cleaning operation, specifies braking pressures that vary over time for the braking device, correcting a setpoint motor torque that is to be provided by a drive motor of the motor vehicle and that is dependent on a braking effect brought about by the set braking pressure, the predefined braking pressure curve being selected such that a longitudinal deceleration of the motor vehicle, which is brought about by the predefined braking pressure curve, can be compensated for by a corresponding additional motor torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignees: BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, ZF ACTIVE SAFETY GMBH
    Inventors: Philipp Waenninger, Tobias Oppermann, Christian Redlich
  • Patent number: 11702054
    Abstract: A brake control device (10) for delivering air under controlled pressure to a pneumatic brake actuator (BA), comprising an inlet port (51) coupled to a compressed air supply circuit, a working port (54) coupled to a service brake chamber (C2) of the brake actuator (BA), a venting port (56), first and second inlet solenoid valves (31, 32) for selectively connecting inlet port(s) to the working port, first and second outlet solenoid valves (41, 42) for selectively connecting the working port to venting port(s), a biased check valve (12), for coupling the working port to venting port(s), the brake control unit device further comprising first and second local electronic control units (21, 22) for controlling independently first and second inlet solenoid valves and first and second outlet solenoid valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Leon Henderson, Christian Oscarsson, Leo Laine
  • Patent number: 11697403
    Abstract: A device designed for controlling and regulating an electro-pneumatic parking brake circuit includes a manual controller configured to actuate a parking brake via the electro-pneumatic parking brake circuit, the manual controller having a first circuit arrangement and a second circuit arrangement, the first circuit arrangement being a digital, bidirectional circuit arrangement and the second circuit arrangement being an analog circuit arrangement. The device further includes control electronics electrically connected to the manual controller. The first circuit arrangement is connected to the control electronics via a first connection cable and the second circuit arrangement is connected to the control electronics via a second connection cable. The first connection cable is a digital data transmission channel configured to enable a digital data transmission between the digital circuit arrangement and the control electronics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
    Inventors: Alexander Wendlandt, Andreas Malaske, Axel Peuser, Hartmut Schappler
  • Patent number: 11698117
    Abstract: A braking system that includes a translatable braking mechanism selectively engageable with a wheel assembly, one or more artificial muscles contacting a support plate and disposed adjacent the translatable braking mechanism. Each of the one or more artificial muscles includes a housing having an electrode region and an expandable fluid region, a dielectric fluid housed within the housing, and an electrode pair positioned in the electrode region of the housing, the electrode pair having a first electrode and a second electrode. The electrode pair is actuatable between a non-actuated state and an actuated state such that actuation from the non-actuated state to the actuated state directs the dielectric fluid into the expandable fluid region, expanding the expandable fluid region thereby applying pressure to the translatable braking mechanism, inducing frictional engagement between the translatable braking mechanism and the wheel assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Max P. Herzog, Michael P. Rowe
  • Patent number: 11691601
    Abstract: A vehicle parking brake control includes a parking switch for switching the parking brake between ON and OFF, a vehicle power source switch for switching a power source of the vehicle between ON and OFF, a parking brake controller for executing automatic application control when the power source is operated from ON to OFF by the occupant with use of the vehicle power source switch, and a prohibition condition determination unit for determining that when the parking brake is OFF, the vehicle is stopped, and the vehicle power source is ON, a prohibition condition for prohibiting automatically turning the parking brake on is satisfied when a turning-off operation for the vehicle power source switch is executed after a turning-off operation for the parking switch is executed. When a determination is made that the prohibition condition is satisfied, the parking brake controller does not execute the automatic application control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Uehara, Tomoji Izumi, Toshiya Oue, Takeshi Yabuki, Tsuyoshi Kojima
  • Patent number: 11691709
    Abstract: An aircraft with increased crash robustness including a fuselage with a forward end, an opposite rear end, a ventral surface, and a dorsal surface. The aircraft further including a longitudinal axis running from the rear end to the forward end and a dorsoventral axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and running from the dorsal surface to the ventral surface. The aircraft also including at least a battery module located within the fuselage comprising a plurality of battery cells, each battery cell includes an axial axis positioned orthogonally to each of the longitudinal axis and the dorsoventral axis, and each battery cell has a plurality of radial axes orthogonal to the axial axis, wherein the plurality of radial axes includes a first radial axis aligned with the longitudinal axis and a second radial axis aligned with the dorsoventral axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventors: Sean Donovan, Nathan William Joseph Wiegman, Braedon Lohe, Sam Wagner
  • Patent number: 11691609
    Abstract: A control arrangement for a vehicle motion system including a braking function, comprising motion actuators with one or more brake actuators pertaining to the braking function, a first vehicle motion management controller (VMM1) and a second vehicle motion management controller (VMM2), forming a redundant assembly to control the braking function, wherein, in riding conditions, the first vehicle motion management controller controls the brake actuators with a current nominal expected braking performance, while the second vehicle motion management controller (VMM2) is in a waiting-to-operate mode, the control arrangement comprising a hot swap functionality in which the second vehicle motion management controller (VMM2) is configured to take over control of the brake actuators from the first vehicle motion management controller, with the current nominal expected braking performance, in a short time period (SWT) less than one second, preferably less than 0.5 second, preferably less than 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Leo Laine, Lionel Farres, Christian Oscarsson, Leon Henderson, Johanna Majqvist, Jose Vilca, Kristoffer Tagesson, Karthik Ramanan Vaidyanathan, Nicolas Soulier
  • Patent number: 11685350
    Abstract: A method of controlling a vehicle during a braking operation includes providing a first and a second brake actuator, a brake input device, a steer input device, and a cross-drive transmission having two outputs and a controller. The method includes detecting a first output speed at the first output and a second output speed at the second output, and receiving a brake input request and a steer input request. The method also includes determining a differential output speed based on the first output speed and the second output speed, and comparing the differential output speed to a first threshold, the brake input request to a second threshold, and the steer input request to a third threshold. The method includes determining the first or the second output is locked during the braking operation, and controlling the first or the second brake actuator based on which output is determined to be locked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: ALLISON TRANSMISSION, INC.
    Inventors: Michael York, Bruce E. Crum
  • Patent number: 11685346
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a hydraulic brake system for a highly automated or autonomous vehicle which includes three pressure generators which provide sufficient braking force even in a case of a fault. Two of the pressure generators are assigned in a redundant manner to one axle and a modulation unit is configured to hydraulically connect the two pressure generators to the wheel brakes of the first axle, and to perform individual brake pressure modulation in the wheel brakes. The third pressure generator is hydraulically separate from the other pressure generators, and another modulation unit is configured to hydraulically connect the third pressure generator to wheel brakes of another axle, and to perform individual brake pressure modulation in the wheel brakes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Friedrich, Dirk Drotleff, Ralf Kleemann, Daniel Brenndoerfer, Bernd Hienz
  • Patent number: 11685351
    Abstract: A local control unit for a brake system is described. The control unit serves to actuate an electromechanical brake of the brake system of a wheel and according to one exemplary embodiment has a first connection for a main power supply and a second connection for a generator which is coupled to the wheel and which provides a standby power supply for the control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Andreas Kiep, Johannes Huchzermeier
  • Patent number: 11679748
    Abstract: An electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) for a vehicle 100, with a supply coupling head (24), a control coupling head (26), and an electronically controlled trailer control module (28) includes a first supply port (28.1), a trailer supply connection (28.2) for providing a trailer supply pressure (pT) to the supply coupling head (24), a trailer control connection (28.3) for providing a trailer control pressure (pB) to the control coupling head (26), an electro-pneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (40) for providing the trailer control pressure (pB), and a tractor protection valve electronic control unit (42). The electro-pneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (40) is configured to only supply a trailer control pressure (pB) to the trailer control connection (28.3) when compressed air is supplied to the trailer supply connection (28.2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: ZF CV Systems Europe BV
    Inventors: Joachim Amtsfeld, Henning Förster, Thilo Klostermann, Florian Schwagmeyer
  • Patent number: 11668358
    Abstract: The present invention is a vehicle disc brake for which incorrect installation of a friction pad can be prevented with a simple structure. The disc brake is provided with incorrect installation-preventing parts with which, if a friction pad (4) is installed with an incorrect installation orientation when a pair of tabs (10, 11) provided on the disc entry-side and disc exit-side of the back plate (4d) of a friction pad (4) is installed into pad guide grooves (9) formed on a caliper body (3), the tabs bump into the caliper body (3) and prevent the incorrect installation. The incorrect installation-preventing parts are formed from caliper-side recesses (9d, 9e), which are formed in the pad guide grooves (9) towards the center of the caliper body, and tab-side protrusions (10a, 11a), which have shapes that correspond to the caliper-side recesses (9d, 9e).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignees: NISSIN KOGYO CO., LTD., HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Aonuma, Kazumasa Uehara, Yoshiyuki Imai, Chihiro Iida
  • Patent number: 11668361
    Abstract: A disc/brake friction torque for railway vehicles consisting of at least one pad comprising at least one friction element and a disc. The friction element is made of a sintered material comprising copper, iron, graphite, 0.02 to 1.5% by weight of molybdenum, 1 to 3% by weight of chrome and a porosity ranging from 20 to 35%; and the disc is made of cast iron comprising 0.05 to 2% by weight of chrome, 0.05 to 2% by weight of molybdenum, 0.1 to 2% by weight of nickel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: POLI S.R.L.
    Inventors: Vittorio De Soccio, Roberto Boffelli
  • Patent number: 11661991
    Abstract: Gas spring and gas damper assemblies include a gas spring and a gas damper. The gas spring includes a flexible spring member with opposing end members secured thereto and at least partially defining a spring chamber. An elongated damping passage having a spiral configuration extends through one of the end members. The gas damper includes a damper housing that at least partially defines a damping chamber in fluid communication with the spring chamber through the elongated damping passage. A damper piston assembly is received within the damping chamber and secured to the other of the end members. Suspension systems and methods are also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC
    Inventor: Joshua R. Leonard
  • Patent number: 11661047
    Abstract: A method includes steps for controlling a pneumatic braking system of a trailer vehicle which is connected to a tow vehicle equipped with a hydraulic or pneumatic braking system. At the start of an actuation of the foot brake valve, an electrical switch is closed or opened, and a switching signal is transmitted to an electronic control unit as a braking start signal for an incipient braking process. A brake value sensor detects a brake value representative of the drivers current deceleration request and transmits the brake value to the electronic control unit as a brake value signal. The brake value sensor is used for determining the incipient braking process, and a backup valve is only deactivated by switching a redundancy valve from an open position to a blocking position if the brake value signal detected by the brake value sensor has reached or exceeded a predefined minimum signal value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: ZF CV Systems Global GmbH
    Inventor: Ivo Laskawy
  • Patent number: 11654999
    Abstract: To provide a rear wheel braking device for a motorcycle that can reduce an unsprung mass and the number of pieces of components on the rear wheel side of a shaft drive type motorcycle. In a rear wheel braking device for a motorcycle transmitting a drive force of a power unit of a motorcycle to a rear wheel through a drive shaft that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the drive shaft includes a propeller shaft that is connected to a rear end of an output shaft through a universal joint, the output shaft protruding to the vehicle body rear side from a case member of the power unit. A brake disk is attached to the output shaft, the brake disk being braked by a rear wheel brake caliper. The rear wheel brake caliper is fixed to a bracket that is arranged in the case member, and is disposed on the vehicle body upper side of the brake disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mitsutaka Matsuzawa, Masaki Nishimura, Haruki Horikawa, Hiroki Mori, Hiroshi Okamura, Kyotaro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11654872
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electric brake system (1) for a vehicle. The electric brake system (1) comprises electric brake devices (2). The electric brake devices (2) are powered and controlled by redundant capacitor-based power sources (9A, 9B) and redundant control circuits (16A, 16B). The capacitor-based power source (9A, 9B) can be integrated into axle modules (39A, 39B) located close to a vehicle axle (61A, 61B). The capacitor-based power sources (9A, 9B) are recharged by a hub generator, a regeneration power source (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: HALDEX BRAKE PRODUCTS AKTIEBOLAG
    Inventors: Anders Nilsson, Anders Lindqvist, Peter Nilsson
  • Patent number: 11655864
    Abstract: A brake pad for a motor vehicle is provided. The brake pad includes a body having an upper edge and a lower edge. The upper edge is configured for positioning relative to an outer diameter of a rotor. The brake pad also includes a friction surface extending between the upper edge and the lower edge for engaging the rotor. The brake pad further includes a relieved portion located along a section of the upper edge. The relieved portion is configured to reduce squeal noise caused by tangential modes of the rotor, during engagement of the brake pad with the rotor, by minimizing contact between the friction surface of the brake pad and the outer diameter of the rotor at an area of the rotor having a potential for high modal displacement in a tangential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Yuri Anatoly Karpenko, Charles K. Evans, J. Chris Oakwood, Peter Kowalow
  • Patent number: 11655866
    Abstract: A disc brake and a pad spring for a brake pad assembly. The pad spring may include first and second arms that extend from an intermediate portion and that each have a free end. The free end of each arm may curve outwardly relative to an intermediate portion and back towards a plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Meritor Heavy Vehicle Braking Systems (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Alexander Wade
  • Patent number: 11649869
    Abstract: There are provided a friction material composition containing no copper or having a reduced content of copper that can provide a friction material in which the stability of the friction coefficient after standing in a cold environment, the abrasion resistance, and the low rust fixation properties are excellent, and squeal (particularly low temperature squeal) is suppressed, and a friction material obtained by molding the friction material composition, and a friction member using the friction material. The friction material composition is specifically a friction material composition comprising a bonding material, an organic filler, an inorganic filler, and a fiber substrate, in which the friction material composition comprises no copper, or has a content of copper of less than 0.5% by mass in terms of a copper element even if comprising the copper, and comprises, as the organic filler, cashew particles to which a silicone resin adheres.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: RESONAC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Baba, Teruyuki Nagayoshi, Yuichi Fukuzawa