Patents Examined by Paul N. Dickson
  • Patent number: 11535202
    Abstract: A cleaning system connected to an air suspension system. The disclosed subject matter generally relates to a cleaning system for cleaning a surface of a device of a vehicle by means of applying an air jet to the surface. The proposed cleaning system is adapted to be combined with an air suspension system in such a way that the cleaning system receives exhaust air from the air suspension system which air may be used for cleaning of device surfaces. Thus, the proposed cleaning system can receive exhaust air from the air suspension system and apply the air to the device surface via nozzles without the need for a source of air dedicated to the cleaning system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventors: Kristoffer Åhlund Kahlund, Goran Vasilevski
  • Patent number: 11535075
    Abstract: An independent suspension system includes a steering unit configured to be controlled to adjust the steering angle of a wheel, a shock absorber engaged with the wheel in order to absorb external impacts applied to the wheel and including first and second shock absorbers, each of the first shock absorber and the second shock absorber arranged in a forward-rearward direction on opposite side surfaces of the wheel, respectively, and a link unit disposed between the shock absorber and the steering unit in order to vary the distance between the wheel and the steering unit. The link unit includes a first upper arm disposed between the first shock absorber and the steering unit, a second upper arm disposed between the second shock absorber and the steering unit, and a ground clearance adjustment unit engaged with the first and second upper arms and configured to vary the distance therebetween while varying the distance between the wheel and the steering unit at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Jeong Hwan Park
  • Patent number: 11535332
    Abstract: A rotation locking device includes a locking module and at least one engaging member. The at least one engaging member is rotatably coupled to the locking module. The locking module is configured to engaging and disengage the at least one engaging member, thereby refraining the at least one engaging member from rotating relative to the locking module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Gogoro Inc.
    Inventor: Ching Juan
  • Patent number: 11535148
    Abstract: Mounting tabs, kits and methods of using the mounting tabs where none previously existed or for replacing/repairing broken mounting tabs are disclosed. For example, the mounting tabs, kits and methods disclosed herein are well suited for the repair of high value components, including automotive components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Inventor: Maurice Paperi
  • Patent number: 11535079
    Abstract: Torsion beam axles for vehicles are disclosed. An example torsion beam axle disclosed herein includes a first side assembly, the first side assembly including a longitudinal member and a receiver. The example torsion beam axle further including a second side assembly, and a cross strut extending transversely between the first side assembly and the second side assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Francesco Italiano, Carsten Tragsdorf
  • Patent number: 11529923
    Abstract: An assembly for a vehicle includes a seat having a seat bottom and a seatback supported by the seat bottom. The seat bottom and the seatback define an occupant seating area. The seat includes an airbag supported by an upper end of the seatback. The airbag is inflatable downwardly from the upper end of the seatback enclosing the occupant seating area between the airbag and the seatback. The seat includes a pyrotechnic device fixed to the seat below the airbag. The pyrotechnic device is connected to the airbag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Dean M. Jaradi, Mohammad Omar Faruque, S. M. Iskander Farooq
  • Patent number: 11530008
    Abstract: A trailer for towing by a power vehicle is provided and generally includes a frame and a tandem wheel assembly. The frame forms an undercarriage chassis which the tandem wheel assembly is positioned there under. The undercarriage chassis includes a steerable rear wheel assembly, a steerable front wheel assembly, and an extension assembly moving the front wheel assembly between trailing position and a self-propelled position where the rear wheel assembly and the front wheel assembly are positioned to equally support the undercarriage chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: New Heights LLC
    Inventors: Aaron Jay Beiler, William Fisher, Raymond Beiler, Jeremiah Weaver
  • Patent number: 11529920
    Abstract: A work vehicle includes a rollover protection structure (ROPS) around a driver's seat and a receiver supported at an upper portion of the ROPS to receive positional information from a satellite. A harness for the receiver is routed along an outer peripheral surface of the ROPS. A cover is provided to cover the harness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shinji Misaki
  • Patent number: 11529834
    Abstract: A vehicle including a frame; a motor; at least one ground engaging member; at least one suspension member pivotally connecting the ground engaging member to the frame; at least one double bonded bushing being disposed in an end portion of the at least one suspension member; at least one wear plate disposed between a first end of the at least one double bonded bushing and the frame, the at least one wear plate being rotationally fixed relative to the frame, the first end of the at least one double bonded bushing abutting the at least one wear plate, the at least one wear plate being selectively removable from the vehicle; and at least one shaft extending through a portion of the frame, the at least one double bonded bushing, and the at least one wear plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: BOMBARDIER RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS INC.
    Inventors: Eric Theobald, Jean-Pierre Bourgeois, Michel Boisclair
  • Patent number: 11525471
    Abstract: A retention ring is configured to retain components within a transmission assembly. The retention ring has an annular main body defining an opening through a center thereof. The annular main body defines an outer curved surface and an inner curved surface, the annular main body having a distal face disposed in a distal plane and a proximal face disposed in a proximal plane. A first set of retention features extend from the inner curved surface, and a second set of retention features from the outer curved surface. One of the sets of retention features is configured to engage a backing plate or an outer member, and at least one of the sets of retention features is entirely disposed between the proximal plane and the distal plane. A transmission assembly includes the retention ring and an adjacent external snap ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Pete R. Garcia, Boris Burgman
  • Patent number: 11524748
    Abstract: A suspension arm assembly for supporting at least a section of a recreational vehicle, such as a snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle front end, above a support surface is described. The suspension arm assembly has at least one segmented suspension arm formed by an upper arm section, a lower arm section and an intermediate arm section. The intermediate arm section is interconnected between the upper and lower arm sections by detachable end connectors. The intermediate arm section when impacted by objects in its pathway, when the vehicle is in motion and when damaged by an impact force of a strength overcoming its resistance strength, will deform or break. The intermediate arm can then be easily detached from the detachable end connectors for replacement by a further intermediate arm section and thereby permitting on site repair of the suspension arm assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Inventor: Martin Bougie
  • Patent number: 11524654
    Abstract: An occupant protection device for a vehicle includes a collision detector, a main airbag, a belt airbag, a belt controller, a distance detector, and an airbag controller. The collision detector detects a collision of the vehicle. In response to the collision detector detecting the collision, the main airbag deploys from a storage position toward an occupant seated on a seat of the vehicle. The belt airbag is stored in a seatbelt. The belt controller controls winding of the seatbelt, extraction of the seatbelt, and prohibition of the extraction of the seatbelt. The distance detector detects a distance from the storage position to the occupant. When the collision detector detects the collision of the vehicle and the detected distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the airbag controller deploys the belt airbag from within the seatbelt without causing the belt controller to prohibit the extraction of the seatbelt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shota Kanegae, Toru Yamashita
  • Patent number: 11524539
    Abstract: A chassis component for a wheel suspension which has a strut arrangement with at least one strut which is in the form of a profile component with an open cross-section. The at least one strut has a profile base and two wall sections that extend away from the profile base. An articulation point is provided, at least at one end of the strut, for receiving two joint components movably connected to one another, namely, a first joint component having a spherical joint body and a second joint component that rotatably and/or pivotably holds the joint body. In the area of the at least one articulation point, the wall sections have first and second joint accommodation apertures arranged opposite one another. A cylindrical sleeve is pressed in between the first joint accommodation aperture and the second joint accommodation aperture and keeps the opposite wall sections apart from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Manfred Sieve, Philipp Bronswick, Jan Pabst
  • Patent number: 11518430
    Abstract: A wheel steering device for a vehicle, including: a steering knuckle that constitutes a part of a suspension device and that is capable of moving relative to a body of the vehicle in an up-down direction, the steering knuckle holding a wheel such that the wheel is rotatable; and a steering actuator configured to cause the steering knuckle to be pivoted about a kingpin axis so steer the wheel, wherein a caster angle and a caster offset are both 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 11518332
    Abstract: An airbag operating apparatus for a vehicle may include: a sensing signal input unit configured to receive a sensing signal; a plurality of squib driving units including input ports connected in parallel to one another, having internal resistances set different from one another, installed to correspond to a plurality of airbags, respectively, and configured to drive the corresponding airbags when reaching an ignition current value according to airbag deployment signals; a storage unit configured to store the internal resistances of the plurality of squib driving units and output voltages of the airbag deployment signals according to deployment situations; and a control unit configured to receive the sensing signal from the sensing signal input unit, determine situations for deploying the plurality of airbags, and output the airbag deployment signals as output voltages to the input ports of the plurality of squib driving units according to the determination result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chung Hoon Cho
  • Patent number: 11518190
    Abstract: A vehicle component such as an axle spindle or suspension beam (3) is connected to a tubular vehicle axle (1) by fitting a connector sleeve (2) onto the axle and subjecting the assembly to a crimping operation in which plural depressions (206,2018) are formed by indentation in the connector sleeve and the axle wall at the connection region (11,12) to fix the connector sleeve on the tubular axle. In the described proposals a solid lubricant (4) such as molybdenum disulphide is applied at the connection region between the connector sleeve (2) and axle (1), before crimping. The further vehicle component (3) is then connected to the connector sleeve (2) by welding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Inventors: Shaun Macken, Sathya Babu, Nathan Wilson
  • Patent number: 11511821
    Abstract: A leaning vehicle includes a base member, an upper arm, a lower arm, a first support member, a second support member, a first wheel, a second wheel, and a steering operation member. The upper arm, the lower arm, the first support member, the second support member constitute a parallel link mechanism. The first wheel is movable integrally with the first support member in a turning direction of the base member. The second wheel is movable integrally with the second support member in the turning direction of the base member. According to turning of the base member by operating the steering operation member, all of the upper arm, the lower arm, the first support member, the second support member, the first wheel, and the second wheel turn around a turning center of the base member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ishii, Taro Iwamoto, Takeshi Nakajima, Kazuya Nagasaka
  • Patent number: 11511580
    Abstract: A suspension for a vehicle is configured such that, even in a situation of departing from a range in which a spring may be tensioned as a rebound state is added in a full rebound state, a lower end of the spring is continuously supported by a spring seat support arm, so as to prevent separation of the spring connecting a suspension arm to a body member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Sang Hoon Yoo
  • Patent number: 11511584
    Abstract: A decoupling bearing for a suspension strut or a pneumatic suspension strut may include a suspension strut cup and a connecting element that can be connected to a vehicle body. A damping element may be arranged between the suspension strut cup and the connecting element. The suspension strut cup may be connected to the connecting element by the damping element. Further, the damping element may be adhesively bonded to the connecting element and the suspension strut cup in a force-transmitting manner, and/or the damping element may be adhesively bonded to the connecting element and an intermediate element in a force-transmitting manner. The intermediate element may be connected to the suspension strut cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignees: ThyssenKrupp Bilstein GmbH, thyssenkrupp AG
    Inventors: Klaus Schmidt, Holger Hennen, Ole Götz
  • Patent number: 11505021
    Abstract: A structural load path assembly includes an upper rail configured to be coupled to a suspension system, a lower rail spaced apart from the upper rail along a vertical direction, a first outer bracket interconnecting the upper rail and the lower rail, a second outer bracket interconnecting the upper rail and the lower rail, a first inner bracket interconnecting the upper rail and the lower rail, wherein the first inner bracket is spaced apart from the first outer bracket along a horizontal direction, and the horizontal direction is perpendicular to the vertical direction, a second inner bracket interconnecting the upper rail and the lower, and a box section sized to receive a shock absorber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Trevor Laskowski, Matthew B. Rombach, Michael T. Chaney, Robert N. Saje, Warren J. Parsons, Anthony R. Rossello